UW-Madison vs UCSD | ApplyingToCollege | Page 1

cursive granite May 30, 2022, 3:01 PM

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I'm from MN and I'm currently committed to UW but just got off the waitlist for UCSD for elanore roosevelt college (kind of scared for that). I only have until Jun 2 to decide!! I'm a biochem major that ultimately wants to become a PA. The schools are ranked pretty similar in biochem, but Madison is two schools higher. Here's my pros/cons list so far.

Madison Pros
Cheap (reciprocity with minnesota)
Party school
Big 10
College town
Familiar, not as big of a social adjustment
I've visited the campus and I know I'll like it

Cons
Not as many research opportunities
Cold
Not as diverse
Not as highly regarded
Similar to midwest experience
Mediocre food

UCSD Pros
Highly regarded
Research opportunities
The beach, the weather
New experience, different people, different area, etc
Diverse, big Asian community
Asian food

UCSD Cons
Very Expensive
I've never visited campus and have little idea what it's like there
Lots of GE classes I need to take
A good chance I'll be lonely out there
My family will have to move states and refinance to help me pay for college

please please let me know what you guys think. Again, I only have a few days left to decide and I'm completely torn so any feedback at all would be awesome

tranquil coral May 30, 2022, 3:05 PM

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UW-Madison has access to EPIC, one of the top healthcare brands if you’re interested in that route. They also are growing exponentially as far as tech goes. What are your goals with biochem?

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UCSD seems like it’s mostly just a lifestyle improvement over UW-M. The economic issue it’d cause for you and yours is not worth CA lifestyle, trust me. If you ever live off campus, expect to spend 1.5k+ on rent it you’re solo.

cursive granite May 30, 2022, 3:07 PM

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i want to become a PA (Physician's assistant). I suppose i dont have to be a biochem major to become a PA tho

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yeah. even though my parents will be paying for my college I dont want to just break their bank

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they said they would support whatever decision i make however

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i would also try to establish residency if i chose UCSD so i could get in state

tranquil coral May 30, 2022, 3:10 PM

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Oh, I’d totally consider UW-M then. EPIC was headhunting me for cultural health related work in Madison (I did not go to UW). If you’re interested in health work, UW is a good place to consider. UCSD is lovely of course! I’m a former Californian and I can wholeheartedly say SD is one of the best cities there.

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Getting residency post-acceptance is nearly impossible in the UC system.

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I wouldn’t rely on that, if you went the UC route expect to pay all four years OOS.

cursive granite May 30, 2022, 3:12 PM

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tranquil coral Getting residency post-acceptance is nearly impossible in the UC system.

I have seen that. When I talked to my uncle (who is a professor at UCSD) he said to take the info on the UC websites with a grain of salt and to go to the state office for that info because there was "conflicting info from different UC schools"

cursive granite May 30, 2022, 3:13 PM

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tranquil coral Oh, I’d totally consider UW-M then. EPIC was headhunting me for cultural health ...

what is EPIC?

tranquil coral May 30, 2022, 3:13 PM

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It’s a healthcare brand. They run a lot of hospitals and do healthcare research.

cursive granite May 30, 2022, 3:13 PM

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interesting

tranquil coral May 30, 2022, 3:15 PM

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So essentially to get residency when you’ve already been admitted, you’d need to prove either:

Your family moved there and you had to go.

You moved there for a reason OTHER than school (meaning you need to work a job that pays enough to show that it made financial sense to move there, very hard)

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My spouse and I are currently going through a residency reclass and it’s hell to try to deal with. Would not recommend, haha!

cursive granite May 30, 2022, 3:16 PM

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hmmmm

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On the UC website it also said that if i leaved CA for too long of a time period that my "intent will be questioned" how would they really know if i left for a summer?

tranquil coral May 30, 2022, 3:18 PM

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I’m not sure how they would know to be honest, but there’s probably some way of figuring it out haha.

cursive granite May 30, 2022, 3:21 PM

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So in terms of the quality of education, you think Madison is better because of EPIC and other tech advancements that UCSD may not have?

tranquil coral May 30, 2022, 3:23 PM

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I think that UCSD just isn’t worth the financial stress on you and your family. I do think UCSD is superior in regards to research opportunities, but I also know that UW-M has options for you. I think it’s pretty equal all things considered, but that the financial stress may not be worth it, especially when you consider things like lifestyle costs (most likely 1.5-2x Madison in SD) and living off-campus. It also depends where you want to live after!

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I personally went to a different state for my undergrad and loved it. It gave me tons of life experience that differed from what I had encountered before, but it also gave me unnecessary stress as I had to make rent, learn a whole new city, deal with things like health and insurance from afar, etc.

cursive granite May 30, 2022, 3:26 PM

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yeah. I mean i'd be going to another state regardless, but madison would just be less of a change

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anyways, thank you for your advice!!

cursive granite May 30, 2022, 5:26 PM

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@tranquil coral One more question: If cost were not a factor, do you think UCSD would be the better choice for the field i want to be in and the environment?

modest bay May 30, 2022, 7:36 PM

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cursive granite i want to become a PA (Physician's assistant). I suppose i dont have to be a bio...

PA is a field where school name doesn't matter

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really the difference is can you afford the difference comfortably with no debt

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if you can, I would pick UCSD because you seem to like it more. If you can't, then pick UWM.

#UW-Madison vs UCSD