Berkeley vs Lehigh

College Search & Selection
1

Hello,
I was accepted to Berkeley in the college of letters and science as out of state and to Lehigh in the college of arts and science. I’m thinking of majoring in environmental science but I’m not completely sure what I want to do yet in the future. I’m seriously contemplating vet school but if that doesn’t end up happening then for sure grad school. I really need help deciding!

Berkeley
It is an amazing school that would definitely help me get into an amazing grad school, but I’d be paying full out-of-state tuition which is just ridiculous ($70k per year). I just can’t get over the idea of giving up such an amazing opportunity. I also applied for the SEED program so the cost would go down and I would have priority class registration.

Lehigh
I love the idea of being on the East Coast for college and love the small school atmosphere. They gave me 50k a year so it is much more affordable (20k a year) but they are lesser-known (at least in my area) and I worry about the opportunities there and the chance to get into a notable grad school.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :))) thank you!

2

Definitely Lehigh, especially given the cost difference and especially since you will go to grad school. Paying a huge amount for a huge bureaucratic public where you will be a number is insane when you have a much cheaper quality private where faculty will actually know who you are.
And while a random Joe on the street may not know what a Lehigh is, the adcoms at all the grad programs definitely know about Lehigh and it’s quality. Remember that your HS (and your family and friends) aren’t the whole world. None of your HS mates (and most likely none or close to none of your family and friends) are adcoms or faculty at any grad program.

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That is not a fact.

Also, UC-B might end up being counterproductive if you decide you want to go to Vet school: the pre-health classes at UC-B are big and full of very smart kids gunning for medical school. And, vet or not vet, grad school admissions are entirely different from UG admissions: what you have achieved in your field (+ relevant testing as appropriate) is what matters most.

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