Cal or UCD?

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>I can anticipate the reaction I'll get here, and, believe me, I've seen the other posts with this very same problem... But hear me out... I've only got a few days to figure this out, and, at this point, I'll take any help I am offered.</p>

<p>UCD -</p>

<p>Cheap or free (could live at home [I'd strongly prefer not to after two years of cc...] or with friend).</p>

<p>"Safe" (in more ways than one...).</p>

<p>Decent program for my major.</p>

<p>Comfortable in the area, have a part-time job here, etc...</p>

<p>Bike AND car friendly.</p>

<p>Berkeley -</p>

<p>Intimidating (flip side: exciting! electrifying! dream school!)</p>

<p>Not so safe... Berkeley is a lot sketchier than Davis.</p>

<p>Excellent program for my major (which is impacted).</p>

<p>The name.</p>

<p>LOVE the campus.</p>

<p>Competition (used to being big fish in small pond... Never even been in a big pond!)</p>

<p>Very expensive, plus I don't know anyone out there or where I'd live... On-campus housing isn't an option. Too much $$. Loans will be inevitable either way (Berk ~ $25k v ~ $10k @ Davis).</p>

<p>Not car friendly.</p>

<p>Biggest concerns re: Berkeley: Money, safety, housing, quality of life.</p>

<p>Biggest concerns re: Davis: The nagging feelings I think I would experience for giving up on my longtime Cal dreams... </p>

<p>Any and all comments welcome. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Just based on your list, it seems like you seem more comfortable with UCD, and are may only be continuing to go back and forth because it is <em>Cal</em>. After LA/Cal, Davis was my second choice – and I definitely thought about going there when I was making my decision. </p>

<p>I don’t know what your major is (that MIGHT help?), but Davis seems to have many more pros for you in terms of $$ and the lifestyle. However, I don’t think you should turn Cal down just because it may be more difficult! That was one of my “cons”, but I figured, if they accepted us, that means we ARE capable of succeeding. I know people who are similar to me in terms of academics (knowing them from high school, etc), they transferred to Cal and are doing pretty well. And it might be good to do something different! I only live 30 minutes away, but Berkeley is still a big change to where I live.</p>

<p>Besides the program, I also thought about internship/career opportunities too. For example, if I wanted to do government related internships, I definitely thought about Davis, but Cal also has some great programs vs. LA. Also, if you’re going to grad school, $$ might be a factor too. And I know they’re both in Nor Cal, but since I was debating between So Cal and Nor Cal, that was a big factor to me (distance, environment, etc). I knew I wanted to come back to Nor Cal whenever I start my career, so if I decide not to go to grad school, I would rather be able to have opportunities here as an undergrad.</p>

<p>Also for Cal, I don’t know people well enough to live with them either, but I applied for off-campus housing, like the Wada apartments. While it’s Res Hall style, it’s considered off-campus for Fin Aid purposes, so it’s cheaper compared to the other on-campus options. </p>

<p>And yeah, Berkeley IS more sketchy, but you just gotta be careful – but that goes for any city you live in. You just have to know which parts are the <em>safer</em> parts and which parts you should avoid. I AM taking my car with me, but that’s because I have mobility issues (can’t walk long distances, etc). </p>

<p>But if you really love Davis, I say go for it. Don’t let the fact that you’re turning down Berkeley be a factor. It’s seriously all about fit. I really did get that cliche “feeling” when I stepped onto Berkeley’s campus as opposed to UCLA’s.</p>

<p>Okay, reading that back that doesn’t sound super helpful (and a really long post, my bad!), but I choose to blame it on my insomnia, haha. But, if you haven’t already, definitely dig much more deeper into the websites!</p>

3

<p>I don’t really see Berkeley as sketchy but that’s probably because I’ve lived in high crime areas most of my life. As long as you don’t have the need to bring attention to yourself, you’ll be relatively safe wherever you go. I would say the biggest factors you should focus on are the academics and the money situation. Berkeley was my first choice since they’re top 3 in my major and because I relish the challenge it presents. At this point though, it looks like I’ll be going to Davis since they’re the only ones who accepted me.</p>

4

<p>I think the $15k differential says it all. Davis has evolved into the overall 9th ranked public school. Berkeley is the 1st ranked public school overall, but you have to decide whether the difference between 1st and 9th is worth an extra $15,000. BTW, is that $15,000 total, or $15,000 per year?</p>

5

<p>You said Berkeley is your dream school. That is all you need to know.</p>

<p>Get out of your comfort zone, take the risk, take the plunge, and you will grow in so many more ways than just in your education.</p>

