#UCSB CCS vs. UCLA for physics

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

lethal lodge
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Schools: UCSB CCS vs. UCLA
Intended major: Physics
Similarities: similar weather, distance from home, student population

UCSB CCS Pros:

  • more prestigious for physics
  • chill vibe from what i know
  • admitted into CCS (college of creative studies) which is crazy good for physics
    • accelerated pace
    • ability to do UD/grad classes as soon as i want
    • easy to get research
  • regents scholarship
  • small college in a big uni which would make the big uni part less scary
    UCSB CCS Cons:
  • located in a less urban area —> not as much to do from my standpoint
  • if i go into ccs physics im basically locked into the major without much flexibility
  • i already committed to ucla (long story with ccs initially rejecting me in my ucsb decision letter then accepting me after i committed to ucla) —> itd be a hassle to undo that decision
  • really small program and im unsure of its actual strength/impact if that makes sense? eg. i visited ucsb and the building for ccs looked really worn down etc etc

UCLA Pros:

  • GREAT campus/student life
  • really great for math which i might want to pursue on top of physics
  • located in LA area so theres a lot to do
  • more prestigious in general
  • more flexibility if i want to switch majors (its more highly ranked for many fields)
    UCLA Cons:
  • not as prestigious/well known for physics
  • no regents benefits
  • gonna be in a big big uni which might be overwhelming but im not sure how i feel about uni size yet
    Tiebreaking considerations:
  • how student/campus life compare at both unis
  • post-undergrad outcomes for physics majors
  • strength of physics departments (although this is hard to quantify)
hexed dock
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okay do you know what the price difference wrt regents is? i am not quite sure how that works

oblique sinew
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Is regents full ride?

hexed dock
lethal lodge
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im oos and regents at ucsb gives me 20k over four years

hexed dock
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so $5k cheaper per year than ucla? am i misinterpreting?

oblique sinew
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That is not a lot in context of a uc OOS cost for 4 years ngl

lethal lodge
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yeah no worries ur not misinterpreting!!

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yeah its not much but its smth

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also cost isnt a concern so its not really a big thing anyway

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but theres housing benefits so yeah

hexed dock
hexed dock
lethal lodge
lethal lodge
oblique sinew
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How does the housing and food and socials compare

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Between the two schools

hexed dock
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have you talked to anyone @ ucla about grad classes/acceleration/research? they might be able to compare the two programs for you

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i know i reached out to a couple professors/students and it was super helpful, you can just cold email them as a prospective student (or ask the admissions department to put you in touch)

lethal lodge
lethal lodge
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the thing is its like idk how much the program strength differs across the two schools and if a considerable difference would even have a major impact on anything

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anything after undergrad*

hexed dock
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dym grad/job placement?

lethal lodge
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yeah!

oblique sinew
lethal lodge
hexed dock
lethal lodge
oblique sinew
hexed dock
lethal lodge
hexed dock
oblique sinew
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Oh thank you

hexed dock
lethal lodge
light kelp
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OMG SOPHIAA YESS

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CCS GO BRRR

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but hmm

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i know a tad about the general CCS program but you already know you'll abuse the hell out of its program offerings

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i know someone who just completed their undergrad in physics there, choosing between doctorates in UCB, UCLA, and an ivy. so yeah, insane for grad school if you're up for it

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i've seen people double (even triple) major within and outside of CCS, so id slightly disagree with the locked in (obviously more work, but its more than possible)
CCS building does seem to suck but i think the faculty and research far make up for it

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for student life, better ask the students in both schools. yeah vibes are different (SB parties go brrr)

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def dont think UCLA phys will hold you back at all (esp their math, though idk how much the two depts overlap)

soft schooner
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Choose ucsb, fire lifestyle

lucid mirage
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According to US News, UCSB ranks #11 in physics while UCLA ranks #18

But in reality, ranking don't matter at all... what reality matters is the school's buildings 😎

Here's the UCSB physics building:

20220409_101825.jpg 20220408_115241.jpg
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^these are also physics buildings

wheat oar
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and the water leaks in the building dogekek

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and let's look at the ucla phys/astro building

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in all seriousness i think this is a tough academic choice

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if there's even an ounce of uncertainty in terms of major choice i'd go with ucla since it is really pretty easy to switch around

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ucsb student life is great and it's very party centric

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campus is pretty dead during the day before night time

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ucla student life is all about the warm weather lmao a lot of people like to just sit on the grass outside and do work and stuff like that

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dorms are pretty social, classes can be too

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i'm biased but i say ucla, having good food really does make a huge difference in your day

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the phys program here is pretty good too the dept is small so research isn't terribly hard to get

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as you can see there were 235 physics grads over 5 years

lucid mirage
kindred totem
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UCSB CCS for physics is insanely good. UCSB > UCLA in this case

wheat oar
kindred totem
timid prairie
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UCSB, esp with regents you get way more opportunities