<p>I've been accepted to both but I haven't picked one yet. I am still undecided.</p>
<p>So if anyone chose UCLA over UC Berkeley, what were your reasons?</p>
<p>more finaid, still undecided for sure though.</p>
<p>Yeah I got more financial aid from UCLA as well ($1k more, not that much I guess however). Thought Berkeley would give me more to make this decision easier, heh.</p>
<p>I was accepted to both UCLA and Berkeley, but chose UCLA for a variety of reasons. </p>
<p>First off, UCLA offered me a Regents Scholarship. But besides that, I felt that UCLA was the type of environment in which I could truly experience everything that a large-scale public university has to offer. I have been to UCLA on numerous occasions, and the campus life is brimming with excitement and opportunity. When I visited Berkeley, I did not feel that same type of energy. </p>
<p>Of course, I am generalizing to a great extent. By no means am I saying that Berkeley is not a tremendous university with an active student population. It is absolutely world-class. Yet, when selecting a university, it is an absolute truth that you must discover the type of campus atmosphere which parallels your own personality. For me, that was UCLA, and it was not even a difficult choice. </p>
<p>Now you may be a completely different individual than myself. Perhaps Berkeley is the place for you. I do not know if you have visited both campuses, but I would suggest doing so. When two universities, such as UCLA and Berkeley, are so comparable in terms of academics, you must consider the other variables that will affect the outcome of your decision. Obviously, these variables include campus life, financial aid, the surrounding area, and so forth. You have to prioritize what you want from your college experience and move on from there. </p>
<p>I am sorry if this does not help. I am aware that I am merely quantifying the obvious and I know that can be redundant. Nonetheless, I wish you nothing but the best of luck in your selection process!</p>
<p>I may be a little biased, but I denied UCLA and accepted Cal in a HEARTBEAT! haha…I agree with the previous post, it really depends on which school parallel’s your personality the most. I would visit both schools for sure.</p>
<p>I’m not going to be able to visit the UCLA campus in time to make a decision, so how is it different from Cal’s? Is it a completely different environment, or are there many similarities? I have visited Cal and loved the campus. At the same time, it was a Sunday and no one was around, so I didn’t get a true feel for what it would be like to attend school there.</p>
<p>FeeFee-Here is my opinion of the two campuses:</p>
<p>UCLA-Very beautiful and colorful. Buildings are very old and historic looking, red brick. They remind me of the type of buildings that you see in Europe. Very beautiful looking architecture. Most of the buildings look the same on the north side of campus, the buildings on the south side look a little different and are a bit more modern. There is quite a bit of green grass and a moderate amount of trees (not many, but pretty). If you close your eyes and imagine the quintessential college campus, UCLA is it. I’m sure that has something to do with the amount of movies that have been filmed there. There is A LOT of energy on campus. You get the vibe that all of the students are over the moon to be there. Everyone rocks their UCLA gear and you can just sense that people are really happy. The surrounding area is very nice, it is a little walk to get to the main area in Westwood where the shops are located. It’s not right off the main campus walkway like Telegraph is to Berkeley. </p>
<p>CAL-Very historic and serene campus. You feel like you are out in nature, yet you have the college town around you to constantly remind you that you have everything at your beck and call. Lots of trees, streams and beautiful green grass. The buildings look like they have a greek/roman influence with white pillars and such. I got the impression that the students there are way more serious and I didn’t quite feel the same vibe from them as I did from the students at UCLA. People seemed a little bit pre-occupied (with good reason) and not as spirited. There is a main street (Telegraph) right off the side of the campus that has EVERYTHING that you can possibly imagine. Restaurants, clothing shops, health food grocery stores, Amoeba records, etc. There is another main street about a block over that also has the same things as Telegraph (including a couple movie theaters). Berkeley also has amazing access to San Fran. $7 round trip and it takes you right into union square. I know that you have been there, but at least you can sense if our observations/preferences are similar. </p>
<p>Despite the different vibe that I got from the students, I think that I prefer the Berkeley campus over UCLA.</p>
<p>It’s a hard decision</p>
<p>i turned down Berkeley’s Haas School of Business for UCLA’s Business Econ. Same reasons as the ones mentioned above. I visited CAL and was not very impressed by what it had to offer. Haas is a great business school but i know i will succeed wherever i go. I’m a socal guy and see no reason to ease being one. LA is a great campus, socially exciting and I can’t wait to attend. Berkeley looks like a good choice for a grad school.</p>
<p>kc_sunshine,
you summed it well nicely. forgot to note that UCLA is like a little city in itself with housing on one hill and classroom buildings on the other. At CAL, all of the housing is pretty much off-campus and scattered around. </p>
<p>UCLA has a better greek system for what it’s worth.</p>
<p>hey acceptees, can i ask your SAT scores? I’m appealing Cal and wonder if my scores are a valid enough reason. Got a 1900 without studying (I purposefully wanted to assess myself without the preparation).</p>
<p>i’m pretty sure I’ll go to UCLA but it’s really hard for me to make the decision…</p>
<p>ilivefree: Are you a senior in high school? Because this is the transfer forums… =P And I dont think 1900 will cut it for Cal, I got a 2100 in high school and Cal rejected me.</p>
<p>no, i’m a 32 year old transfer student. i took the SAT in january. and bummer about the SAT score… i didn’t study, but guess i should have.</p>
<p>Just go for the appeal man…You never know! And write some “new and compelling” reason why you should be in at Cal. And 1900 is no way bad, I thought you were a high schooler.</p>
<p>thanks, i will. i’m not sure how they define “new and compelling”, but besides the update on my sat scores, and 4.0 from last semester (as well as 4.0 so far this semester), my spouse started a business in berkeley and we can’t move!!! 
</p>
<p>i had a break down yesterday about how the heck i would be able to afford commuting to a school whilst also doing well in school, whilst also working to pay for the commute and my bills. alas!</p>
<p>Me! I got more financial aid from UCLA and I like the environment better. I could see myself being much happier at LA. </p>
<p>Plus if I chose Berkeley I’d have to wait until Spring semester to start. I’m not very political and my focus is going to be med so UCLA seemed like a better fit.</p>
<p>the choice was made for me UCLA but no bias i think i would have chosen ucla regardless</p>