Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a Californian in big law who went to a uc (and whos friends and family all went to various ucs) here is a local's view on rankings

Ucb
Ucla
Ucd
Ucsd
Ucsb
Uci
Ucr
Ucsc

Another native here--native Santa Barbaran, and went to UCLA…and I agree with this in general except I'd put Irvine up above UCSB…maybe tie or just below UCSD. Also there's another one now…UC Merced, which I'm pretty sure is at the bottom (partly because it's brand new).

My brother went to UCSB. I think UCSB is a good school, but the problem is the University has been eclipsed by the party reputation that's a result of a college village called Isla Vista (I.V.) in Goleta (town adjacent to Santa Barbara). Also there is something else, OP, not sure if it's been mentioned here yet, but that unfortunately, it's become a school for the rich-ner-do-well kids of Beverly Hills who partied too hard to get into UCLA or USC.

My brother lived at home, (obviously, off campus and out of I.V. and got a great education.)

One good thing that could come out of it is if your kid wants to STAY in Santa Barbara, it might be a good choice. My DH and I (both big law, and from a top 3 law school) found it harder to get there than you'd think, because they are very parochial about people from the outside--as perhaps they should be--protecting their paradise.

USC? You mean the University of Spoiled Children? It's amazing how things change.

Dude, I'm a UCLA grad (and go to Bruin Woods), of course I have it etched permanently in my baby blue veins that 'SC is University of Spoiled Children, ha ha--was just trying to not bring this out, just to focus on helping OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a Californian in big law who went to a uc (and whos friends and family all went to various ucs) here is a local's view on rankings

Ucb
Ucla
Ucd
Ucsd
Ucsb
Uci
Ucr
Ucsc

Another native here--native Santa Barbaran, and went to UCLA…and I agree with this in general except I'd put Irvine up above UCSB…maybe tie or just below UCSD. Also there's another one now…UC Merced, which I'm pretty sure is at the bottom (partly because it's brand new).

My brother went to UCSB. I think UCSB is a good school, but the problem is the University has been eclipsed by the party reputation that's a result of a college village called Isla Vista (I.V.) in Goleta (town adjacent to Santa Barbara). Also there is something else, OP, not sure if it's been mentioned here yet, but that unfortunately, it's become a school for the rich-ner-do-well kids of Beverly Hills who partied too hard to get into UCLA or USC.

My brother lived at home, (obviously, off campus and out of I.V. and got a great education.)

One good thing that could come out of it is if your kid wants to STAY in Santa Barbara, it might be a good choice. My DH and I (both big law, and from a top 3 law school) found it harder to get there than you'd think, because they are very parochial about people from the outside--as perhaps they should be--protecting their paradise.

USC? You mean the University of Spoiled Children? It's amazing how things change.

Anonymous wrote:As a Californian in big law who went to a uc (and whos friends and family all went to various ucs) here is a local's view on rankings

Ucb
Ucla
Ucd
Ucsd
Ucsb
Uci
Ucr
Ucsc

Another native here--native Santa Barbaran, and went to UCLA…and I agree with this in general except I'd put Irvine up above UCSB…maybe tie or just below UCSD. Also there's another one now…UC Merced, which I'm pretty sure is at the bottom (partly because it's brand new).

My brother went to UCSB. I think UCSB is a good school, but the problem is the University has been eclipsed by the party reputation that's a result of a college village called Isla Vista (I.V.) in Goleta (town adjacent to Santa Barbara). Also there is something else, OP, not sure if it's been mentioned here yet, but that unfortunately, it's become a school for the rich-ner-do-well kids of Beverly Hills who partied too hard to get into UCLA or USC.

My brother lived at home, (obviously, off campus and out of I.V. and got a great education.)

One good thing that could come out of it is if your kid wants to STAY in Santa Barbara, it might be a good choice. My DH and I (both big law, and from a top 3 law school) found it harder to get there than you'd think, because they are very parochial about people from the outside--as perhaps they should be--protecting their paradise.

Anonymous wrote:The new head of Sheridan is a UC Santa Cruz grad ...

One of the deans in the upper school at Sidwell is a UC Santa Cruz grad.

I wondered what kind of school UC Santa Barbara was really like (never totally trust DCUM to disseminate all the info), and it turns out they have six Nobel Prize winners from 1998 to 2014. Yep, just last year.

Doesn't mean it's not a party school but it definitely isn't the academic dump that most here make it out to be.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a Californian in big law who went to a uc (and whos friends and family all went to various ucs) here is a local's view on rankings

Ucb
Ucla
Ucd
Ucsd
Ucsb
Uci
Ucr
Ucsc

But some would reverse your Davis and San Diego rankings based on the proposed major. In fact, Davis's architecture program is often considered more difficult to get into than Cal's. Most people I know rate Irvine above SB.

And you forgot the newest UC campus. ?

Similar background, different ranking.

UCB/UCLA
UCSD for sciences it can be in the top, slips down a notch in other fields
UCI/UCD UCSC/UCSB -- lifestyle choices for most students but have some great programs (because faculty value lifestyle too)
UCR
UCM

Basically, UCSB is a good school. A very academically-oriented student wouldn't choose it over UCB/UCLA/UCSD for a major in which one or more of those campuses ranks high nationally. But for most kids, choice among the other UCs is pretty much a function of personal preference and where you get in.

For the 3rd straight year, our well-respected NW private school is sending at least one grad there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a Californian in big law who went to a uc (and whos friends and family all went to various ucs) here is a local's view on rankings

Ucb
Ucla
Ucd
Ucsd
Ucsb
Uci
Ucr
Ucsc

But some would reverse your Davis and San Diego rankings based on the proposed major. In fact, Davis's architecture program is often considered more difficult to get into than Cal's. Most people I know rate Irvine above SB.

And you forgot the newest UC campus. ?

Major definitely factors into it. And if you are studying something like engineering or architecture you'd want to apply to Cal Poly (a Cal State school) rather than many of the UCs.

Anonymous wrote:As a Californian in big law who went to a uc (and whos friends and family all went to various ucs) here is a local's view on rankings

Ucb
Ucla
Ucd
Ucsd
Ucsb
Uci
Ucr
Ucsc

But some would reverse your Davis and San Diego rankings based on the proposed major. In fact, Davis's architecture program is often considered more difficult to get into than Cal's. Most people I know rate Irvine above SB.

And you forgot the newest UC campus. ?

The new head of Sheridan is a UC Santa Cruz grad ...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What types of students are heading their from the DMV schools?

Texas and California schools are challenging for kids from the DMV and most others from out of the state. There is a real parochialism and sense that nothing outside their state matters. Outsiders remain outsiders.

Maybe in Texas. But Cali?

OP -- Further to my previous posts highlighting the strengths of UCSB -- particularly in some sciences - it was just announced that one of the Nobel Prize winners in physics this year is from UCSB!

Anonymous wrote:What types of students are heading their from the DMV schools?

Texas and California schools are challenging for kids from the DMV and most others from out of the state. There is a real parochialism and sense that nothing outside their state matters. Outsiders remain outsiders.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would you Californians rank Occidental among the various UCs?

OXY is private not a UC.

Very liberal, but there a much better schools much closer.

I don't think it is considered to be a great school. But it is good if you want to transfer to Columbia like Obama.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok OP the best California schools are uc Berkeley, la, Davis, cal poly slo, Stanford.

And Cal Tech.

Pp here yes I forgot cal tech. I agree.

And Harvey Mudd and Pomona.