OFFICIAL Berkeley vs. UCLA Thread

<p>haha I have a few friends that went to Cal and they agree with the school having a lot of “self-righteous white vegans.” UCLA has a small amount of this type, but not as many. UCLA seems to have a good mix of all types. Both schools are great, but you guys really need to visit and figure out which is the best fit for you! People have this wrong idea that Cal is amazing and everyone will love it, same can be said for UCLA or USC.</p>

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<p>I’d heard about the cockiness but didn’t know what to make of it. Every person who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting/talking to (either in college or on this forum) that got into Cal has been anything but self-righteous. But I guess that’s because those aren’t the kids that went straight in from High School (the heightened ones).</p>

<p>When I got accepted I was thinking along the lines of “… seriously Berkeley?”. It’s flattering to get accepted b/c supposedly their admissions are holistic, but I wouldn’t doubt that several students who don’t come from money, who aren’t hyper-aggressively competitive, who aren’t snobs, would feel out of place. Maybe some do fit in.</p>

<p>I would have thought that precisely because kids tend to be less social, someone who is social would thrive there.</p>

<p>Cal or UCLA for Psychology? Which has a better Psych program? Does LA offer more jobs for undergrad Psych majors straight out of graduation? Or does Berkeley/San Francisco offer more jobs for us?</p>

<p>^^I believe that at Cal, psych is treated more as a social science, but UCLA has more of an emphasis on neuropsych. it depends on which side you’re interested in.</p>

<p>^^^ Is Cal VERY strict on the 2 year graduation requirement? Do you think UCLA is like that as well? I’m asking as I would love to double major or at the very least pick up a minor, but I would have to spend more time taking pre-req courses.</p>

<p>^I read on Cal’s site that ppl who wish to double major can take 5 semesters and unlimited summer sessions</p>

<p>Today I got a call from a current UCLA student while I was visiting Berkeley for the admitted transfer reception. Super awkward… Go bears! :p</p>

<p>As for why I picked Berkeley over UCLA, since someone said no one ever gives reasons:

  1. The difference in prestige. What’s prestigious outside of the states? HPY, Berkeley, and Stanford. Perhaps MIT and Columbia. I’ve been in the states for too long to be sure, but let me tell you, Berkeley is a big name in this world. Much bigger than some of the Ivies. UCLA just doesn’t have that. I know it may seem strange, but “It’s Berkeley,” is actually a good reason.
  2. Academics: NINE current Nobel Laureate professors? 70 Nobel prices among alumni/professors/researchers? 16 elements discovered (Berkelium!)? Forth biggest academic library (if you combine the 30+ libraries it has) in the US? That’s insane. There’s unbelievable resources/professors to learn from.
  3. People are politically active! I do love that people there are liberal and the history of the city is incredible. It’s so much more my speed than LA. Bohemian sun dresses and tie-dye peace sign shirts at Berkeley, or fancy designer clothes in LA? I know which one fits me. Plus I need that easy-access vegetarian/vegan food. I’m sure I won’t agree with everyone on every political issue, but I like that students really do talk politics there.
  4. Proximity to home/familiarity with the city. I already live in the bay. Well, south bay, but I visit SF and Berkeley here and there, so I know the city and I can come home whenever. I hella love NorCal!
  5. The campus is beautiful. UCLA is absolutely stunning too, but Berkeley…you feel like you’re in a world class institution just walking around.</p>

<p>@strive101: Thank you!</p>

<p>@newsoul: Darn it, you just brought me back down to 50/50 again. I was leaning towards UCLA for its proximity to internships related to my major (comm) but now the pendulum is swinging the other way. Phooey.</p>

<p>I’m attending the transfer reception down here in Southern California on the 15th. How did the event go up north?</p>

<p>I wonder if we can send in our transcripts/documents early even if we haven’t SIR’d.</p>

<p>Every time I feel ok about choosing Cal over UCLA, I think about L.A., Hollywood, and the beaches. >_< Anyone else compelled to choose UCLA over Cal because of it’s location?</p>

