UCLA or UCSD?

Which one has the better program? 99% of the time the actual place you got the degree from isn't going to matter (unless its an online school).

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Original post by barom Hey people! I've recently been accepted into both UCLA and UCSD and I'm torn. I'm currently majoring in Computer Science and seek to become a Video Game Programmer or something along those lines. I believe UCLA's reputation is better than that of UCSD but UCSD's area fit my personal taste better (less city/fast paced and more relaxing and better weather etc).

Go to UCSD. Go to the place where you'll be happier, because you'll do better there. UCLA's reputation isn't that much better than UCSD when it comes to computer science (and UC Berkeley beats them both, anyway), plus undergraduate alma mater isn't that big of a deal 9 times out of 10.

I graduated from UCSD. The campus resembles a country club full of futuristic looking multiple story buildings located on a mountain overlooking the Pacific. f you like to surf, note that the beach is less than a mile away. On campus housing was in short supply when I went there (late 1980's). I don't know if that has changed. If not then if you make it through the first year be prepared to move off campus for in the second year. If you're not adequately prepared for the work you'll be in for some hurt. The quarter system moves through subjects at a much faster pace than the semester system typical of high schools and junior colleges. UCSD is not a party school, unless your idea of a party is curling up with a few hundred pages of reading each week. That said, there are a lot of social activities and cultural events at UCSD to participate in - theater, concerts, and school rallies of various sorts. UCSD is not a sports school, at least not when compared with UCLA. So don't go there if you're looking for big time football. If you like to play sports more than watch others play sports, UCSD has an extensive intramural program. UCLA has higher name recognition than UCSD. No one will mistake your diploma from UCLA for one from CSLA as they might confuse UCSD with SDSU. That happened to me once. The guy interviewing me was an idiot, but there are a lot of idiots in the real world.

While there isn't much difference between the weather in LA and SD, the weather in La Jolla where UCSD is located is quite different than the weather in Westwood where UCLA is located. UCSD is right on the beach. UCLA is not. The temperature is probably 5 to 10 degrees cooler at UCSD, from the ocean breeze alone.

How to decide between the two:
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson25.htm

Education is what you make of it. So I would err on going to the location where you think you will be happier. If you are happier in the environment, then you will be more motivated to learn and push your self to be better.

Any UC school is top notch school. So kudos on getting accepted to both. This isn't a bad place to be.

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Original post by LessBread I graduated from UCSD. The campus resembles a country club full of futuristic looking multiple story buildings located on a mountain overlooking the Pacific. f you like to surf, note that the beach is less than a mile away. On campus housing was in short supply when I went there (late 1980's). I don't know if that has changed. If not then if you make it through the first year be prepared to move off campus for in the second year. If you're not adequately prepared for the work you'll be in for some hurt. The quarter system moves through subjects at a much faster pace than the semester system typical of high schools and junior colleges. UCSD is not a party school, unless your idea of a party is curling up with a few hundred pages of reading each week. That said, there are a lot of social activities and cultural events at UCSD to participate in - theater, concerts, and school rallies of various sorts. UCSD is not a sports school, at least not when compared with UCLA. So don't go there if you're looking for big time football. If you like to play sports more than watch others play sports, UCSD has an extensive intramural program. UCLA has higher name recognition than UCSD. No one will mistake your diploma from UCLA for one from CSLA as they might confuse UCSD with SDSU. That happened to me once. The guy interviewing me was an idiot, but there are a lot of idiots in the real world. While there isn't much difference between the weather in LA and SD, the weather in La Jolla where UCSD is located is quite different than the weather in Westwood where UCLA is located. UCSD is right on the beach. UCLA is not. The temperature is probably 5 to 10 degrees cooler at UCSD, from the ocean breeze alone.

It was still pretty much the same when I hanged out there in the early 2000's. It's a really awesome place to really just hang out and enjoy the view and black's beach,etc. It doesn't even feel like you are anywhere near SD when you are there since they manged to isolate it from the city with tons of trees and undeveloped land i.e. green. Then again if you are actually going to school there you probably don't get much time to relax and enjoy the awesome natural surrounding and cool looking library from the outside anyways LOL.
I will note most of the campus seemed deserted whenever I visited. Don't know if this is because everyone was so busy studying inside or because of the spread out nature of the campus.

Thanks folks. I'll probably go to UCSD. The decision wasn't totally based off on this thread of course but I appreciate all the input. It made my decision a bit easier.

PS: I'm still open for more if anyone want to add anything.

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Original post by daviangel It was still pretty much the same when I hanged out there in the early 2000's. It's a really awesome place to really just hang out and enjoy the view and black's beach,etc.

The view from Black's Beach eh? [grin]

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Original post by daviangel It doesn't even feel like you are anywhere near SD when you are there since they manged to isolate it from the city with tons of trees and undeveloped land i.e. green.

It's definitely "ivory tower", but La Jolla doesn't feel like the rest of SD for that matter. Drive inland five miles and the temperature jumps up and you might as well be in LA.

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Original post by daviangel Then again if you are actually going to school there you probably don't get much time to relax and enjoy the awesome natural surrounding and cool looking library from the outside anyways LOL.

I spent my time studying outside the central library, literally. The platform the library is built on is like a large empty patio. I spent less time at the beach as my studies progressed, but it's doable if that's what you want to do.

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Original post by daviangel I will note most of the campus seemed deserted whenever I visited. Don't know if this is because everyone was so busy studying inside or because of the spread out nature of the campus.

My first guess would be that you visited during the summer. The campus is like a ghost town during the summer months.

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Original post by barom Thanks folks. I'll probably go to UCSD. The decision wasn't totally based off on this thread of course but I appreciate all the input. It made my decision a bit easier. PS: I'm still open for more if anyone want to add anything.

Which college are you planning to attend? Unlike other universities, at UCSD your major doesn't determine which college you attend. That is, there is no "college of engineering", "college of arts" and so on. You can major in any subject at any college. The different colleges have different lower division requirements. Your choice of college will determine most of which classes you'll take during your first two years. I went to Revelle. They say that Revelle is supposed to be for science majors because the math and science requirements there overlap with the lower division requirements for many science majors. The reality is that a lot of students burn out due to the Revelle requirements, or they end up changing majors from a science to an art. If you aren't prepared to take five years to graduate, you might consider going to Muir, where you'll have a better chance of graduating in four years.

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Original post by LessBread Quote: Original post by barom Thanks folks. I'll probably go to UCSD. The decision wasn't totally based off on this thread of course but I appreciate all the input. It made my decision a bit easier. PS: I'm still open for more if anyone want to add anything. Which college are you planning to attend? Unlike other universities, at UCSD your major doesn't determine which college you attend. That is, there is no "college of engineering", "college of arts" and so on. You can major in any subject at any college. The different colleges have different lower division requirements. Your choice of college will determine most of which classes you'll take during your first two years. I went to Revelle. They say that Revelle is supposed to be for science majors because the math and science requirements there overlap with the lower division requirements for many science majors. The reality is that a lot of students burn out due to the Revelle requirements, or they end up changing majors from a science to an art. If you aren't prepared to take five years to graduate, you might consider going to Muir, where you'll have a better chance of graduating in four years.

I was accepted into Sixth College, it was my first choice but I ranked them based on minimal research which I do regret. I hear they supposedly have the third most difficult GE requirements after Revelle and Roosevelt. On the other hand, I hear they have the best community which is great. In any case I'll just go with it and hope for the best.

I don't know anything about Sixth. Fifth was just getting started when I left. That would be Roosevelt, iirc. And back then Marshall was still called Third.