Bears vs. Tritons

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>Currently, I'm slightly leaning towards Cal because of the cutthroat atmosphere, the close-by town of Berkeley, and the prestige - stuff that I didn't find at SD. I think that both will provide an equivalent education, if only because no matter how great a professor is, it comes down to my abilities as a student to get the work done. Both have great research opportunities, both have companies actively recruiting on campus, and I feel that a Berkeley degree will not get me further in life in the context of jobs - I feel that internships and work experience that I will accumulate will make up for what a UCSD degree may lack. I think that the benefit of a Berkeley degree is to be able to say, "I have a Berkeley degree," and that is a nice thing</p>

<p>So, from an educational standpoint, I am going to upset some Cal Bears and say that UCSD and Berkeley are going to provide comparable educations, at least from a classroom standpoint. If you want to talk about study groups or honor societies, Berkeley definitely wins - the students are more motivated and I find that they do stuff. At UCSD, I only found this level of student initiative within the Jacobs Scholars, and while student groups at SD may be active, I couldn't really use the word "hardcore" to define them. Yes, I am looking for a hardcore experience, which is why Berkeley fits my personality.</p>

<p>Why don't I just submit my Berkeley SIR? Well, with most hard decisions, there's a catch. I was offered a full-ride Jacobs scholarship to UCSD, which appears to be quite an honor (57 students received it out of 8800+ engineering applicants). On the other hand, Berkeley offered me (as well as many of the Jacobs Scholars - I'm sure there are quite a few with this dilemma) a Regents' Scholarship, which is admittedly less prestigous and financially less satisfactory. </p>

<p>So, it all comes down to this:</p>

<p>Berkeley
+ Prestige in the real world
+ Better environment (well, I currently feel that way)
- Need to pay</p>

<p>UCSD
+ Prestige within SD
+ Everything paid for
- less favorable atmosphere</p>

<p>Any comments?</p>

<p>Also, how much can an engineering major (probably EE/CS) make during the summer as an intern?</p>

2

<p>prestige with SD??????? wow, dude, i would think of it as a dilemma if it was between Cal and LA but SD??? man, that's something. But I would agree that getting a full ride is quite important. but, as far as i know, regents covers pretty much your needs while at Cal and it opens A LOT of doors. things you wouldn't expect will come at you!!!! good btw. </p>

<p>if you want to major in engineering, Cal would definitely be better. but the choice is up to you. i don't know about the summer salary since you're not even in college yet. Maybe $12/hour. That wouldn't be bad if you have no Certification or any credential.</p>

<p>good luck with your decision, and see ya at Cal!!!!</p>

3

<p>I can get credentials easy - I have some good stuff already, none of that A+ crap - might go decide to do MSCE for Win32 or SCJD for Java, if they weren't so darn expensive....</p>

4

<p>Ha, I'm in a somewhat similar dilemma (I got a full ride to UCSD as well, but I'm really into Berkeley EECS).</p>

<p>I think we can agree that Prestige in the real world > Prestige within SD. So, it just comes down to paying more for a better environment, which I think is a no-brainer as you will be spending the next 4 years of your life here. Go where you feel most comfortable, which appears to be Berkeley.</p>

5

<p>On the contrary,</p>

<p>"The Regents Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship awarded to undergraduate students at the University of California. "</p>

<p>how much exactly do you have to pay? if you are going to incur $80k of debt that might be a big deal, but if it's only $15k or so you can earn that much in months after graduation (assuming you will still be living with parents for a bit)-but either way, not that much debt to worry too much.</p>

6

<p>Either way, I'd say you're in very good shape.</p>

<p>However, as someone who has actually spent some time here at UCSD, I'd lean toward Cal.</p>

7

<p>Why is that? (I'm thinking it has to do with the bleakness of SD, but I want to hear your reasoning.)</p>

8

<p>Berkeley is a more traditional university with a more standard structure, which I think leads toward a better experience. It's also in a much more vibrant town than La Jolla.</p>

9

<p>i know someone that chose UCSD > Cal for tennis</p>

10

<p>What are you talking about, La Jolla is very vibrant, Cal is the one in the comparatively bland and bleak urban sprawl. Btw I have been to both. I don't quite understand why so many people think that ucsd doesnt have a good social atmosphere just because there arent many parties where people are passing out drunk.</p>

