<p>I can't decide at all. They are all so different, and i plan to study econ and spanish in college. I'm from so cal, so obviously claremont's weather and location are perfect for me. I worry about the size of both claremont and berkeley in different ways obviously, and duke's frat scene and elitism worry me as well. Claremont seems a great choice for econ obviously, but duke and berkeley are also very good in that. I'm so torn. any advice is helpful.</p>
<p>btw i got no financial aid at duke, in state for berkeley with regents scholarship, and a 30000 dollar a year scholarship at claremont.</p>
<p>Then rule duke out. I like Duke’s President a lot, who was at Yale prior to Duke. But I heard the school does not have a very free-exploring “intellectual” atmosphere. Location wise I don’t think NC can beat Cali.</p>
<p>Claremont may seem small, but don’t forget there’s 4 other schools in which to escape into, whether its social life, dining, and/or classes. I think all things being equal between Berkeley and CMC, even if CMC was an extra 5K a year, I think the attention you’ll get and the opportunities that are made available to its students go further than Berkeley on your own.</p>
<p>if you got that much money for CMC and like claremont’s location/climate, go there without thinking twice.</p>
<p>I hear bad things about Duke and Berkeley is verrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyy different from SoCal…it’s basically a different country.</p>
<p>the size of CMC really isn’t too small. I LOVE IT SO MUCH… i have NO regrets choosing CMC over berkeley. Plus, with the state of our economy right now, it’s so much more beneficial to go to a private school than a public one. You really can’t go wrong with CMC… i was attending a dinner at the Athenaeum the other night… and I realized… only at a small school like CMC will i get to sit at the same table as our Dean of Students. Or have the chance to play intramural soccer with our famous faculty members, all of whom i practically know.</p>
<p>the intimacy is an experience not to pass up, unless you fear being so close with everyone.</p>
<p>I’m choosing CMC over Cal. I got Regents for UCLA, scholarships to Cal… but I attended osp sessions and absolutely hated how the faculty def did not place students as a priority and having grad students as teachers. I felt like nothing more than a number in a giant sea.</p>
<p>All this Duke hate, wow.</p>
<p>As a southern californian resident who got into Berkeley with a scholarship (and didn’t apply to Claremont McKenna), who is not white, elitist, and very much intellectual, I really love Duke. </p>
<p>I encourage you not to take stock in what people “hear” about other schools, but to investigate each school on its own merits by talking to students who go there. I couldn’t tell you that my Duke experience is better than my college experience would have been had I gone to Berkeley… because I simply don’t know. What I do know is that I love going to Duke and I have no regrets about my decision to go here. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>