The discussion revolves around the decision-making process for choosing between undergraduate programs at UCSB, Penn State, and USC, focusing on factors such as cost, program quality, and living conditions. Participants explore the implications of attending each institution, including financial considerations and academic opportunities.
Participants do not reach a consensus on which school is the best choice, as multiple competing views regarding cost, program quality, and living conditions remain present throughout the discussion.
Participants express uncertainty about the implications of being waitlisted for the honors program at Penn State and the potential for transferring into it later. Additionally, there are varying opinions on the significance of living conditions in relation to academic success and overall experience.
Santa Barbara is a fairly expensive place to live, as is much of So. Calif., especially along the coast. You have enough saved to afford a $65,000/year tuition?ErectBaguette said:I'm out of state for UCSB but I'm going to be in their CCS program, whereas I'm in state at Penn State but am currently on the waitlist for their honors program. Per year cost is 65k/year vs 25k/year. Neither will put us in debt, but obviously the former is quite a bit less comfortable. What should I do?
Have you been accepted to Penn State (regular) and waitlisted for honors, or have you been waitlisted for Penn State overall (any program)?ErectBaguette said:I'm out of state for UCSB but I'm going to be in their CCS program, whereas I'm in state at Penn State but am currently on the waitlist for their honors program. Per year cost is 65k/year vs 25k/year. Neither will put us in debt, but obviously the former is quite a bit less comfortable. What should I do?
Accepted regular, waitlisted honors hahaCrysPhys said:Have you been accepted to Penn State (regular) and waitlisted for honors, or have you been waitlisted for Penn State overall (any program)?
College of Creative StudiesMark44 said:What is CCS? I know CS, but CCS is a new one on me.
That's only for the first year, right? After a year, you can establish residency in California and pay in-state costs.ErectBaguette said:Per year cost is 65k/year vs 25k/year.
This varies on a state-by-state basis. For CA, see:vela said:That's only for the first year, right? After a year, you can establish residency in California and pay in-state costs.
Even harder to imagine anyone paying $500,000 in bribes to get two kids admitted to USC. Sorry, couldn't resist.Dr. Courtney said:Presuming Physics Major.
There is not enough difference between the choices to justify a cost difference of $40k per year.
$45k/year for USC? Hard to recommend that for most students due to the debt loads likely involved.
I'm surprised. I'd "disown" my parents/family to save $40k a year.CrysPhys said:Note in particular: "Virtually all nonresident undergraduates with nonresident parents remain nonresidents for the duration of their undergraduate career at UC."
I alluded to the "if you can afford it" part earlier and was thinking at the time, that USC is not in a very nice part of LA.DaveE said:Santa Barbara is one of the nicest places in the world to live (if you can afford it); central LA is not.
USC did seem rather lively though, and I'm not exactly bothered by the area. I probably even slightly prefer it to SB, but am I sacrificing odds of getting into a good grad school in doing so?DaveE said:If you think you'll have time to leave campus, the UCSB is a much better choice than USC, IMO. Santa Barbara is one of the nicest places in the world to live (if you can afford it); central LA is not.