I’m debating between a UC and a private california college right now. The UC has been my dream school for a long time, however, they put me on a waitlist. The private university accepted me right away and I have fallen in love with everything they offer me and I’m excited about how I can grow as a person there. Currently, 50% of my heart is with the UC and the other 50% is with the small university. If the UC does accept me, I will have a hard time picking one, so I was wondering if y’all can help me decide. Of course, if the UC doesn’t accept me, the decision would be chosen for me. They both offer me great financial aid and they will both prepare me efficiently for grad school. The smaller private college doesn’t have a lot of clubs, so I am starting an animal welfare club, which I’m really excited about because I will become a leader and it will look good on my resume! Also, there’s a lot of doctors around the area, so it will be very easy for me to obtain an internship. The small classes will allow me to get to know my professor really well and they will probably write me excellent rec letters for grad school. There’s many more chances for me to become a leader, step out of my comfort zone, and grow as a person at the smaller university, so I’m really happy about that. However, the UC has been my dream school and they are the reason why I have worked so hard because I wanted to get into their school so bad. When they waitlisted me, I was really sad and I cried a lot, but after visiting the smaller university, I felt like I would be very happy there too. This UC has an excellent grad school and I feel like going there for undergrad school would prepare me a lot more than any other college. Also, they have a lot of clubs and organizations that I can be a part of and hopefully at the end of the 4 years I can be the head of one of the clubs. I feel like I would also come out of my shell more and become more social if I were to go to a larger school, which would help me become more talkative since I’m gonna have a social career. Plus, I really like the fact that the campus will be bigger and there’s more to explore. Plus the study abroad programs are excellent and I can benefit so much from them. I don’t really mind going to a smaller or larger school because I’m happy anywhere, but since I have learned to love them so much, I feel that if the UC were to accept me that I would have a hard time choosing which one, so I was wondering if anyone could give me their opinion and I would take that into consideration. Thanks!
There are tradeoffs between a small school versus a large school. I personally have become a believer in small schools for undergrad. Graduate study tends to be much more specialized, which usually means that students need a large university in order to find the specialty that they want for graduate school. Thus, if you are going to go to a small school at some time, this is probably the time.
Some advantages of small schools: Smaller classes; It is easier to get to know your professors, and for them to know you. I think in terms of “getting to know your professors” it is true that this makes it easier to get references for grad school. However, to me it is more important that the professors are very experienced people in their fields, and by knowing the professors in your field and having them know you it helps them to guide you and show you things that you might not otherwise have stumbled across. Some students are more comfortable with a smaller campus (and it suggests that you are more likely to avoid long treks between classes). It should also be easier to get to know other students.
A couple of questions or notes on your post:
“They both offer me great financial aid”
When you were waitlisted at the large UC, did they actually tell you how much financial aid you would get if you get off of the waitlist?
“they will both prepare me efficiently for grad school.”
Yes!
“…so I am starting an animal welfare club, which I’m really excited about because I will become a leader and it will look good on my resume!”
I would hope that you do this in order to help animals, and to do what is right. Looking good on your resume should be a rather minor secondary reason to do this.
“Of course, if the UC doesn’t accept me, the decision would be chosen for me.”
I think that this is rather likely. Students usually do not get accepted off the waitlist. However, from what I have heard, if you are accepted off the waitlist then you might have very little time to decide (if you don’t go, they want to get to the next person on the waitlist quickly). Thus, yes it does make sense to decide ahead of time in case you are accepted.
I think that the small school will be a great choice, and that either will be great if you get in off the waitlist. Good luck with this.
Thank you for your input! One of the UC financial aid advisors gave me an estimate of what I would be paying, which is really great compared to the other public universities I applied to. I can also manage paying the remaining balance especially now that i’ve recently gained more financial aid from scholarships.
Yes of course! I love animals and will start a club that focuses on bringing awareness to issues affecting animals and making sure animals get adequate medical care at a local and global scale. I want to be a veterinarian, so I really care about animals. My main reasons for starting this club are to help animals and expand my leadership skills because I am rather shy and timid, so this will be a good experience for me. You would be correct in that it’s a minor reason to be doing this to put it on my resume.
My college counselor has told me as well that it’s hard to get off the waitlist. However, some other people have told me that it’s harder to get off the waitlist at other colleges in general than for the UC’s. Apparently, quite a lot of people get into a UC that were in the waitlist compared go other people on the waitlist at other universities. However, I have to be positive and hope that I am one of the lucky ones, so I can be offered admission. Yes, you’re correct! I only get a week after I’m told I got admitted off the waitlist to confirm with my enrollment deposit, so I have to make a decision ASAP. This is why I want to decide beforehand what I will do in case because I have a short time to choose between the two universities.
Once again, thank you so much for input! Very helpful.
I’ve gone to a school with 50,000 students and one with 3,000 students. I much preferred the smaller school.
The big school was fun, but I found sitting in lectures with 400 other students and being taught by TAs that could barely speak English wasn’t something that worked for me. I had just as much fun at the small school and did much better academically. The biggest class I ever had at the small school was about 60 people, and I knew all the professors.
I found it was easier to make friends at the small school because you’re always running into the same people around campus and in classes.
Waitlists are highly variable year to year but, don’t count on being admitted to a campus that put you there. You need to presume that door has closed and move on to make other arrangements.
Big vs small is really a personal preference. Students that thrive on big campuses would typically hate a small one and visa versa.
Which affordable schools have admitted you?