I wasn’t going to post here, but I am genuinely stuck. I was admitted to both of these schools. Neither was my top choice, since I was rejected from all my top schools. I am almost definitely taking a gap year, where I intend to apply for other schools right now (this may change). I am on two waitlists but I’m not holding my breath.
I visited both schools. I liked both, loved neither.
I’m concerned that Georgetown is too preppy. The people I know who go there are white, rich, privileged, and unaware. I’m also concerned that the program at Georgetown is too narrow. I was admitted to the SFS, and while I still do intend to pursue International Relations as a major, I have been looking strongly at Computer Science. I care more for the programming aspect of CS than the policy part. The SFS does not offer me much flexibility, and I don’t know how good Georgetown’s CS department in the College is, especially compared to Berkeley.
On the plus side, I like the smaller classes. I like DC, and I do have friends nearby. I also like the East Coast in general. I did consider Georgetown one of my top five universities for a while, though that somewhat dropped off in the past year.
I’m concerned that Berkeley is too large. I’m concerned that I do not have enough CS experience to compete with other people in the major. More in general, Berkeley simply isn’t the type of university I imagined going to. I didn’t even consider it for a long time and favored UCLA until recently. I think it could be a worthwhile experience, but it’s not what I expected my future to be. I do qualify for in-state tuition, and Berkeley would offer me some more flexibility than Georgetown. Money’s not a deciding factor for my family, but I do consider it.
I don’t want extensive Greek life. I don’t want to study to death.
I feel for you and your sense of not really feeling compelled by either of these options, although both objectively offer some terrific opportunities. You intend, you say, to do additional applications during a gap year so whatever you pick now will just be in your pocket, so to speak. You don’t sound very keen on Georgetown, honestly. How much flexibility is there to transfer from SFS into a CS program? Call and ask, if this is important to you. Given that Berkeley seems to offer you more flexibility financially and academically, it seems like the better back pocket option–but that’s my assessment. UCLA is honestly not that different from Berkeley on any objective measure, and Berkeley is fantastic in the sciences and full of intellectual opportunity in humanities and social sciences, too–no need to go Greek–as well as being in a terrific urban community: so if you could see yourself at UCLA I’d think you could see yourself at Berkeley. Maybe examining what made Berkeley not the “fit” of your imagination will help you see whether that’s a reason to choose a different school or to re-imagine yourself at Berkeley.
I believe transferring from the SFS into the College for CS isn’t too difficult (certainly much easier than the other way around). I think I always saw myself on the East Coast and at a smaller university. I do come from a smaller school background, so the experience could be good, but nonetheless, remains daunting. I also have always had an interest in IR or at least IR related subjects, while CS is a more recent idea. Obviously, the SFS is much better for IR and Berkeley much better for CS. I also place a high emphasis on diversity, and though Berkeley has many minorities, it is highly Asian dominated whereas I would prefer an environment with a more even mix.
It’s just somewhat nerve wracking, since I need to make my decision in the next few days and I thought I would have decided by now.
My son goes to Berkeley and majors in CS. Students either love or hate it. My son loves it. His friends that hated it applied to other schools and were successful in getting into universities that had rejected them out of high school. My advice is to try Berkeley and determine whether you want to apply elsewhere after your first semester. Assuming you perform well, you will have a lot of options. And you can’t beat it for the money, especially for CS.
If you are “almost definitely” taking a gap year, why dither more? You seem very conflicted. You don’t want to study to death yet you are considering taking a year off hoping to get into an even more competitive school. Perhaps a year off would be a good exercise. But I suggest tossing a coin and accepting the outcome. Both are outstanding schools. You really have no specific plans so make a decision and keep an open mind.
I don’t mean to be harsh. You must be a very accomplished student to get into two very good schools. Obsessing about perfection is a waste of time (and your parents’ money). If you are an outstanding student you should be just fine with either excellent opportunity in front of you.
@lfrancis95 Thanks for the advice. I have heard about the loving or hating it aspect, and as the student I visited at Berkeley said, you learn pretty quickly whether or not you can keep up. I am not by nature a very competitive person, which is in part why I’m nervous about CS at Berkeley. I’ll certainly study hard and put in all the time necessary, but it does seem daunting at times, especially at a large university.
@WISdad23 I actually don’t find your comment harsh at all, and honestly, I know I probably will flip a coin in the end. As you guessed, I am somewhat of a perfectionist, and indecision is my worst enemy. I’ll probably end up just going with my gut in the end, but I’m trying to see if I can come to a more informed conclusion before that.
A difference between the two schools is that I am significantly less likely to receive a gap year from Berkeley than Georgetown. There are a lot of hoops to jump through for Berkeley, and I may end up needing to reapply regardless if I do go with it.
If you’re seriously considering CS as a major, and you’d want to do it at the best school so you wouldn’t become underemployed after graduation, or you want an almost guaranteed 6-figure starting salary offer, access to some of the best faculty in the field, an opportunity to sit along some of the most talented students, or orienting yourself to becoming an entrepreneur and learning about how to launch successful start ups, etc, etc, there seriously are fewer than 5 schools on earth that could offer you those much better than Berkeley does. Seriously.
You need to put in a lot of work if you want to major in CS regardless where you’ll be doing it at.
The thing is that CS is a very new interest for me. I’ve liked subjects similar to IR for a lot longer, and I feel as if I go to Berkeley, I will be locked into CS because I understand the program is intensive and extremely demanding. Then again, the same goes for Georgetown.
Take your gap year and reconsider.
If you need to deposit, consider where it’ll be easier for you to “defer” and where it’ll be easier to “reapply if necessary”.
What are you going to do on your gap year? Do you even have to deposit now - what if you left it for next year?
@MYOS1634 It is easier to defer at Georgetown, where I am almost certain to get my gap year. I’m assuming that I’m more likely to get into Berkeley if I reapply rather than Georgetown.
My gap year program is a government-sponsored program that allows me to take a year in Germany. I will study German intensively for two months before heading off to internships based on my interests and to live with a host family. I will also be taking some level of classes to supplement my high school education in those fields. I’m fairly certain I have to deposit by May 1st if I want to keep my spot at either college.
It sounds like it’d be more beneficial to deposit at Georgetown then, since you can get your deferral more easily AND if you changed your mind you could reapply to Berkeley and have better odds of admission than if you deposited at UCB and changed your mind to reapply to G’Town. (THinking about it, I think that if you did that, your odds would be good they wouldn’t reconsider you - as a private university that needs to protect yield, they’d have very litle incentive to re-admit someone whom they admitted and turned them down once. I assume Berkeley, as a public university, doesn’t use this against in-state students).