OP,
1- NO ONE has been admitted yet to ANY UC’s [ unless they are recruited athletes and have been “told” they are IN", so I dont know why you are saying you have been admitted.
You are talking to many very experienced , knowledgeable adults who know a lot about college admissions on this thread, NOT some fellow HS students. So when you post a link , be SURE that the information backs up your story. The link you posted does NOT validate your claim to an early acceptance.
from the link you posted-
"Berkeley notifies applicants of receipt of application- early January. "
2-IF you were already admitted to USC and invited to interview for a merit scholarship [accepted merit scholarship students are the ONLY USC applicants who have received the nice white box from the admissions office so far] then you should go to see the school…
3- There were protests at UCB all through the 60’s , very much like what you have seen recently, and they did NOT diminish the ACADEMIC reputation of UCB ONE bit. So tell your uncle that the ACADEMIC reputation of UCB is still very much intact.
@menloparkmom Re 2) OP could be admitted at this point to USC with a Dean’s scholarship (1/4 tuition, also via the white box), which does not require an interview. I would strongly suggest a full-day visit to the campus for the OP before deciding on USC, however.
Agree on all other points. UCB tours even highlight the free speech movement history and explain why double doors do not have outside handles on both doors. (So they can’t be chained shut.)
Tldr: OP has not been admitted to UCB, as he claimed. On evidence, he didn’t even apply, since he claims the impossible application date of August 3rd, before UC application process opened.
Most likely diagnosis: this is a right-wing troll attempt, not unlike the one that got shut down at UCB. There is no need to defend as “free speech” material which is dishonest and only intended to sow discord.
Violent suppression of our right to free speech should concern and not be tolerated by those on the right and the left. If we are not willing to listen to others with different opinions we are all in trouble.
OK, instead of this guy speaking to 50 people in a small classroom the protestors put him on Fox, and CNN in front of 50,000,000 eyes…smart move!
Even if OP has not applied or been admitted as claimed, I am sure there will be many admitted students who would be very concerned with the recent violence at UCB. It is very scary and frightening for any bystander to be in the midst of a violent protest. The violence was caused by the “black bloc” anarchist group who also initiated similar violence in demonstrations in Oakland. They look intimidating and dress in black and cover their faces in black. The UCB students protested peacefully.
If USC is considered and cost is not an issue, generally, the patrolled area is relatively safe.
Lack of freedom of speech on US campuses in general and at Berkeley campus in particular is very upsetting to many parents and students. I suspect that this year there will be many who turn down their acceptances into Berkeley for that reason.
@gmfreedom Lack of freedom of speech? This controversial speaker was welcomed by UCB’s administration and was given every opportunity to come and speak. The VP of the Berkeley College Republicans (the group responsible for inviting Milo) has even been quoted as saying UC Berkeley “worked tirelessly to protector their rights.”
Milo was permitted to speak but when you have an unpopular opinion and your entire notoriety is based exclusively on your edge and shock factor, don’t be surprised if others try and drown you out. The violence was uncalled for, yes, but that has nothing to do with the students or campus or administration or freedom of speech. It was from outside sources that had no interested but breaking windows and lighting things on fire. It was because of the safety issues presented by these outside groups that the event had to be cancelled.
The freedom to say what you want does not guarantee the freedom to say what you want without consequences. Nor does it guaranteed one a platform at a prominent public venue, such as the University of California at Berkeley.
My daughter is a Junior at Haas. I gotta tell you UCB is diverse and full of opportunities. It’s a fantastic school. Be careful about letting others talk you into something or outta something. Do some soul searching.
When I applied for transfer in 1979, I was choosing between Cornell and Brown. Someone showed me the headlines of the Boston Globe, “JFK Junior Gets Into DoorMat of Ivy League.” I was asked do you really wanna go to the doormat of the ivy league?
I chose Cornell mostly because the Nobel Prize Winner in my field of Chemistry was on faculty there and I’d have a chance to study with him. Still, look at Brown’s reputation now…It’s a fabulous school now as it was then.
Do what you feel comfortable doing, and don’t let anyone persuade you. Berkeley is and will always be a world-class school with a great Engineering program.
OP. I don’t think you will do well at either Cal or UCLA. That’s even if you get it, as you obviously have not. Do you even know what an acceptance is?? What’s your deal? Do you really think you can convince this group you’ve received an acceptance letter? Get real!
If you are rethinking UCB cause of recent event, you may want to add University of Washington to the list, because the week before the riot at UCB there was a bigger protest/riot with bricks and paint thrown at police and a man shot in the middle of campus for the exact same speaker.
But you only hear about UCB because it gets the headlines, just like USC if there is any crime. Even if something worse goes on elsewhere, people “love to hate” these two schools because of their success, being CA schools, etc. Bigger headlines = bigger audiences. It is ok for events to influence you, but do your homework and don’t be blind to what is happening everywhere, not just at the schools that the news likes to highlight because it is a slow news day otherwise.
Via OP’s link, UCB says some students received early notification in 2016 , if they were being considered for Regents’ or Chancellor’s. USC makes you wait.
But really, UCLA is much closer to the beach.
And UCB is going to have a full freshman class this fall, regardless. You don’t think the whole campus is abandoning their goals because of some events, right?
Hey! Current student at Cal here! Honestly, you can choose to be part of the riots or not, and there are plenty of people on both sides whom you can talk to and get support from. The only way I personally was impacted was that I had to take a couple more minutes walking home in order to avoid the middle of the school. (Regents’ scholar too and I don’t think notifications have been released–sit tight though they’re coming!) But I definitely do not think it takes away from the school AT ALL it’s still am amazing school with amazing people and I stand by my choice even in the face of current events.
OP, I have a sophomore at Cal that couldn’t possibly like her University more. She and her friends lamented the actions of the outsiders but were not affected in the least. If this one incident is a deal breaker for you though, please be sure to withdraw your application as I have my second in the applicant pool this spring and one less competitor helps. Cal will be able to carry on without you.
I understand someone’s trepidation about going to Cal in light of its recent inability to manage its latest protest. It’s easy to read the papers, look at a website, watch the news and think that the entire school and Berkeley itself has become a lawless place. My freshman D kept well away from the activity when going back to her dorm and stayed there the rest of the night, studying with the rest of her floormates, as she would do on any normal night. Protests are kind of Cal’s “thing” and sort of expected. D is plenty happy to be at Cal. There are ten of thousands of students on that campus. No one group speaks for all of them.
D was accepted to all 3 schools OP mentions. Even if I had the $ to send her to USC, I still think she would have picked between UCLA and UCB. UCB won because of its weather, diversity and that it’s not L.A. (and I lived in SoCal for a good chunk of my life and was convinced that’s where she would go after attending Bruin Day). And, yes, its academic reputation.
Any employer who labels a Cal graduate as “disgraced” because of the actions of a very small percentage of the student population (and administrators, and outsiders, etc.) is over-reactive and ill informed. So we should judge someone based on where they came from, rather than the person they are? You know what that sounds a lot like?
College campuses are a microcosm of life. An incident like this could happen anywhere. My son was a freshman in Boston when the Marathon bombing happened, for example. What I find encouraging is that colleges have excellent communications with students when something unusual happens, whether it is a snowstorm, a protest, or even a terror event. There are steady communications about places to avoid and when to shelter in place. Parents can find good information on the college websites usually in the form of a banner message about an event impacting safety. I would not let an incident like this influence my decision unless it was more of an ongoing problem.