^^^oops forgot to put your name @howToDecide2017
@Undercrackers you bring up the cost difference and that is something I’m really struggling with. Do i send him to a private where he really wants to go which will be 11.5k more a year but closer to home or public for a lot less. I keep arguing with the tiny guys sitting on my shoulders. One minute i agree with the one making the private argument and the next with the one making the public argument. YIKES! 8-}
Okay; will call UCLA fin. aid … but if no change, I like your idea @letsshare re switching with eachother’s fin. aid ! (even tho. yours is 8 K and mine 12 K, I’d take the 8K for ucla) . But yeah I agree with the other comment above, re. that UCB has great reputation so I should go visit.
whoo anyone have any advice on Vanderbilt vs Cal Regents for engineering? both are about the same price for me (actually, Vandy is about 5k cheaper, but if my parents’ finances change over the next few years Vandy might change in price. I’m in-state for Cal.) I kind of want the private experience out of college, but I’m also not sure about Vandy’s engineering program + the social environment differences.
Does anyone know if there’s a groupme?
@scarletwitchx if ur going engineering i think cal with regents would be better
I keep hearing about UC Berkeley’s cut throat environment… How bad is it? Is it similar to MIT? Also, does it depend on the major? Heard that College of Engineering at Berkeley is more collaborative than competitive (“cut throat”), is it true?
@letsshare Who’s writing the checks here? Let’s pretend that the 11.5K/year difference doesn’t change over the course of 4 years (it probably will, depending on which school ratchets up % more). That is an extra $46,000.00. That is A LOT of money. I don’t know what private you are talking about, so I can’t say whether it’s worth that extra $$ or not, in terms of ROI, vs. the #1 public school in the world. You can buy a lot of transportation to and from Cal for that kind of $, so I don’t know that proximity is necessarily a factor here. If he really wants to go to the private, find out what he’s willing to pony up for it. It’s easy for kids to want things they don’t have to pay for themselves.
I would not say that proximity is not a factor though. Even if you can afford a lot of plane tickets, a kid who goes across the country probably won’t have time to fly home till Christmas. It’s a different experience than being a couple hours from home which is a manageable distance for a weekend trip. Not saying the cost difference shouldn’t trump that, but it is a real difference.
@Undercrackers and apples4 thanks for your feedback. I agree with the feasibility of visiting, it won’t only be cheaper to visit but easier to do do. As for what he is contributing, i like that you bring that up because I’ve really tried to instill in them to not take things for granted, so i appreciate you saying that. He is a private tutor and works 3 to 4 hours per week. He has been saving for college since he was a kid, not much by adult standards but a good percent of money he every got. He has been applying for scholarships like a madman and has received some money. He wants work study and we are wanting that too, but we would really prefer he doesn’t take out loans at least until the last 2 years. Btw, the private is USC, he really likes their engineering plus program and a progressive degree where he can get a bachelors and masters in 5 years. But that ucb ranking and cost difference can be hard to overlook.
@letsshare a lot of Berkeley engineering departments provide the opportunity to work to a 5-year bachelor’s/master’s! I’d check out the opportunities at the department your son is interested in. If he hasn’t visited, though, he definitely should.
You are not admitted to CS as a major in L&S. You have to declare later your major as CS where as you are admitted as CS major in EECS.
Thanks @scarletwitchx for letting me know about the 5 year programs. Yeah, we’ve visited a couple of times and going back on the 22nd. Thanks for the tip though, i know the area isn’t for everyone.
Is CS cutthroat if you are in L&S since u have to maintain a certain gpa to become an L&S CS major at berkeley?
How likely do you think it is for a waitlisted student to be admitted this year?
apparently they accepted 33% of waitlisted students last year, so I’d say it’s decent @tigerman333!
does anyone know how hard it is to get into theme programs (WiSE, specifically)? I’ve noticed that a lot of people are interested in it in the c/o 2021 group…
Is anyone else having trouble accessing the housing application?
Any one here declining the offer
How much is berkeley’s deposit fee for committing?
@USUG21 Me…for UCSD