<p>Hi guys, I'm having a really hard time deciding between these two schools, and would like to hear what others think.</p>
<p>A bit about me:
I don't think money will be too much of an issue, as I'm low-income and Cal has given me a generous aid package (I'm in-state). I haven't received my aid package yet from UVA, and I know their aid system has changed a bit since then, but my sibling graduated from UVA a few years ago, and they were also very generous.
I don't have any specific goals in mind, but I want to work for the government on an international level (I plan on double majoring in foreign affairs/political science and East Asian studies/Asian studies).</p>
<p>I really like UVA's grounds and the culture surrounding that school. It's on the East Coast, where I'm originally from, and where I'll probably want to be working at some point later in my life.
Cal seems to have better name recognition both in Asia and in the US, and is higher than UVA in just about every ranking. It's also close to my parents (which is a good thing).</p>
<p>I know both schools are great, and I'm incredibly thankful to have gotten into either of them, but I'll have to make a decision within the next few weeks and I keep changing my mind throughout the day. I just want to know which school will be better for me in the long run.</p>
<p>Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Both are great options. I’m not an expert, but I always assumed that California universities had better connectiona to Asian issues than East Coast universities. However, UVa certainly has better connections to everything happening in the DC area.</p>
<p>As an OOS student, UVa will probably offer you $4,000 of work study and $7,000 of loans. The net tuition for you will be much lower than the sticker price, and aid will increase as tuition rates increase. You may be able to afford to reduce that amount of work study if you work full time during the summers or if you can obtain some outside scholarships. However, if you want to do a summer internship, most are unpaid for undergrads.</p>
<p>I’d carefully factor in travel costs. It can be particularly expensive if you want to come home for Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>Also, consider state college grants. Many states provide much higher grants if you attend an in-state university, or don’t allow any of their grants to be used out of state.</p>
<p>If you want to end up working on the West Coast or Asia, I’d suggest Berkeley. UVa may have advantages if you want to end up on the East Coast.</p>
<p>By the way, UVa does have a very large population of Asian and Asian-American students, including hundreds of international or US students of Chinese, South Korean or Indian descent. However, it is not nearly as high as Berkeley. </p>
<p>If you are not too old to apply, you might also want to look at UVa’s Batten School of Public Policy and Leadership. Once you are admitted, the class sizes are smaller than some political science classes, and it is very easy to get into the classes that you want. </p>
<p>You can also do a 5 year joint bachelors -masters at Batten, which accepts applicants during a student’s 3rd year. That 5 year program could involve a bachelors in IR and a masters in public policy. Regular UVa aid applies for the 4 years, and then you would have to apply for a fellowship to help cover the costs of the 5th year. However, it is not as easy to complete the program in 5 years as it would appear, mainly because of strange rules of the UVa Politics Dept.</p>
<p>This question has a simple answer: Cal.</p>
<p>If you are in-state for Cal why would travel across the nation to pay OOS for UVA? Just doesn’t make sense. Like you said, Cal is higher ranked in just about every field and will be cheaper in long-run. </p>
<p>Thanks for all of your answers so far!</p>
<p>I want to know what would be the better choice, not considering the dollar costs. As I said in my original post, I’m low-income and Berkeley has given me a generous financial aid package, and I would hope and expect that UVA would do the same, even though I am out-of-state. I say this because my sibling is a UVA alum and didn’t have to pay anything at all because they covered 100% of the demonstrated need… which was everything.
One thing that’s keeping me from committing to Berkeley is that I want to work for the government, and I’ve been told over and over again by others that Berkeley is better for those who want to join nonprofits, while UVA is better for those who want to work for the government. </p>
<p>Because UVa’s policies have changed, you probably would have more work study and loans than your brother did,. The numbers I provided above for UVa are standardized for out of state US students. </p>
<p>At the same, the Bay Area is a much more expensive place to live than Cville. The travel costs may equal the increased cost of living costs, particularly if you have to live off campus for Berkeley.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t pick UVa over Berkeley just to increase your changes with getting hired by the Feds. I’m sure there are plenty of Berkeley grads who are hired by fed agencies. You might check to see whether Berkeley sponsors summer programs in DC - some universities do. IF Berkeley allows you to attend with less loans and less travel costs, you might be able to use those cost savings to do an unpaid summer internship in DC, which could increase your chances of getting hired by the feds. </p>
<p>I thought that UVa didn’t offer scholarships or much financial aid to out of state students. </p>
<p>UVa meets full documented need of all US students. However, meeting full need includes work study and federal loans. There are only two public universities that meet full need of out of state students - UVa and UNC-CH. </p>