<p>They are really all over the map. You must be able to cross off the outliers. For example, can you afford Pepperdine or Cal Lutheran? Do you want to go to a religious school?
To answer your last question, the education at UCSB is just fine - in that UC sort of way. Its a big school with large lecture halls for many lower division courses. Pepperdine and Cal Lutheran are much more intimate </p>
<p>CSUN and CI are commuter schools, N is ‘better’ by most measures but, CI is much smaller and well outside of LA proper and closer to the beach. </p>
<p>Any of these could be the right choice for you. What are you looking for in a college and how thick is your wallet?</p>