<p>I got into both today....needless to say I can't go wrong with either. But any thoughts to help me make my decision?</p>
<p>if ur regents go to berk. if money is an issue if its not head to ny no question about it</p>
<p>i'm not regents...and my parents are willing to pay for columbia. so if money isn't a factor....what do you guys say?</p>
<p>what do u want to study?</p>
<p>political science...but i want to go into broadcasting or journalism.</p>
<p>I would say Columbia for the overall experience and reputation, but you should look at the departments you're interested in and see which university offers more for you academically. You might also want to stay if you're interested in staying in the Bay Area. Columbia also offers a lot of great New York interning opportunties as well.</p>
<p>For the personal experience however, without a doubt Columbia.</p>
<p>for poli sci i think i'd go with columbia... berkeley is great but i dont think an ivy league liberal arts education can be touched...</p>
<p>I love the honesty of people on the Cal board. They don't prop their school up or do any propagandish sort of rah rah Berkeley rhetoric. </p>
<p>If they think Columbia is better than Berkeley, they won't beat around the bush. They'll simply tell you: go to Columbia. For that reason, I think you should consider Berkeley. It'll be an honest experience if anything.</p>
<p>It really just depends on what you want. </p>
<p>similarities:
area, mix of students, politics </p>
<p>differences:
ivy status, cost, wheather</p>
<p>Thank you so much to everyone who gave their insights on this. I know it's going to be a really tough decision, but I feel really lucky to be in this position! I really do love Berkeley....both my parents went and met there, so I have a certain nostalgia for it. I grew up going to the Big Game every year, sitting up on Tightwad hill, etc, etc. But, I don't think I can give up the opportunity to live in New York City. I think that because I want to go into broadcasting, NY will offer a lot of great internships (like someone said previously). But, my last concern is this: do you think that Columbia will offer the traditional "college experience" that Berkeley does?</p>
<p>well, what do you consider the traditional college experience?</p>
<p>if you mean parties...theres plenty of parties at both schools</p>
<p>about the student body, though...don't be surprised if columbia students are a bit too narrow minded and presumtuous. berkeley can also be like that, but it's not as bad because of the strong conservative prescence. i would argue that that prescence is virtually nonexistent at columbia.</p>
<p>I've never felt that there was a strong conservative presence here. Sure the berkeley republicans is a large group but its only able to aggregate in such numbers because there are so many students in general. They are still a minority of the student body and largely ignored in all things of substance around the campus.</p>
<p>Quite frankly, the thing that distinguishes Berkeley from most other campuses is the fact that if you're the type of person that doesn't need a whole lot of hand-holding, Berkeley is for you. Now, by saying this I am not bad-mouthing individualized attention in any way. I would actually recommend it, the more the better. BUT, a person like me, who does not need a whole lot of guidance will thrive in an environment much like the one at Cal. The absolute volume of resources at your fingertips is astounding. I often feel like I will drown in the abundant opportunity. Once again, qualifying this statement, I have to admit that I often feel like I will get lost in the labrynth that is the Berkeley Beauracracy. So, you have to ask yourself whether Berkeley is the place for you. Do you know yourself well enough to gauge whether you can cut it in the place we call Cal? If so, then grab a Blue & Gold jersey and welcome to the Golden Bear family. And if not, that's perfectly fine as well. Whether it be Columbia, Cornell, or a Community College- whatever fits your personality best and will make you happy is the right decision.</p>
<p>Go Bears!</p>
<p>What opportunities are these? Just so the original poster can get an idea.</p>
<p>The number of research and apprentice opportunities are astounding, if you would like links I can easily provide them. </p>
<p>-Programs such as UCDC allow you to study in Washington and intern in a government officials office.</p>
<p>-EAP allows you to study abroad for a semester in almost every country imaginable.</p>
<p>-Freshman/Sophmore seminar courses capped at 15 students usually that allow you to work very closely with faculty.</p>
<p>-I'm currently enrolled in a individually designed research course at the Bancroft Library where I have access to extremely rare texts (usually only accessible to graduate students and other scholars)</p>
<p>-Internship programs for practically every field you are interested in</p>
<p>-exchange agreements with other world-class universities to get hands-on experience in your area of study</p>
<p>-real world simulations and activities geared towards providing experience</p>
<p>-career fairs that often attract the most prestigious employers in the world</p>
<p>-clubs and organizations specializing in any area that may interest you</p>
<p>-the third biggest library in the US, after Harvard and Yale</p>
<p>-the best professional and graduate departments in the world, allowing you to pick the brains of the best and brightest in your field</p>
<p>-graduate/undergraduate mentorship programs geared towards increasing grad school acceptances and oppportunities</p>
<p>-McNair scholars program, geared towards increasing minority grad school acceptances</p>
<p>-Haas scholars program, geared towards funding individually designed research by students</p>
<p>There are loads more that I can't think of off the top of my head, so don't think that the opportunities are limited to just these. One thing to keep in mind is that because Berkeley is one of the biggest research universities in the world, so a main focus of the opportunities provided are research-oriented. This being said, pretty much anything you're interested in- Berkeley has a program for you. And if there isn't one, it's not too difficult to create it!</p>
<p>similarities:
area, mix of students, politics </p>
<p>I can't agree here with the first or last assertion. Columbia makes Berkeley look, on the whole, moderate, and Columbia is in uptown Manhattan, near the heart of a gigantic city, while Berkeley is a small city, near two cities, Oakland and San Francisco. Mix of students? I don't know.</p>
<p>Though it's tough to beat NYC...the Bay Area is right up there...Berkeley doesn't "feel" like a small city. The whole Bay Area, From San Jose to San Fran and across to the east bay is a series of contiguous cities...it really feels like one larger metropolitan area...</p>
<p>cheers,
CU Grad</p>