<p>I’m a bit confused (and frustrated) with the UC system at the moment. I was rejected from UCLA (which isn’t a problem; I wasn’t really set on going there), but was accepted to Cal under an alternate major and to UCSD under my first-choice major.
I applied as a poli-sci major, but got into Cal in english. I don’t want to major in english AT ALL; I just want poli-sci (is that really so much to ask?). I was told that I could just switch, but I’m unsure as to how hard it is to switch majors at a school like Cal. I hear poli-sci is difficult to transfer into. Another thing is that I’m already a bay area resident and am not too keen on staying in the area.
As for UCSD, I was accepted to Sixth College under poli-sci/public law. I hardly know anything about Sixth, and wasn’t too interested UCSD until recently. Initially, I wanted to go to school out of state, preferably in the northeast. However, sudden financial issues have forced me to seriously consider schools in California and now I’m frantically trying to find out everything about Sixth College. Please tell me that it’s not really that boring there. I know that Cal is a better university, but I’m disappointed about having to major in English.
So is Sixth really in the sticks? Are current students in Sixth happy with the dorming facilities and curriculum? Is it boring? Is it a good school for a poli-sci major? Christ, someone help me. Please.</p>
<p>i felt the same way about sixth
im in for political sci/ international relations</p>
<p>there are a bunch of us out there,
ucsd is not just a great science school</p>
<p>what is so bad about staying in the bay area? CAL is the dream for most bay area students</p>
<p>from what i hear, sixth isnt as bad as people make it out to be. there is just a bad connotation associated with sixth because it is the newest college
if you really feel that it would be hard to switch to a poli sci major at cal, then feel confident in a great education at sd</p>
<p>if so, ill see you there
goodluck</p>
<p>UCSD is more laidback, and has better beaches. Cal has supposedly better rankings and prestige and liberalness. UCSD is more conservative.</p>
<p>it semi-depends on whether or not you’re planning to go to grad school.</p>
<p>if you want to go to grad school, then your undergrad school doesn’t have a huge impact…it’s the work you put in wherever you go. your GPA, activities, work experience, etc.</p>
<p>but if four years is enough for you (and it ought to be ;)), then your choice of school is more important. the name, the prestige, matters more.</p>
<p>WITH THAT BEING SAID…i think UCSD is climbing the ranks incredibly fast, it’s a hot school with a hot reputation, and you wouldn’t lose much, if anything, by choosing San Diego over Cal.</p>
<p>plus the local atmosphere/location kicks the crap out of Berkeley. wait until admit day to check that out for yourself, of course, but i have a feeling you’ll agree. you said you wanted to escape the bay area for a while…and college is the best possible chance to do that.</p>
<p>I am having the hardest time deciding between Cal and UCSD…I like the area around UCSD better than Cal…I am going to major in some type of bio-something…right now bioengineering-premed…I know UCSD is top for that…so my heart tells me San Diego</p>
<p>but my brain says - “you are going to turn down Berkeley?”…</p>
<p>Spring admit for CAL too - but not sure if that is a big factor in my decision</p>
<p>I’m sort of in the same boat as you, but someone earlier brought up a good point in another thread.
As a spring admit, you’re not going to able to have the full and same experience as the rest of the freshmen. You’re going to be the odd man out assuming you don’t know many people there. However, this is up to you to decide whether or not that’s important to you.
UCSD has an excellent program in bio-somethings. Seriously. I doubt you’ll regret your decision if you choose UCSD over Cal. I have yet to hear negative things about their bio-whatever programs, no matter what college to which you were accepted (sorry I’m not savvy with the bio stuff; I got it for poli-sci).
I talked about it with my mother last night and after a long discussion, I decided I’m going to turn in my SIR to UCSD if all goes well after my visit to La Jolla. My heart was really debating it for awhile because Cal has more prestige. UCSD may not have been an original choice of mine, but it has so much to offer. And for the sake of using a cliche, the experience is what you make of it, you know?</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision, and thanks to everyone else for the advice! It was much appreciated.</p>