UC Berkeley OOS v Duke

College Search & Selection
1

I know there are similar topics, but I couldn’t find anything too similar to mine, so here we go. I had committed to UCB, but I just got off the waitlist at Duke.

I got into Berkeley and visited and loved it, I would fit as a very politically active liberal. However, I do not know if it is smart to pay the OOS tuition for Berkeley, the huge undergrad enrollment, class sizes, lack of attention, etc that comes with it being a public institution.

All of the cons to Berkeley are fulfilled by Duke. Since their undergrad enrollment is much much lower, the class sizes are lower, you get to know your professor, and you get the attention you pay for though Duke is slightly more expensive (10k), they are both extremely expensive, and I did not get any aid from either. However, the atmosphere that I liked at Berkeley is obviously very different at Duke though I am sure I could find liberals.

I would choose Berkeley hands down if I were majoring in CS or engineering, but I plan to major in poli sci or public policy. Also, I know people say it doesn’t matter, but Duke is much more selective, and I put in hundreds of hours into my extra curriculars to get into this selective of a university, so I feel it’s as if I owe it to myself to go there, and if the quality of the student body can be measured by the standardized test scores, Duke’s student profile is a caliber above Berkeley’s. Also, Prestige obviously isn’t and shouldnt be a deciding factor in college decisions, but I do take that into consideration considering how much I worked in high school for an incredible school, and to my understanding, for undergrad, Duke is more prestigious, but that is up for debate.

I am just wondering if there is a clear edge here that I am missing considering I would be an OOS student at Cal and majoring in poli sci. Thank you everyone:)

2

It’s a bit late for this question?

3

Nope, Duke has given me until Monday to decide. Since I got off the waitlist:)

4

Why not Duke?

5

Hey another purple on here haha. It is 15k more, and I really liked the urban environment coupled with the campus culture of activism and history of liberalism at Cal. However, I wouldn’t say I had one of those moments where I stepped on the campus and said I must go here and fell in love, but it was really nice nonetheless. I am visiting Duke this weekend, but I am just worried I am going to really like Duke too and then become stuck on Monday with an impossible decision.

6

Prestige does not matter for a major like Poli Sci. Both are good enough - unless your ultimate goal is consulting or the like in which berkeley places well enough as well.

15k more a year sounds like full pay at Duke.

7

It is full pay at duke. It’s closer to 10k more a year actually since duke includes a misc and travel section in their calculations.

8

Duke. Why pay all that $ for OOS public? Duke all the way. You will know when you visit, I don’t think you will be stuck with impossible decision.

9

Makes no sense to pay OOS tuition to Cal for a basic degree like Poli Sci.

10

Thank you, and I really hope so. I really do understand that OOS public full tuition argument when I can pay almost the same price and get a private. I just was unsure because of Cal’s rep and being the best public university thing.

11

You don’t seem like you like Duke at all. Did you send updates etc. when you were waitlisted?

This would be a no-brainer for Duke if I was making the decision but it doesn’t sound like you care for the school.

12

Hi, it’s not that I have anything against Duke. It is just that I thought I wasn’t going to Berkeley for a month, so I just know more about it and became proud of it. I wasn’t given the opportunity yet to like Duke the same way. I was actually leaning towards Duke, but you saying it’s a no brainer makes me feel better with that decision.

And yes I did send a letter of continued interest.

13

Cal for less money for other things and travel. Activism. Sounds like what you’d want.

14

@PurpleDragonn: “However, the atmosphere that I liked at Berkeley is obviously very different at Duke though I am sure I could find liberals.”

My daughter is a junior at Duke. The vibe at Duke may be different from UCB, but the student body is very liberal.

15

I wouldn’t pay all that money for an OOS public school. All you have to do is to visit Berkeley’s campus. My vote is on Duke.

16

What does instate or out of state have to do with it? That’s silly. It’s what happens on the inside of the classes and the scholarship more than what the grounds look like.

For political science cal is #4 and Duke Is #7
Global rankings cal is much more renowned
Overall usnwr Duke is top 10 and cal is 22
Sports Duke is much better than cal. Duke has a nicer campus for sure.

Pretend they are both private.

Berkeley for less money than Duke. For a poli sci leader and a history of liberal activism. Duke for better college experience and great poli sci. Southern flare versus California Bay Area Ethos.

Both are great. But less money slightly better rankings in poli sci and left wing slant. Cal could make sense.

17

What matters is a public school like Berkeley is beholden to CA’s budget. You can’t pretend they are both private, because they are not. Walking around Berkeley seeing the state of their buildings and surrounding area and compare it to its “peer” private schools, you would be able to see the difference.

18

But they are not, and that’s the point. A top private for a few more dollars offers a much better value prop, IMO. Better housing, better advising, smaller classes, more faculty interaction, less bureaucracy (Berkeley Student Affairs/Housing ain’t got nothing on the DMV)…

19

Berkeley had to make some changes to improve its budget deficit, and one of them was to admit more out of state students. Its deficit went from $150 mill to $50 mill recently.

https://www.dailycal.org/2018/02/01/uc-berkeleys-budget-deficit-dwindles-campus-community-can-cautiously-optimistic/

20

I see the points being made. But come on, Cal isn’t going out of business.

I would go to Duke, personally. But I’m not liberal or an activist. And poli sci would be the last thing I studied.

This isn’t about us though. It’s about the OP and his specific objectives.

But come on. Let’s be honest here. Duke is not the heart of liberal activism and of income equality. Duke is certainly not more highly regarded than cal in the field of choicd for the op.

Grounds. Facilities. Sports. Red tape. Duke all the way.

If there were anywhere other than. Cal and the OPs stated objective I would agree.

In this case, just not sure I would pay more for the niceties.

But I can see choosing Duke and for the reasons mentioned too.