Hi, I’m looking for outside opinions ASAP on which school would be better for me - UW (Seattle) or UCSC.
About me:
I live in Santa Cruz County, not far from UCSC
I go to a small high school that is somewhat competitive but not super intense
I’m pretty introverted and an only child - not used to sharing my space with others
I’ve done music/band for a long time so would be looking to join either orchestra or band in college, and potentially choir
Accepted to UW for pre-humanities, planning to major in linguistics or potentially switch to astronomy if it’s not impossible
Accepted to UCSC for undeclared physical sciences, planning to major in astronomy or switch to linguistics
Costs: parents will thankfully be paying from a college savings - cost is 45k per year at UCSC or 66k at UW
UW Pros:
Living near a city, so a lot of things to do and people to network with
Getting out of my bubble, getting used to doing things on my own
Living around and working with motivated and academic minded people might push me to work harder
More modern dorms, most with private bathrooms
Better? and more music ensembles, and more lessons that I could benefit from
Good balance of environments - city, mountains/forest, and ocean
Pretty campus and way more walkable than UCSC
UW Cons:
Really competitive and rigorous, especially for STEM, and a lot of weeder classes
Further than I originally wanted to go for college, 2hr flight or 20hr train (which tbh sounds kinda fun)
Cold and grey for most of the year which might be depressing
Adjusting to city life
Significantly more expensive which could become a problem if I can’t get the classes I need to graduate on time - which I’ve heard happens a lot
Harder to switch major tracks
Housing crisis/overcrowding - don’t have a plan for dealing with not getting housing
UCSC Pros:
Familiar and close to home which could honestly be either a good thing or a bad thing, I can’t really tell, but I would have a place to live if I can’t get housing after 1st year
Really really good linguistics and astronomy programs
Quieter and more laid back, might be less stressful
I know a lot of professors and people there
Supportive faculty
Easy to switch between majors
I can come home easily if I get really overwhelmed
UCSC Cons:
In the forest, which some people might like but it’s nothing new for me, so kind of depressing and boring
The grad students who often teach or assist classes are always on strike so things get delayed, not sure if this happens at UW?
Isolated from the world, have to drive 1hr+ to get to the nearest city, nothing to do that I haven’t already done
Big surf/beach culture and events and things are usually unorganized and slow, including the metro system
Older dorms with communal bathrooms, apparently walls are thin and I’m a really light sleeper who goes to sleep early so that might become a problem
Campus is really hilly and woody, and I’m not super athletic so that might be hard to get used to
I might hold myself back since I wouldn’t be pushing out of my comfort zone
Overall I think I would be more challenged at UW in terms of academics and socially/emotionally, and it would push me to do better and grow. I would probably be more comfortable overall at UCSC, but the living situations and constant strikes/protests might become a problem pretty quickly. In terms of things to do besides academics I think UW offers more, but on the other hand I might be able to focus more at UCSC and potentially graduate early. I don’t know how I would do far from home since I’m pretty family-oriented and sheltered. As a kid I never wanted to go to UCSC because of how close it was but now I’m not sure. I applied to UW because of the rigorous academics, prestige, and campus, but I know people who have gone there and then transferred because it was too overwhelming. Please let me know any thoughts and advice ASAP since I only have two days at this point to decide. Thank you!
I’d say UW. I’m a California resident who’s very familiar with Seattle (family ties), and University of Washington is simply a fantastic school. I think the campus is better for undergrads than UCSC.
You mention the “depressing” factor that could dog you in either place. I agree that Seattle rain is a real issue, but there’s so much to do in Seattle, both on campus and all around it! I’ve always thought UCSC’s campus, while pretty with all those redwoods, is just too isolated and potentially isolating.
College is the time for taking (smart) chances. If your family can afford it, I’d go for UW if I were you!
I know that at ucsc it is not difficult but uw will be challenging since astronomy is capacity constrained and linguistics has a lot of prereqs, thanks for the input!
I agree that ucsc is very isolating but since it’s familiar it might not be too bad; my mental health is very dependent on the weather so Seattle might be hard. Overall though I think I’ll probably go to uw. Thanks for your reply!
College is really different from high school, so I don’t think you need to worry that UCSC won’t expand your horizons. Even if you already know the campus and some professors, college life will be really different. My state’s flagship is 25 minutes from my childhood home, but it felt like a whole other world (but with the advantage that I didn’t need to take a flight home for holidays.)
And UW and UCSC are academic peers; they both are excellent schools.
If both UCSC and uDub are same COA, I would pick uDub over UCSC. But with $20K difference per year. Only you can tell if the PRO of uDub is worth it. For your major, the career outcome will be about the same from both schools. So, is it worth to pay $20K for uDub experience?
FYI, S24 did pick uDub over in state choices such as UCR, CPP and SDSU for Engineering major. Good Luck.
There are a variety of reasons that students might take more than 4 years to graduate. A late change in major is one possible reason. A dual major is another. I know someone who graduated on time with one bachelor’s degree, and then graduated again a year later with another bachelor’s degree (with a second major). Something going wrong at some point also can happen. If you need a fifth year, you will still be in-state at UCSC. Of course if you come in with some credits (such as AP or dual enrollment) that can also make it less likely to take an extra year.
For most of the school year, yes this is true. Light rain and cold weather does eventually get to some people. As you go further north, the winters are also quite dark. The short days in the winter in the north are of course offset by long days in the summer and late spring.
Generally I think that both universities are very good, and that your set of Pros and Cons are well thought out. Given this choice I would probably pick UCSC, but I can see that other reasonable people might choose UW.
One thing that I am not clear about, is whether or not your potential majors are ones where a graduate degree (such as a master’s) is common. If a graduate degree is possible, then it might make sense to budget for this up front.
I think that you are looking at two very good options.
I know you said cost is covered by your parents with a college fund but $80k+ is still $80k after 4 years that can be rolled into a retirement plan or used for grad school. If put into a retirement fund it will likely be over $1M when you retire. My point is, don’t let cost drive the decision but don’t ignore it completely. I didn’t see it on your list of pro/cons
Ask yourself if you are ready and want this change in your life. Santa Cruz being your home town is so very small and relatively remote as compared to UW which is so close to the urban life of Seattle. To me they seem like night and day, almost. UCSC has 17,000+ undergrads, UW close to 40,000 undergrads. Seattle has 10x the number of residents than Santa Cruz apparently.
I think weather wise, Seattle will probably be wetter, but I don’t think it will be too much different.
The city of Seattle will presumably be much more diverse while the two schools likely similar.
Probably both schools will be of similar competitiveness. Maybe UW a little more challenging in getting classes or changing majors since it’s larger. Maybe it can be more difficult finding friends If you have less people you know in the first place.
From my initial take, maybe UCSC would be an easier and better fit initially, but going away to UW may be a good experience for you if you are up to the challenge.
The good thing is that it’s not too far away. Only maybe a two hour flight. The weather and culture may be somewhat similar. Both West Coast or maybe NW coast vibe. Not as drastic as SoCal and NE or west coast v east coast.
Personally not a fan of paying OOS fees to attend another state’s flagship. U-Dub is not worth $80k more in value but, OTOH, I think it’s great for kids to ‘go away to college’ if they can. If your parents can spring for the $ delta without hindering their retirement, get out of your bubble.
Reach out to UW to see how hard it woudl be to change majors if you really want Astro.