<p>I got admitted to both under psych and decided to choose Cal… after constant confusion it ultimately became so clear to me. I SIR’d while I was walking around campus and feeling the good vibes from everything – it just seemed like the right choice (I live 30 mins from cal, easy transition, plus a football stadium on campus!!!, etc.) UCLA was my dream school but after a while I realized Cal was the better choice. Don’t stay on here and see what other people have to say. Turn off your computer and go visit each campus and just think about what the right choice will be. it will eventually come to you</p>

<p>UCLA. 10 char</p>

<p>@RickRoss91: I plan to visit, but I live in Socal and won’t be able to make the trip to Cal for another 2 weeks - cutting it real close, lol.</p>

<p>@transferoutofcal: Care to share why? Thanks!</p>

<p>I am writing this because I am procrastinating on studying for finals. Just as a disclaimer, I have not attended either of these schools, but I applied to both for Fall 2012 admission and was rejected from UCLA and accepted to UCB. I will be attending UCB for Spring 2013.</p>

<p>If you were accepted to both schools, that is an amazing accomplishment. If you are attempting to decide which school to go to and don’t have your heart set on either, it can be a very difficult choice. Ultimately, it comes down to where you feel more comfortable. Do you prefer the San Francisco breeze and the hippy, liberal feel of Berkeley? Or do you see yourself bopping around in the sunny, stylish streets of Los Angeles?</p>

<p>As others have said before, UC Berkeley does have slightly more respect on an international level, but how you view that information depends on what you want to do with your life. If you are planning on staying in California, or in the United States really, it doesn’t matter which one you choose. If you are planning on joining the UN or doing something else on an international level, Berkeley would probably be your best choice.</p>

<p>UC Berkeley does also have more Nobel Laureates and distinguished faculty, UCLA has more student organizations. Both have a long history, tense sport rivalries and a reputation for fierce academic competition.</p>

<p>If you are working on a career in computers, engineering or electronics, Berkeley is the place for you. Think Silicon Valley. Obviously, if you are interested in film, you should go to LA (but you probably should have applied to USC).</p>

<p>What it ultimately comes down to is what you think your experience will be at each school. If you think you’ll enjoy your life more living in Los Angeles because Berkeley is weird and grimy, then you should go there, even if your department is ranked higher at Cal. If you know you’ll fit into the fierce political scene and prefer the cool, windy bay weather over smoggy LA, go to Cal!</p>

<p>What matters most is being happy, because when you are happy you will perform your best. That is the most important thing–whether you’re applying to grad school or looking to start your career fresh out of undergrad. It’s more important to look back and say, “I loved living in LA and had some of the best experiences of my life there” than to say, “I went to Cal because it was ranked better than UCLA, but I think I would have had more fun there.”</p>

<p>All that matters is your passion for your major and your future career. Where you go to undergraduate school is merely a stepping stone for your future successes. You just have to decide which stepping stone is a better fit for your foot!</p>

<p>Hope this helped someone.</p>

<p>Thanks, calibabe! :slight_smile: That makes a lot of sense.</p>

<p>This is very helpful! I’m going to visit both schools this weekend. I hope I can make up my mind right after :)</p>

<p>Hey guys, so I got into Berkeley and UCLA. But just like most of you all I am having trouble deciding… I visited UCLA and I loved everything about it. I haven’t had a chance to get to Berkeley because I live in socal and it’s a hassle to get up there and visit but anyways here are some things that I am basing my decision on…</p>

<p>1.) What school is the best to go to for my major: Biochemistry
2.) Future goal is medical school. So what school is better in that aspect.
3.) Undergrad research opportunities geared toward things that are directly relatable to medicine.</p>

<p>And lastly, I’ve heard that both schools can be pretty “cutthroat” so does anyone have any opinions on that?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance :D</p>

<p>@RickRoss you know Memorial Stadium is under construction and not actually in use, right?</p>

<p>@itsjustsmitty if you want to go to med school, I assume you’re considering doing your MD at UCLA. everything I’ve heard about graduate degrees at UCs says that they don’t love taking their own undergraduates. so in your case, Berkeley might be the better choice.</p>

<p>@RickRoss I was the same as you, but Cal was my absolute dream school and UCLA was sort of the school I never imagined myself going to. </p>

