<p>Please help! May 1st is fast approaching. I already SIR'd to UCB but I'm having second thoughts due to two things: </p>
<p>1) the Neuroscience major at UCLA involving a capstone research project more geared toward my interest vs. the Neurobiology major as a concentration within MCB (basically more biology focused) without a capstone project imbedded into the major but that I could supplement with elective classes and independent research to suit my interests. I am also considering double majoring in Political Economy/Economics/Business.</p>
<p>2) higher risk (more competition => lower GPA) for minimal rewards (UCB reputation advantage not as heavy as predicted - suffer in career/grad school prospects later on). </p>
<p>The soft factors aren't of much consequence to me at this moment as I know I could be happy at either school and cost is similar for both - I just want to make sure I'm not making a mistake career-wise by choosing Berkeley. My interests lie in the life and social sciences with thoughts toward research, non-profit work, and med/grad school. Perhaps ambitiously I'd like to be making at least $60,000 when I graduate if I decide to go into the workforce (business) right away.</p>
<p>So my question is: how big of an advantage is there REALLY for Berkeley grads v. UCLA grads in the job market/grad school? Is a UCLA degree considered about equal to a UCB degree nowadays? Also, how much more rigorous would you say Berkeley is than UCLA?</p>
<p>I think you are making a big mistake thinking Berkeley is that much different than UCLA in terms of harsh curvess and academic rigor. There is no way someone who has a mediocre GPA at Berkeley in the NeuroBiology concentration of MCB could switch to UCLA and do wonderfully. I just don’t think, based on the exams and grade distributions i have seen from both schools that one is significantly different from the other in academic rigor.</p>
<p>Berkeley would be better suited if you wanted to work in the biotech industry with a biology degree because its next to Silicon Valley where a lot of start ups are.</p>
<p>Alright, thank you both @Jweinst1@ucbalumnus. If I were to go to work right after college I’d plan to go into business rather than biology; I understand from reported salaries of MCB grads that median starting salaries for them tend to be around mid-forty-thousands.</p>
<p>@jae221 $60,000 is possible if it’s a business type of job geared towards the sciences, such as consulting for biotech or etc. So, you could still do both. You would just have to build up your resume through internships or clubs that have similar activities on campus (we do have a lot of consulting clubs). Consulting and marketing jobs are more likely to be near $60,000 or higher if you are interested in that kind of career. </p>