<p>You got into Berkeley, you said yourself it is your dream school. Everything you listed about Davis is just about rationalization and having cold feet.</p>

<p>I’ll be at Berkeley this fall. Ill be your buddy. Don’t worry about it.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for all of the insightful responses… Much appreciated, really.</p>

<p>@dezziner: My major - pre-managerial economics at UCD and economics at Cal… By the way, I don’t really LOVE UC Davis. I love the town, sure. It’s homey, safe, and boring. But as far as the actual school? That “cliche feeling” you experienced? Me too. When I step on the Berkeley campus, I get the chills. Cheesy? Maybe. But I have this visceral reaction, like, “This is really something I want to be a part of.” However, the city of Berkeley is kind of nightmarish to me. I got totally lost, and drove around for an hour and a half looking for parking… Problems you’d never have in Davis. I will also be bringing my car, despite repeated urgings not to from others. I too have medical concerns and walking for thirty minutes on a cool Berkeley morning isn’t necessarily going to be possible come January. Driving there sucks though.</p>

<p>@hesdjjim: The differential would be $15k TOTAL, assuming (hoping) I graduate in two years upon transferring. I am the only person in my family to have gone to college… Not entirely show how much debt is acceptable here. My ccc counselor told me “any debt is good debt” if it meant going to Berk. I’m not so idealistic…</p>

<p>@BerkeleyorBust: Thanks. :)</p>

<p>@silenthillnight: Good luck in Davis. I think you may come to really enjoy the vibe there.</p>

<p>Edit: Okay, so another thing: How about commuting to Berkeley? It wouldn’t be ideal, but if I could find more affordable housing in say, Solano County (Vacaville, Fairfield, Dixon, Vallejo), would it be alright to commute the hour or so each way each day? Again, not ideal, but… Surely some other undergrads commute, right?</p>

7

<p>The commute down the 80 could be torturous at times. I’d probably say taking the bart would be the best option but I don’t know if you could handle the walk up the hill every day.</p>

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<p>@silenthillnight: The commute would suck, I’m sure, but I am not entirely opposed to 45 minutes or so (I know that some of those locations would be more like 1 hr - 1.5 hrs). My big concern, aside from where I’d, you know, live, is parking. To my knowledge, even purchasing a student permit is a risky investment because there are so few spots available. Where are the student lots anyway? I haven’t been able to find any… I’ve also heard that on football game days and event days your permit is worthless. Can anyone verify if that’s true?</p>

<p>Another thing: How about Moraga, Lafayette, Orinda, Alameda, the Oakland Hills… ? Should I even bother checking out cities/areas that have expensive reputations?</p>

<p>Lastly, how is El Cerrito? I’ve been browsing online for a while and it seems cheaper than Berkeley. Is it equally urban in feel or more suburban?</p>

<p>Thanks again for all of the feedback.</p>

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<p>There are a lot of parking lots on the south side of the campus. As for game days, unless you get a gameday pass, you gotta move, haha. That’s just how it is since there really is no parking in berkeley. Every time the concept of building another parking structure comes up, the Berkeley city council goes nuts.</p>

10

<p>If your interests lie in the field of economics, go to Cal, period. What are your future aspirations post-graduation? If you want to go into business, Cal carries much more prestige and places more of its students to better firms. Take a look at the career center website showing where Cal’s recent graduates are headed:</p>

<p><a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I think if Cal does give you that “feeling” (lol) it clearly shows you really want it! I would go for it; I AM scared for how difficult classes may be, etc. but I’ll never know what I’m capable of until I go for it. I honestly never considered it even in my dreams because I was so scared I wouldn’t get in. And if you’re doing econ, Cal is A+. All of the finance/econ-related companies in SF and Silicon Valley companies definitely recruit at Cal – especially looking at the programs from past job fairs. </p>

<p>Yeah, parking sucks. I have a Disabled placard due to my condition, so I find SOME parking. It’s early morning and early evening where parking can get annoying (especially in terms of lots for the morning, meters for the evening). You just have to circle, lol. I’m nervous for it too, but I mean, people DO find parking! There’s also shuttles, and if you register through the disabled students program, you can call an on-call golf cart to shuttle you across campus. :wink: When I drove through campus I found some lots, but I was focusing on finding Disabled parking. There are a couple of structures; they just fill up fast.</p>

<p>As for commuting, it’s going to SUCK. I live in Fremont, which is a 30-35 minute drive to Berkeley with NO traffic. I would commute, but going on 880 North literally after my exit (I’m the last exit to Fremont as you’re going north) can become hell. And having already commuted 30-45 minutes sans traffic in the opposite direction (dealing with 880 S/101 traffic) for three years for community college has turned me off to commuting, to be honest. People do it; you just have to be able to schedule your classes well and probably stay on campus a lot. All of the freeways suck, pretty much. If you want look away from Berkeley, I wouldn’t want to live further than 15 minutes away.</p>

