<p>i am accepted by ucla and ucb this fall as a junior transfer student, i need some advice on picking the right school for me.
ucb certainly has a higher reputation, but i want to change my major and the staff there told me there is a slim chance of that happening. on the other hand, ucla told me that i can change into the major i wanted.
the situation here now is if i go to ucb, the BS degree i get there will look better and makes it easier for me to get a job, but i will not be able to study in the field i am interested in,
also, i hope i can get better grades in ucla and possibly go into a graduate school later. but someone told me that not a lot of people in ucla can go into a graduate school. ucb will give me a better chance for higher education.
any suggestions??</p>
<p>I know this is off topic but where did you apply from and if you wouldnt mind what was your gpa?
Personally I am a fan of Berkeley as I look to apply there this upcoming year. However, it would be wise to pursue the field that interests you which would put you at UCLA. I dont think that youll have a problem getting into grad school if you do well at UCLA.</p>
<p>fiveaprilz,</p>
<p>Whoever told you getting into grad school from UCLA is either foolish or stupid. It's not. </p>
<p>However, I think that if you want to go to Berkeley, go to Berkeley despite the major. I mean, if you major in chem instead of biochem, you'll not be penalized whatsoever for grad school. Go look at undergrad majors on CVs for a wide variety of fields, and you'll find that BAs and BSs vary widely in any give field. I've seen chem majors in poli sci programs, and econ majors in bio programs.</p>
<p>Oh, and Berkeley isn't going to get you a better job. A good work ethic is.</p>
<p>thanks 4 the advice, UCLAri, </p>
<p>personally, i prefer ucla cuz i like the fact that it's a popular school for average students, i will probably get more chance to experience ameican culture there as an international student,
however, i just couldnt get over the fact that berkeley is a more famous school, and the people around me are sort of pushing me to ucb, and i dont wanna disappoint them. </p>
<p>i just dont know how to tell them that ucla is probably a better choice for me to blend in amreican culture. i guess i think ucla would be easier for me, and would give me more time for extracurricular activities, internship, volunteering and stuff.
but i am afraid that ucla is also very hard. </p>
<p>anyone kown just how hard is the course work in ucla?</p>
<p>i applied last november, i believe. i hav a 4.0 gpa in my course work at a community college.
personally, i dont think it is very hard to get into ucla or even ucb if u r a california resident transfering from a Community college. but i dont know, i did do a lot of extra stuff, like volunteering and stuff.</p>
<p>fiveaprilz,</p>
<p>As a grad, I know firsthand that UCLA is as challenging as Berkeley. You're not going to be bored at either one.</p>
<p>And I don't think it's fair to call UCLA a school for "average students." It's nowhere near average.</p>
<p>o, my fault, acutally i dont really know,
that is only what i assumed since most of my classmates are going to ucla and only a few people i know of are going to ucb.</p>
<p>o, and is recommendation really important for getting into graduate schoo?</p>
<p>the professors at community colleges are really nice, i didnt have to try very hard to get along with them. </p>
<p>but universities are different, are the professors there real serious all the time? is it very hard to get their attention? in that case, it might be harder to get a good recommendation. </p>
<p>any tricks for giving the professors a good impression?</p>
<p>Professors are people. Just show up, be prepared, and engage them as human beings. Some are nice, some are a-holes. If you get to know the nice ones, you'll be fine.</p>
<p>And with UCLA vs. Cal...are you in the LA area by any chance?</p>
<p>so it's totally luck?</p>
<p>are the classes really crowded in uc? i know it's a big problem in community college, but what about uc? </p>
<p>were u able to get the classes u needed?</p>
<p>I only had trouble with one or two classes that I wanted. I never had trouble getting classes I needed. What's your major?</p>
<p>I wouldn't call it luck...just chemistry. Do you get along with everyone you meet?</p>
<p>i am majoring in chemistry, but i am changing to biochem, i actually wanted to study biology, but the major is so overpopulated that i decided not to join the competition.</p>
<p>and urs? is grad school real stressful?</p>
<p>" if i go to ucb, the BS degree i get there will look better and makes it easier for me to get a job" Big misconception going to ucla will give you an equal chance of landing a great job. A UCB degree will not necessarily look better than a ucla one (I know this is debatable but show me different with statistics).</p>
<p>UCLA students I meet have a great time getting into top programs. I would say that Cal's programs are a bit stronger, but it depends on what you want overall. Either way, you'll do great.</p>