UC Berk Regents vs Northwestern!? Ahhh helpppp

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
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<p>I'm incredibly torn which school to go to, especially since many have told me they're on par academically/prestige wise (if you think otherwise please tell me so), but here are my pros and cons for both:</p>

<p>I was literally 99% SET on going to NU before Cal day...now I'm totally lost what to do.</p>

<p>-Cost isn't really an issue; my parents told me to make the right college decision for myself without thinking of the financial part (yes even though NU is nearly double the cost)</p>

<p>-Academically: I have NO idea what I want to major in/have as a career, etc, but will probably double major (maybe econ and a science? again, NO idea) and am MAYBE thinking of doing premed. However, I want the time and flexibility to explore various random classes fields to see what might interest me, which I feel NU's quarter system and distribution requirements gives me more than Cal's semester system. However at Cal since I have regents, getting classes will not be a problem.
-Parents think that since Cal is bigger and a more "intense, competitive" environment, I may be able to shine/excel more at NU with slightly less "competition"
-Regents scholar at Cal is a good thing to have for internships/research opportunities, but getting those shouldn't be a problem at NU either</p>

<p>-Socially: I've always dreamed of going away to a smaller private school OOS for college, but now that I actually have the chance I'm doubting myself...
-I thought NU's campus was GORGEOUS but since it's smaller (student wise) it just felt a little bit quieter/low-key/lonely to me walking around campus :/ I mean that was just my impression during wildcat days compared to the UCs and I'm sure theres tons to do always, but it just struck me a bit
-I've heard NU is cliquey and has a terrible dating scene/not too stellar social scene :/ Social scene/friends is really important to my happiness lol (I will prob party/maybe go greek)
-Though I think Cal's campus is super ugly, whenever I visited I LOVED how much bustling activity and liveliness there was going around, it just fit my ideal schema of what a "college environment" should be like. I just get the impression I would be happier socially there (downside-no spring rush unlike NU). This is the main thing drawing me to Cal when previously I was set on going to NU</p>

<p>Misc: -I've never really been afraid of going OOS/freezing weather, but now that decision time is here I'm second guessing myself and whether I'll be miserable if I go to NU when I have Berk close to home and its gorgeous weather...however before a week ago this wasn't even worrying me and I'm pretty adaptable so maybe it's just my last minute nerves? I've always hated the idea of sticking to my comfort zone with Berk so idk why I'm changing my mind last minute...</p>

<p>-The main reason I never wanted to go to Berk before was that college for me REALLY needs to be a completely fresh, new start, which Berk wouldn't really be with the same norcal culture, tons of people I already know from school/around the bay area/CA, etc...i'm not sure if its ideal to "reinvent myself" if I'm limited by all these people from my past who I really want to escape from so I can start fresh
(people have told me Berk is still big enough to do this but it's a gamble...)</p>

<p>PLEASE ADVISE ME ON WHAT TO DO! :( Thanks!!!</p>

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<p>In summary my three main points:

  1. Academic flexibility
  2. Happy socially (better at Cal? Unsure about NU cause I’m unfamiliar with it…)
  3. Fresh start</p>
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<p>Berkeley </p>

<p>Although there are people you know going there, many many people you don’t know will be going there too. It is an amazing school, which offers a student unsure of major many chances to experience a range of fields, cultures, beliefs and life perspectives. What many of us hope a university will do. Great reputation here in the Midwest.</p>

<p>Northwestern is much more practically oriented pre-professional school; engineering is huge. Most students know what they are there to do, and do it. It is in a quiet suburb, not the city of Chicago. Limited public transportation (no BART) means you are a bit isolated.</p>

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<p>Thanks for your opinion!</p>

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<p>1) Academic flexibility - Northwestern
2) Happy socially(especially for you) - Cal
3) Fresh start - either place. Cal is a big place. You will most likely be lost than bump into people you know in high school.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>For what it’s worth, in our experience none of the above statements are correct.</p>

<p>Our D travels to Chicago frequently. The elevated trains (similar to BART) have stops all along campus, the METRA is also nearby (a train that’s a bit nicer than the el) plus there is a free NU shuttle that runs downtown to the med and law schools. </p>

<p>Also - every kid at NU I’ve spoken with LOVES their school, including the social scene. There are more things to do on campus every night than you could possibly sample, and we know many kids who stay in town every summer and hate to leave when they graduate.</p>

<p>You probably won’t go wrong with either school, but try not to make a decision based on incorrect information or a fear of change. </p>

<p>Exciting times – best of luck to you!!</p>

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<p>Northwestern is no more preprofessional than Cal. Citing its strong commitment to a well-rounded education, Northwestern administration has refused to offer a full-blown undergraduate business degree program; instead, it offers Kellogg certificate programs that are much more rigorous than a typical undergrad business degree program but at the same time they only complement students’ primary majors. All the specialty schools require their students to take lots of courses outside of their own schools. For example, Medill students are required to take 31-33 courses outside of Medill; theater majors are required to take at least 18 courses in liberal arts. </p>

<p>The “El” is part of the city of Chicago subway and runs significantly more frequently than BART. BART is kinda like a hybrid - more frequent than commuter trains like CalTrain but less frequent than a typical subway (since MUNI runs inside San Francisco). El is also quite a bit cheaper; it’s $2.25 one way including two transfers within 2 hours for only 25 cents. OTOH, taking BART to SF would cost $3.70; if you need to go to, say, Sunset or Castro, you’d have to add another $2 for MUNI.</p>

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<p>My friend had to choose between NU and Cal for Econ. He chose NU because of the smaller class size and Kellog classes.</p>

<p>You are still deciding between business and STEM. So Berkeley might be a better option because it is great for both. I don’t think NU is that good for STEM.</p>

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<p>^Actually NU is highly ranked (top-10 or top-5) in chemistry, industrial engineering, and material science. Its ISP (integrated science program) rivals Harvey Mudd and CalTech in terms of rigor and even produced 3 Goldwater winners in a single year (2010), a feat that’s probably never been achieved by any other program.</p>