Best place to go to university in USA? (Esp. California)

[thatpfunk]

After looking at your priorities I think you should focuse on schools in LA. Check out UCLA and USC programs, they seem to be what you are looking for.

LA is a very "interesting" place; probably a cool experience for a European.

[banditbdl]

Based on your priorities I would say Cali is your best bet. I've never lived there only visited, but based on the time I spent there I would say San Francisco and San Diego above LA. LA just rubs me completely the wrong way, sure the whether is beautiful everyday but the city itself is ugly as far as I'm concerned. I would think San Fran would be your best bet.

That said, given that you posted the rankings and you put school prestige at the top of the list you might consider giving No. 6 Minnesota a look. We're pretty liberal, I can't remember the last time we voted for a Republican for president. (Although we have been sliding toward the middle in recent years.) The girls are surprisingly good-looking, not California or Southern Belle hot I guess, but certainly significantly hotter than East Coast or other Midwest girls. The potential dealbreaker of course with Minnesota is the cold. We do not, I repeat do NOT have any English type weather. What we do have though is one hellaciously cold winter that lasts a solid 4-5 months accompanied by about 4-5 months where temps are consistently 17-18 degrees celsius plus and another few months where its plenty nice enough for me to golf. Also, Minneapolis/St. Paul has a nice card room with everyone 18+ able to play and plenty of overly loose and overly passive hold em players. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

San Fran is probably you're best bet, but judging from your list I'd give Minnesota a look.

[CheckFold]

I went to grad school at Penn and it was a great experience. I live in San Diego now and my ex is a current phD student at UCSD so I have a decent basis to compare and can easily say Philly is a much better place to be a grad student. Very accessible city, not ridiculously expensive, lots of culture, etc... If weather is a top priority, it's not the greatest, not as brutal as Boston though.

[banditbdl]

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UGA

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One problem...

64. University of Georgia

By the way, the SEC managed to sneak one school into the Top 40 with Florida slipping in at number 39. Hooray, SEC!!!

[slickpoppa]

Before coming to the states, stop using the term "uni," unless you want to get a lot of funny looks.

[DeezNuts]

I'm from the Midwest(MN, cold as hell), went to HS in LA, went to undergrad at Berkeley, and now live in basically downtown LA for the past 6 yrs. So I've hit the places you are thinking about and have experienced the cold. Yes, it does suck.

Easily I think the best option for you given all the conditions you have listed is Berkeley. If you can get into Stanford, that would place second. San Diego is one of the nicest cities in the US to live, but not diverse enough for your interests, most parts scream "suburbs". Same goes for the Palo Alto region(Stanford), although you would be at one of the top institutions in the world, the male-female ration in Silicon Valley is horrendous and every other person you meet will be associated with technology.

Berkeley has the best of all worlds, isn't a big "nightclub" scene, is one of the most diverse campuses in the nation, and has some of the top graduate programs in the nation. It gets cold there, but never snows and has a great university "feel" to it. It's one of those cities where people are playing the games you mention outside many of the coffee shops. And of course, SF is only a short hop across the Bay Bridge. I think this choice is easy.

Anyone that is giving non-Cali answers should leave the thread immediately. MN, GA? Obviously you have not left those states and lived in Cali for an extended period. I doubt you would have gone back.

DN

[Corey]

I just finished my B.A. in economics from UCSD. My direct experience with the grad department is based solely on interactions with teaching assistants and one undergrad/graduate mixed seminar.

I'm sure you know that within any "good" department, there are some that are "better" in certain subject areas. UCSD's econ department has found a niche at the foreground of econometric theory. Engle and Granger picked up the Nobel Prize a couple of years ago (The ARCH test is the only “winning” concept that I am familiar with). Hal White (who is still there) is being considered for a future prize as well.

That's the stuff any recruiter will tell you. Like the rest of UCSD, the 10-15 econ grad students I interacted with were a mixed bunch. Overall, they seemed to be less wound up that the Science and Engineering grad student who are notorious for their over-the-top treatment of every little detail. Because so much of the school revolves around its engineering and science achievements, the negative demeanor of these departments often permeates the rest of the school.

As for the notion that people are unhappy who go to UCSD, it is very easy to get caught up in the grind. This is not unusual for a top-flight school and I don't understand why people complain. UCSD is a top school placed in the city where the average 18-25 population could care less about education and it’s from this stark contrast where the notion that UCSD is boring came from.

PM me if you have any more specific questions I may be able to answer

[DeezNuts]

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UCSD is a top school placed in the city where the average 18-25 population could care less about education and it’s from this stark contrast where the notion that UCSD is boring came from.

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From what I understand, it is "boring" because it is in La Jolla, which is basically a very quiet city where the average age of its citizens is > 50 yrs old.

DN

[thatpfunk]

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UCSD is a top school placed in the city where the average 18-25 population could care less about education and it’s from this stark contrast where the notion that UCSD is boring came from.

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Letting education rule your life 24/7 is where the notion came from.

There is a fine line between enjoying life and valuing your education. There is a reason that UCSD gets the rap it does.

[jdl22]

what's your area of interest?

Also, are you really good enough to get accepted to top 5 programs? Seems unlikely given that you aren't familiar with the schools already to some extent, and you care a lot about region which is normally not a relevant factor unless you are indifferent between departments.