<p>So I think I need some parental advice. Here's my situation:</p>
<p>I got into Georgetown EA, and RD I got into Berkeley for the spring semester. I just got rejected from Brown (my dream school, so this one hurt), Dartmouth, and Penn.</p>
<p>Which school (of Berkeley and Georgetown) should I attend? Let's pretend cost isn't a factor, and also that I want to transfer to Brown my second year. Which school would be the best for transferring?</p>
<p>(BTW- I do realize that this is not a good mindset to go into a school with, but my dream is Brown, and I don't want to give up. If I totally love Berkeley or Georgetown once I'm there, then of course I'll stay, but if not then I would want to transfer to Brown)</p>
<p>Why do you believe Brown will accept you as a transfer when they rejected you as a first year? (transfer acceptance rates are usually lower)? I mean, it's a nice school and all, but what exactly is that they have that you can't find at either Georgetown or Berkeley? (I'm suggesting you just might want to move on. What do you plan to study?)</p>
<p>Calidan - I have had the good fortune to live very near each of these schools for extended periods. I love the Bay Area and UCB. I'm considerably less thrilled with Georgetown. So it's hard for me to say this. Go to Georgetown, get straight A's and transfer to Brown at the earliest opportunity. I don't see you making the necessary contacts at Brown from 3,000 miles away, not to mention that UCB and Brown are FAR more different than Georgetown and Brown. Just my two cents. Best of luck to you! Don't give up on your dream!</p>
<p>You have to accept the fact that Brown is an extremely difficult school to get into; you are far more likely to transfer in as a jr than a soph.
You should look at G-town and Berkely in terms of how you think you would fit in and in terms of which depts you are interested in. Its a huge error to make this decision based on which school will be the better one to transfer into Brown from. They are totally different places with totally different strengths. Sorry to sound unsympathetic but you have two fine choices and you have to get over Brown.</p>
<p>Calidan, I am sorry to hear about Brown. Georgetown & Berkeley are both great schools and these acceptances tell me what a great student you are.</p>
<p>If you are serious, call Brown and ask them about transfer proceedures. But PLEASE keep an open mind and be ready to fall in love with your new school :) Both have a lot to offer.</p>
<p>I have spent time at Berkeley, and I've always lived in the area so it would be nice to try something new.</p>
<p>I do like Georgetown, but just not as much as Brown (well I'm not completely sure about this as I have only visited both schools). I didn't apply ED to Brown because I hand't visited yet, so I didn't want to get stuck in something that I didn't know I liked yet (in retrospect, of course, I wish I had just applied ED).</p>
<p>I have no set plans as of yet concerning my area of concentration. I think I want to double major in French and something else (French just because I like it, though it won't get me too far).</p>
<p>mini- why does anyone think they have a chance at any school? I just know that I want to go to Brown. Also, with one year of college, my academic record will change completely. I'll also have the opportunity to try new ECs, and perhaps write better essays. I'm not going to reapply with the same application as before.</p>
<p>Newhope- Thanks for the input. I don't want to give up on my dream, so I guess that Georgetown would be the best school to help me get there.</p>
<p>SBmom- I will most definitely keep an open mind. ;)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the advice! It's all been very helpful. :)</p>
<p>I vote for GT because it will give you a different experience. BUT don't go there with the mindset that you want to transfer asap. Go there and enjoy it for what it is. If you keep on thinking the grass is greener at Brown, you won't take advantage of all that GT has to offer--which is a lot. Do as well as you can; transfer if you must. But above all, learn to live in the moment and enjoy your time at GT whether it is one year, two years or four years.</p>
<p>But WHY do you want to go to Brown? Is the French Department better at Brown than at Georgetown or Berkeley? I doubt it seriously. Brown is very different from those two other schools (but so are a thousand others.) </p>
<p>I think you should embrace a choice assuming you will be there for four years, and take advantage of what they have to offer. How are the junior year abroad opportunities (in French) at any of them? Is this something you will be pursuing? Who pays for it? How do you get in?</p>
