<p>I've ALWAYS wanted to go to Berkeley, but I think I've had a hyped-up picture in my head of what it would be like, and now I'm thinking it isn't all that different from UCLA (which I live about 45 minutes away from). Both are going to leave me to pay only ~$8000 a year. But being near San Fran would be fantastic.</p>
<p>As for Syracuse, I got the Coronat Scholarship, which is amazing -- a full ride minus room and board, plus study abroad expenses are covered. There's even a psych clinic nearby where I'd WORK starting freshman year!</p>
<p>NYU is just awesome because it's in Manhattan, but I'd be missing the campus feel. </p>
<p>Reed is covering nearly all expenses and seems like a great fit for me, but it's too small and has too intense of a curriculum from what I can tell.</p>
<p>I plan on switching my major to Psychology regardless of which school I go to, so the quality of the psychology department is VERY important to me. That and the friendliness of the student body, openness of the teachers, non-competitiveness, diversity. I'm worried that at Berkeley, transferring from CNR to L&S for psych will prove difficult.</p>
<p>I've visited only UCLA and Syracuse. Any and all advice is welcome -- seriously. I'm incredibly indecisive and I just don't know what I want. Help, please.</p>
<p>“Reed is covering nearly all expenses and seems like a great fit for me, but it’s too small and has too intense of a curriculum from what I can tell.”</p>
<p>Spend a year or semester abroad to get out of the “bubble” of a small LAC. Your FA transfers to the study abroad programs at your three private options.</p>
<p>“openness of the teachers, non-competitiveness” All of NYU, UCB, and UCLA have large numbers of pre-med psych majors. Do you want UCB’s or UCLA’s large class sizes?</p>
<p>Well I’m actually not pre-med. I guess I don’t mind the large class sizes - they thin out eventually. It’s more the “feel” of each school and the quality of their psych departments that matter to me. It’s hard for me to be able to effectively compare what my five schools offer in those two areas.</p>
<p>I don’t think I could do a whole year abroad away from family, and I feel like the semester would come and go and I’d be right back in the bubble. It’s just that I don’t know if I even want the bubble or not. Would it restricting or nurturing for me, I have no idea. </p>
<p>I want the best fit for me. (psych, writing, environmentally-conscious, want to be near a cool city, friendly vibes).</p>
<p>“psych, writing, environmentally-conscious, want to be near a cool city, friendly vibes” </p>
<p>Take NYU off the list. It’s neither environmentally-conscious nor has especially friendly vibes. Plus, you’ll need a lot pocket money in NYC. </p>
<p>“I feel like the semester would come and go and I’d be right back in the bubble.” It’s just at any LAC many students look at the world in that college’s peculiar way. If you go someplace else even for a semester, then you won’t be caught up in those ways upon return.</p>
<p>What about UCLA vs. Berkeley though? I want to eliminate one or the other.</p>
<p>Any thoughts? In terms of comparing what they offer from this mini-list of things that are important to me: good psych department, psych clinic nearby where I could work/intern, good writing department/teachers, environmentally-conscious, cool city, friendly vibes.</p>
<p>What’s the cost difference of UC’s versus Syracuse versus Reed? You’ll have large classes the whole way in psychology major requirements at either UC. UCLA has 10% majoring in psych and Cal 4%. It’s not clear that you could work/intern at either of the UC’s clinics with such large numbers of undergrads. At UCLA psych classes are “impacted”. </p>
<p>UC’s both leave me to pay about 8,000. Syracuse I THINK could be totally free, because I got the Coronat Scholarship and they have a pledge to meet my financial need beyond the cost of tuition. Reed just leaves me to pay about 2 grand a year. </p>
<p>With Syracuse though, it’s guaranteed for 4 years. Everywhere else, I’d have to worry about my financial aid package changing each year. </p>
<p>I don’t think I want Reed because it’s so tiny. </p>
<p>Cal’s psych is impacted for sure, too. I’d need a 3.3 GPA at least, just to have a chance of majoring in psych, and that’s apparently above average (3.2). So that’s scary…probably will have a lesser chance of getting into grad school coming out of Berkeley because of the GPA deflation. I know I’m not smart enough to be at “the top” at Cal, for sure. </p>
