I need arguments to convince my mom to pay...

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
21

<p>Think about the opportunity costs and risks man!</p>

<p>By going to Berkeley, you are assuming you will enjoy it there because it has a “cool liberal aura.” You are also assuming you will get accepted into Haas.</p>

<p>What happens if Berkeley isn’t what you expect? Despite the vibe Cal has, the school is ridiculously competitive and cutthroat. Also consider the demographics. Almost the entire student body is California native and the majority are Asians. Will be comfortable being a minority as an OOSer? Also, you may find that UC Berkeley, thanks to its passive Asian population, is not as “WOW” as you would think it is.</p>

<p>Consider the school pride and athletics as well. Most Cal students base their school pride on the academics. Their football team hasn’t been to a Rose Bowl in over 50 years and hasn’t won a national title since the 1920s (or 1930s, whatever they claim). Not to mention their basketball program is nothing short of mediocre. They won their first Pac 10 title this year in over 5 decades, only to lose in Round 1 of the tournament. The UW Huskies on the other hand have a historical football program and have 1 national title in the 90s. Also, UW is one of the better basketball teams in the Pac 10, behind UCLA and Arizona.</p>

<p>As for the opportunity costs, aside from monetary costs, you’re also going to be suffering more. Not saying that UW is an easy school, but I guarantee you it is considerably easier than UC Berkeley. You’re more likely to get a higher GPA at UW than at Cal. And it’s not like UW is some crappy state school either. Also, you are already guaranteed into the UW Business School. Just do it. At Cal, if you don’t get into Haas, you have to settle with majoring in Economics, which is not a professional degree.</p>

<p>And since you are planning to major in business, let me ask you this. You’re paying $50k+ a year ($200k+ overall) to get a job that pays only $55k a year? What kinda dumbass decision is this? The prestige of Berkeley is overrated btw. Everyones going to brag about how they’re the no.1 public school in the country blah blah but to be honest with you, graduating from Cal is not as special as graduating from Stanford. or the top Ivies. Cal is a really good school, but it’s not THE great school that will shock people and cause them to drop on their knees and bow down to you.</p>

22

<p>I’ve suggested to DS who works at UW as a staff CS/Mecheng and runs a small engineering business to go to the local community college to get the basic business courses. No sense to spend extra bucks for something that can be had much less expensive. </p>

<p>Besides he doesn’t have to deal with 18-20 yos. (he’s 25). :slight_smile:
He also likes Seattle, surrounding environs of UW, and that’s coming from someone from OR.</p>

23

<p>notaznguy is a hater. </p>

<p>Haas is infinitely better than UW for job placement. I PERSONALLY know 6 people going to work for Goldman Sachs this coming fall. A year’s salary there will more than cover all those loans you’ve accumulated. That’s probably a good thing to mention to your parents.</p>

<p>My point isn’t to say that you WILL get a job at making $2139081230918 a year after you graduate. It’s that those sort of opportunities are available to you. Berkeley has the resources to let you do whatever you want with your life. The name-rec from the degree is also a plus will only help you more. UW doesn’t offer that. </p>

<p>Bring your parents to Cal day.</p>

24

<p>I think your parents are right. Go to UW for your BA, and use the money you save to get an MBA wherever you like.</p>