<p>Berkeley:</p>
<ol>
<li>San Francisco (take the bart): Culturally and historically rich; lots of tourism to explore. Berkeley as a town is not in great condition.</li>
<li>Seems to be a preponderance of residence halls</li>
<li>No smoking in the buildings</li>
<li>Infinitesimally more respected and prestigious—but prestige is not everything, or else I’d have aimed for Brown instead</li>
<li>Has a somewhat stronger reputation for grad school applications</li>
<li>Seven general education courses required</li>
<li>Foreign language requirement fulfilled by high school courses</li>
<li>Capped Econ major; 3.0 GPA required to get in; apply once a quarter to enter the major. Major not guaranteed; students are explicitly advised to have a backup plan.</li>
<li>Political Economy a possible alternative to Econ—though Pol Econ’s viability on a resume would be another question</li>
<li>Known for having one of the best Econ departments in the country alongside UChicago</li>
<li>Creative Writing minor</li>
<li>Chernin Mentoring Program for English majors</li>
<li>Highly ranked English department</li>
<li>Biannual Cal Literature & Arts Magazine </li>
<li>Daily Californian. Copyeditor position: Two 2-hr evening shifts per week. Finance intern position offered, 4-8 hrs per week.</li>
<li>The Berkeley Undergraduate Journal (for humanities and social sciences) and the PolicyMatters Journal (public policy analyses)</li>
<li>Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (faculty mentoring)</li>
<li>Work study offered along with loans. Same net cost overall.</li>
<li>A few friends may be going to Cal OR attending school in Nor Cal generally </li>
<li>I cannot remember why I wanted to go to Berkeley so badly in the first place. SF and prestige seem to be major allures.</li>
</ol>
<p>UCLA:
1. Parental preference for UCLA
2. Westwood (walking distance): small shops, small town, generally affluent area surrounded by Bel Air and Beverly Hills
3. Plaza and suite housing offered to freshmen
4. No smoking in the buildings
5. Respected and prestigious
6. Strong reputation would help with grad school applications
7. Ten general education courses required
8. Foreign language requirement fulfilled by placement exam or take a new language
9. Normal Econ major; 2.5 GPA required to get in; apply anytime to enter the major. No reason for rejection from the major as long as prereqs are met.
10. No Political Economy major
11. Highly ranked Econ department, though generally seems to be slightly below Berkeley’s
12. Creative Writing concentration within the English major
13. Highly ranked English department
14. Westwind quarterly literary magazine
15. Daily Bruin. Copyeditor position. Workshops are required. Internship. Paid positions possible with advancement. Marketing and business positions offered.
16. Aleph journal (for humanities and social sciences)
17. Student Research Program. Seems to be a straightforward application process.
18. Loans only. Same net cost overall
19. Unsure how many people are seriously considering UCLA
20. I feel enthusiasm and a sense of pride--or I thought I did.</p>
<p>(For the record, I am considering a double major in Econ and English, or maybe studying Econ and minoring in Eng/Creative Writing--that's why both are mentioned in my lists.)</p>
<p>**What do you think I should base my decision on? What do you think are the most important factors to consider when choosing a school? </p>
<p>Thank you for any thoughtful advice; I feel paralyzed by indecision.**</p>