<p>Should I attend UC Santa Barbara or UC Berkeley?
Deadline to decide is May 1st and I am still torn 50-50 between the two schools.</p>
<p>I have visited both campuses and this is what I have to say. UCSB has the best location, ever. I live near the beach and attending college on the beach would be heaven. The quarter system looks appealing and so does the variety of Economics majors (I was accepted to both schools as a pre-Econ major). I have a couple really good friends who I could dorm with. Im a little unsure about the partying, though. Ive gotten caught up in it here and there, but I'm definitely not comfortable in wild, party-like situations. </p>
<p>Getting into Berkeley was a shock, and I didnt necessarily expect to get in. But I did. The urban city environment and eccentricity of the neighboring shops and homeless people was a bit overwhelming and Im not too comfortable with the surrounding environments. They seem sketchy to say the least, although its nothing to really worry about. I loved Berkeley's pride for their schooling and comradery for their teams. Its something I would definitely enjoy being a part of. However, I would embark on my Cal adventure alone, with no friends, which really doesnt bother me. Im just not sure if i would like the living conditions like I would at UCSB. I am also a spring admit, but am enrolled in the fall program for freshman, which i think is a great thing (small class sizes and great way to make friends)!</p>
<p>Both schools have good and bad about them and after weeks of talking to others and hard, concentrating thought, I feel like I still cannot make a decision. At UCSB i still have a few high school connects but at UCB I move on.</p>
<p>Bottom line is both schools Ill get a good education. Berkeley has the pride and joy in their mascot and athletics teams and their reputation after college is to die for. I think UCSB has a much more relaxed easy-going lifestyle which is how I like to live. So one school I know Ill like the 4 years of social experience, and the other I know Ill enjoy the education and reputation for the rest of my life. How do I decide?
I read somewhere that it is not which college one should attend to be happy, but it is what you do at that college that will brighten your life. However, I really want to make a decision that I wont look back on for the rest of my life.</p>
<p>If you had attended either school (or both), sharing part of your experience (socially, academically, and how life was after graduation) would be much appreciated. Sorry if i poored my heart out into this, but I am scared of making such a big decision. Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>i have the same decision to make. one thing is that the only way to have a social life (parties etc…) at berkeley is to join a frat. i stayed in one a couple nights ago when they were throwing a party and it just wasn’t that appealing. there were a ton of dudes trying to get on the 2 or 3 hot girls at the whole party, and it seemed more like a competition for who could get laid the fastest rather than a real party. granted that was only one night, but i feel like the sb party scene is just way chiller and more appealing. frat life could be fun, but i the way i saw it was that once you’re in one, your entire life outside of academics is devoted to just the people in your frat and what’s going on in your own frat. </p>
<p>ucsb has always been my dream school, and then i got into berkeley and i am completely torn. so if anyone else has anything to add, it would be very helpful.</p>
<p>The majority of Cal students are not in frats/sororities and manage to have fully satisfactory parties and a social life. Clubs and other social groups abound as well as simply spending time with new friends. Friends in frats might tell you that you need to be in one, but it is just one option among many.</p>
<p>I think im going to choose berkeley. it has so much more to offer and i shouldnt choose ucsb just because of its location. how could anyone pass up the Berkeley rep??</p>
<p>reading: 550
writing: 680
math: 660
total 1890</p>
<p>weighted gpa about 4.25 total 4 years. IB diploma candidate
about half of my entire high school career classes were ib/honors/ap
LOTS of extra curricular, 11 years of soccer, varsity, 150+ solid community service hours <em>actually helping the community</em>.</p>
<p>i was rejected from UCI and UCSD but got into cal poly slo and sdsu</p>
<p>um anything else i should put that are considered ‘stats’?</p>
<p>oh yes. im a spring admit currently enrolled in the FPF program which is the berkeley ext.</p>
<p>Im in the exact same predicament as the topic creator, I just cannot decide. So any insight would help, if it helps I am seriously considering poly-sci (but maybe something science related as well, though I feel I am weaker in sciences.)</p>
<p>I do plan on going to graduate school and I just want to know how important Berkeley’s prestige is in graduate school decisions, or if I would be better suited getting a higher gpa and utilizing the honors system at ucsb?</p>
