Hello, i’m a British male student currently studying in London, and will be doing a year abroad in America next year. I would be very thankful if someone could help me decide whether i should apply to Berkeley or University of Washington?
Primarily, I am doing a year abroad to have fun, so which has the better social life? Any further pros/cons of either university, or San Francisco / Seattle would be a major help too!
Thanks, Matt 
Well, Berkeley is not far from San Francisco but UW is basically right in Seattle…
I think both schools are great choices but UCB seems like a good one for you. San Diego is within a few hours from other Cali cities. Also, UCB is a great school and it attracts many students from all over the world. If you went there, you would be able to meet tons of different people. It’s a pretty big school so you would be able to have a good social life.
I don’t know that much about Seattle, but that’s my opinion about UCB
Um, San Diego is a good 8 hours from Berkeley. How does that help the OP?
You really can’t go wrong. They are both very fun cities. Perhaps a bit more about what you like to do would get you more informed answers.
CAL, is overall a better school, but even on the east bay side–it is quite pricey. No bad choices…
Two good choices, but I’d go with Berkeley and San Francisco.
Seattle is more compact, smaller population, but a much more livable area with tons of young people living downtown. Berkeley is more edgy, more deliberately oddball, and the surrounding area to the south is run-down. You also have SF and Silicon Valley nearby with access to just about any cultural event you can imagine, plus lots of start-up people living in SF.
Pricewise, the bay area is a lot more expensive than Seattle. Both areas have excellent public transit and air connections. To me, Seattle feels a lot less crowded, cleaner and more relaxed. Traffic is horrible in both places. Both universities are close to the water, but Seattle’s transit system has ferries, the bay area uses bridges and tunnels.
If you are used to London, you will find food is both cities is excellent, though I’d give the edge to SF. Neither city has as many pubs, there are more coffee shop/cafes in Seattle especially.
You have lots of recreational activities in both places, In Seattle, a ferry connects you to Vancouver Island (Canada) and/or the Olympic Peninsula with some of the most spectacular scenery around. In Berkeley you can ski at Lake Tahoe a few hours (by car) away, go north to the Muir Woods and Pt. Reyes to hike and camp, or just hang out. It can be quite overcast in Seattle, but you also have lots of fog in the bay area.
For academics, no question that Berkeley (Cal) is superior to UW in just about every aspect except, perhaps , aerospace related fields. Cal is always boasting about their many Nobel prize winners ; UW not so much. Cal is pretty left wing, just right of Bolshevik I’d say, with lots of protests for no particular reason , it’s more of a tradition there.
To me, Seattle feels like a cohesive community, with traditions, distinct neighborhoods and history that its young inhabitants (from all over) have made their own, the bay area is more of a linked web. Seattle is a place to live; SF a place to work.
If you think of yourself looking back from 20 years in the future, would you rather remember the quintessential (for a European) California year abroad or something a little different, a little newer, a little more in tune with America today?
lol yeah @“Erin’s Dad”
Yeah, I agree that it depends on what you’re looking for.
Since Berkeley is actually across the water from SF, I’d investigate your public transit options for getting there and weigh that against how interested you are in a very urban experience. Public transit in the U.S. is not as good as it is in other places. (That said, I think the Berkeley/Oakland area is still pretty urban-esque.)
Also, @TooOld4School’s comments are pretty comprehensive, but consider that the weather is way different. Berkeley is in the mid- to high 60s F (high 20s C) all week this week, and mostly sunny. Seattle is in the mid- to low 50s this week, and mostly cloudy or rainy. While Seattle doesn’t get that cold during the academic year, it will be grey and dark through a great deal of your time here. Berkeley is likely to be sunnier and will definitely be warmer.
@juillet It’s extremely easy to take BART (One of SF’s public transit options) into downtown San Francisco from Berkeley. The OP could easily get around most places in San Francisco without excessive hassle.
By London standards, both Seattle and Berkeley have inadequate public transit systems, though Berkeley’s is better than Seattle’s. Personally, I think that to enjoy the best of what Seattle has to offer, you need a car (and I don’t drive, so I’m not saying this because I love cars). It’s less of an issue in Berkeley/SF. In either place, it’s nice to have a bike.
If you are use to London weather, the grey Seattle periods will be no problem. But, when its sunny out (more than people realize) it is a breathtaking beautiful.
Coffee is more plentiful in Seattle.
Berkeley has coffee and eclectic shops.
Warmer and sunnier throughout the year in Berkeley. You can also visit nearby universities like Stanford, and Davis. Although not close, Yosemite, Sequoia or Tahoe can be done in a weekend.
Mt. Rainier, near Seattle, can also be done in a weekend.
If you wanted to visit us in Southern California, you could drive it in 8-9 hours like @ErinsDad noted, or, most people take a Southwest flight to save some time (for less than $100 RT with planning). If you drive it, you’ll get to see lots of farmland, ranches and dairies in lots of small towns (off the 99) for hundreds of miles.
No, @ivyleaguer225, it’s not mostly sandy beaches and easy access to Southern California (locals don’t call it “Cali”; that reeks of tourist)
Expect drier weather in LA and San Diego since we’re in Southern California.
(We do not recommend travel to Mexico)
I’ve visited Seattle several times but can’t claim to know it well enough to give you more info. I love the Nordstrom’s there!
California will be expensive.
I live 12 miles from UW, my brother went to Berkeley and lives in SF, maybe 15 miles from the campus. For a cool city with access to mountains and wilderness, it’s hard to beat Seattle. For someone from another country looking for an iconic American experience, it’s hard to beat Cal. Coming from London, the city of Seattle will seem a little small and out of the way. Don’t worry about weather; it’s pretty benign both places.
It is VERY easy to get to downtown Seattle from UW. I think Seattle has more to offer in many ways and is much more student budget friendly than UCB/SF. Much younger youth oriented city…
Go to Berkeley because…it’s Berkeley! And while I like Seattle for its down to earth vibe, for a college student, SF is going to be a much more exciting place. And as an added boost, the weather is better too.
Seattle is going to be expensive as well. People who say different haven’t been paying attention. More urban emotional intensity in the Bay area than in the Puget Sound region. The exception in Seattle are the Belltown and Pioneer Square neighborhoods, which I would avoid after dark if I were you. Too many bars/dives = violence.
Berkeley and SF are more expensive than Seattle (even if you take out housing costs which really drive the difference). http://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/seattle-wa/berkeley-ca/50000
That’s stating the obvious. Sure, SF and Berkeley are more expensive, but for a student it may be a distinction without a difference. Ask anyone about the cost of living in Seattle these days; from housing to energy to groceries.