11

<p>mathtastic_nerd,</p>

<p>La Jolla is a pretty boring place for the average undergrad. I usually leave for Gaslamp or Hillcrest if I want some entertainment, anyway...</p>

<p>If I'm old enough to actually partake in most of the activities that are fun around here (most seem to involve wine or beer), I'm not so sure what vibrancy you're seeing. To me, a college town is supposed to be:</p>

<ul>
<li> within walking distance</li>
<li> amicable to undergrads and grads</li>
<li> cheap, easily accessed entertainment for 18-20-year-olds</li>
</ul>

<p>That's what I think Berkeley has that La Jolla doesn't.</p>

12

<p>My undergrad friends confirm the lack of activities to do at UCSD. One Friday night they went to a park and played on swings..of course this is just one of many experiences.</p>

13

<p>I'm not saying that it's impossible to have fun here at UCSD, but I tend to get the feeling that it's easier for me, a 20-something, to find something to do.</p>

14

<p>That was my impression as well when I visited UCSD. Everything seemed far apart.</p>

15

<p>UCLAri:
I will agree that it surely is expensive and that there arent many things that are within walking distance, san diego is a spread out city. There are many things to do though (it isnt like Davis): the beach, lots of restuarants (some expensive some not), shopping centers, and movie theaters come to mind right off the bat. In addition you just gave two examples (gaslamp and hillcrest) of areas that are relatively close that are available to ucsd student. But then againi dont know what kind of 'entertainment for 18-20-year-olds' you are looking for.</p>

16

<p>The only thing about UCSD being in La Jolla is the street address. It's just about outside the city limits of San Diego. There's definitely things to do around the campus. You can take a shuttle to University Towne Center area for nice shopping, restaurants, theaters. It's too far to walk though. There's very little within walking distance to campus. Most of my friends at UCSD have their cars at school. You can't compare UCSD with Cal for anything, the differences are like night and day, UCSD being like in suburbia...</p>

<p>SD is a city that's difficult to live without a car. Public transportation is not that great. You can probably take the Coaster from UCSD to downtown, but it runs on limited hours... the station is not that close to campus and there's no way to get to Hillcrest (except by bus.)
From UCSD, downtown and the Gaslamp is 20 minutes by car, Hillcrest area probably 20-30 minutes. SDSU probably a good 30 minutes.
Maybe because I grew up at the beach, it's not a big draw to me for choosing a school.
And Mathnerd... your comment about parties at Cal "where people are passing out drunk..." have you been to Cal? Probably not or you wouldn't make the statement.</p>

17

<p>no you misunderstand me, i was not saying anything about cal, i was talking about UCSDs rep in general, not specifically related to cal, or the differences, but sometimes i think people exaggerate ucsd's social scene, in comparison to the average school. Sometimes i hear complaints that since there isnt much of a frat/sor like party environment (more like sdsu) at ucsd the social scene is dead which is not true if you get involved in clubs and such. Admittedly it isnt easy to get around sd without a car, but if you have a car, or you can get a ride there is no problem. And btw la jolla actually is in sd, as much as the people in la jolla like to differentiate themselves from sd, they are part of it. There is actually a small movement in la jolla that wants to secede from sd, lol</p>

18

<p>mathtastic_nerd,</p>

<p>La Jolla is as much a part of SD as the San Fernando Valley is part of LA: e.g. only begrudgingly because they have to be.</p>

19

<p>Well, if I accepted the SD scholarship, I would be able to use outside scholarships and maybe some money from parents (since they wouldn't have to pay a cent to the university) to get a car and have some personal cash over the estimated amount, so parking aside, that's not a big problem.</p>

<p>Part of the problem is that I haven't seen all of what either has to offer. At R&C OHP I got to see the social side of Berkeley, but I haven't seen the classes. At San Diego, Admit Day really showed the academics, but I didn't see the social side of things. I suppose I can go check out some Berkeley courses (they're now recorded and posted online, right?) and see what they're up to.</p>

20

<p>Lol, well for others looking in ucsd here is some info about la jolla (and how it is part of sd)
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jolla%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jolla&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>