College Decision: UCI

Well I submitted my SIR to UCI today. I cannot believe that all of this is over. It is actually quite sad how I started this whole college application process with a QuestBridge scholarship program, extensive UC essays that I started in the summer, a dream to go to UCB, and a dream to even go to a private college.

To summarize, I got into UCSD, UCI, and Cal Poly: SLO. All of these schools have outstanding engineering schools and it was really a tough decision. UCSD is probably the best out of the three when it comes to engineering if you are looking at rankings. UCI is ideal for me because of location, the wide range of course offerings, and the school itself seems ideal for me. Cal Poly: SLO is a great school, but it is an entirely different location and academic program.

Let's get down to the nitty gritty though.

UCI vs UCSD

location: UCI is located in Irvine, California. It is ideal because it is close to Anaheim, Orange County, Huntington Beach, and Irvine itself is a very nice and safe community.

UCSD is located in La Jolla, California. Everyone talks about the beach and how much they love it at San Diego. For me, the beach is a plus, but it is not a main reason to choose a campus. I would get annoyed if I went to the beach everyday. Something about cold water and windy weather is not appealing to me. I like a mix of suburban and beach.

Closeness vs. Farness
Honestly, UCI is only 30 minutes away from my present location and about 20 minutes away from Susan. Whereas, UCSD is about 1 hour and 50 minutes from my present location and 1 hour and 30 minutes away from Susan. UCI is not too close while UCSD is far enough to not come back for any little reason. However, I am choosing to dorm at UCI solely because I need a dose of reality and independence. I refuse to live at home for a lot of reasons. I don't think I can be patronized and looked after anymore. I need to branch out and do what everyone does, find their calling.

So, in conclusion, I have to give UCI the edge when it comes to location.

Academics
UCI is less stellar when it comes to academics than UCSD. However, UCSD is predominately a science and medical school. At UCI, most majors are in biological sciences, history, and English. At UCI, only 3.7% of majors are in computer science and informatics. This translates into approximately 800 students in the entire Computer Science department. This is very good so that the ratio of faculty to student at UCI is smaller than UCSD. This allows for smaller classes and better interaction.

Honestly, great and rigorous academics at a good college only goes as far as a person is willing to work. If one is a bad student, going to UCB does not do much. If one is a good student, then going to UCB will definitely enrich and enliven one's experience.

When it comes to academics, it is really true on what they say, that college is "what you put into it". I believe that I would give a better effort at UCI, by taking honors rather than falling behind in the masses at UCSD.

Maybe going to a less stellar school will make me stand out more, as bad as that sounds.

Gut feeling, destiny

As cheesy as this sounds, we all do this. We all have that gut feeling where we are supposed to go and where we belong. You can call it a calling or you can call it destiny. I had a dream that I went to UCI and I was very successful with very intellectual and friendly people. I had a dream the same night when I went to UCSD and it was very dark and frightening. It really all boils down to what your gut tells you to do. After multiple coin tosses, UCI is what God told me. I cannot disappoint.

The only regrets I have about UCI is that I passed down a better offer when you look at it at a objective standpoint. However, if you look at it subjectively, UCI is the better place for a student like me. I am competitive, but not to the point where things get too cutthroat. I am incredibly loyal to friends and family, and I definitely need that support system closeby (Susan and family).