help me choose, LA or Berkeley?

<p>im really torn at which school im going to go to, with berkeley comes the reputation, superior academics, and "unique" experience; with LA comes the same caliber of academics (tho slightly lower), but superior surrounding location, weather, and females (which like it or not does matter to me)</p>

<p>now i posted this in the LA forum knowing it wud be biased, because im 55-45 for LA, and i need some more closure that im making the right decision...can anyone tell me why LA is a better choice? with their own reasons/opinions?</p>

<p>perhaps the better question is, if you got into both schools, and you chose LA - tell me why</p>

<p>La is worse than berk</p>

<p>I go there every friday and every time I go I am glad that I did NOT apply.....
there is perpetual gridlock on most of the streets near ucla... parking is often overfilled beyond capacity </p>

<p>Westwood village is actually a few blocks of quite average unimpressive shops. furthermore, the labs are cramped!</p>

<p>I would say go to berkeley!</p>

<p>I'm faced with similar decision except im 80-20 for LA =)</p>

<p>again, my previous comments apply</p>

<p>believe me, do yourself a favor and go to berk</p>

<p>la is not what it is made out to be</p>

<p>look i posted here to avoid people like you lol</p>

<p>so westow, why are you 80-20 for LA</p>

<p>I'm in the same boat as you are...however one way to make your decision easier is to look at the specific academic department that you are interested in. Is it business/engineering? If so, go to berkeley. If it's in the sciences, i'm kinda torn between the two. At berkeley you get internships at UCSF, but the array of majors is not as great. At LA, the science program is really really strong and there is a graduate med school. Actually, LA is pretty good at engineering too, which would be a good choice if you aren't for the cut-throat attitude of ucb. yea...i dunno if this helped or not.</p>

<p>UC Berkeley has a better academic reputation, but UCLA is by no means considered "not as good" or "lower" you know what i mean? If you go to either people will think it's a highly respectable place. </p>

<p>WHat do you want to study? </p>

<p>I didn't even apply to Berkeley, but I definitely would go for UCLA becuase you'd have a better overall experience especially socially. please do not let the slight difference in prestige factor BE the deciding factor.</p>

<p>specialK: generally it should depend on U. i mean if u're doing business or science and are into it all, as in dont mind studying ur butt off, then i suppose u should go berk. im choosing ucla because i plan to live and work there. im tired of the bay area and whatnot. besides ucla has much more to offer other than academics. but yeah im doing engineering major for both schools and i dont want to get my head stuck in books at berk, while competing against ppl who trying to mess me up.</p>

<p>in the end, ill probably visit UCB once again on Cal Day and see for myself. but right now i like LA better</p>

<p>I'm tied up too...</p>

<p>With no word from Stanford and people already posting up acceptances, I'm assuming rejection, which, more or less, was expected.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, I had made plans to go to UCLA should I be rejected, but after acceptance from Cal, it changed the story. Now I'm 60-40 for Cal, but still unsure.</p>

<p>By the way, I'm a poli sci major with prospects of law school.</p>

<p>go to cal, haha, thats all i can say</p>

<p>There are a lot of conflicting opinions about Cal. Some say it's a terrible, boring place where all you do is study. And others say that it's not that hard, if you do all the work and understand everything, and the social life is actually very good. So basically, I don't trust what anyone has to say. I'll visit myself.</p>

<p>specialK, by reading your description of advantages of UCLA, it looks like a good social life and the college experience factor into your decision, and I think UCLA will give you that better than berkeley will (but of course, it's what you make out of it at both schools). </p>

<p>i got into both schools and i chose UCLA. location was a factor (i live in socal and i couldnt give up the socal weather... my socal friends complain about the "random" weather at berkeley). housing was a big factor too... better housing, more availability, more years guaranteed at UCLA, and they're all conveniently located near each other and near the dining halls, and the food at UCLA is far superior to berkeley's (although berkeley's desserts are better). i'm also a sports fan and although our football team got owned by cal, overall, i feel that athletics is bigger here (esp. basketball), and that there's more school spirit here (but that's not to say there isnt any at cal cuz theyre pretty spirited too). theres a ton of entertainment opportunities at UCLA, and a lot more near UCLA, but you're going to need to find transportation to those around the area (something that's possible but just the hassle of finding a ride), so that was a minor surprise, while i found the distance from cal to SF via the BART isnt too far. hmm... i liked both campuses and surrounding neighborhoods (slight edge to ucla and westwood). </p>

<p>as far as academics go, i wasnt sure what i wanted to study (i had a few majors in mind), so that wasn't a big factor in my decision, but i was partially discouraged from going to cal by my dad (a cal alumni) because he thought the competition would be too cutthroat for me. well, i wouldnt know about that, but as for UCLA academics, i love how everyone balances academics with social life and try to enjoy the college experience. finally, i got alumni scholarship from UCLA and was an alternate for berkeley's but by then, i had already made up my decision. take a campus visit. that really sealed it for me, because when i walked onto campus, it just felt right, i felt the "fit" factor that i didnt feel anywhere else, and it was somewhere that i would want to spend the next 4 years of my life at. oh yeah, no offense but girls was also a minor factor in my decision ;)</p>

<p>what are the job offers like for berkeley vs. ucla graduates? which one has a better medical school acceptance rate? why does berkeley have a better reputation overseas?</p>

<p>ucla and cal are both very good institutions</p>

<p>they are very different in many ways, but you can't go wrong with either one of them</p>

<p>kfc4u, thats EXACTLY why I think I'm going to choose UCLA over Berkeley. Very well said. I think I'd just be happier at UCLA.</p>

<p>The question is, what does UCLA have that Berkeley doesn't? What can you do at UCLA that you can't do at Berkeley that will somehow make you happier? Or is it just that UCLA is easier than Berkeley and students have more time?</p>

<p>AIM, only you can choose.</p>

<p>I chose Berkeley last year because I'm majoring in science.</p>

<p>As for the girls, you probably have a much better chance at Cal, even though girls there are worse. Most girls at UCLA already have BF's, and their expectations tend to be much higher.</p>

<p>UCLA easier than Berkeley?
Just a bit. UCLA was a very close second last year, but the Berkeley name works very well in the developing world. Should you ever go out of the country, especially to the economic center China and technological powerhouse India, you'll realize how much better a Berkeley degree is.
Within 50 years, that should change because UCLA is rapidly advancing, but you probably wont care about your degree when you're 67.</p>

<p>If you choose Berkeley, I'll see you there next year.</p>

<p>that's very true what Bubbles 3 sale said about developing countries knowing Berekley. it will be quite nice if u decide to work international.</p>

<p>IMHO, berkeley is just a scary place to go out at night. My cousin went to UCB and he got his car windows smashed and his CDs stolen a few times.</p>

<p>UCLA may have huge traffic and give you major headaches, but you get the benefits of wonderful social scene.</p>

<p>In the end it's a battle of Nocal vs. Socal. Socal has Disneyland, Knotts, Six Flags, Universal Studios, and Seaworld. But it's up to you. If you're seriously aspiring to go into engineering, ignore what I say and go to Berkeley cuz they're tops in engineering if thats what you really aspire to become.</p>