<p>hey guys.
so I was accepted to Berkeley, and I honestly thought I didn't even stand a chance, with my modest grades and etc., but im really excited.
right now, im leaning towards attending here, but my family is against it and wants me to go to UCLA instead because its like only 2 hours away from home.</p>
<p>that's basically their reason why I shouldn't go to Berkeley, because it would cost too much to come home for the holidays and/or break and they wouldn't be able to see me. now, I love my family, and I have no problem attending a college close to home, but Berkeley is a dream come true and norcal (I grew up there) is amazing. I don't want to not go because of the distance.</p>
<p>so for those of you from socal who ended up going to Berkeley, how is it, going back and forth from socal to norcal? do you regret being so far from home or did you have any difficulties with anything?
please let me know, I need to make up my mind LOL</p>
<p>My family lives near LA, and - honestly - I find the distance perfect! It’s an easy flight (OAK is very easy to get to from Berkeley. It’s an incredibly short drive or a very easy BART ride), or an easy drive down the 5 (I’ve made it home in 5.5 hours before).</p>
<p>So…in all honesty…Berkeley isn’t all that far from LA, and you could perhaps reassure them by letting them know that you could always grab a flight and be home in 55 minutes if necessary.</p>
<p>I suppose flights can sometimes be expensive, but even if you book flights at the last minute, they are only about $140. If you book early enough, they can be under $90.</p>
<p>UCLA is two hours away from your home? That isn’t exactly close either, anyways!</p>
<p>I attended Cal and used to drive from LA every month. It’s not that bad, especially if you plan beforehand. Considering average traffic speed on I-5, it takes an average of 6-7 hours to get from Cal to UCLA.</p>
<p>I’m from socal and I think going back to and from Cal can be pretty inconvenient. I think if you went home every extended break, it would amount to around $500 for the year. But, for me personally, I got pretty independent a few years in and the need to go home wasn’t really strong anymore. I saved a lot of money just by chilling up north, which was fine by me.</p>
<p>I will say that the biggest advantage of being near home is that it is very convenient for anything. If you ever forget to pack something or find out you needed something you can just take a quick trip back home to get it. It was pretty inconvenient for me in the beginning if I needed something because I’d have to either buy it again or wait until I go back home for the holidays.</p>
<p>I would say the disadvantage of being close to home is that you are slow to become independent. I have friends who go to Cal who are from nearby and they don’t know a lot of basics. Their parents still come by every other week to pick up their clothes and do laundry for them. They probably would also starve to death if their parents didn’t bring them food to last for the week. </p>
<p>Also, if you ever planning on moving away from your family some time in your life, now is the best time to ease yourself in that transition. My friends who grew up in the Bay Area all their life and then attended Cal are really against moving out of the Bay Area. They will only apply to jobs and graduate schools that are in the Bay Area. While that is fine, I think it limits their opportunities. But if you know for sure that you want to come back to LA and settle here near your family then this doesn’t apply to you.</p>
<p>Overall, I’m not gonna lie, it can be pretty tough being far away from home in the beginning just in terms of convenience. But that goes away over time as you get better at living by yourself and I think the independence you develop is useful for later in life.</p>
<p>Fellow SoCaler here. I was kind of in the same shoes as you last year, I had my heart set on Berkz even though I was spring admitted, but I also got into USC and was waiting forever for them to give me my finaid package. In late April I finally got it and my parents totally changed allegiances of which school they wanted to send me to. So I came to USC in tears, very bittersweet over being in a long distance relationship (he goes to SFSU, not far from Berkeley) and my best friend who also chose Berkeley. Basically my entire college choice was based on money. Plus I don’t really like the uber fratty vibes here, but I managed to find friends and find my niche. And the sad part is, Berkeley’s tuition would have cost me only $2K more annually than USC but my parents figured the private school would be a better choice (due to budget cuts and tuition hikes).</p>
<p>Also, considering that you are debating between two UCs and public schools at that, brings up the question of will the tuitions surpass one another/really make a difference whether you choose one to save money? It was a more drastic difference for me, but if you are realllllly tight on cash, traveling can be hard. I know there is a $4 Greyhound bus from San Fran to LA if you are really dedicated one weekend and want to brave the 8 hour trip.</p>
<p>Don’t make the decision about money. They are both great schools (personally I prefer Berk) but don’t let your parents keep making decisions for you.</p>
<p>okay, like as much as my parents care for my wellbeing, they wouldn’t randomly visit me, or call everyday, or bring me stuff if I forget it at home, or do my laundry (they haven’t done my laundry since I was 11). i’d be pretty independent no matter which school I go to, and so that’s not really a factor.