<p>It’s just that I have a built-up idea of Berkeley being perfect for me, but I’m afraid of going and finding out that it’s not. San Fran is soooo much better than the city of Syracuse, though.</p>
<p>Were you planning on ES or forestry when you applied? You applied at UCB CNR and at Syracuse where SUNY - ESF is.</p>
<p>I think Cal uses the word “capped” for limited majors. UCLA just doesn’t allow drops of “impacted” courses which are of high demand. It is possible to have a second A&S major at Cal from CNR. Does capping apply to second majors? IDK</p>
<p>At Cal you are in the East Bay not SF. Some people find the homeless people at Cal disturbing.</p>
<p>“Everywhere else, I’d have to worry about my financial aid package changing each year.” Not really, these schools want you to complete a degree. </p>
<p>You obviously have some compromises to make.</p>
<p>calla1 – it’s just that with Berkeley, I’m afraid my GPA won’t be good enough to get me into a decent grad school. </p>
<p>rhg3rd – at Cal, I applied under Molecular Evolutionary Biology. I’d kill myself if I had to stick with it. I was brain dead to even apply under it. </p>
<p>So you’re saying that at LA I wouldn’t be able to stop talking an impacted course?</p>
<p>Also, homeless people don’t bother me, haha. But you do see what I mean with the financial aid package, right? What if my family suddenly does better financially…it would lead to a sharp drop in my FA package at anywhere but Cuse.</p>
<p>I encourage you to think twice before letting fear make your decision for you. Go with your heart and don’t look back. You don’t want to spend your life asking “what if?”.</p>
<p>At Berkeley, psychology is a capped major, meaning that the enrollment limit is lower than the demand from students who want to major in it. Presumably, this is to allow students majoring in psychology to find space in the upper division psychology courses.</p>
<p>It is not generally thought to be difficult to switch into L&S, and most majors in L&S are not capped (i.e. you can declare them after passing the prerequisites).</p>
<p>Although the full ride to Syracuse is good, it is worth 8000 more dollars to go to Berkley or UCLA. NYU is awesome but i agree that it doesnt give one that campus feel. Personally i think it would be between UCLA, Berkley, and Reed. All colleges will be challenging, Reed might be a little more difficult. Go with Reed</p>
<p>Having just visited Reed with my D, I’d say you sound like a Reed person. At Reed, you don’t even have to see your grades unless they’re below a C. Reed is third highest in overall Ph.D production, behind only Cal Tech and Harvey Mudd.</p>
<p>From what I’ve read on this thread, you sound like a Reedie for sure. And I have a friend who is majoring in psychology at Reed and attests to the psych departments quality, along with plentiful research opportunities in psych/neuroscience. It is also difficult, which is a MAJOR plus: you’ll kill your peers when graduate school rolls around. I’d go with Reed hands down, unless prestige is a huge factor for you, because I do think Berkeley has a bit of an edge there, Reed doesn’t have the same “name drop” as Berkeley.</p>
<p>I am a parent, chiming in on one of these for the first time. I only feel qualified to give any opinion because I went to Cal myself (25 years ago, though!), and just took my daughter on a tour of Reed. I would not advise anyone going to Reed without having visited the campus. It is very small, really not much bigger than my D’s high school. And from the students we met, it is very clear that there is a certain type that will thrive there, and for others, it would be absolutely the wrong fit. Check out the required reading list for the freshman humanities course. My daughter took one look at that (and the cost, which doesn’t sound like it would affect you), and said “no way”. We still live near Berkeley, and while I know the surrounding city has problems and you have to be sure it will work for you, it does have a lot to offer (and SF is only a BART ride away!). Good luck with whatever you choose; you are fortunate to have so many good choices rewarding your hard work.</p>
<p>Reed’s humanities program, with optional second year courses, isn’t that much different from Columbia’s core Literary Humanities and Contemporary Civilization or similar parts of UChicago’s core. The reading lists at Chicago, Columbia and Reed are all very similar.</p>
<p>Reed isn’t for everyone. If the critical reading and writing focus fits, take Reed over the UC’s especially for $6K less.</p>