<p>First of all, this is NOT meant to offend anyone at Berkeley, just a question as an interested applicant.
As many know, Berkeley admits waaay more people than elite private schools and from the looks of my school, lots of rejects will be heading to Berkeley. Current students, do you see that in classmates around you? Are there people who are bitter about going to Berkeley because this was their “back-up”?</p>
<p>I don't actually go, but I have a crapload of friends there, and its got a lot of kids who are sad that they didn't get into Stanford. At the big game, Stanford kids will point to themselves and yell "ACCEPTED!" Guess what they yell when they point to Berkeley kids...</p>
<p>Yeah, it happens. But if it makes people feel better, most of the elite private schools also have their fair share of students who also feel that they are going to their 'second-choice. I'm not going to name the particular schools, but let's just say that at many private schools, a lot of students are bitter because they didn't get into Harvard, for example. So Berkeley clearly isn't the only school that has this problem.</p>
<p>The only long-term way to solve this problem is for Berkeley to improve itself enough that people will consider Berkeley to be their #1 choice. It can certainly happen. For example, many of the Berkeley PhD programs are truly the #1 choice of many of its students. There's no reason why the Berkeley undergraduate program can't do the same.</p>
<p>I'm curious - being an East Coaster - which UC schools do you thinkhave the highest percentage of kids who wanted to be there?</p>
<p>oib1: Although I am no expert, I would say UC Berkeley, UCLA, and perhaps UC Santa Barbara.</p>
<p>In all honesty, I wanted to go to Berkeley before anywhere else. Just something in my head that developed over time. I thought going to Berkeley meant you could exist on your own, as opposed to being coddled and led at some privates. Maybe I'm just sick of people around me going to all the fancy leadership camps (and whatever regular earthlings have no access to) and then ending up at privates, lol. Only reason I started to have doubts was the housing situation. The tour guide made a big deal of it, really rubbing it in you may be totally SOL after 1st yr. But the Regents' thing would change that, so I'm back where I was. GO BEARS!</p>
<p>My wife went to UCSB and Berkeley. She loved both schools. I went to Dartmouth and loved it - small classes, good friends, great social life, wonderful environment, never saw a Teaching Assistant. At the end of the day it's really what you put into it. I would have loved Berkeley - Northern Cal. and San Francisco are great.<br>
But I hope no one in this thread thinks that Harvard or Yale are the ultimate. I went to grad school at Yale - what a pit! Have any of you ever been to New Haven, Ct. Or Penn in Philly. As for Harvard go there if you care about status - status won't make you happy - read this review from <a href="http://www.studentsreview.com%5B/url%5D">www.studentsreview.com</a> from a current Harvard student:</p>
<p>" I see a lot of comments here making excuses for Harvard, that every school has its bad points, that every situation is what you make of it, that the opportunities are here if only you spend all day and night chasing them down, blah blah blah blah.
The bottom line is that a school costing this much and maintaining the image of itself that Harvard does should offer a high standard of education, faculty accessibility, resources, and support for its students.
Harvard does none of this. It is failure in all four of these categories. Classes are large and impersonal, professors uninterested in teaching and undergraduates, and resources and support for undergrads virtually nonexistent.
I spent my weekends at other schools, hanging out. I even went to classes at places like BU, Princeton, and UCLA. Harvard could seriously be one of the worst schools on the face of the earth.
Those articles in The Crimson that the economics guy below me points out are representative. I read the mental health series when it came out, and it seemed a pretty good picture of Harvard as a generally pathological place. It amazes me that students will be so fake around prospective students and say how great Harvard is, but then five minutes later go back to their dorms and kvetch about every aspect of campus life.
Go somewhere else. Anywhere else. And do not listen to The Crimson Key people"</p>
<p>haha when i saw the thread title i thought of this: <a href="http://www.stanfordrejects.com%5B/url%5D">www.stanfordrejects.com</a></p>
<p>Ah, I see you guys are admiring my masterpiece.</p>
<p>If I got accepted to UCB, Stanford or UCLA...I would choose UCLA.</p>
<p>UCLA is the best balance 'tion's' for ME of location, education and financial obligation. ;)</p>
<p>"If I got accepted to UCB, Stanford or UCLA...I would choose UCLA."</p>
<p>That's like saying: "If could win a ferrari, a bicycle, or a scooter......I would choose the scooter." But don't worry exilio. Stanford will make the choice very easy for you.</p>
<p>Following the respective order:</p>
<p>UCB=ferrari
stanford=bicycle
UCLA=scooter</p>
<p>yea, choosing a bicycle would be a very easy choice indeed.</p>
<p>P.S. Don't edit rooster(if you try to), that's what you said originally:
[quote]
That's like saying: "If could win a ferrari, a bicycle, or a scooter......I would choose the scooter." But don't worry exilio. Stanford will make the choice very easy for you.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>haha, i would choose anything if it meant not going to a school w/ people like rooster. get a life bro.</p>
<p>"haha, i would choose anything if it meant not going to a school w/ people like rooster. get a life bro."</p>
<p>I am sure that I, as a single individual, represent the views of every single member of the Stanford community.</p>
<p>Rooster, that is about the dumbest thing I have ever read. You aren't biased are you? If you think that highly of UCB you have major psychological issues..good luck with that man.</p>
<p>Well we all know UCB>>>>>>UCLA. So you, by definition, suck.</p>
<p>and UCB>>>>Stanford. So you rooster, by definition, suck as well.</p>
<p>and it's not whether you represent the views of Stanford as a whole, which I know you don't since I know people who go there who are pretty chill, it's just that considering you do go there the small chance of me running into you would deter me from attending</p>
<p>Well, I'm sure Stanford won't accept you, so you don't have to worry about running into me lol.</p>
<p>good thing that Stanford and UCB can't measure maturity - or both of you would be in trouble. Both are good schools - make the best of them.</p>
<p>Well said!</p>