Aussie spending semester in the US - UCLA, Berkeley or U of Virginia?

College Search & Selection
21

<p>I just spent a week in Charlottesville, Virginia, where UVA is located and found it to be a great college town, similar in feel to Westwood, with enough stores, restaurants, bars, etc. to keep someone VERY occupied for a semester (or more). The surrounding area is beautiful with the Blue Ridge mountains just to the west of Charlottesville giving lots of outdoor opportunities. One bonus, possibly, is all of the nearby historical areas if you are interested in learning about U.S. history, and, of course, Washington D.C. is just about an hour and a half away.</p>

<p>By the way, in my opinion, UVA academics are terrific and definitely on par with both UCB and UCLA. In fact, UVA has a significantly higher 4 year graduation rate than either UCB or UCLA. I also hear alot more complaints about difficulty getting into classes about UCB and UCLA from attending students than I do from UVA students. As to average class sizes, here are the facts: </p>

<p>UCLA: 49% of classes have fewer than 20 students, 29% have 20 to 49 students, 23% have 50 or more students
UCB:54% have fewere than 20 students, 29% have 20 to 49 students, 17% have 50 or more students
UVA:48% have fewer than 20 students, 37% have 20 to 49 students, 15% have 50 or fewer students</p>

<p>A few other factoids:
Average SAT scores(25th-75th percentile):
UCLA:1140-1390
UCB 1180-1440
UVA: 1220-1420</p>

<p>Percentage of out of state students:
UCLA: 4%
UCB:10%
UVA: 30%</p>

<p>Number of international students in undergraduate population (not including exchange students I assume):
UCLA: 4% of student body, approximately 700
UCB: 2% of student body, approximately 358
UVA: 4% of student body, approximately 550</p>

<p>Most popular majors:
UCLA: Economics (14%), Psychology 13%, English 8%
UCB: Engineering (7%), English (5%), Political science (6%)
UVA: Economics (12%), Business (10%), Psychology (9%), English (8%)</p>

<p>Hope these facts help you decide. All three are excellent schools and I think you could have a fantastic time at any of them. Just decide whether you want to be in California surrounded by other Californians, or whether you want to be on the East Coast where you can easily get to places like D.C., New York, Philadelphia and Boston by car over a weekend.</p>

22

<p>DRab: Yes, I've been to Cali etc. It's been a while and I probably was thinking of USC. My dad lived in Pasadena a long time ago.</p>

<p>Anyways, all three schools are great. Could you tell us what you're majoring in?... that would really help.</p>

<p>USNews rankings suggest that all three schools are very similar and top-tier.</p>

<ol>
<li>University of California – Berkeley *</li>
<li> Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor *
University of Virginia *</li>
<li> Georgetown University (DC)
Univ. of California – Los Angeles *</li>
</ol>

<p>I'm not sure what reputation the students at the UC schools have, but for UVA, the students are known to be very well-rounded and maintain balanced lifestyles in college. They have a reputation for being 'preppy', and frats are very significant in the UVA community(they have secret societies and the whole deal). One concern(or maybe a plus for you) is that the school's getting a reputation for partying hard(alcohol flows pretty freely thursday-saturday) in recent years.</p>

23

<p>I can't speak for UVA because I am also a Californian, but I can tell you that if you're looking for a great college experience and lots of fun things to do outside of academics, both Berkeley and UCLA will suit you well. The advantage that Berkeley and UCLA have over UVA is that they are located within major metropolitan areas, meaning your cultural playground is huge (San Francisco or Los Angeles). </p>

<p>Someone mentioned that Berkeley has more internationals than UCLA. I don't think that's true; I believe USC, UCLA, and NYU are the top three schools when it comes to largest population of international students. One note about UCLA though-- I think they do lump all the international students into one dorm (Bradley Hall), which was something you didn't want. </p>

<p>To clear some things up, UCLA is in the good part of Los Angeles (unless you consider being near million dollar homes as bad) and is relatively safe. </p>

<p>And to those UVA experts...to be fair, stop focusing on how californians know nothing because your knowledge of the UC's is just as limited in scope as our knowledge of UVA.</p>

24

<p>Someone mentioned that Berkeley has more internationals than UCLA. I don't think that's tru>></p>

<p>Not true, as the numbers I gave above show. However, those numbers are for undergraduates. It is true that Berkeley attracts a large number of international graduate students.</p>

25

<p>Okay....</p>

<p>Look, while college rankings are certainly something we all care about, the OP will be an exchange student whose real academic place and home is at an Australian University. What doesn't matter is the petty differences in ranking, because these three schools are some of our countries absolute best public universities. If the OP's first and only priority and desire is to attend the so called 'best university' of the three then the answer is Berkeley, and that's the end of it. But I don't think that's exactly what they are looking for. Remember kids, the OP isn't trying to get a degree from one of these schools, so keep that in mind before we all attack each other about prestige.</p>

