<p>I'm freaking out now because I only have 5 days left to decide (and figure out housing/transportation hahahahhaaaaagreat)....</p>
<p>Which one should I go to if...
- I'm seriously considering grad school so having an awesome GPA is super important
- I want to fine publishing internship opportunities
- I am a reaaallllyyy slow learner (not sure if this even matters but..)</p>
<p>And people keep telling me that CAL's English is #1-- yeah #1 for GRAD... </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Getting a good GPA is difficult at both schools. You’ll have internship opportunities at both schools. Neither school will give you leniency for being a slow learner.</p>
<p>I wish I was closer to a decision so that I could help you out. I’ve talked to students who completed the English program at both schools, visited both campuses, looked through their class schedules, etc. The whole thing is beginning to make me a bit melancholy actually lol. Ugh.</p>
<p>Which school did you like better? As in the campus, environment, surrounding area, city, student body, weather, housing, etc. Make a decision soon, because you still have to submit your SIR, SLR, Housing app, etc. Those things can take some time.</p>
<p>It’s difficult to say which campus I liked better, because although I thought the campus at Cal was lovely, it was a ghost town since classes were already out. It kind of sucks that transfers find out their decisions so late, because it makes it difficult for us to visit the campuses when classes are in session so that we can get a feel for the vibe on campus. I think that the students have a bigger impact on your experience at a school than what the campus itself looks like, but that’s just me.</p>
<p>@LA: </p>
<p>I’ve only recently visited LA’s campus and I LOVE it. I went up to CAL’s campus over a year ago so my memory of it is fuzzy.</p>
<p>I think my biggest problem is all these opinions I’m getting from my friends at or going to either school aren’t hard facts, like “CAL is harder; UCLA’s more laid back”. So I’m not sure what to believe ): </p>
<p>@New Chapter:</p>
<p>So which one appeals to you more? For me, it’s really whether I want to have an adventure (lol) by leaving SoCal and going up to NorCal or stay back and be comfortable in familiar surroundings 
</p>
<p>I sat down for 2 hours just now listing out the pros & cons of going to each school and it looks like I’ll be more comfortable at LA. My friends at LA all tell me that CAL is a lot harder (while friends who want to go to CAL keep saying “I want challenges!” so I’m taking that as CAL is tougher than LA?) and I feel like LA is the max I can handle without burning out and stuff… ahaha… :T</p>
<p>The difficulty is about the same overall. I can’t speak for each particular program though. The question you should ask yourself is, which campus and around what student body do I want to be on for the next 2-3 years?</p>
<p>@LA: hmmm I’m probably going to go for LA (: I feel like I’ll fit in better there. Is it as laid back as everyone says though?</p>
<p>please don’t pick the school that you think will be easier. both schools are rigorous with the best students from each high school in ca, and the rest of the nation.</p>
<p>Hey SunnyBaNANA! First, congrats on your acceptance to both schools! I was accepted to UCLA as an Anthro major and wanted to change my major to English like yourself at UCLA…sadly I was not allowed to. So you should definitely be proud for getting into the English Major!</p>
<p>I transferred from Pasadena Community College last year in 2011 to UCLA with a 3.85 GPA. At the moment, I have a 3.3 GPA at UCLA so it’s definitely not laid back per say. And don’t get me wrong, I study religiously day and night and it’s still difficult to maintain an avg GPA of 3.3. Let me know if you have any further questions!</p>
<p>@Aemeila: I just PMed you (: !</p>
<p>@OP</p>
<p>I know that Counterpoint Press–a VERY cool little press–hires interns, and they’re right there in Berkeley. Just thought I’d let you know. I was planning on trying to get an internship there, but Cal turned me down.</p>
<p>@sunny I’m leaning towards UCLA just because of the horror stories I keep hearing as far as the crime around the Berkeley campus. One of my friend’s sisters is at Cal right now, and she and a group of friends were robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight while walking to their sorority house, which is near the dorms. Another girl who graduated from Cal recently said that you basically can’t walk around after 8 pm. I really wish that Cal and the Berkeley police were more proactive about the safety of the area. I know that there’s shuttles and student security guards, but that doesn’t change the fact that there seems to be a good chance of getting your apartment or car broken into, or getting mugged, etc. during your time at Cal. As much as I would love to go to Cal, I think I would feel too uneasy or paranoid all of the time to relax and enjoy myself. I’m about five feet tall and 110 lbs., so there’s no way that I could defend myself. It sucks that that’s what my decision is coming down to, because I know that Cal is a once in a lifetime opportunity. :(</p>
<p>@newchapter14</p>
<p>I wouldn’t base my decision on crime. The area around UCLA also has crime, though not as high or as close to campus as Berkeley but it still exists. I know how you feel because I’ve read those stories on this site as well. Still, if I were you I’d look at the crime bulletins on the UC Berkeley PD website to notice that most burglaries and stuff like that occur at night. So you shouldn’t think that you will get mugged at any time of the day. Also, I live in a city near South LA and crime here statistically is worse. In fact I looked at the reports in my city and just based on robberies crime is more than 2x as high and I’ve never been robbed. Heck, I even used to run really early in the morning, like 2 or 3 am, and I never had a problem. If you decide to go to Berkeley, chances are you’ll just get bothered by hippies or homeless people for some change. In any case, just carry some bear mace with you like dawg the bounty hunter brah</p>
