<p>What really were the most compelling reasons for going to Berkeley over other best (private) schools? How did Berkeley win your hearts?</p>
<p>it sounds cheesy but it just felt right when i was there. i loved all the people i met, the dorms, my college (cnr), the city of berkeley, the opportunities i’ll have there, the vibe of the campus, the campus itself, the career center, the clubs, the sports, the school spirit. </p>
<p>i felt something there that i didn’t feel at the other two colleges it came down to (boston college & oberlin)</p>
<p>In-state tuition. I like Berkeley, but I preferred some other private schools.</p>
<p>I found that because it’s so large it can offer a huge array of things for you. I don’t just mean academically though, I also mean restaurants in the area, clubs, cultures, just about anything.</p>
<p>berkeley engineering definitely beats all the ivies. only MIT and stanford are of comparable merit. for engineering, berkeley is a clear win. for other majors, i can imagine why some privates may be more alluring.</p>
<p>Always wanted to go to college in the Bay Area and its a great education with a price, for me, that can’t be beat.</p>
<p>In-state tuition, engineering reputation</p>
<p>weather…</p>
<p>lol is no one gonna talk about the atmosphere of Berkeley, counter culture, and its social conscience???</p>
<p>there’s a reason why the typical kids at UCB are so different from the actual residents of Berkeley…</p>
<p>the campus, especially around eecs, haas, hearst ave area is quite beautiful. awesome places to eat on telegraph. train ride to SF where there is plenty of fun to be had.</p>
<p>academic independence (no handholding), internship/research opportunities, the faculty, school spirit, nice atmosphere (a balance of study and fun, + people tend to be more on the humble/open minded/amiable side compared to the two other schools I was considering), large array of campus activities and ECs, distance from home, low cost (in state tuition + possibility of graduating early because UCs accept ridiculous amount of AP and IB credit 
), nice campus, yummy food (from what I hear anyways…), nice weather (although I’d prefer a little more sun) and SF</p>
<p>I feel no regret passing up the ivies even though I’m not going to major in engineering/sciences/math :)</p>
<p>Oh and to add on to academic independence… unlike Penn, which forces you to limit the amount of credit/class you can ear/take during the first year (maybe other years too, I don’t know), Berkeley’s totally open so I can kill myself with work if I want to --yeah! . Plus I like the fact that I can create my own major if I want to.</p>
<p>^ berkeley’s limiting the units this year too, just so you know. and it’s really a good thing especially as a freshman because now you’re have more than just a sliver of a chance to get in to the class of your choice rather than just taking whatever classes/labs/discs are available.
Honestly, there was no compelling reason to go to Berkeley for me as I’m not in an engineering major/path. I applied to three privvys (shoulda perhaps applied to more and spend more time on them rather than just 2 days before the deadline bleeh lol) and was waitlisted/rejected.
Don’t get me wrong. Cal’s a legit school, but I just don’t feel it’s rep reaches out to the undergrads as much.</p>
<p>UCMP, MVZ, and HERC</p>
<p>These were the reasons I fell in love with Cal:</p>
<ol>
<li>In the SF Bay Area – the best place in the world.</li>
<li>The counter-culture movement/hippies/free speech movement/change/going against “the man” culture that still thrives here.</li>
<li>The crazy good Computer Science department</li>
<li>The people I have met here – there are a ton of Cal students/faculty that come here because they want to change the world and make it a better place. </li>
<li>The food: the restaurants here in the Bay Area are amazing!</li>
<li>The climate: not too cold, not too hot. Actually, Rand McNally rated nearby Oakland as the city with the best climate in the world.</li>
<li>The Third World Liberation Front (TwLF) movement that happened here in the 70s. Ever wonder why Cal is so racially diverse compared to other UCs? It is because students of color fought (and continue to fight) for policies geared toward tutoring/outreaching/counseling/admitting more students of color.</li>
<li>The Anti-war movement against the Vietnam War. Being a Vietnamese American, this last fact is a big thing for me. To think, nearly 40 years ago people who were my age fought to stop the killing/raping/theft/pillaging of my parents’ country right here at Berkeley. To come here to Cal, to walk on the very same tear-gassed protest locations, and to succeed here is to not waste the efforts of those who chose to fight (a.k.a protest) for my life. #8 is a very motivational and inspirational facet of my life here.</li>
</ol>
<p>I highly recommend watching the film “Berkeley in the Sixties”. The campus screens this movie at the beginning of every year I think. It really puts a lot of what you will see as you walk by on campus every day into perspective. Buildings will not just be buildings here at Cal…you will be able to feel the ghosts of protesters in the past every time you walk through Sproul!</p>
<p>The challenge, the location, the in state tuition, the chance to pursue an interesting major, being a third generation Cal grad and 8 family members as alumni.</p>
<p>fuggers! Really? Oh well. I guess I’ll just take really challenging classes then! :)</p>
<p>batman, do you know how many credits we are limited to?</p>
<p>You’re allowed up to 16 till the end of phase 2. This is typically just 4 classes, which is probably more than enough freshmen year. You can only continue during the adjustment period, but by this time, most of the classes you want to take would be full
[Change</a> to Tele-BEARS Policy - Office Of The Registrar](<a href=“http://registrar.berkeley.edu/?PageID=tbpolicy.html]Change”>http://registrar.berkeley.edu/?PageID=tbpolicy.html)</p>
<p>okay that makes sense. Thank you :)</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/679953-why-should-i-choose-cal.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/679953-why-should-i-choose-cal.html</a></p>
<p>^^ that thread prob. answers your question in depth. =]</p>