<p>Hi, does anyone know anything about Berkeley's Development Studies program or UCLA's International Dvlpt Studies program? Both majors sound appealing, but I have not met anyone with personal experience in either of the programs. Does anyone know of other good schools for majors in these fields? I would love for my major to include some field experience/study abroad. I am also looking for a school that has a good fin.-aid/giving record. Thanks!</p>
^^ I would also like more information for both programs. I’m a transfer student who got into Cal’s Development Studies Program as a Regents Scholar and IDS at UCLA. In terms of academics both are very good, and the courses offered for both programs appeal to me–though UCLA seems to have slightly more interesting courses & opportunities to study abroad for me.
It is a tough choice between Cal and UCLA but I would say that if I hadn’t gotten Regents at Cal, then I would’ve chosen UCLA for IDS because the academics are practically the same, there are better opportunities to study abroad (to me, since I was looking for opportunities in a particular region) and I prefer the warmer climate in LA than the colder weather of Berkeley. But with Regents at Cal it does change things a bit, because you can’t deny that Berkeley is still a fantastic school–and one recognized more internationally than UCLA.
I would say to look at the courses offered at both programs. I know that both are small at both schools after talking to people from both universities (Berkeley DS ~30 students, UCLA IDS ~100). Another thing I would consider is looking at the Global Studies major offered at UCLA if you are looking for a way to study abroad. I mean it doesn’t really matter what major you are if you want to study abroad since the UC system has UCEAP for all UC students but the Global Studies major at UCLA requires for student to spend time abroad as part of the program.
Financial Aid–UC Berkeley probably has more to give since it probably has a higher endowment than UCLA, but UCLA has a lot of good resources if you are looking for scholarships. I’d say financial aid at both will be around the same since they are both public schools anyways so it’s not really like one can offer significantly more than the other unless its through merit-based scholarships–which can be awarded in an unpredictable manner. I’ve heard though that UCLA is good at giving scholarship, but all my knowledge for financial aid is based upon what I’ve heard from other students/the offers to apply for scholarships I got from UCLA (keep in mind “offering to apply” is different from actually receiving an award).