they haven’t actually said it, but I think their main concern is that ill go to college up north, end up getting a job there, and eventually just live there altogether… they aren’t overly involved in my life, but they don’t want to be factored out of it either.
and the thing is, I can totally see myself staying in norcal, as in, I don’t think i’ll want to leave once I get accustomed to life there.</p>
<p>Have you checked out some of those busses (Zimride, Vietnamese busses, etc) that go from NorCal to SoCal and vice versa? They’re pretty economical.</p>
<p>I know you want to please your family and all, but where you decide to go to college as well as where you want to live for the rest of your life should be your own decision (unless money is a big issue and they’re the ones paying). Their concerns about you staying here after graduation are pretty legitimate, though. One of my classes had a poll and pretty much half of the students were from SoCal. We then had another poll and an overwhelming amount of students said they were planning to stay in the Bay Area after graduation.</p>
<p>Cal and UCLA are similar in many ways, so I find that your academic experience will be more or less the same regardless of where you go. They both have major sports, school spirit, and a college town, a hated rival that wears red, so you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Now, the travel inconvenience can be a big deal and IMO is very underrated and overlooked. Truth is, a 6-7 hour drive each way IS a pain in the butt (so it’s really 12-14 hours if someone is driving you), no matter how you look at it. Not to mention the price of gas. Also, $140 round trip plane tickets are expensive. I mean, I can buy an iPod Touch and a couple of dinners at Lawry’s for a little bit more just to give you an idea of what it’s like to simply have $140.</p>
<p>Also, there is a realistically good chance that you’ll find your first job in the Bay area and it could potentially mean moving up there permanently if you really like it. But in the end, if you truly love Cal and it would pain you and make your life miserable to attend UCLA, then you should go to Cal in spite of all it’s burdens. But if you like UCLA just fine, then just ask yourself if you want to go through the burdens that come with Cal.</p>
<p>^that’s the thing though, I wouldn’t mind going to UCLA. I thought it was the school I wanted to go to, but now that I have a chance to go to Berkeley, im kinda second guessing my choice…</p>
<p>so I guess no matter which school I go to, I won’t be “sad” or “devastated”. it’s just that
im concerned that travel costs will add up. </p>
<p>and how is it like to travel home on the buses? 8 hours sounds pretty taxing…</p>
<p>If you’re leaning toward Berkeley, take it. Your parents aren’t the ones going to class, doing homework, taking exams… you might as well have the college fun where you want it. But beware: if you end up not liking the Bay, you have only yourself to blame for it.</p>
<p>Dude just go to UCLA then. It’s not like Berkeley is a mile in status above for undergrad reputation. They’re both equal in terms of the quality of education you’re receiving (except for a few fields like business and engineering). Otherwise, if you’re just gonna study humanities, social science, or health sciences, UCLA and Cal are pretty much equal.</p>
<p>Spirit wise, like I said, they’re both very similar with an edge to UCLA for having better basketball and football tradition (although UCLA’s football stadium is in Pasadena and not on campus like Berkeley).</p>
<p>Ask yourself if the inconvenience outweighs your love for Berkeley. Obviously if you so truly love Cal, you would be willing to go to the end of the world to get there. But if you just “slightly” like Cal better, then the answer is pretty obvious no?</p>
You won’t think back years later wondering… “what if?” You know?</p>