<p>From all I've looked at these schools seem pretty similar, blue and yellow, prestigious public schools, rebellious histories, what do you guys think about these schools? how do you think they compare? which is dare i say it, better?</p>
<p>Do you prefer west coast culture or midwestern? That was how I picked it long long time ago.</p>
<p>In terms of overall reputation and in terms of quality, I would give the slight edge to Cal. But when it comes to intangibles, I would give the edge to Michigan. Michigan is wealthier than Cal, Ann Arbor is a more pleasant town than Berkeley and Michigan has more overall school spirit. </p>
<p>I agree with GoBlue. You should go for fit.</p>
<p>yeah which makes it tougher because I'm from Los Angeles so i'm still debating whether I want to stay in the same sort of area that formed me or if i want to experience something new. I do like the idea of Michigan's spirit though. What would you say Michigan's social reputation is?</p>
<p>michigan is great .. but not for OOS tuition especially when cal is IS.</p>
<p>Cal at in-state tuition is a major bargain. Of course, if your parents are financially well off, you can perhaps paying twice as much for Michigan, otherwise, it wouldn't make much sense.</p>
<p>Social life at Michigan is excellent...but then again, it is also excellent at Cal and UCLA.</p>
<p>itsme123, Michigan is actually a bargain, even for out of staters. Most of its peers are more expensive. </p>
<p>But I agree that if the OP comes from California, he should stick to in-state schools. I would say the same to a resident of Michigan or Virginia and even residents of Illinois, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Both are good schools, but as a resident of Michigan I would choose UofM-Ann Arbor.
University of California has many advantages, located near San Fransico. It's not far from the beach, and yeah they don't get snow but mountains are not far off. I'm sure it has a lot to offer, but location seems to be good.</p>
<p>I'd take Cal.</p>
<p>YOURE HOT (cal) THEN YOURE COLD (mich) YOURE YES (mich) THEN YOURE NO (cal) YOURE IN (mich) THEN YOURE OUT (cal) YOURE UP (mich) THEN YOURE DOWN (cal) YOURE WRONG (cal) WHEN ITS RIGHT (mich) ITS BLACK AND ITS WHITE WE</p>
<p>i'm a bit confused by the Katy Perry reference...but yeah I'm instate California so my parents definitely are making me look at Berkeley (of course I have to get in) I really hope I get some sort of merit money from Michigan so money isn't the main criteria</p>
<p>
[quote]
Michigan is wealthier than Cal, Ann Arbor is a more pleasant town than Berkeley and Michigan has more overall school spirit.
[/quote]
Comparing endowments, Alex?
Yes, I agree with you that Michigan has more overall school spirit, has better alumni giving, and Ann Arbor may be "more pleasant" than the liberal bastion that is the City of Berkeley. </p>
<p>Good thing about Berkeley is that it is a college town and conducive to pedestrians (despite the hills). You can get around easily without a car and public transportation is excellent. The campus is relatively compact. The town caters to students with numerous cheap, good restaurants (gourmet ghetto), bookstores, and shops. San Francisco, the Oakland airport and stadium is just a 20 minute subway ride away. Skiing and gambling in Tahoe is a 3 hour drive. As a young man from Socal, Berkeley was the perfect escape.</p>
<p>as a california longhair i know what youre talking about, i have visited and everything, i definitely dont need persuading on the environment, more the academic programs, obviously the caliber is high at both institutions and a degree from both looks pretty good, but I dont know much about berkeleys creative writing and film departments and some other things im lokking at, plus the gen ed at both schools</p>
<p>UCBChem, is Berkeley as cut-throat as it used to be? I was just kind of wondering, I've heard stories where kids went as far as sabotaging others kid's work.</p>
<p>I'd pick UCLA if I lived in Cali, but you said you live in LA now, so I'd probably want to get away from home a little bit if I was living there.</p>
<p>If you didn't get Lightening's response, he's bending Cal over a stool and spanking it with Michigan belts.</p>
<p>Can't comment on the film and creative writing departments. But, for film, you'd best look to USC.</p>
<p>Berkeley is uber-competitive, pre-meds especially...fire alarm was pulled during an organic chemistry final - either by someone who aced it and wanted to set the curve, or someone who bombed it.</p>
<p>At UCLA I would have to do two years of just gen ed, which to me seems like a total bust, and it would be hard for me to want to go to SC although i applied. Does anybody know the ease of double majoring at either school?</p>
<p>I agree with most said. Academically, the schools are comparable but Berkeley has a slight edge. Both towns are nice.</p>
<p>Personally, I'd go with Berkeley. In-state just sweetens the deal.</p>
<p>well in terms of selectivity how much do they differ?</p>
<p>Ann Arbor is also a great college town. Plenty of cafes, bookstores, etc. by the campus. Lots of things are within walking distance with school or public buses available for what isn't.</p>
<p>Both schools have great academic reputations. The Creative Writing program at U Mich is excellent, especially in the Residential College. (Students get to meet individually with their professor weekly to review their work.) I don't know anything about what kind of film, if any, that U Mich has though.</p>
<p>Berkeley is much more difficult for OOS to get into, since they take most students from instate (from our CA relatives, I hear it's still hard to get into from instate). Though the majority of students at U Mich are from instate, there are still a good number from OOS and international.</p>
<p>If your choice is between these 2 schools, you're very fortunate. Visit both (especially U Mich in January/February to see if you can handle the weather), to see which fits best.</p>