<p>i just got into berkeley yesterday and definitely thought i was gonna get rejected! but i haven't gotten my letter from USC yet and ive always kinda dreamt of going to USC. which one should i choose? USC has smaller class sizes (i think..can someone verify?) and it's gated, and of course, in los angeles where there are lots of things to do and celebs to see (lol jk). </p>
<p>however, berkeley is ranked #2 in colleges of california..and USC is something like 6.
i was denied from NYU under Early Decision but that was my other "dream school" besides USC. i hope to transfer to NYU at some point, but again, idk how much more better it is than USC or berkeley (as the rankings are lower). Some might say not go by rankings lol but u can add on that. I DO love NYU's location though and i've always wanted to move to New York. </p>
<p>I've heard lots of good things about USC (people like to party and have fun as well as study, nice campus except for outside of the gates, teachers are really nice, dorms are pretty good) and pretty much all bad about berkeley (people are nerdy, no private bathrooms in dorms, academics are VERY challenging so its hard to get A's). </p>
<p>you haven’t gotten into USC yet so this is still hypothetical. If and when you do, compare the costs. If costs are similar, visit both and then decide.</p>
<p>yeah what’s your major? that’s a big factor.</p>
<p>and don’t go based on hearsay. Wait until you get into USC, then when you have the actual luxury of deciding between the two, visit the colleges and make your own opinions. You might hear from the CC whiners that cal is a nerdy school, but I’ve found Cal to be a great place to be (absolutely love it here), with a large and diverse enough population that if you want to avoid the nerds, you can. Remember that on these forums there is a voluntary bias–only people with stronger opinions tend to post. You really have to take what people say here with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>I think you should be grateful with your acceptance to UCB for now. At least wait for the decision to come out for USC before you ask which you should attend, right? I believe that Ashwin guy asked weeks ago about whether he should go to Cornell or Berkeley, and … you should know what happened–it was pretty popular here from what I can tell.</p>
<p>But truthfully, I do not know you as a person and I have not read your essays, but looking at your stats alone (emphasis here), you probably do not have a very good shot at USC (considering your ED to NYU). Although you did seem ecstatic about your acceptance, you obviously do not want to come here. My advice to you is… Go to USC if you get accepted. If not, consider going to a CC (it’s probably cheaper, less competitive, less “nerdy”), do amazingly, then transfer to NYU. You’ll enjoy that much more than coming to a school where your initial mentality of it is already so negative.</p>
<p>MY opinion on berkeley is not < negative…i’ve gone off of what i’ve heard from people. so basically i wanted people to either agree or disagree with those comments and expand on them. actually, i was VERY excited when i got into berkeley cuz i definitely did not look into it cuz i thought i was going to get rejected for sure. </p>
<p>hence, my intended major is neurobiology.
the costs will not be much of a difference and if i learn better at another school, i’m willing to pay. although, does anyone know how big classes are at berkeley? i read that it is no more than 30 but they say at NYU, classes are 20 or so and then i found out general ed classes have 60! but i guess that might be everywhere.</p>
<p>even if i dont get into USC, i think i have a pretty good chance at appealing if i find out that i want to go there…because i did waay better in my senior year…community service AND academic wise. i won $1000 for a program which also may play a huge role in admissions. </p>
<p>If you’re neurobiology, Cal probably has the far stronger program.</p>
<p>Classes at Cal range from 500 to 9 students. Like any other college, the further up you go, the smaller the classes get. But honestly, class size REALLY doesn’t matter. Despite the large lectures, there are smaller discussion/lab sections that go with the lectures that are 30 people max, and these are actually where you learn the most. The lectures are to help you learn the theory, discussion/lab sections help you learn how to apply it. And to be honest, how much individual attention do you need during a lecture? The individual attention you need is learning the applications, which you get from your GSIs. And GSIs have office hours too.</p>
<p>The only reason I can think of why one would choose USC over Berkeley is the cost. If USC would give you a substantial aid, it would then be logical to consider going there. Otherwise, it should be Berkeley all the way.</p>
<p>oh man. okay i guess ill have to wait and see. you see…if i got rejected from USC, i was going to appeal cuz im pretty sure i could get in with my appeal considering what i have done (not to sound like i know it all but i’ve read someone elses appeal and they barely did n e thing and i got a whole buncha money for a program as it says above). but if i choose berkeley than there’d be no point in writing the appeal.</p>
<p>(This is a re-post, but it’s still relevant.)</p>
<p>Try to visit both schools. Both schools have very different environments and I’m well versed in both since my sister goes to USC.</p>
<p>Here is the gist:</p>
<p>Berkeley
Social: Greek life is present but not a dominate force. We are located very close to San Fran and those who are 21+ like escaping to the bars there. Sports Games are still big deal here and have gotten even bigger since we have been doing well in football and basket ball (pac 10 champs). Because Berkeley has so many students, I believe one will find a social setting and group that fits their personality.
