Most “actual colleges” are heavy with commuters. It is only the more selective ones that are primarily residential.
At SJSU 56% of frosh live in the dorms. Since this is required for frosh who did not graduate from a high school within 30 miles of SJSU and are not non-traditional students (married, veteran, older, etc.), this implies that 44% are commuters or non-traditional students, which is higher than for many predominantly residential colleges. In contrast, CPSLO has 98% of frosh living in the dorms, though its relatively isolated location means that few students are in reasonable commuting range.
It is true that some employers, particularly in finance and consulting, are more school-prestige-conscious than others.
That said, UCSD is too risky to be designated as a “safety”, unless the OP is willing to use starting at a community college as the actual safety.