<p>I would take BART if I could, but the BART stop to campus is by the West Gate, so it’s like at the corner. I wouldn’t be able to handle the walk from BART to the Sproul/Sather Gate side with all my stuff. There are shuttles and buses, but I feel more comfortable with having my car. Personally, I would live as close to the campus as possible. </p>

<p>But if walking isn’t as large of an issue for you, then public transit is manageable here.</p>

12

<p>I can’t thank you all enough for your advice/commentary. This has been such a difficult month, and I need some outside perspective!</p>

<p>@dezziner: I guess I’m just plain ignorant - I, too, commuted to community college but it was about twenty minutes. Traffic far to the east and south of the Bay Area (what I’m more familiar with), is a lot less terrible. Morning traffic on Business 80, for instance, isn’t particularly leisurely, but it isn’t all THAT bad… Like you, I’m pretty committed to my car. I guess I’ll just have to figure it all out once I get situated out there? I mean, er, if… :)</p>

<p>The fifteen minute suggestion seems like a good one. If I could find a more affordable place in Oakland (a reasonable thought?), I think that I could probably manage that. I’m not familiar with this level of population density… Oh well, I guess I’ll have to acclimate eventually! Oh, yeah, and something else: do no apartment complexes in the East Bay have parking? Sheesh.</p>

<p>@calalum: Thanks for the link. That made me feel pretty excited.</p>

<p>OK, another question for you helpful CCers, and I apologize if this is really dumb: Where would most of my classes be held? A quick peek at a few current economics undergrad syllabi indicates that Dwinelle Hall might be one central location. Would most of my classes be concentrated in one area of campus?</p>

13

<p>I believe that the lecture halls will vary from class to class every semester. I know some econ classes I took were lectured in VLSB, Dwinelle, Evans, and Latimer, just to name a few. Many discussion sections are held in Evans, where many of the professors hold their office hours. Evans is the huge green building (the ugliest building in my opinion), which also happens to be where I spent a quarter of my life at Cal.</p>

<p>Check out where some of the econ classes are offered:</p>

<p><a href=“http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=4&p_term=FL&p_deptname=Economics&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&x=10[/url]”>http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=4&p_term=FL&p_deptname=Economics&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&x=10&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Ber-ke-ley!
Haha, I know that wasn’t helpful… but there’s my two cents
: )</p>

15

<p>From what you said about getting “chills” when going to Berkeley, it definitely sounds like Berkeley is the place that you really want to be. In your case, I agree with BerkeleyOrBust, that a lot of your hesitation about attending Berkeley is because you’re afraid of things not working out the way you’d hope. The thing is, things can’t work out well unless you try them. </p>

<p>Normally I’d say to go to the cheaper school, but it seems like you REALLY love Berkeley and you’d be missing out greatly if you didn’t go there.</p>

16

<p>I had to make the same decision last summer. I got into Berkeley and UCD and I decided on UCD (for the biology programs) and I’ve literally spent the whole year regretting it. I just got in somewhere else (to transfer) so I’m not coming back next year.
Davis is exactly how you described it; homey, safe and BORING. The classes are frustratingly huge, they don’t let you do certain double majors because it’d cost the school too much, and the students here are neither passionate about learning nor proud of being here.
Definitely go to Cal.</p>

17

<p>^That is a serious problem I have with Davis, as well. Forget the fact that Davis is ranked the 9th public school, overall. People have no passion about this school, and if you do have passion or school pride, your friends will think you have a problem. I have mood swings back and forth from being proud of my school, to regretting my decision not to apply to Cal Poly. There’s definitely a “C’s get degrees” mentality here, which makes group projects suck if you want to get an A.</p>

<p>A lot of people really need to think back to why they chose to come to UC Davis, and if the only reason is because they couldn’t get into Berkeley, that’s the wrong reason.</p>

<p>Go to a school you’ll be proud of. If that’s Cal, go to Cal. The $15k difference over four years is manageable.</p>

18

<p>Well to be fair, Berkeley has the ‘I got rejected from Stanford’ complex as well :).</p>

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<p>I didn’t get rejected from Stanford :(, but I wish I could go there.</p>

20

<p>Unexpected:</p>

<p>Now it’ll be UCLA. I wasn’t thinking of going south, but I actually got some financial aid there (comparable to Davis)… Ughhhh. Things are moving so fast. I just want to submit this SIR and start planning. Oh well. Always grad school for Berkeley?</p>