Hey guys, so I was recently accepted by both UC Berkeley and UCLA as a Junior Transfer from a CC. UCLA has been my dream school and was ecstatic when I got in. I didn’t expect to get into Berkeley, so I never even considered it. Anyways, the more I’ve looked into Berkeley, the more appealing it has sounded. I recently visited Berkeley and stayed for two days. I loved the campus and the city seemed to have such a unique character to it that I really liked. However, I didn’t get to see the school during normal fall/spring sessions (it was the first day of summer classes.) I did however get a chance to sit in on a Russian Politics course, and the class was honestly amazing. All the students were asking critical questions, and the discussions were so intellectually stimulating; it honestly impressed me.
I visited UCLA and loved the campus, atmosphere, and the people. Anyways, here are some pro’s and cons I’ve come up with for both schools. I’d love to get some feedback.
Berkeley: Pros: - Academically invigorating - Academic Prestige - Better Poli Sci program - Superstar Poli Sci Professors such as Robert Reich - Prefer the name over UCLA - Love the Grecian feeling on campus - Potentially more opportunities down the road - Challenging environment - New environment could help me grow as a person - Great Public Transportation - 30 minute BART ride away from SF - More cultural/heritage feeling - Better food around campus
Cons: - People seem depressed/ Not as friendly as UCLA - People not as attractive (Berkeley goggles are unfortunately real) - Extremely liberal perception - Homeless people prevalent - Receiving slightly less financial aid, higher cost of living
UCLA: Pros: - Gorgeous Campus - Amazing atmosphere - Academic reputation as one of the top 20’s - Uniform, clean campus - Great food - Easy to make friends seemingly - Close to home - Close to the beach/hollywood/L.A setting may mean more things going on around the city - “Safer” pick in a sense; lived in SoCal my entire life, similar culture to what I’m accustomed to, etc.
Cons: - “Bougie” upscale environment - Well known, but not considered a school that competes with the likes of Ivy league schools/Stanford
I can’t think of many Cons for UCLA, but the thing is that it just seems like such a safe choice. In other words, it seems that the potential reward in choosing UC Berkeley (being in a new environment where I’m forced to adapt and grow) vs being in a safe environment that I’m used to, may be outweighed by the risk of not liking Berkeley in the end. Anyways, I guess I’m really just looking for some outside perspectives. I appreciate it in advance, thanks!
Looks like either way you will be very happy!
(Toss a coin!)
Cal is .magical. The campus is amazing. The Bay area is politically charged. The culture is alive. Don’t see any of that coming from UCLA