<p>I grew up very close to UCLA. The area is very safe compared to some of the more dumpy parts of Los Angeles. Don't let the stereotypes of L.A fool you. While you will certainly be confronted with students from wealthy families, and stroll streets lined with several pricey boutiques, this isn't an overwhelming norm at a place as diverse as UCLA. The campus is beautiful, students are nice, and there's a good, if slightly traditional, social scene and night life. Students seem involved, friendly, and united. You're not too far from beautiful beaches, excellent shopping, and a great variety of entertainment. I have several friends that currently attend UCLA and many agree that the school really brought out the best in them, and helped them to explore their own potential to the fullest extent.</p>

<p>After living in LA for 11 years, I moved to Northern California. Personally, I favor NorCal to SoCal, but that's just one person's opinion. I love the weather up here, and I find the more edgy atmosphere appealing. Berkeley is a bit grimy if you're used to squeaky clean streets and a lack of homeless people, but the campus is breathtaking. It's historic and beautiful, even if all the buildings don't exactly match one another perfectly. I have never felt unsafe while on campus, it almost feels like a little safe haven in such an urban city. Downtown Berkeley is funky, offbeat, and cool. Homeless people aren't intimidating; they're fun to watch and a part of the Cal life. San Francisco is fabulous and spectacular and is a must see, even if you decide not to come to UC Berkeley. Students are spirited, proud, intelligent and are of every nationality under the sun.</p>

<p>I am not familair with UVA but have had friends and family live in the area and a couple actually attend. I hear it's a great, all American town - quaint, liveable and college friendly. The school is also excellent, and might be perfect for your area of study.</p>

<p>Of course, I'm biased, come to Berkeley and I'll be your American friend, haha! Whatever you end up doing, enjoy yourself and good luck. </p>

<p><3,</p>

<p>Izzie Bear</p>

26

<p>DRab-</p>

<p>
[quote]

Uvajoe, you ridiculously claim that California people and “UC people” know nothing but UC’s. I am as familiar with many of the UC’s as I am with the Ivy’s and many liberal arts colleges. Perhaps I didn’t understand the vast knowledge of colleges that you possess.</p>

<p>I wasn’t aware that UVA was one of those extremely personalized large research universities . . .</p>

<p>Post a link showing UVA being ranked so consistenly and so highly.</p>

<p>UCLA is in a great part of Los Angelos called Westwood. One side UCLA exit leads directly to the famous Sunset Strip, but you can just find something online to look into the area. Also, I think that people over exaggerate about how bad the USC neighborhood is, but C’est la vie.</p>

<p>Confidential, ever been to CA, much less LA? I somewhat agree with you, but from what experience or knowledge are you speaking?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>If you want to use the US News rankings...</p>

<p>
[quote]

Here's top 25 for 1996-2003</p>

<p>Institution 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996
Princeton University 1 1 1 4 1 1 2 2
Harvard University 2 2 2 2 1 1 3 1
Yale University 2 2 2 4 1 3 1 2
California Inst. of Technology 4 4 4 1 9 9 9 7
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology 4 5 5 3 4 6 5 5
Stanford University 4 5 6 6 4 5 6 4
University of Pennsylvania 4 5 6 7 6 7 13 11
Duke University 4 8 8 7 6 3 4 6
Dartmouth College 9 9 9 11 10 7 7 7
Columbia University 10 9 10 10 10 9 11 15
Northwestern University 10 12 13 14 10 9 9 13
University of Chicago 12 9 10 13 14 14 12 11
Washington University 12 14 15 17 16 17 17 20
Cornell University 14 14 10 11 6 14 14 13
Rice University 15 12 13 14 18 17 16 16
Johns Hopkins University 15 16 15 7 14 14 15 10
Brown University 17 16 15 14 10 9 8 9
Emory University 18 18 18 18 16 9 19 17
University of Notre Dame 18 19 19 19 18 19 17 18
University of California-Berkeley 20 20 20 20 22 23 27 26
Vanderbilt University 21 21 22 20 20 19 20 22
Carnegie Mellon University 21 23 23 23 25 23 28 23
University of Virginia 23 21 20 22 22 21 21 19
Georgetown University 24 23 23 23 20 21 23 21
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 25 25 25 25 25 23 24 24
University of California-Los
Angeles 25 26 25 25 25 28 31 28
Wake Forest University 25 26 28 28 - - 25 -
U. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill 28 28 25 27 24 27 25 27
Tufts University 28 28 29 29 25 23 22 25

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Every year since the inception of the rankings, UVA was ranked higher than UCLA. I don't know what other 'rankings' you would use, and rankings are highly subjective anyway, but there you go since you wanted some proof.</p>

27

<p>Taken directly from USNews 2005:</p>

<p>Top Public Universities</p>

<ol>
<li>University of California - Berkeley<br></li>
<li>University of Michigan - Ann Arbor<br>
University of Virginia<br></li>
</ol>

