UCLA vs UC Santa Cruz for undergrad-will the choice affect grad?

iamburitto

Hi, I'm trying to make a decision! I've gotten accepted into UCLA and UC Santa Cruz for astrophysics undergrad. I absolutely love Santa Cruz, and I've heard that there is more opportunity for undergrad research there, as well as smaller class sizes. However I also know that UCLA has a famous reputation behind it. My long term goal is to go to grad school, preferably into a ph.d program after undergrad. Does my choice here really affect my chances of getting into a good grad school? (My dream is Caltech, second Berkeley, etc. I'm aiming high.) Hard work is not an issue for me, I will work my hardest wherever I go. Thanks!

-Britt

twofish-quant

Yes, but not in the way that you think.

The big thing that you have to worry about is not what the admission committee thinks, but to find somewhere that you won't end up hating physics at the end of the experience. Go to both schools, hang around the upper classmen, and figure out which place you feel you will get the better education.

For some people, the problem isn't lack of hard work, but too much hard work. If you work yourself so hard that you burn out or your health suffers, that's not going to be good.

Geezer

UCLA has a much better reputation and top-notch researchers. I'd go to UCLA.

khemist

I have heard and read that the astrophysics program at UCSC is second to only berkeley. I would not go to a school based solely on "prestige."

twofish-quant

As far as astrophysics goes, Santa Cruz has an equal if not better reputation and set of researchers than UCLA. I don't think it's going to make a difference as far as graduate admissions, so the big difference is surviving undergraduate. I was at Santa Cruz for a week because my dissertation advisor was there for a several months long school in which all of the world's leading supernova researchers were there.

One thing that you should look out for are "weed out" classes. Smaller schools tend to have fewer of those than big public universities. I don't know if this applies to UCLA or not, but it is something that I'd find out.

Patrick_Nth

Current physics senior at UCLA. Feel free to ask/PM any questions.