<p>I am having so much trouble deciding, can anyone help?
UCLA is very close...I'm about 30 minutes away.
Berkeley seems so difficult and competitive, but it is a great school.
NYU sounds very appealing, partly because I like large cities and going to school in NYC seems like a unique & exciting opportunity.
I am so worried that I will be homesick, though, and although moving across the country sounds exciting, I'm scared!!! And financially, NYU is so much more expensive than either Berkeley or UCLA (CA resident).
Can anyone offer any advice? It seems like at any of the schools, I can study a wide variety of things, which is good, b/c I'm still not quite sure what I want to major in. I would also like to be able to get into grad school, so I'm not sure if the schools I'm debating between would vary in reputation or grades...
Any input will be appreciated...thanks!</p>
<p>I'm from upstate New York, go to NYC frequently and recently traveled to CA for the first time (Bay Area and a little south of there). We drove around and ate in Berkeley and the campus looked amazing. I hear great things about the school and I would kill to go there (esp. for state price). I applied to and got denied from NYU, and still find it very appealing (who couldn't) but especially if you're worried about coming so far, I wouldn't picture you having nearly as good a time at NYU as at Berkeley. NYU's cool and all cause it's in NYC - that's unbeatable. But is that really where you want to be for college? If you haven't visited, you may not really understand how uncool it is in so many aspects to have NO campus (especially compared to Berkeley which looked amazing). Berkeley, I would think, is probably a better school academically too and I know school spirit is far greater, intramural sports are far more popular and I would imagine the social life is much more campus oriented (yet SF, Berkeley, etc. are still all nearby to offer a lot of the same things that would completely dominate social life at NYU). And I'm not the Californian, so correct me if I'm wrong, but Berkeley will still be pretty far from you, and thus not lacking in changing your setting. And finally, I couldn't imagine why you'd choose UCLA over either of the other two. Though I'll admit that's probably entirely unfair for me to say as I've never even been to southern California</p>
<p>cate, I don't think NYU is worth the additional cost over Cal or UCLA. NYU is a good school, but it is also big - so even though its private -- you have all of the red tape, long lines, big classes, etc. that goes with a public university -- and I think that a degree from UCLA or Berkeley is actually seen as more prestigious. </p>
<p>I know the appeal of NYU -- my daughter certainly wanted to go there -- but you will get the same or better education in California for half the cost. Keep in mind that the money you save can be applied to travel opportunities, including visits to NY. So unless you are rich.... go with whichever California campus you like better. You can always find the opportunity to live and work in NY or any other city you choose after college.</p>
<p>if you are planning on graduate or professional school, you could consider NYU for it and go to berkeley now for cheap.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the input, and I'll definitely consider the advice.</p>
<p>concur with calmom. For the money you would save, you could do an overseas program, or travel to an exotic location or travel to a non-exotic location and volunteer.</p>
<p>I think NYU sounds great, but its social life leaves alot to be desired. Unlike UCB and UCLA it isn't a college campus experience. Chances are you'll live in the city after graduation, I highly recommend UCLA and UCB over NYU. I had a friend who went to NYU allured by the city. He HATED it and transferred to UNC, according to him transferring was the best decision he ever made. The fact that both California schools are significantly better leaves no doubt that they are the right option.</p>
<p>this is my exact problem! its great to hear this advice. my mom says NYC will always be there, but its hard to know im passing up a chance to live in one of the best areas at this stage in my life, with all of the things there are to do there and interesting people the school attracts. at la i am around the same types of people i have known all my life, and have a lot of friends there already. it's much easier of a transition but it breaks my heart in that i wanted something different that would push myself. and i dont want to go to cal because its not good in journalism and too close to home.</p>
<p>I actually think New York is much more fun AFTER college when you have a job and money. I've been a student in NYC and employed here, and its much more fun with cash to throw around. You really aren't getting that much benefit out of the city by being 18-22 that you won't get afterward. </p>
<p>I think UCLA is a much better choice.</p>
<p>brand_182: strange. Most people want to go to Cal for grad school.</p>
<p>limonyglow: Berkeley isn't weak in journalism. (It's hard to find a weakness at Cal, actually.)</p>
<p>To the OP: I'd vote Cal here. Not only is it probably the most prestigious of them all, but it's obviously a great school in a great location, etc. It isn't SUPER competitive as many make it seem; it's going to be competitive, yeah, as it's a public university, but you also have to consider 1) it's largely dependent on what your major is, and 2) with over 2,000 faculty, hundreds of grad student instructors, and tons of peers, not to mention endless opportunities, you can definitely make it through if you try (as with all colleges). NYU isn't worth the price, considering its size/distance/etc. In addition, Berkeley too is located in a city -- albeit a small one (~100k), though if you really want a large city, Oakland is right next door and Frisco is just a BART hop away. For your situation, Berkeley seems the best option. (And I'm not saying this 'cause I'm biased. =p)</p>
<p>While I would also agree that rationally (whether ration will or should have the last word in your college decision is up to you!), Berkeley is your best choice, I will say this about NYU (something that I have struggled with myself): while NYC will certainly still be there after graduation, your ability to live in Manhatten--especially in Greenwich Village--may NOT be there soon after graduation, or even at all. I don't know what kind of job you would have to have to live in and throw around money relatively freely in Manhatten, but it's not your average job with average salary, I'm guessing. I'm not saying that should definitely go to NYU, or anything, but I do think that the opportunity to live in Greenwich Village is not as easy to come by as some others have suggested.</p>
<p>Okay, right now, I might be leaning towards Berkeley... and then planning (way ahead of time, I know!) for grad school in New York. However, does anyone think that I would actually be able to get into NYU for graduate school if I'm coming from such an intense/rigorous school as Berkeley? Right now I'm thinking about biology or environmental studies as a major, but am also interested in writing/english/literature. I'm worried that I won't be able to get good enough grades (b/c Berkeley is known for that) in order to get into NYU for grad...and, of course, I'd have to be certain of what I want to do in life when I start thinking of graduate programs, and make sure that NYU can offer me that.
Advantagious, I see your point, and that's part of the reason why I'm having so much trouble deciding. I know that it's ridiculously expensive (it probably would be for me, anyway) to live in Manhattan, which is why I think that I might not get the chance except as a student.
Limonyglow, it's good to know that I'm not the only one with this problem!</p>
<p>No one has asked: Can you afford NYU? If you can without huge loans and your parents will go for it, the different experience will be great. </p>
<p>I always laugh when people tell posters to just go wherever they want for undergrad for grad school. How on earth do you know what school will have the grad program you want four or more years hence? Let's face it, you need to be top of class at Harvard to get into Yale Law School!</p>
<p>My parents have said that I shouldn't be concerned about money when I make my decision, just because they (and myself) would not mind (in the scheme of things) paying off loans as long I am happy about my choice and have a good experience. Giving up Berkeley for NYU would not be very cost-effective, but I think that we could manage (with loans, though) either school's tuition. Does anyone know how competitive NYU or Berkeley are for graduate students? I'm afraid that I'm going to regret giving up my admission to either one if I would not have the chance of attending for a grad program.</p>