<p>National Universities</p>

<ol>
<li>University of California - Berkeley
22 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
University of Virgina</li>
<li>University of California - Los Angeles</li>
</ol>

<p>Okay guys...There isn't a huge difference between these schools when we're talking about the undergraduate program. Any of these choices are fabulous, and the ranking really shouldn't be that important when you're just trying to study abroad and gain a valuable life experience!</p>

<p><3,</p>

<p>Izzie Bear</p>

28

<p>Thank you for posting the proof. </p>

<p>Aussie, what is your major? Also, what do you want to study while in the States (within or outside your major?)</p>

29

<p>For the record, in order to quash any argument that I'm some been-nowhere Californian, I've lived in New York and Washington, DC as well as parts of California and Japan.</p>

<p>I've been to many many colleges, and I've hobnobbed with some of the worlds most powerful political leaders and attorneys.</p>

<p>So what? It doesn't make me any better of a person to learn from. Crazy East Coasters and their idea that they know better...</p>

30

<p>Our system is pretty different here and I'm doing a double degree - arts (double majoring in history) and law. Is there such a thing as undergraduate law in the States?! Sorry - I'm so clueless about the American education system! Btw, with respect to a previous post i'm a girl - not a guy - so the hotness of the 'chicks' at UVA isn't going to be a huge factor in my decision!! hahaha ... however, the shopping in LA might be!! Are class sizes at all three pretty much the same?</p>

<p>Thanks so much to everyone who has been replying!!</p>

31

<p>They are all pretty large, public universities, so class sizes will be around the same number. However, UVA does have the smaller overall population, but I have no idea how that reflects their class size. </p>

<p>As far as a law major, some American universities actually have a designated 'pre-law' major, but I know that at UC Berkeley, because the school does not offer such a major, most students hoping to go on to law school will major in Political Science, Peace and Conflict Studies, Economics, English, and the like. I believe there is a similiar situation going at UCLA, but I'm not sure about UVA. </p>

<p>Shopping in L.A. is grand but don't underestimate the power of San Francisco. I lived in L.A. for half my life, and of course all the name-brand outlets are right at your fingertips, but all the major chains and luxury items can be found in SF just as easily. I myself have come to love the more funky, urban clothing stores available strictly in San Francisco, and actually enjoy shopping more up here. Berkeley is only minutes from SF and the bus system is fast, easy and free to students. </p>

<p><3,</p>

<p>Izzie Bear</p>

32

<p>Do you want to be surrounded by a hippie culture? UCB</p>

<p>Do you want nice weather? UCLA</p>

<p>Do you want a small town college feel? UVA</p>

<p>Choose the college based on the certain US experience you want, don't worry about the schools name-sakes, because they're equals in most peoples eyes.</p>

<p>Sorry I probably didn't help much, but definitely choose based on location.</p>

33

<p>...depends what you consider nice weather</p>

<p>berkeley is full of hippies but is also home to ghetto fabulous street performers, homeless comedians, mo-hawked punks, urban fashion divas, indie rockers, abercrombie adorned rugby players, young college kids sporting cal hoodies and sweat pants, and liberal yuppies pushing strollers and eatting fat free yogurt.</p>

<p><3,</p>

<p>Izzie Bear</p>

34

<p>UVA probably has the largest liberal arts focus out of the three.</p>

35

<p>San Fransisco is definitely the most interesting city to be in hands down. LA is a series of long, mostly ugly boulevards and retail stores. Charlottesville is charming but quaint.</p>

36

<p>Umm hello....UVA has the best law school out of the three...duh</p>

37

<p>Come now my WM friend, they're talking undergrad and UVA law is graduate level.</p>

38

<p>In the US law is done at the graduate level although you'll be able to find courses in the history, political science, and sociology departments that focus on the law. </p>

<p>UVA is a much older school than the other two, founded by Thomas Jefferson as an "academical village." Its history can be invigorating or suffocating. It is regarded as more preppy than the other two. What that means is hard to define. It relates to dress styles, coming from private rather than public schools, and having money. UVA is not as diverse as the other two--certainly a lot less students from Asian backgrounds. </p>

<p>UVA is in the lovely town of Charlottesville, roughly two plus hours from Washington DC. It's an easy drive, but avoid rush hour around DC. It's a hilly area. There is skiing nearby. There are four very distinct seasons in that part of Virginia. Fall, with the changing of the leaves, is especially beautiful.</p>

<p>Academically all three schools are similar in quality. Deciding where to go may be an east coast v. west coast decision.</p>

39

<p>I went to UVA and have visited the other two...agree that this is a location decision and city vs college town/rural seting.</p>

40

<p>i know...the girl is studying law at the undergrad level at whatever school in whichever country she's from...therefore UVA would be the better choice since UVA has the better law school...perhaps she could even visit the law school and attend a few classes.</p>