<p>Hi! I'm a high school senior from New Jersey in need of a great amount of advice from various viewpoints in order to decide on which college to go to. A little about me: I've lived in the US for about 10 years or so, but I was considered an international for college admissions because I don't have permanent residency nor citizenship in the US. I am a Canadian citizen. However, my family and I applied for permanent residency back in 2009, and we already have Advance Parole. We're probably going to get our green card by next year (T.T too bad it didn't make in time for college admission <em>sigh</em> but life isn't all roses and peaches....if that's the correct phrase xD). Thus, I'm in a pretty difficult situation. </p>
<p>I am 60% sure on UCBerkeley, but this is a major decision in my life, so I want to make sure I am not making any mistakes in this decision. If I go to a California school, my dad plans on relocating his job to California and moving the family there. That way I (correct me if I'm wrong) will be able to pay in-state tuition for the last three years on the condition that the requirements outlined for residency are met. However, I've heard some things about Berkeley's undergraduate experience with mixed responses. I'm predominantly worried about the large class sizes (although my dad assures me that for most colleges, the class sizes are large at least for the first year), the availability of research opportunities (although Berkeley's location is nice for internships and work....but I was wondering how hard it is to get one and generally when is the soonest I will be able to get one in college), and the quality of the undergrad academic experience (mostly, do you learn a lot and greatly in depth). I heard about an "honors series" at Berkeley in terms of courses; could someone elaborate? How do I get in those courses? To clarify, I applied as a physics major at the College of Letters and Sciences. Would I also be able to take classes at the College of Engineering? How would I be able to use my AP credit (AP chem-5, AP calc BC-5, AP Eng Lang-5, AP physics b-5...and this year I will have AP stat, AP span lang, AP physics C: mechanics, and AP physics C: E&M) for my major? This is probably an obvious answer since its Berkeley, but just to clarify: does Berkeley send a lot of students into top grad schools like Stanford, Caltech, MIT, etc?</p>
<p>Ok...the other colleges I'm debating about are UCSB College of Creative Studies with a major in physics, Rice University for engineering, and McGill University for physics. I heard amazing things about UCSB CCS, but is the learning experience there truly better than at Berkeley? People have said that since its smaller, you would get better recs and research opportunities, but don't the classes at Berkeley dwindle down in the last two years as people narrow down their majors? Another issue I have with UCSB CCS is the prestige compared to Berkeley. I've always been the kind of person to say prestige doesn't matter- its the quality that counts, but I'm starting to wonder that perhaps prestige does ultimately matter. Also, if I do physics at UCSB CCS, I would be restrained to that major...I kind of do like the flexibility of Berkeley. Don't get me wrong, I love physics and it would be awesome if I could pursue physics my whole life, but I'm also the kind of person that wants to have many options available to me xD. So, in summary, the debate between Berkeley and UCSB CCS is the academics and which one would most likely help me more in the future.</p>
<p>As for Rice, it's known to have super happy people who are very quirky and interesting- my kind of people :D. I mean, Berkeley is huge and so it's probably going to have a diverse group, but a lot of people are apparently unhappy there or so I heard. Rice is also smaller and more focused on its undergrad compared to Berkeley. But the biggest issue I have with Rice is the money. I would pay about 55k/yr (38k in tuition) while for Berkeley, though I would bay about the same amount the first year, I would pay about 33k for the next three years.</p>
<p>Ok, finally, McGill. The issue I have with it is that its in Canada. Though I'm Canadian, I spent most of my life in the US. The price of McGill would be very cheap for me (about 8k/yr for tuition and 10k/yr for housing). However, it would be more difficult for me to come back to the US for grad school, and I really don't want to go back to Canada. The universities at Canada are all funded by the government, and so they are underfunded. Thus, I'm worried that McGill wouldn't have enough research opportunities for undergrad or at least not as much as Berkeley and even if they did, I would probably never see them until my final year. In addition, I would have problems with my visa when I turn 21 since I will be considered an independent by then and thus if I'm out of the US for over half a year, issues arise xD. Also, grade deflation is apparently a huge issue in Canadian schools because, since they're public, they accept a lot of people. I'm worried about the huge class sizes and the grade deflation. I'm such a worry-wort haha...</p>
<p>If anyone can offer any advice in any way, please do! T^T It would mean a lot to me. I'm stuck right now. If you've attended Berkeley, please tell me more about your experience there especially as a physics/science major. If you know anything about any of the colleges, please tell me. Tell me anything you think will help me decide.</p>
<p>Thank you so much!!!!</p>
<p>PS- Any advice/experience about getting in-state tuition for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years at a UC school while being OOS in the first year would help xD. Also, if I find a job/internship in California and work for 2 years, would I be able to claim myself as an independent? If I do that, would I be able to obtain financial aid?</p>