<p>I too am having difficulty deciding were to go. I visited both campuses and like them like Berkeley’s creek and the old style buildings. And I liked the newer looking buildings at UCLA and where all those art sculptures are at. I’m leaning toward UCLA because I won’t have to worry about the unit cap like at Berkeley and I can take less classes each quarter compared to each semester. However the quarter system goes by faster so I guess I’ll have to study more and like you said, this might be the only chance one can get to go to Berkeley so I don’t know what to do. I’m not an english major so I’m of no other use. I thought I’d chime in about the crime thing. Good luck to both you and bananarama.</p>
<p>@TedBell You’re right, I’m sure Berkeley isn’t as scary as it sounds, but hearing these stories from people I actually know and not just reading them online has definitely made me think twice. I also live near South LA, right on the border of a pretty sketchy city. I don’t feel totally unsafe here, but I’m definitely very aware of my surroundings, I don’t go walking around at night, and I also have family members here to make me feel more secure. I think if I go to Cal, I’m not going to feel comfortable roaming around the campus and neighborhood after a certain time like I would in Westwood. Westwood isn’t the best either, but for LA, I’d say it’s pretty darn safe.</p>
<p>And you’re right about the unit cap thing, they do seem to be a little more strict about that at Cal than at UCLA. Since Cal doesn’t offer a film minor, and I wouldn’t have enough free units to do a double major, I wouldn’t be able to pursue opportunities in film there like I would at UCLA. English is my major, but I want to be able to pursue other interests as well. </p>
<p>I know that Cal is awesome and I might be giving up an amazing opportunity, but the deadline is coming up so quickly… if I see the scale tipping even slightly in one direction, or I have a gut feeling about one or the other, I guess then I’m just going to have to stick with it and hope for the best. At this point, my gut is telling me UCLA.</p>
<p>@newchapter14: I feel the same as you. At this point, the only thing that’s keeping me from SIRing to UCLA is Cal’s prestige. I feel like I’m turning down an amazing university that would give me a slight edge (“Wow” factor) with future employers. Shallow, yes, but I’m being completely honest here.</p>
<p>What deadline are you giving yourself? I’ve elected to give myself until tonight, as I’m picking up my last transcript from one of my schools tomorrow and I’m going to express mail them tomorrow as well. </p>
<p>PLEASE everyone, let us know your decisions!</p>
<p>@Rose Yeah, the only reason I’m really considering Cal at this point is the prestige, and the chance to attend a school that’s considered to be the public university equivalent of an Ivy League. That is a huge honor that many people only dream of. But at the end of the day, will that mean that I will have an amazing experience at Cal, and won’t regret not going to UCLA? I don’t really know. I have talked to several friends who turned down Cal to go to UCLA, and have never regretted their choice. But, everyone is different and wants different things out of their college experience.</p>
<p>I’m not really giving myself a deadline, to be honest lol. I actually SIR’d to UCLA soon after being accepted since I wasn’t really considering Cal to be a possibility at that point. I even mailed them my transcripts already. However, I do have the option to withdraw and SIR to Cal before Friday if I so choose. So basically, I’m sticking with LA unless something happens to change my mind. I actually tried flipping a coin today, and even made it a best out of 3… Berkeley won. I tried again… Berkeley won. I did it numerous times, and Cal won each time lol. If the universe is trying to tell me something, it seems like I’m not really listening at this point lol.</p>
<p>@newchapter14: Haha, I think you may be expecting the coin flip to be in Berkeley’s favor. Murphy’s Law or “The Secret”? (If you’ve heard about the latter, I think that’s what’s happening) :P</p>
<p>Everything so far is pushing me to UCLA. I visited Cal just this past weekend, and while I absolutely loved the old buildings and liberal student body, I didn’t feel that “love at first sight” gut instinct I felt at UCLA. Perhaps it was the weather, or perhaps it’s just that Westwood is nicer in general. I’d like to think I’m not that superficial, but that could be a factor.</p>
<p>When I walked onto the UCLA campus for the first time, it felt like Disneyland. I literally had that stupid cliche moment where I just stood there in awe and looked at the buildings around me.</p>
<p>But is that enough to pass up the chance to look beyond some of the grit and grime at Cal, the ‘public ivy’? :(</p>
<p>I think that “love at first sight” feeling that you’re describing about UCLA is indeed enough reason to pass up the chance to go to Cal. Sure, you might not get a chance to go to Cal again, but you might not get a chance to go to UCLA again either. If you think that you might regret not going to LA later, then I think that you should go for it. Although UCLA doesn’t have quite the prestige that Cal does, it is still a highly selective school, and it still looks great on resumes. In fact, I just read online that UCLA was more selective as far as in-state applicants than Berkeley this year. UCLA’s campus is amazing, but obviously you can’t just base your choice off of how a campus looks… but if you’ve done your research on both schools, how your department ranks, whether you like the course offerings, semester vs. quarter, etc. etc., then you are making a well-informed decision.</p>
<p>I think my main problem is that I’m such an over achiever, that I won’t “allow” myself to go to a school that I think that I’ll be happier at and turn down a school with such a high level of prestige without feeling a significant amount of guilt lol. I’m thinking that may be your main issue, too. I’m trying my best to override this feeling of guilt, and just allow myself to go where I will feel happiest. I think once I’m actually at UCLA and get to walk around campus and finally be a real Bruin, I will realize that I made the right choice. :)</p>
<p>still dying you guys T____T aahlsjdglkasjldglsaglksdg idk omomomomo. </p>
<p>): The biggest factor stopping me from SIRing to LA is that at CAL, I’m basically guarenteed English as my major while at LA, the English counselor told me that I’ll have to wait a quarter before switching :T ugh… so there’s a huge risk there if she’s wrong/ decides to screw me over o___o (but she was very nice so idk… but then there are horror stories about the counselor changing their minds or something… aaahh)</p>
<p>& THANKS EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR ADVICE & THOUGHTS (’=</p>