<p>I was accepted into both Cal and UCLA for the Fall, and I’m choosing to go to UCLA. (I’m a double major Anthropology/Psychology hoping to go to Med School). </p>

<p>I moved up to the Bay Area last summer with my boyfriend because he was accepted into Cal last year and decided to go there. I was a bit behind on credits so I had to wait another year, but I came up with all intention of going to Cal as well. </p>

<p>Now both schools, UCLA and Cal, are phenomenal schools with their own individual pros and cons. Just because a “list” tells you one is better, doesn’t mean it will be. So what if Cal is the #1 public school and #21 overall university according to U.S. News? UCLA is #2 and #25 (respectively). Does that mean you will automatically have a better time at the “better” school? You are incredibly lucky if you are accepted to both schools, but it is a difficult decision. </p>

<p>I ended up choosing UCLA over Cal because of several reasons. One reason is that my family and friends are all down South, but that’s definitely not the main reason. The main reason I choose UCLA is because I just couldn’t picture myself at Cal anymore (for a number of reasons). I have been told all my life how prestigious Berkeley is and how a person couldn’t go to a better school, but when I came up here and after my boyfriend went through two semesters at Cal I realized that, although Cal is prestigious, it really is what you make of it. </p>

<p>The campus at Cal is absolutely gorgeous, especially on a clear day (which is rare up here) and you can see the Bay and SF in the distance. Campus is right next to Telegraph Ave., which is an interesting place to walk around because of the varieties of shops and street vendors that are there. There are a lot of homeless people around campus, and that wander through campus, but I’ve never had a problem with them aside from the occasional disturbing rant or two. The food in Berkeley is definitely something to get used to, if you aren’t used to eating ethnic food already. You can find Moroccan food, Nepalese food, Thai, Indian, Ethiopian, Pakistani, Authentic Spanish, Mexican, Italian, American, “New” American, Vegan, you name it and you can find it close to campus. The culture in Berkeley is interesting, and it is a lot more liberal than in Los Angeles or anywhere else in Southern California. Especially with the whole Occupy movement, you can usually find a protest happening if you wanted to. Those usually aren’t on campus though. </p>

<p>One thing that I do love about Berkeley is the fact that there is ALWAYS something going on on campus. Sproul Plaza (which is pretty much where everything happens) is usually filled with tables and people passing out fliers for events that are happening on campus. Now, if you want to get out of campus quickly and without being bothered to take a bunch of fliers this could be a problem, but you learn how to maneuver through them. Cal is the heart of the city of Berkeley. </p>

<p>Things I like about the city and the Bay Area: People actually care about things up here. I grew up in South Orange County, in the midst of soccer moms who drove Hummers and people who scowled at any person of color who walked by. But up here, people care about the environment and they care about other people. You can talk to almost anyone about politics and they would understand what you are talking about (and would care). When people are friendly, it’s not because they have to be it’s because they are. This is a huge comfort for people who are coming from out of town and don’t know anyone.</p>

<p>A couple things that I don’t like about the city of Berkeley and the Bay Area. You have to pay to park almost everywhere you go that is downtown, and it is almost impossible to find parking when you need it. There are bike riders everywhere, and they pay no attention to stop signs, or red lights, or your car at all (of course, cars tend to not pay attention to them either). The speed limits are all under 30 because of pedestrians and such that jump out behind random trees and vehicles (but this isn’t so bad when you get used to it). And last but not least, someone mentioned something about vegan hippies in a post on here. Not everyone is like that, but there are a lot of them. I’ve met a few really nice ones, and I’ve met several extremely self-righteous ones. It all just depends on who you decide to talk to. </p>

<p>Well, that’s what I could come up with about Berkeley for now. XD If I had more time I would talk about UCLA too, but alas work beckons me. </p>

<p>Hope this helped in some way!</p>

<p>@eclipsedbyglory: Thank you for your experience! If you have the time, I would love to see a short list on why you’ve chosen UCLA. :)</p>

<p>To everyone: Yelp is also a great place to read reviews on Cal, UCLA (and the other UC’s!)</p>

<p>@eclipsed Would you mind sharing why you ended up choosing UCLA? It actually sounds like you really like Cal from your post lol.</p>