I’m a California student and pretty much done with the whole college decisions wave (still waiting on USC, Cal, and Stanford, but I’m pretty sure I have no chance at those schools since I was rejected at UCLA, UCSD, and Davis…).
I know I want to do something in medical research. I’ve been accepted to Cal Poly(Electrical Eng), UCSB(CCS Biochem), UCI(Biomedical Eng), University of Washington(pre-Bioengineering), USD(Bioengineering), and a few safeties.
I’ve visited all of them other than UW and USD, but never really got a feel for whether I would fit in or not. Looking at US News Rankings has only confused me more and more. I’m hoping for a school with a marching band but less of a party scene, which I’ve heard is prevalent at Cal Poly and UCSB.
I guess I’m a little salty about my rejections, though…I never thought I would be rejected to Davis and San Diego with my stats but getting waitlisted at both was a huge shock to me. Now I’m feeling unsure if I’m even good enough to do well in college, find friends, etc…
Almost everyone gets rejected at some places and most people have nerves before college. Don’t worry. Work hard and be yourself and you should be fine. College is not impossibly hard.
Do you plan on medical school after college? If so you need to be concerned most about finances and GPA. Med school is expensive; going somewhere you can get a good GPA and pay relatively little would be ideal.
Generally, bigger Greek life (you can look up percentages online) means more partying. So if you’re not looking for too much partying then look into percentage of student body in Greek life. You can also read up on the marching band size (and awards received, watch videos, etc.) of each school to get an idea of which have acceptable marching bands. Stanford’s band is regarded as much more of a party/have a good time atmosphere and doesn’t actually march just FYI. They scatter into shapes on the field but the idea of an “8 to 5” is a foreign one. It’s more of a “run to your spot by the end of x amount of time.” It’s not for someone looking for a serious band. Most people show up on the first rehearsal night and pick a new instrument to play from then on out.
For any non-California schools you’re considering make sure to think about the weather. It rains over 150 days a year in Washington. Although personally I much prefer the general feel of WA to CA.