<p>I recently visited Berkeley and I am basically pretty sure I am leaning towards going there. Each year I will have to make up 8,000 dollars in work study/loans... At Claremont Mckenna, I around received 51k in aid and 3k in work study. I received basically a full ride to CMC. I also received a full ride to LMU. I have yet to receive my aid package from UPENN and have basically crossed USC off the list because I am having a lot of difficulty with their financial aid department. </p>
<p>My question is it stupid to choose Berkeley over other really good privates such as CMC and UPENN which will both most likely cost less than Berkeley. I loved the environment at Berkeley and the people. I really think I'd enjoy going there. I just don't know if I'm making a mistake paying more to go to a public school than an ivy league/ really good liberal arts college.</p>
<p>I am visiting CMC this week, but I think it will be no contest. My dad will not pay for me to visit UPENN.</p>
<p>8,000 dollars is nothing. I will most likely be 50,000 dollars in debt by the time I graduate, our EFC is like 20,000 even though my parents don’t have money to spare right now and can’t help me out. You should be counting your blessings. Take out loans. Go to Cal if you like it better.</p>
<p>Claremont McKenna is a very good school, no doubt. However, if the atmosphere at Berkeley is something that appeals to you, CMC will be a big disappointment. CMC is in a suburb of LA. It is not at all a big campus feel. The area is sleepy, family oriented, and pretty conservative. I think you would be disappointed. If there is any way you can do the work study program at Berkeley and work summers to earn extra, go for it.</p>
<p>UPENN, I’m sure will give me a lot of financial aid, it’s just my damn mother takes forever to send in the forms. Is it wrong to pass up an ivy league for Berkeley?</p>
<p>If you think UC Berkeley is a better fit, I’d go with it.</p>
<p>The only real problem you have is that California is broke, because it is a terribly run state, which means it’s finances are terrible, and are not likely to improve.</p>
<p>if you think UC-Berkeley is a better fit, definitely go there. If you can pay for it, definitely choose the environment where you think you’ll be more comfortable and happy at. If you choose that place, you will be better off succeeding academically and being happy, enjoying college and learning is the biggest goals of going off to college.</p>
<p>Before deciding to go to Rice, I was debating between that and Berkeley. I wanted to go to Berkeley more, mostly because of the location/environment and a notion that their program in what I want to do (bioe) was superior. But I would have gotten lots of debt at Berkeley…on the other hand, I got an awesome finaid package at Rice. I ultimately decided not to go to Berkeley. If that helps at all.</p>
<p>Since you have some other good options, I’d personally recommend that you avoid any state schools. The budget cuts suck and it can be nearly impossible to get the classes you need.</p>
<p>The fin. aid package you got at CMC is amazing and I certainly would not give THAT up. CMC is a great school with a great environment and reputation as well. I totally understand that you may prefer the feel over at Berkeley better now but 51K per year is a HUGE amount of money to be HANDED to you for FREE. Unless money is of no object to you or if your Berkeley tuition is totally manageable for your family, then I would definitely go to CMC</p>
<p>^ well your wants are completely different than the OP’s. you could also argue CMC is a small, generally unkown college with no sports teams, in a small town with absolutely nothing to do, while berkely is reknown around the world as the best public school in the country next to the city with a diverse student body and great sports teams. CMC is not for everyone, and neither is cal. </p>
<p>@OP: I think you should try to get more financial aid from Berekely and show them how much you got from Upenn and CMC. UPenn is a nice school, but mostly upperclass white students, big greek life, and in the ghetto (and i’m orignally from philly). Honestly the closest to cal is probably LMU as far as enviroment, but still completely different. I would NOT go to a school I hate just because of the money.</p>
<p>CMC is a great school but a much different feel from Berkeley. Go for the weekend and decide if it is or isn’t for you but do give it a look. And as was said above decide if the difference in cost is worth the difference in feel. With U Penn just remember that aside from the FA there are travel expenses to consider.</p>