<p>actually i chose ucsb. submitted sir. felt like a better fit for me, and this is a decision i just cant look back on. for sciences and physics, ucsb sounds really good. heard of a lot of really smart people turn down berkeley for ucsb for the physics department especially, but berkeley is just all around great for academics so you cant go wrong.</p>
<p>The first link has TWO Nobel Laureates in PHYSICS (the others are in ECON AND CHEM not PHYSICS) and one of which actually teaching physics (the other is engineering, no?). </p>
<p>Look at Berkeley’s Nobel Laureates for PHYSICS alone:</p>
<p>Luis Walter Alvarez (1911-1988) 1968 Physics Professor of Physics (1936-88)
Bloch, FelixFelix Bloch (1905-1983) 1952 Physics Cyclotron researcher (1939)
Chamberlain, OwenOwen Chamberlain (1920-2006) 1959 Physics Professor of Physics (1958-2006)
Chu, StevenSteven Chu (1948- ) 1997 Physics PhD 1976, Berkeley Lab Director (2004- )
Cronin, JamesJames Cronin (1931-) 1980 Physics Researcher at Berkeley Bevatron (1958)
Glaser, Donald A.Donald A. Glaser (1926- ) 1960 Physics Professor of Physics (1957- )
Glashow, Sheldon LeeSheldon Lee Glashow (1932- ) 1979 Physics Professor of Physics (1960-1966)
Gross, DavidDavid Gross (1941- ) 2004 Physics PhD 1966
de Gennes, Pierre-GillesPierre-Gilles de Gennes (1932- ) 1991 Physics Postdoctoral 1959
Lamb, WillisWillis Lamb (1913- ) 1955 Physics BS 1934, PhD 1938
Laughlin, Robert B.Robert B. Laughlin (1950- ) 1998 Physics BS 1972
Lawrence, ErnestErnest Lawrence (1901-1958) 1939 Physics Professor of Physics (1930-1958), Radiation Lab director (1936-1958)
Lee, Tsung-DaoTsung-Dao Lee (1926-) 1957 Physics Research Associate and Instructor (1950-51)
Mather, John C.John C. Mather (1945- ) 2006 Physics PhD 1974
McMillan, EdwinEdwin McMillan (1907-1991) 1951 Physics Professor of Chemistry (1946-1991)
Segr</p>
<p>I’m not trying to have a ****ing contest over who has the better physics program, as I think it is no contest that Berkeley is better. By the way, I think your list is all-time. My list is professors currently teaching at UCSB. David Gross on your list is also teaching at UCSB btw The point is, UCSB has a very strong physics program and also and ample social opportunities, hence collegiate123 making his decision to go to UCSB. He’ll be happy there and I’m sure he’ll succeed.</p>
<p>How am I conceding? All I’m saying is that UCSB is pretty “great” too. Not as good as Cal, certainly, but it’s certainly a heavyweight physics school too. And there’s more to life than the ranking of your school. It’s worth it to many people to go to a school slightly worse in academics when they will be much happier with their surroundings.</p>
<p>You’re conceding to my argument with the first post that berkeley has a better phys program? I agree with your last statement, and it’s not like i’ve said anything before to the contrary of that. </p>
<p>hey i had the hardest choice choosing between berkeley and ucsb. i chose ucsb because i never aspired to go to berkeley in the first place. even after 3 weeks i basicallly had to flip a coin to decide, but i liked ucsb 51% and berkeley 49%. I liked berkeley alot, but i felt it wasnt for me. I am thinking grad school there since my first job can easily land me in san francisco and im sad i passed up the chance to go to the number 1 public university, but i have no regrets for which i chose. i live it and i grip it. just make a decision and stick with it .</p>
<p>Collegiate 123 - first, congrats on your decision. Cal and UCSB are both geat schools - comes down to what works best for you. Take it from an '81 Cal grad with lots of equally-old UCSB friends!</p>
<p>I’m hoping you can help me advise my son on whether or not he should continue the IB Diploma program.</p>
<p>Here’s the dilemma - I can’t get a straight answer to the following:</p>
<p>Does the UC admissions process confer any advantage to an IB Diploma candidate, over someone who has taken the highest IB classes offered but has chosen not to take the Diploma path? (doesn’t do the extended essay and CAS).</p>
<p>This is our high school’s first year - my son is guinea pig - and here are the conflicting things we’re hearing:</p>
<p>1) Our high school IB coordinator says Diploma candidates are viewed very highly by UC.
2) But, UC Davis, UCSB and UCSD admissions staff have all told us they don’t give any admission advantage to Diploma candidates.
3) A rep from the Calif IB high school association (whatever…) implied that UC won’t say that they give preference bcs not politically correct, but in fact they do give preference. (huh?)
4) I hear that there’s a question on the UC app that asks “Are you an IB Diploma candidate?” If that’s true, I assume it must be important to them?</p>
<p>I’m not asking about AP vs IB, and I’m not asking about college credit. Just about the chances of UC admission for a Diploma candidate vs a non-diploma IB student who’s taken exactly the same courses.</p>
<p>Hope my question is clear – I’m finding it amazingly difficult to get answers from Adults:>)</p>
The point is, UCSB has a very strong physics program and also and ample social opportunities, hence collegiate123 making his decision to go to UCSB. He’ll be happy there and I’m sure he’ll succeed.</p>