<p>I am from NY, but I hate it. I’ve considered Stony Brook more than Binghamton (dislike), due to the strength of the Physics department, but I really do not like the location and it doesn’t feel like a school I’d be happy at. (As you can see by my list, I like the California climate and location!)</p>
<p>That answers the question of why I am not applying to Berkeley. I only wanted to apply to two OOS schools, so I picked U of Illinois, and UCLA. </p>
<p>I prefer medium to large urban schools, with large participation in sports and good facilities and resources for Physics. Thus, research universities (mostly state schools).</p>
<p>I’ve considered:</p>
<p>U of Southern California (+great location, - no cross country team…)</p>