Physical location: Berkeley is located in a urban city and has several urban problems that are present in all urban locations. The location does not harm the academics or social life.
Student body: Largely Asian and I like that since I am Asian American. Book worm types and very politically active. The student body will protest everything and anything. One cannot say Berkeley’s student body lacks passion.
Academics: People on CC like to say Berkeley’s environment is cut-throat, but it’s not that bad. One needs to be very independent and self motivated. If you possess those characteristics you will be able to deal with the bureaucracy.</p>
<p>USC
Social: Greek life is prevalent, but one does not need to be Greek to have a life. The primary reason Greek life is so prominent is because there is very little to do in the intimidate area. However, the admin is changing that by developing a new university mall, similar to Westwood, in 2014. Sports are king at USC. I don’t think I need to talk about more about their legendary sports program.
Physical location: Same as Berkeley, except USC is investing more money in the surrounding area. So, it may get better with time. I’ve been the campus several times and it’s not that bad at all. I have friends who go to SJSU and that area is more dangerous than USC’s.
Student Body: USC is the school of the work-hard-party-hard moguls. They are beautiful, well connected, wealthy, and smart. Some people believe because the students like to party, it means they do not study and are not intelligent but it is simply not true. That statement should be reserved for UCSB.
Academics: USC is very student orientated. They have several resources for students to perform well and if one is struggling, USC will try everything to keep you and your money. Out of all honesty, USC undergraduate academics are very comparable to Berkeley’s. It’s when one compares grad schools that gaps in rankings appear. Any university that’s ranked in the 20’s are very comparable with others in the 20’s. The same goes for any set of the universities grouped in the same 10’s place.</p>
<p>Again, you should try to visit both campuses and see which one calls to you.</p>
<p>It’s the classic story of Nor Cal v. So Cal. One area will grab you and I guarantee you will fall in love.</p>
<p>lol wow thanx bayboi! yeah im gonna visit first. my only concern is that i will be visiting to late and if i choose USC, it might be hard to get a good dorm. by late, i mean im going to visit UCB on april 16-17 and i could go to USC before then maybe if i get my letter this thursday. </p>
<p>so far, USC sounds more appealing because i have kinda been independent all these years and kind of want to have that “trojan family” around me…i think. im not sure yet lol but it seems like the trojans balance their work and play well and all it seems like UCB kids study, study study. although that might not be true.</p>
<p>Well I just visited USC today just to check out the campus and I feel its not as beautiful as people make it sound. With that being said, I am going back for a tour soon/ staying with my friend there to check out the night life.</p>
<p>I am flying up to Berkeley for Cal Day hopefully (they are supposley paying for everything, but I have yet to receive confirmation), so I can’t really speak about Berkeley. </p>
<p>I am right now choosing between USC and Berkeley and Claremont Mckenna. I have basically narrowed it down to USC and Berkeley, but I can’t quite decide either. They are both such good schools… It’s agonizing!</p>
<p>yeah claremont is definitely as glamorous as i expected it to be. it’s in the middle of a desert basically in a deserted town. i saw NYU and it wasn’t comparable with NYU. i loveeedd new york and the city life so im hoping berkeley and maybe USC are like that although i think berkeley might be more populated. claremont’s food was good. that’s about it. and academics lol</p>
<p>I got accepted into both USC and Berkeley and I will choose Berkeley. A big disadvantage of USC is price - a full package (tuition, rooom/board, fees, books, etc) is 57,000, whereas it is 29,000 at Berkeley. Also, for a private school, USC has a relatively low student-to-faculty ratio, only slightly lower then at UC Berkeley. Also, just like at any other state school, if you really want to get to know your professors, it is possible.</p>
<p>^ Show up for office hours the first couple weeks of class and make yourself known…not during the week of the midterm expecting individual attention. </p>
<p>Public school teaches you to utilize your resources wisely. ;)</p>
<p>yeah i guess that’s true. when i took calculus at a college, i just went to the office hours and the teacher knew who i was and stuff. but my class was of like 35-40 people. although, i guess u dont really need individual attention for that unless ur shy like me and dont ask questions in class lol </p>
<p>most of what he did on the board was what we copied down and then we go home and do the hw.</p>