<p>I cannot decide which of these three great universities I should go to...Can anyone help me? I plan to defer my enrollment for one year in order to take a gap-year but I am still unsure about which college would be the best. I am interested in biological sciences (especially medical), history and premed. The cost is about the same for me since I am out of state. I like the way that the dorms are all in one area for UCLA, the history of Cal, and the closeness of chicago for Northwestern. Can anyone tell me which of these colleges is (if there is a difference) geared more towards undergraduate teaching and also campus life?? Thanks!</p>
<p>If you’re looking for a college that’s geared towards undergraduate teaching, I’d go with Northwestern. I think about 97% of classes there are taught by faculty ( i think i read this stat somewhere, not completely sure), and 3/4 of their classes have less than 20 kids. All of these schools are great, and since the cost will be about the same for you I’d go with whichever you like the feel of the best.</p>
<p>northwestern if price is not an issue.</p>
<p>UCLA and Berkeley will feel too impersonal for you, most likely, in comparison with Northwestern.</p>
<p>Location-wise, there are more to do for students in Chicago and SF/Berkeley. In LA, there’s not much to do without a car (because doing anything without a car is a huge hassle) and when you do have one, cost become a factor if you are on a student-budget. For example, when you want to go to the beach when there’s beach weather, forget about finding a parking space and be prepared for paying fees for the parking garage. Same with going to any popular spot. Of course, there are various costs associated with having a car. You said you like Chicago; well, if you like it partly because it’s walkable, you may not like LA.</p>
<p>thanks lots, Ok so Northwestern?? I’m hesitant of northwestern because i never looked into northwestern that much, I didn’t even know of it until last year. (shows the lack of scope in my college search)</p>
<p>UCLA and Berkeley are ranked around #12 and #1, but only as regards Ph.D. programs. For undergrad, I would agree that NU will likely be a better choice… members of my family have attended Stanford, Cornell, UCLA, Northwestern and the Naval Academy… so we are pretty familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of most types of colleges.</p>
<p>thanks dunn, by any chance do you know if there is a specific visiting day for admitted students??(UCs do) I’ve been looking through my NU mail and NU website but i cannot find one. I was hoping that there was a specific day so that I could take full advantage of a visit to NU this month.</p>
<p>Not sure if you can take a gap year with UC Berkeley or UCLA, you’d need to double-check that. Paying OOS tuition, I’d probably opt for Northwestern, unless if you want to live and work in California long-term.</p>
<p>ryo</p>
<p>you should have gotten an e-mail yesterday from NU about wildcat days. they are on april 13, 20, and 27 and they are basically admit days.</p>
<p>UCB and UCLA do not defer as I recall. You’d have to reapply.</p>
<p>You won’t be able to take a year off at the UC schools.</p>
<p>Also, these are very different environments. Northwestern is not nearly as diverse as either UCLA or Berkeley. UCLA and Northwestern have Westwood/Evanston in common as far as being a little “shishi” Berkeley is in the Bay Area and is a very liberal environment (outside of the campus). But if you are taking the year off you may not have a choice.</p>