<p>Does money matter? (G'town is awfully expensive as a marginal choice over Berkeley, unless there is a special reason you want to be there, or so it seems to me. $110k more to attend G'town over Berkeley? what's that about? It's not like you are going to get shut out of French courses at Berkeley. Take the $110G and put a down payment on a house in the Bay Area, which you rent out to students? Or if you like DC in the summer, buy one in DC near Georgetown, and rent it out.)</p>
<p>I think you need to compare the difference between an education at a public university and a private. The current CA budget crisis has impacted UC education -- at least at UCLA where my son is in his third year and from what I hear at Berkeley too. One friend's daughter (at UCB) says she has to make her class decisions based on what she can get into rather than what she wants to take. My D (at Yale who also did not get into Brown) doesn't have to think that way. There is more personal attention at a private school. But, unless financial awards have leveled the playing field, UCB is less money and it is a valuable degree and I know lots of kids who are happy there.</p>
<p>I know the difference, and know about the troubles, but he is a FRENCH major. I have grave doubts as to whether they are oversubscribed, and the French faculty at Berkeley has to be at least as good as that at G'town, I would think.</p>
<p>When my D was applying to college a couple of years ago, I told her to apply to colleges where she could see herself staying for four years. In your case, even though you do not plan to stay at either G'town or Cal, which one could you see yourself staying for four years? That should give you a clue as to which college is the better choice FOR YOU. G'luck, and btw, congrats on those acceptances! :)</p>
<p>If you want to be closer to home, go to UCB. If that does not matter to you, I would personally choose Georgetown. Which school do you feel more comfortable at is the most important question that YOU need to answer. If you want to transfer to Brown, I would choose UCB because you will be closer to home for the first year, and then will be able to transition well in Brown after experiencing college for a year. Then afterwards you will get used to living away from home. You do get better attention at a private Univ, but UCB is a very presitigious school as well and the cost is much more reasonable.</p>
<p>Well mini, you're right he's a french major -- but he will still need to get GE courses, etc. Plus, about two thirds of students who are certain of a major change majors by their junior year (or so I was told at UCLA.) I think you need to not just think of your major but think of the school as a whole as you may want to switch majors. If you have a lot of AP credits, they will probably take you a lot further at Berkeley. The UCs are pretty generous about giving AP credit -- a lot more so than many privates -- you should compare.</p>
<p>I am not familiar with the quality of the two French departments but I can say that Georgetown has a great deal in common with Brown so far as size, campus layout and so far as being in an urban environment which is extremely nice in the area near the school. I'm simply not aware of UCB well enough to comment on it. Two cons to consider about Georgetown: 1. Housing is not guaranteed for all 4 years 2. It has a rep for being on the conservative side on social issues which I can't really confirm or deny. </p>
<p>You may want to check into the SFS/College split and see if that matters to you. What is the cost difference? and How comfortable you are with the distance from home? </p>
<p>Check out studentreviews.com for very biased but possibly very relevant commentary from current students.</p>
<p>The bottom line is to pick the one you can most picture yourself * Happily Living* at for an extended period of time. I would definitely advise emails to department professors and overnights as needed -- Don't be hasty about your decision. </p>
<p>I am sorry to see you so disappointed. Like others here, I think both Georgetown and Berkeley are wonderful schools that offer far more than you can imagine right now; and you may find your dreams have changed completely by this time next year.</p>
<p>I'm not going to argue with your dream of transferring to Brown, but I'm convinced that both of these schools would be absolutely equal in Brown's eyes. (While I understand the point that Georgetown is more like Brown, that could ultimately work either way in arguing your case for transfer.) </p>
<p>Ideally, you will start to fall in love with one of these tremendously appealing schools in the next few weeks, and make your decision accordingly. Even if you continue to pine for Brown, however, my strong advice is to pick the currently available option that seems at least slightly more attractive. The choice won't affect your transfer opportunities in any conceivable way, and it will give you the best chance of enjoying your freshman year.</p>