Thank you for your reply!
I really see no reason for you to transfer. NU is a top university for business, the Chicago area has a large number of opportunities. In general, looking at your profile, I think that NU is a great place for you, and I think that it’s a better place for you than Berkeley.
In general, why change universities when you can simply change programs at NU?
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One thing that has been concerning me but that I think that is worth explicitly stating: I am worried that if @anon76164635 were to transfer to Berkeley, they might regret it. Berkeley is a great university, but no university is perfect. It is also very big and most likely rather difficult to stand out. Northwestern is a great university also. The undergraduate part is 1/3 the size of Berkeley, which makes it large enough to have a huge number of opportunities but small enough to get to know professors and find the great opportunities, which apparently OP has done…
… and this sounds like a great and somewhat unusual opportunity.
To me it sounds like you are doing really well at Northwestern.
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I personally regret not attempting to go to Berkeley before, due to its far stronger track record of producing entrepreneurs and feeding into startups in the Valley. I know this is what I want to pursue, and I believe Cal offers a significantly better opportunity to do so.
Thank you for your genuine response, I’m of course grateful for what I have at Northwestern, but as you mentioned, no university is perfect. I feel that my entrepreneurial opportunities are lackluster, independent of COVID and after exerting effort to engage with the community.
Really do seriously think about attending Berkeley (or Stanford) for a master’s. I did a master’s at a top Bay area university and loved it. The other students in the same program had come from all over the place.
If you mean technical work in computing startups and the like, completing a CS major at Northwestern is likely to be more valuable than completing a rhetoric major at UCB.
Why not finish your CS major at Northwestern and seek employment in the desired region? Even if your first job is at some large company, you can then try to go from there to startups, etc. after working there for some time.
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…at the moment. A year ago it was engineering. Two years ago it was medicine. I am sure that you were just as convinced that you had found the right path each time.
At any rate, go for it. Shoot your shot. As some of the UC experts have pointed out, the odds are not in your favor, so don’t burn any bridges at NU.
Absolutely agree with this statement.
@anon76164635, I also want to point out that you’re already building a life around Berkeley and you haven’t taken into account that Berkeley probably won’t accept you. You’re assuming that you’re an easy transfer admit. The UC’s don’t work that way.
They will look at your records and see how you’ve bounced around and changed your focus along with your school. They will wonder why you’re coming to Berkeley for a different major and may suspect that you will probably leave again. You have to holistically FIT the school. They are very selective. Assume that you will be rejected.
One thing that people don’t understand about Berkeley is that it is huge; the classes are large because it is a PUBLIC university. The intensity of the classes is real. The pressure to perform is real. Also, the costs to attend, from out of state, are insane.
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Thank you for the reality check! I don’t mean to assume I’ll get in - I’m hopeful and think the benefits outweigh the costs, but your points are important and appreciated. Do you happen to know if there are transfer profiles for out-of-state university students, in particular? That might help me make a better decision - I know they publish high-level stats that were linked above.
I’ll keep searching on my own and try asking admissions once more.
Many thanks
Thank you for your response. I definitely won’t burn bridges at NU, and I realize I’ve bounced around, but my goal has always been entrepreneurship since leaving school to take care of a loved one (which is why I decided not to stick with pre-med). Engineering at NU hasn’t been a good fit.
I’m curious if you are aware of transfer profiles for out-of-state university students, in particular? That might help me make a better decision about my odds. I’ll keep researching/reflecting on my end, but besides high-level info, not much has been published, to my knowledge.
My apologies for the delay. I feel a strong sense of urgency to start building something now while innovation and VC funding is hot. I have interned at a startup but have found the support at Northwestern and the greater Chicago area, despite seeking advising, lackluster. Folks here have admitted the lack of Silicon Valley connections is hindering the development of the ecosystem.
I’m a strong writer and was recently diagnosed with dyscalculia, hence my concerns about engineering being a good fit moving forward. I really appreciate your willingness to engage in this dialogue.
Considering your familiarity with UCB, I’m curious if you are aware of transfer profiles for out-of-state university students, in particular? That might help me make a better decision about my odds. I’ll keep researching/reflecting on my end, but besides high-level info earlier in the thread, not much has been published, to my knowledge.
I have linked the 2020 Freshman and Transfer profile for UCB but is Overall admits and not broken out by In-state vs. OOS. You unfortunately will not find out the specific information you are looking for since UCB does not publish the breakout by Residency, Major and GPA, just the overall data. You already have this information:
The updated 2021 UCOP admit ranges for Transfer GPA and major will probably be available in January/February 2022 so past the UC application deadline.
If you look at https://career.berkeley.edu/survey/survey and select rhetoric majors, it does not look like rhetoric majors tend to go to computing startups and the like.
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fwiw, so does Bill Gates.
Any chance they screened you for ADHD* when they did the dyscalculia dx? That’s not meant to be snarky! We have some experience with people who are all in on X until they notice Y before they realize that Z is actually even more interesting. The real challenge of college for that (exceptionally able) Collegekid was learning how to stay in one arena long enough to finish something. Not your question, not my business, but this:
makes me think that it’s possible you could be having the fourth iteration of this conversation this time next year.
Innovation and VC funding- with a couple of exogenously generated dips- have been hot for virtually all your life, and there are no signs of that going away anytime soon.
*also known in our house as ADOS- “attention deficient oooh shiny!!”, so dubbed by the one with the official dx
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If you don’t find Engineering at Northwestern a good fit, SWITCH MAJORS. They have a strong entrepreneurial culture and advising is much more personalized and generally much better there than at UCB due to $$ dedicated to il (remember that UCB is a very large public university where advisers are overworked - the student/faculty ratio is 6:1 at Northwestern v. 19:1 at UCB).
Find your path at Northwestern. Use all their resources. Then apply for a Master’s at UCB.
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This is all exactly correct re: the advantages of NU over UCB, including being relatively easy to change schools/majors. There is a huge entrepreneurial ecosystem in Chicagoland, especially in life sciences, healthcare, and med tech. It’s not Silicon Valley, but it’s thriving.
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I probably missed it, but has the OP indicated that they want to get a masters degree?
I am unsure if I want to pursue post-grad education, so it was not discussed. Thank you!
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Because that’s what some 20 and 30-somethings want to do, at least the ones I know here IN SILICON VALLEY. 
I can’t speak for college hopping, but they definitely change jobs a lot or often around here. Just talking with the “kids” at the gym, they’re moving from one startup to the next and/or moving to/from an established tech company to another. It’s hard to keep track of when speaking with them about it.
When I say “What’s up?” I get the lowdown on their new jobs.
A 20-something relative of mine has switched tech (CS) jobs 2-3 times just in the past couple or few years. I went to dinner Sunday night with a friend/neighbor (Indian-American) who has started tech companies and sold them in the past couple of years and made some money.
I totally get the OP’s desire for more entrepreneurial culture at college. It’s kinda crazy around here. I’d be surprised that you can find the same level craziness elsewhere in the US. If you want Cal (UCB), can afford it, then go for it. It’s only an another college application. 