Hello everyone! I’d like to preface this post by noting that I’ve seen the similar discussions from past years (I’ve been drowning myself in research for the past week). That being said, I would greatly appreciate any advice anyone could offer.
Anyhow, I was recently accepted to both UC Berkeley and UC Davis, the later with a regents scholarship that provides $30,000, access to professors, a special dorm room, and priority registration for classes among numerous other perks. Although I applied as a psychology major, double majoring is something I am very interested in, and I could see myself adding either philosophy or political science. In the long term, I can see myself either attending graduate school in psychology/philosophy or law school (there is very little chance I’m going to stop after undergrad!). As I’m sure you can already see, I tend to be rather indecisive.
I grew up in Berkeley and I absolutely love the bay area. Unfortunately, I was forced to move long before I was ready, and I am still very attached to Berkeley on both a geographic and aesthetic level. Furthermore, the prestige of the campus is unsurpassed, especially for both psychology and law. That all being said, I’ve traditionally been a very competitive student, and although that characteristic led me to be very successful in high school, I’m not sure I would appreciate an environment that fosters even more competition than I’m used to. After all, college is a place for expanding one’s horizons and Berkeley makes me feel as though I will either have to sacrifice a social life or abandon my plans for a double major (a course my love of learning all but forbids). Additionally, I worry Berkeley’s curved grading system would hinder my efforts to reach graduate school, for I’ve always excelled academically, but having to become the best of the best is daunting.
Enter UC Davis. First and foremost, my financial situation shouldn’t be an issue one way or another. However, the Regents Scholarship is far more than just money! It will give me access to professors and research that could prepare me well both internally (research experience/internships) and externally (letters of rec) for graduate school. The dorm situation seems far more agreeable at Davis. Additionally, the competitive spirit that pervades Berkeley seems far more temperate at Davis, which could allow me to double major, join a few ECs, socialize, and ultimately enjoy a far more comprehensive college experience. Davis seems like a preferable stepping stone to graduate school, but I’m worried that choosing Davis over Berkeley would put me at a disadvantage when it comes to employment opportunities. Additionally, as I said earlier, Berkeley (the city) is still my home and I’m very reluctant to relinguish my opportunity to return there. All this being said, I haven’t visited UC Davis yet—I know that doing so is very important, but the stress of this decision is tremendous and I don’t want to wait until the last minute to seek all the advice I can! So let’s just say I hypothetically enjoy the campus, as the descriptions I’ve seen and heard are very pleasant—but I plan to do so soon.
I apologize for the length of my post, but this dilemma is tearing me apart, so any advice or suggestions anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for your time.