<p>My friend is in the College of Natural Resources at Berkeley and possibly going towards the MEB (i.e., Molecular Environmental Biology), BioTech, or Microbiology major. </p>
<p>For the past few weeks she's been juggling between the two colleges. She really likes the town surrounding Cal, but money-wise, Davis is much more affordable since she can either commute or find a cheap apartment (She and I both went apartment-hunting around the Davis area for her a few weeks ago, and we've found some affordable yet decent-looking ones). She had her mind set on Davis because she knew it would be her best option financially, but when we visited the Berkeley campus on Cal Day, she pretty much fell in love with the quirky, urban-life sort of setting at Berkeley.</p>
<p>Not only that...but she fears the rumored "fierce competition" at Berkeley. She knows she may possibly excel much further at Davis, which will be a better option for her if she plans on going to graduate school (She's still unsure about whether she wants to continue graduate study or not).</p>
<p>Basically, my outlining questions are:
1) What is the competition like for those in the College of Natural Resources?
2) Considering her choices for majors, is it better to extend her studies to graduate school? Will she find a good job with only an undergraduate degree? 3) What are your thoughts on Berkeley vs. Davis?</p>
<p>Any new insight on the specific college is very much needed...since I really don't know much about it and don't know any friends who are in that area at Cal.</p>
<p>IMO, admissions work <em>mostly</em> like this, especially the UC system which is stricter on GPA: if she's good enough to get into Cal, she's good enough (with effort of course) to do well at Cal.</p>
<p>I'd take Cal in an instant as loans can always be paid off (as Castel said).</p>
<p>Also, I see Cal's competition as a plus; it prepares you for the real world. Word is, if you can survive Cal, you can survive anywhere.</p>
<p>I'm actually quite attracted to the competition. My friend, on the other hand, is not. She's quite afraid of it in fact. And she's stubborn about it too...</p>
<p>Err...She's not planning on going to med school.</p>
<p>I know it's pretty ridiculous...and I agree with you all. If she is afraid of the competition, then she's going to have a tough time in college. But...I would like to find reasons to convince her that competition is good.</p>
<p>uhhh, competition is not that bad at berkeley. chickening out is not going to get your friend anywhere in life. plus, she's in CNR, which (to my knowledge) does not have diehard competitive majors, if that's what she's so afraid of.</p>
<p>if you're not sure if you'll go to grad school, go with cal. graduating as an undergrad, it's much better. if you're dead set on grad school, go where you think you'll get a better gpa. but when i say dead set, i mean dead set. the problem is that sooooo many people change their minds during college.</p>
<p>"1) What is the competition like for those in the College of Natural Resources?"</p>
<p>MEB basically has to take all the premed courses. So, yes, it's competitive.</p>
<p>"2) Considering her choices for majors, is it better to extend her studies to graduate school? Will she find a good job with only an undergraduate degree?"</p>
<p>Yes, all bio undergraduate degrees pay horribly. You're looking at around 35k-40k. She won't find a good-paying job with an undergraduate biology degree whether it's from Berkeley or Davis.</p>
<p>"3) What are your thoughts on Berkeley vs. Davis?""</p>
<p>They are different. Your friend should go to Davis, she sounds like she would be having a happier time there.</p>
<p>Here's a golden rule, if you fear the competition, then you probably won't do well in the competition.</p>
<p>As a Cal grad student now, I wouldn't really insinuate that UCB undergrad students are the "most" competitive or brightess out there. It's just the same as everywhere else. Students by nature study and want them straight A's and this is the same throughout the college experience.. pretty much anywhere you go. </p>
<p>I can guarantee, even if your friend goes to UCD, the competition will still be there. The UC system is filled with bright minds and hardworking people. UCD is also a premed school so biological sciences can be hard I would presume.</p>
<p>However, I personally wouldn't choose a university simply on "prestige" differences. If finances are a factor, then it is something to consider. There are many things to consider before choosing a school (such as fit and environment, proximity to home, etc, as well as specific program ranks) before prestige. Your success is not really limited by where you go, only by who you are professionally.</p>
<p>For example I did my undergrad at UCSB (a great(!) school btw). I personally think that whether I did my undergrad at UCSB or UCLA would not really give a real "fundamental" advantage when applying to graduate school or jobs. It was really up to me to take those steps to become a productive human being who sets his/her own goals. Even if I went to HYPS, the prestige wouldn't last longer than the occasional "wow, he went to HYPS." And the prestige differences between all the UCs with each other are probably lower than UCB versus Harvard. (Just a comparative example here; you're friend obviously is not having the choice of UCB versus Harvard) </p>
<p>Most level-minded professionals don't care about your alma mater, they judge a human being by their work ethic, character and intelligence. </p>
<p>But anyways, good luck. Cal is a great place to be.. the air here could be better though.</p>