<p>I was admitted to UPenn RD, yet I'm having difficulties deciding between UCB and Penn. Penn is a great school, yet it is extremely expensive and far away from me (I live in CA.) Berkeley is awesome because it is right near me, yet the education cuts of the UC's have affected it quite a bit. Classes are being cut, meaning that I might be forced to graduate in 6 rather than 4 years. As a private school, I'm assuming that Penn's classes are not being cut as much and are easier to get into.</p>
<p>I applied as a Poli Sci major, yet I'll probably be changing that later (to something that is still related to the social sciences -- no dramatic shifts to engineering or whatnot in my case.)</p>
<p>Any ideas as to where I should go? I'm totally lost :/</p>
<p>Were you eligible for financial aid? If you were, then Penn would be made more affordable for you than Berkley.</p>
<p>I know it can be tough to go away from home, but Penn, honestly, becomes home. It might be a very valuable experience for you to venture away from the nest. We also have tons of other kids from California and from much further than California.</p>
<p>I’ll propose this to you: Go to Penn and then if you have trouble being away from home, transfer to Stanford so that you can be in California. I say this because I guarantee you that after the first month of adjustment, you would never want to leave. It’s a transition for everyone, but ultimately, once you acclimate yourself to Penn, it becomes your citadel.</p>
<p>If you’re getting financial aid from Penn, it’s probably worth it. Berkeley has some top graduate programs, but their undergrad is pretty weak based on the people I know there.</p>
<p>I only said “transfer to Stanford” because of course the OP never would once she got to Penn and got to love it. Although it doesn’t matter, because I’m confident the OP wouldn’t transfer regardless, perhaps I should have said if you’re not crazy about Penn once you get here, you could transfer to Berkeley.</p>
<p>The point is, would there be a transition? Yes! Everyone goes through it. But would this be a great experience for you? Absolutely! California kids love it here too : )</p>
<p>Hope you’re enjoying the end of your senior year!</p>
<p>My California D can’t wait to go to Penn preview days, and she got accepted to UCLA, UCSB, and UCI. She has been in CA her whole life and wants to experience life in another part of the country.</p>
That’s a big IF. Berkeley is very generous with AP credits. For a disciplined student who was capable of getting into both Berkeley and Penn, I very much doubt it would take you 6 years to graduate from Berkeley.</p>
<p>What is the cost difference per year? Would the difference be in the form of student loans?</p>