<p>i got into CAL for spring 06 semester, UCLA honors, and USC business school w/ pre dental emphasis </p>
<p>here is my take on each college: USC- exactly the major and programs that i want to do… but 45000 per year way too expensive horrible area, very dangerous, awsome campus, good social life, great networkin, connections in future which is priceless
UCLA- very nice area in westwood, very safe, i dun have a certain major there the closest thing to business is econ, its on a quater system, so its really hard to do well, cuz its juss midterm and final, before u kno ure failing, u already failed
BUT UCLA has the HOTEST GUYS out of the three schools, and UCLA
has THE BEST FOOD…but ucla is way too big, you dun get much attention, you are merely a number there so hard to get recs for grad school</p>
<p>berkeley is the same but the area sucks and i heard weird ppl, bad sorrounding area but they are on semester system, and there is the hass business school but u have to apply for that in sophmore year and its really hard to get in, so if i dun get in im SCREWED</p>
<p>but berkley is more prestigious everyone knows it, a degree from CAL is very valuable, u are mor likley to get hired if u have a CAL degree</p>
<p>however ucla and CAL is SOO CHEAP:
CAL is 23000 while ucla is 22000 while USC is 45000</p>
<p>i got into the business school with a a predental emphsis which means they are goin to prepare me for dental school… i really want to do business and dental but more business than dental but dental is more stable i have a direction and business is relaly broad i dunno if i will like it and its a very unstable career. therefore i will grad with a business degree and get a job if i decide that i dun like the job i will apply for dental school and then become an orthodontist. the business degree will come in handy …that is why the usc program is the best fit for me. and which is y i am leanign towards USC
but i feel like i cannt turn down CAL for usc like its almost wrong in a way… i dunno PLEASE HELP and advice would be GREAT thanksss…</p>
<p>USC is not that bad area wise. The campus has done a remarkable job cleaning up the surrounding areas.</p>
<p>Anyway, quarters are not that hard. You'll adjust. And many classes are midterm, final, and a paper, plus maybe 10% for section, so you can do quite well if you try hard enough.</p>
<p>Berkeley is a great university, but I wouldn't say that Cal grads just get jobs in a snap. They, like all other college grads, have to do well and apply themselves. And everyone knows what UCLA is, it's not some podunk school.</p>
<p>However, consider this: You go to Cal, and you find out that you hate your major...what are your options? Make sure to research your contingency plan at Cal. Imagine four years stuck in a program you hate. Also, please please ask dentists what they think of their work. Many dentists are very unhappy from what mine have said, so don't just jump into it for the "stability." Stable does not equal happy. If it's your dream, go for it though!</p>
<p>And UCLA dorm food will only be great for a couple of months...trust me.</p>
<p>What else? Just go whever you like! And fill out a FAFSA for financial aid, for heaven's sake!</p>
<p>Oh, and I've already gotten three great letters of rec at UCLA. It can be done. One was from a full professor whose name is very well-known in his field. The others were from ladder faculty. </p>
<p>Berkeley is just as big and "student is a number" feel as UCLA. But the town, I think, is more fun.</p>
<p>thanks UCLAri for the insight~!
"But the town, I think, is more fun."
