<p>** For those of you who are declining Berkeley's offer of admission, where are you going and why did you choose that school over Berkeley? **</p>
<p>I'll go first: I'm turning down Berkeley for Pomona College because even though Berkeley is a much more interesting place than Claremont, I like the idea of a personalized, intimate educational experience at a small liberal arts college better than the experience at a large public school. I might end up going to law school at Boalt Hall in four years, though...you never know. I feel very honored to have been accepted as an out-of-state applicant by Berkeley, and I just hope that my place can be taken by someone for whom Berkeley is a better fit than for me.</p>
<p>I'm going to USC because I've been admitted to the business school. I really want to do business, and I don't want to take the risk of attempting to get into Haas. USC also gave me a scholarship, and it has the advantages of a private school.</p>
<p>I'm going to Stanford, although it was more of a fight than you'd think. In the end, I gave up all the friends I have at Cal, the apartment we would've lived together in, the gelato shops, the many many ethnic restaurants, the chocolate factory, the church, and the extremely vibrant and happening environment because of the sweet financial aid package I got from Stanford, all the amazing things that led to my acceptance (and ability to pay for going there), and the feeling of my parents, mentors, and even friends at Berkeley. And maybe also the amazing study abroad program Stanford has. I am definitely studying abroad (at least a year!) in college. (Reading stuff on this forum makes me sad though...<em>sigh</em>)</p>
<p><a href="from%20ebonytear">quote</a>
And maybe also the amazing study abroad program Stanford has. I am definitely studying abroad (at least a year!) in college.
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<p>From the *Stanford Daily<a href="OSP%20means" title="Overseas Studies Programs">/i</a>:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Life on the OSP waitlist
by Editorial Board
March 8, 2006</p>
<p>[...]
We are coming to terms with the fact that even after having been admitted to Stanford, there is still a great deal of competition for limited opportunities. Its not as if all doors magically opened once we entered Stanford; there are still plenty of applications left to fill out.
[...]
However, since the acceptance decisions were announced for next falls Overseas Studies Programs, the selection criteria has raised many eyebrows. Most of these decisions have no obvious rationale; the nebulous standards for admission can only be guessed at based on the applicants personal statement.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the OSP waitlist has become a popular place to hang out, even for people considered to be shoo-ins for an overseas program. Many qualified students have been rejected from popular programs such as Paris and Santiago. Other students were deferred to a second choice, and still others are figuring out the changes theyll have to make to their four-year plans.
[...]
OSP and the University need to be more honest about overseas programs. They should state clearly that Stanfords overseas program will not be able to accommodate everyone, and that students should be expected to apply to non-Stanford programs if they want to plan their academic programs with greater certainty.</p>
<p>And as competition for overseas programs continues to rise, OSP needs to make the selection process more transparent. It should clearly frame the selection criteria in terms of more objective measures like language requirements, grade-point averages, relevance to ones major or participation in extracurricular activities. The program also needs to accommodate the increasing demand for its overseas programs, or at least start by being honest about how competitive it is to see the world this way.</p>
<p>OSP should avoid inflating our expectations; instead, the program should only make promises that it can realistically keep.
<p>I'm picking Caltech over Berkeley. I think I'd have much more research opportunities and professor interaction by picking Caltech. I'd also have a more close-knit student body and my education would be a higher priority. I still really respect Cal, and I might come back for grad school! A lot of friends are going to Berkeley.</p>
<p>JHU. it was a really, really hard decision and i agonized over it for weeks. i wanted to go east and to a private school, but berkeley is in an amazing city, cheaper, and more familiar. familiarity went both ways, though, since i think college is all about going out of your comfort zone. but after visiting both campuses, i liked hopkins' better. the deciding factor was that i'm doing premed, and it doesn't get any better than hopkins..</p>
<p>I turned down Cal for The College of William and Mary. It came down to size... a school with 5,000 was much more appealing than a school with 25,000. Good luck to everyone.</p>