<p>Hi everyone!
I need help! I don´t know where I want to go. I am between NU, Duke and Berkeley.
I got accepted in all of them so now I only have to decide. I am an international student and I will be going with an athletic scholarship.
My first option is Berkeley not only because I think academically is the best but also because the athletic program is amazing!
My only problem is that I read in a lot of threads that classes are hugh and getting an intership in the summer is very difficult + I am an international student.
How much time does it take to go to San Fransisco downtown in public transportation? Is the campus big? Are the dorms outdated?
I want to study Political Science or Sociology and French.
Please tell me what you think!
thanks</p>
<p>go to NU or duke, it’s not worth it if you’re an international student, unless you’re getting a full scholarship.</p>
<p>If you’re on an athletic scholarship you’ll have no problems getting your classes here at Berkeley.
Bart takes about 20-30 minutes from Berkeley to SF. Campus is big enough for you to not get bored but not so big that it annoys you. No, the dorms are not outdated (just don’t live in Bowles or Stern).</p>
<p>Duke is more residential than Berkeley and it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere whereas Berkeley is right next to bustling San Francisco. It depends on what type of environment you’d prefer. Berkeley’s more “urban” but the community feel at Duke will probably be stronger.</p>
<p>Don’t know anything about NU so can’t help you there, sorry.</p>
<p>Go to Berkeley! Much more academically prestigious, especially internationally. Only some lower division classes are ‘huge’ and no one really minds it. If you really want to get to know your professors, you can go to office hours where you can easily get individual attention. It’s not very difficult to get internships/research mostly because there are so many opportunities here. It takes about 20 mins to get to SF downtown and there are other great shopping areas closer (like Emeryville). Dorms aren’t outdated at all. Units are really fun to live in and make friends in.</p>
<p>I didn’t think Cal gave early offers of admission to athletes but sounds like that’s the case. What sport? As an international student you’ll have a much better experience at Cal and in particular, the Bay Area. Keep in mind that Duke is in that part of the U.S. we refer to as, “The South.”</p>
<p>berkeley or duke. dunno about nu. and honestly can’t really comment on duke because i don’t go there.
what sport is this?
classes are big in berkeley and only get somewhat smaller, especially for a popular major like Poli Sci.
internships aren’t hard to come by, but they are hard to get because of so much competition. especially in this economic state, everyone’s especially vying for positions to bolster up the resumes.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!</p>
<p>Go to NU! (if that’s northwestern). They give inflated grades. You’re basically like guaranteed A’s if you try. Grades at Berkeley aren’t as easy to get …good grades at least. I’m not sure about Duke. NU also has a beautiful green grass campus next to the lake and it’s sooo pretty. As far as sports and all that idk. But the location in Berkeley is more urban than NU. I’d say I feel safer at NU walking around at night because there are cops parked in hiding spots so if anyone gets you, they’ll probably be on the lookout. Dorms are a little newer looking there as well. NU is the best way to go. People pay more for private schools for a reason…their kids will have all the comfort that a school can offer…as far as classroom seats, sharing bathrooms, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks snowflake55!</p>
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<p>fixed.</p>
<p>Go to Duke if you like the small, get-to-know-your-professors type and want to be part of a smaller community. Cal is much more diverse (in a good way and a bad way), i’m really starting to hate for many reasons but this place can be bearable.</p>
<p>You’re welcome! Were you talking about Northwestern by the way? If you are very concerned about not being with homeless or walking next to people who smoke, I would choose something besides Berkeley. I don’t smoke myself, but the smoking of other people doesn’t bother me. Nor do homeless. So I find it kind of fun to be in a realistic setting, but the campuses at other schools are much more pristine.</p>
<p>Northwestern and Berkeley are very similar. Both are similarly ranked academically and both have similarly ranked football teams that attract large crowds. It really just comes down to your location preference.</p>
<p>Northwestern is close to Chicago, Berkeley is close to San Francisco.
Northwestern is suburban and residential, Berkeley is urban and grungy.
Northwestern has a top-tier journalism program for undergrads, Berkeley doesn’t.
Northwestern is FREEZING, Berkeley is very cold.
Northwestern is private, Berkeley is public.</p>
<p>That’s kind of it. I dunno. I guess you could argue that Berkeley is a bit more well-known internationally.</p>
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<p>Really now? Have you been to northwestern to compare? Or are just crying because you aren’t getting the grades you wanted in Berkeley?</p>
<p>Okay, the last question was unfair, but there is definitely way too much complaining about lack of grade inflation in Berkeley. In Berkeley you can find easy classes that give all A’s or very difficult classes that give few A’s. Same thing for all colleges (well execpt a few like say Caltech) including Stanford, Harvard, etc. Sure, their average GPA might be higher, but that doesn’t mean they give everyone A’s if they just try. B’s probably but from what I hear, you still have to work for your A’s.</p>
<p>It’s easier to fail in Berkeley than in a private school, but I don’t think you can argue that you can get straight A’s in northwestern if you just try. Otherwise over 50% of the students would have straight A’s for sure.</p>
<p>To the OP: If you’re in college for athletics and plan to be pursuing it professionally, than decide which college has the better program for you. If you don’t plan to pursue your sport professionally, then I can’t answer your question without knowing more information about what you want to study or other stuff such as whether you like smaller/bigger universities. I will say though that you won’t have problems getting into your classes if you’re an athlete. They get priority in registration</p>
<p>Yes, I’ve been to Northwestern. Students there said it themselves. Maybe not those exact words “if you just try” but it’s basically, if you do the work, you’ll do good. Some do as much work as they can at Berkeley, and still fail. And no, I’m not just crying because I’ve received the grades that I hoped for.</p>
<p>Have you had a class at Northwestern and then taken the equivalent class at Berkeley? If not, then stop trying to compare. Your friends in Northwestern could’ve said that anyone who pays the tuition automatically gets A’s but that doesn’t make it true.</p>
<p>my sister went to duke, so i can try to give you some insight.</p>
<p>duke’s great, and my sister loved it. it’s in durham, which is kind of in the middle of nowhere, definitely not urban like berkeley. north carolina in general is beautiful though, i’ve spent lots of time there. also, durham its close to/in the research triangle so there are lots of research/internship opportunities.</p>
<p>definitely a small school and community feel, lots of individual attention, if thats important to you. my sister absolutely loved her academic experience. i mean, it’s pretty top notch in academics.</p>
<p>something to consider is that it’s definitely a southern school. it can be a bit of a culture shock. its pretty big on drinking and greek life. my sister described the social life as being really fun, but also a little messed up. duke is definitely “a bubble.” i feel like berkeley would be much more open and diverse.</p>
<p>also, basketball is huge at duke and they are really good (ranked number 1 right now), and its sooo fun. like, going to a game in cameron indoor is one of the best experiences you can have. kids camp out for weeks to get tickets. LOTS of school spirit and pride.</p>
<p>overall, i would say if you’re looking at duke vs berkeley, you need to think about whether you want small, southern, tight knit community with lots of pride, or a big, diverse, urban, west coast school.</p>
<p>i LOVE duke, but ultimately i think berkeley is the better place for me. but i really think you cant go wrong with either one!</p>
<p>and i know nothing about NU, so i cant help you there.</p>
<p>Thanks iz1212!</p>