[mikngfuu]

Should I go to UCSD, which has a better reputation and where I've been thinking of going for a very looong time,

or

should I go to UCR, which doesn't have a great reputation (but I don't think theere's anything wrong with it either) which is offering to pay 75% of my tuition for every year I go there?- that's like $5,011 this year, and when tuition goes up, it'll still be 75%.

My mom is really wanting me to go to UCR, and I feel bad because she still has to pay for my little sister and brother to go to college later on, and I don't know if my dad is going to help out with tuition, housing, etc. (they're divorced). UCR has medical and pharmacy programs that I'm interested in too.

But UCSD!! I've been thinking about it since kindergarten. I'm pretty sure they are super in science-y stuff. But they're giving me like $350 or something X_X.

[xkrndreamer]

if money is an issue then go to UCR. theres nothing wrong with UCR. it's still a UC. people are just misinformed about the whole UCR thing, that its even becoming out of hand.

in the end, its your life, and you're old enough to make choices on your own.

[ellegirl19]

well ultimately its up to you..im sorta facing the same problem (ucla = my dream school vs comm college cuz of $$) becuz i doubt that ur efc is that high and basically the rest of it is "up to you" which means the colleges expect u to put up the money, not ur parents...so basically loans, work-study and money that ull pay off so its really up to you since its ur education and ur money (mostly theoretically)

[*so simple*]

i heard UCR's medical science stuff are connected to UCLA's medical stuff... so i don't think its that bad. plus to become a graduate in medicine you have to go to graduate school anyways.. so i dont' you go to UCR and save money for graduate school?

heheh well that's my input..

[sddynamix]

You should compare the curriculum for what you want to study between the two schools. UCSD is known for a top notch medical school and engineering program (i'm a senior, comp. eng. at UCSD). I honestly like the La Jolla area a lot better than Riverside.. its a nice beach community (the beach is walking distance from the campus), the air/environment is clean, etc etc. Look into these things also. Have you had a chance to visit either campus?

[takumi]

If money is the problem UCR would probably be the better choice. If you are determined to go to UCSD though you could always look into loans and scholarships. I currently go to UCSD and I definitely like the environment and it's definitely a better school for sciences/engineering especially bioengineering(3rd in nation), but if u're going to med school your undergrad does not matter that much.

[Platinum]

UCR for sure~

[vc1188]

I'm leaning towards UCR because of the situation with your parents and siblings. It'd be nice for your mom to not have to worry about 75% (that's a lot) of your tuition every year. and like others have said, undergrad doesn't matter as much for medical, right?

[foeshunkooky]

i think it'd be financially smarter to go to ucr instead of ucsd. and to get 75% of it paid for every year? not bad. but yea ucr cant be that bad even though it's reputation states otherwise. hey at least it's in so cal!!! o gosh i'd choose ucr over some nor cal cc even though it costs more. but hope u make a decision that u're most happy with, and not basing it entirely on an online forum. =) good luck with ur choice!!!

[kuku]

IMO, some cal states are even better than UCR.

[lakers]

75% wow thats a lot. i guess where u go to graduate school will matter the most if u plan to do medical stuff.

before i entered the topic i was going to reply this is a no brainer pick but then u explained the stituation... man that is a tough choice.

[ti_na]

umm.. not sure. but i think u should go to UCSD.. find scholarships there tons out there to help pay for the cost. UCR is going down.. few CSU is even better. in the end its ur choice.

[mickey012]

i can understand your situation...i also had financial problems when i was making this decision. during my year, we had the eligibility context so i was automatically accepted into UCR & UCI...but i was also accepted into UCSD (which is where i'm currently attending).

i had offers from riverside & irvine, but i still chose ucsd. it was difficult because my parents couldn't afford to pay for anything...so on top of financial aid, i had to work while going to school at the same time. it was hard...but i did it.

one of my friends from high school was offered scholarship from UCSD & UCR for golf. he went to riverside...but after a year, he came back to UCSD.

if you really want to go to UCSD, trust me, you WILL regret it if you go to UCR. it is only the next four years of your life, go find scholarships...go find a job...if UCSD is what you really want, you go do whatever it takes to make that happen. while doing all that, if you can maintain a very nice academic history, i'm sure you will get into UCR's medical/pharmacy program.

my last note..."75% of tuition" is not that good of an offer. besides tuition, there are other expenses including books, living expenses, transportation, housing (?! housing is a lot...even more than tuition), etc.
ultimately, the decision is yours. i'm just trying to tell you that if UCSD is what you want, there are ways to make it happen.

[JiZZACKED']

at first i read the title & was like sd, duh! but then reading about it, hm....that's a toughie. cause money is such a big issue. i would say, R cause it;s really SD the prestige and everything thats made it your dream school. Don't put it up on a pedestal.

[JESS.]

since you mentioned pharmacy. ucsd has a pharmacy school so being an undergrad in ucsd might help you? did you think about that?