<p>Im a premed/ sociology student at NYU now.
I just got accepted to Berkeley as a junior for fall 2012...
any opinions - would you go?!
thanks so much!</p>
<p>Both school are known for having competitive students, Cal moreso than NYU. Are you planning to go to grad school? If so then go to the Cal if you like SF and NYU if you like NY.</p>
<p>No point moving side ways. Just get your undergrad degree and move on.</p>
<p>thanks for the replies. I’m planning on going to med school after…</p>
<p>any other opinions anyone?
anything is greatly appreciated!
thanks!</p>
<p>There’s really nothing to consider besides the environment. If you like NY, stay. If you like Norcal, go to UCB. There’s really no difference in prestige in my book. As long as you get a good GPA and MCAT score, it doesn’t matter which undergraduate institution you attended.</p>
<p>What silvertongues said!</p>
<p>I love Berkeley, but I love NYC even more. In all seriousness, if I had the chance to live in NYC and attend a school like NYU (or even Columbia!) I would take it instantly.</p>
<p>But that’s just me!</p>
<p>I understand what you are all saying about location - very true.
but what about the rankings? apparently Berkeley is #21 nationwide, and NYU is #33…
Berkeley has the #1 Sociology department, and a better science department as well.
Do you think the slight increase in academic ranking is reason enough to consider transferring?
thank you!</p>
<p>Worldwide, Berkeley is FAR more well known. No question about it. Within the US? Both are wonderful schools. It comes down to preference, really. I mean, I would pick Berkeley, but I’m not originally from the states so my perspective may be different from yours if you are. That said, I’ve always heard that pre-med totally destroys your GPA at Berkeley…but maybe that’s just pre-med anywhere?</p>
<p>might i ask your stats @ nyu?
i’m looking to transfer as well</p>
<p>listen to philosoup. seriously, changing schools mid-degree sounds like a first class nightmare. i went to a community college that i detested, but stuck it out and did not move to another CCC for the two years before transferring to UCB because changing schools can create so many issues transferring units from one place to another. every school has their own philosophy about how to get from A to Z. congrats on NYU. also a great school!</p>
<p>also, it is my view that transcripts that show kids swapping out schools mid-degree also looks flakey to future schools. but that is just my opinion. i try to keep my transcripts looking clean and simple.</p>
<p>@northbeach ok that’s your view but there are plenty of people who take summer classes and programs at various universities not to mention study abroad that all require different transcripts. i’m pretty sure it looks flakey to say… drop out for 5 years after every change of school, but to simply transfer because you don’t like the atmosphere/program/etc. where you are seems the complete opposite of flakey to me. Particularly for those that go far out of state. I have many many friends that are roughing it out at the school where i am now. I was one of the few who decided that happiness trumped everything else and took 44 credits in 1 year to transfer with every requirement short of upper division major classes completed. so go ahead and call those of us who “swap out” flakey, but i’d be willing to bet that i wont be penalized for needing to send 4-5 transcripts instead of two. to each his own i suppose, though.</p>
<p>Take it easy there hellothere, northbeach DID say that, that was just his own opinion. No Need to get all worked up. And, that is just my opinion.</p>
<p>thanks guys. yeah, i can see your points hellothere. but i do think that when applying to graduate schools it looks better when kids complete their degrees at a single school. all schools have pros and cons and consistency and resilience counts for a lot. and i have discovered that school admissions are HEAVILY driven by politics. meaning, they don’t want to take any risks. if kids transfer before graduating from their chosen program it brings down the overall ranking of that school, so keep that in mind. </p>
<p>statistics drive many decision makers. i may not agree personally with such narrow mindedness, but i want to remain seriously competitive in order to get into the top schools and the top programs. </p>
<p>i applied to very competitive programs and schools, and my transcripts show just about zero risk on the part of the schools if they accept me—so i was accepted to every school i applied to. NYU is a fantastic school. one of the best schools in the world. better to stick it out and finish in one place. yes, this is my opinion. and since the poster is looking for other perspectives, this is mine. and yours is another. also good. if the poster were attending a lame california state school which is suffering from no funding and transferred to Cal, that would be different. but to leave NYU is not the same thing and i don not think that it would be worth it.</p>
<p>most study abroad programs do not equate in this either because those usually fall under the host school degree programs. or represent summer programs and illustrate extreme motivation and dedication on the part of the student. good luck peeps! i am proud of everyone who earns their degree and deals with the challenges of getting an education in the modern world. go bears!</p>
<p>I honestly don’t think transferring schools mid-degree is detrimental at all. For example, Obama went to Oxy and then transferred to Columbia and the still got into Harvard Law. I personally think it’s a weak argument to say it’s reflects flakeyness if you transfer. </p>
<p>In regards to the OPs question, I wouldn’t transfer. NYU is a stellar school and if you’re going into Med school and not grad school for Sociology then Berkeleys higher Soc ranking doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>obama is related to a number of the people in the CIA. and getting into Harvard and getting into a public university are completely unrelated topics with entirely different strategies. </p>
<p>—if you can get away with transferring mid degree, afford moving across the country as a student, not waste time, money, units, and energy doing it while achieving your goals, i am happy to hear it. but i can tell you that i would never be able to afford it myself because i am locked into full scholarships at public schools—. just thought i would share the info with the poster.</p>