Hello. So the decisions came out and are done. Now, I am stuck on whether to go to UCSD or CMC. Personally, I want to go to UCSD because of its atmosphere and for engineering. However, CMC has better financial aid (basically free for CMC and 10k for UCSD). Also, I am told that CMC has a really high graduation rate compared to UCSD. Another thing is that I want to do engineering but my major at UCSD is physics and at CMC is economics (trying to do the 3-2 engineering program). So getting into engineering at both schools would be pretty hard.
So I just wanted to hear some opinions on the pros and cons of the schools and which schools you would prefer
Well, you have a top-20 public (according to the US News methodology) university and a top-ten LAC. The rankings don’t matter so much, but rest assured, these are both quality schools.
General LAC advantages:
- Smaller classes
- Greater access to professors
- 100% emphasis on undergrads
- Fewer (or no) TAs
General university advantages:
- More majors and classes from which to choose
- More national and international name recognition
- More research opportunities and, since they tend to be in cities moreso than LACs, more internship opportunities. (though that depends on location and research expenditure, of course…)
There are other differences, like campus size and anonymity, but those can be seen (widely) as pros and cons by different people.
I think you should look really hard at the 3-2 program at CMC – scrutinize it. What are the requirements?
And at UCSD, what hoops would you have to jump through to to switch to Engineering?
Try to find the better fit, based on several categories:
Financial - CMC appears to have the edge, but try to figure in the Engineering cost of the 3-2 program.
Academic - Once you have the 3-2 answers at CMC and the likelihood of being able to switch to Eng at UCSD – and taking general LAC/U differences into account – you will know which is the better academic fit.
Social/Cultural – Party scene, school spirit, things to do.
Dorms/Food
Environment & Logistics
These are some things to consider to help you figure out which is the better option.
And if you haven’t already, try to visit both, and factor that experience in as well.
^Ask how many students actually make the transition from CMC to the engineering school in the 3/2 program. I have heard (mostly here) that at many LACs students don’t actually transfer out. I think this probably varies from school to school - some schools may have a better track record than others. Chat with the director of that program and ask how many people transfer and why people change their minds when they don’t.
Usually with a 3/2 program, it’s not competitive - if you have certain credentials, you are guaranteed admission. That’s usually not the case with university engineering programs if you aren’t admitted as a freshman. So I would weigh that, and weigh what else you would major in at UCSD in the even that you don’t get into engineering. (Also, if you want to do engineering, why would you major in economics?)
Changing into engineering majors at UCSD appears to be competitive due to the majors hitting their enrollment capacities, but it is not stated on the web site how competitive each major is. http://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/academic/academic_undergrad/my_major.shtml
CMC’s 3+2 program requires admission to a “2” school. For Harvey Mudd as the “2” school, your GPA must be 9.50 or higher (A = 12, B = 9, C = 6, D = 3, with +/- adding/subtracting 1 point). For other “2” schools, admission requirements vary based on the school. Note that this means 5 instead of 4 total years, and the “2” school’s financial aid will be subject to its own financial aid policies, not CMC’s.
Do you have any other affordable choices where you are directly admitted to your desired engineering major, or where changing into your desired engineering major is not difficult?
Thanks for all your opinions! Im also very curious about the social life at each of these colleges. I heard that claremont is more of a party school (which i feel does not fit me)
@ucbalumnus I actually do have other choices but UCSD and claremont mckenna are my top choices right now.
@juillet I majored in economics in order to do the 3/2 program. claremont mckenna does not have a direct engineering major
Well, keep in mind that CMC is one of five colleges smushed together in one town. I don’t think you’d have to worry about finding your crowd there – having five schools means there are enough students there who will have interests like yours.
Mudd obviously is a very strong school for Engineering and it’s right there in Claremont. You would have three years at Claremont McKenna to build connections with Mudd, become familiar with its campus, etc. That would make the transition far easier than if you had to move cross-state or cross-country.
It sounds to me as if the academic path – in terms of finishing up with Engineering – is clearer at CMC/Mudd, while the $$ part is clearer at UCSD, since you do not know what kind of aid you will get at your Engineering school.
So – check with Mudd and other Engineering options you would be interested in if you did the CMC 3/2 program. Ask them if they follow their regular formula for granting aid or if it’s different for a 4th- and 5th-year student.
Also check UCSD – if you can, find out what percentage of non-Eng admits eventually are able to transfer into Engineering.
If the financial aid for the last two years of the CMC 3/2 program probably wouldn’t be a problem, that’s a boost for CMC.
And if it seems you’d have a fair opportunity to transfer into the Eng school at UCSD, it’s bonus points for UCSD.
@prezbucky Thanks for your help. Although I feel UCSD atmosphere is for me. I will look into CMC.
@identityy No, I get that, but why not major in something like physics or math or computer science or chemistry? Economics is quite unrelated unless you’re interested in financial engineering.
If your other choices offer you direct admission or a not-extremely-difficult way into your desired engineering major and are reasonably affordable, you may want to reconsider them, since both UCSD and CMC make it less certain that you will be able to do engineering.
Please don’t be one of those students who select Claremont McKenna based on its price tag and then complain about the culture. Choose the campus that fits you best.
@juillet in order to qualify for the 3 2 engineering program, I have to do economics otherwise i cannot get into engineering as I have heard.
@ucbalumnus i do have cal poly slo. but im just afraid because slo is only known for engineering and if i later change my mind not to do engineering then I will be at a loss. but i am still considering slo
@tenniswimvball can you explain what the culture is like at CMC? (i have heard the whole school is basically a frat. not my type haha)
Sounds like you are in California based on the schools you applied to. You should really visit to see if it’s a fit. You will find partiers and non-partiers everywhere, especially at campuses that have a large international population.