so you think the CAl is more fun than UCLA? and you go to UCLA right? what are some pros and cons of LA? i heard that CAL grads are much more favored than LA..no offense</p>
<p>"berkeley is the same but the area sucks and i heard weird ppl, bad sorrounding area" No no no. Lets put it this way, if youre living in the suburbs now itll pull you out of your bubble. Yes, there are numerous bums, yes some places are dirty. But for the most part it is a very interesting college town. The city was built around the campus, and in many ways youll see that. Ive lived in suburbia for most of my life, but the change of scenery is great and im going to love going there from what i can tell. So no i wouldnt say its a bad area, just different, but the people are weird just as alot of the students are, but that only adds to the character of the school. So, between Cal and USC i would take Cal definitely. Visit Cal a few times, go to Cal Day and scout around Telegraph and see what you find. If you really dont like it then all the easier for you to choose. But dont go on hearsay i found i liked Cal alot more than i had anticipated.</p>
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so you think the CAl is more fun than UCLA? and you go to UCLA right? what are some pros and cons of LA? i heard that CAL grads are much more favored than LA..no offense
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<p>Better favored in what? You can't just generalize like that at large research institutions. </p>
<p>I didn't say that I think Cal is more fun that UCLA, just the town surrounding it. I prefer the UCLA campus feel myself, but I prefer Cal's surrounding area. It's a tradeoff I had to make.</p>
<p>You are not going to find that Cal students are like gods to the UCLA peons, trust me. Both do quite well. People at Cal love to pump up Cal, people at UCLA do likewise. It's all what you want in a school.</p>
<p>Im got in Spring 06 and im doin the extension program. This was my first choice tho UCLA and SD were a close tied 2nd. Theyre all phenomenal schools so it wasnt so much that although Berkeley does edge out the other two in SOME things. I went and visited Cal a few times and found that i really like the feel of the place, both the campus and the city itself. I also like it cause i live in the bay area and there are certain things about it that make me want to stay here, i mean SF, the A's that kinda stuff. You dont have to go far to find a different environment. Im not a big fan of hideous traffic on the Grapevine and theres plenty of people who are going to school in the bay area that id like to be able to see from time to time and BART makes that ridiculously easy. I also would sooner take Berkeley weather over LA weather, though that is an entirely personal preference. In general i think i like the Bay Area more than SoCal so Berkeley just seemed more of a fit. But then again alot of people in SoCal could never live up here, so definitely come on up check it out look around and just get a general feel of what its like. Another thing that i liked was actually the fact that i didnt get in in the fall. The housing is a lil uncertain but im not all too worried bout that, but the extension thing is cool because its much smaller than the regular class. Were talking 600 as opposed to like 6000. Its very much like a small Liberal Arts college for the first semester, and though youre not in with the general freshman population with the classes, its almost nicer to have that lead-in that goes with the FPF. If you didnt sign up for it check it out cause i think its great and its one of the major reasons why i chose it. Ive talked to a few people who have done it and they had only positive things to say about it.</p>
<p>thanks~~ yllwjep~!! at first i was really disspointed about only gettin in for the spring but ive heard alotta ppl tell me not to worry about it and yahh i feel better about it now:P but i guess i'll have to wait till after cal day to decide and umm do u kno if you get credit for the classes u take at the Freshman extension program? i think u do but the gpa doesn't count which i guess can be a good and bad thing...but yahh thanks~!</p>
<p>Yeah thats the whole point of the thing is letting the people who come in for spring be on the same timeline as fall admits. And having the GPA not count, definitely a great thing while you get acclimated. I have yet to find a substantial downside. Theres a information session about the FPF on cal day at like noon that im definitely going to just so i can tie up a few loose ends. There you can have all your questions answered im sure.</p>
<p>I'm in the same dilemma as you; I'm choosing between Cal's business admin and UCLA's biz econ. Gonna visit Cal next weekend. I went on a UCLA campus tour last Saturday, and I LOVED their campus. UCLA's campus is beautiful (and the women are HOT!).</p>
<p>HEY~~~~~~~~~~~~this is Y... hehe, i think u should go to USC................lol, just my opinion.......smaller classes, more attention, u know...</p>
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USC is not that bad area wise. The campus has done a remarkable job cleaning up the surrounding areas.
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<p>I think USC is a great school and I visit friends there often, but I beg to differ. I'm sure they've helped improve the area, but it's still bad. It could be worse, but students do get robbed in the University Village (USC's sub par version of the Westwood Village) and other areas surrounding the campus. Even one of my professors who loved USC said he got robbed a few times. While in the UV, I was constantly harassed by homeless people while trying to order coffee at Starbucks. One time my friend gave a homeless man some money and the person kept following him asking him for more. I remember while looking for a party in the area, we missed a turn and we were in a very bad area in less than 5 minutes. However, USC is very safe when you're on campus because of campus security. USC is a great place to have a lot of fun on campus or on frat row, but not in the surrounding area. A lot of USC students go to Westwood or other places in LA because the area around USC is undoubtedly bad.</p>