UC Berkeley or UCLA for an English major?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>Hello all,</p>

<p>With hearing back from Stanford (the last school on which I was waiting) today, I now know what all of the colleges to which I applied think of me; nine accepted me and five rejected me, so I can now make my decision of which college I want to attend for the next four years. Easier said than done. </p>

<p>Right now, I think I've narrowed it down to UC Berkeley and UCLA (I also have an offer from USC, but I don't feel the same rush when stepping onto their campus as when I step onto the Berkeley or UCLA campus, so I think it's going to be Cal or LA for me). They both are offering me the same amount of financial aid, so that isn't a factor; however, I am very much stuck between the two schools.</p>

<p>This just may be the millionth post on CC posing the question "UC Berkeley or UCLA?," but I still feel the need to ask it. I, an aspiring English major, have until the end of April to decide which of these two fine institutions I want to attend, and I'm having trouble doing so. I already have a "pros and cons" word document started on this very subject, but I want all the assistance I can get, and I want it from everyone.</p>

<p>Current UC Berkeley students, former UC Berkeley students, future UC Berkeley students, parents of UC Berkeley students, UC Berkeley faculty and staff, current UCLA students, former UCLA students, future UCLA students, parents of UCLA students, UCLA faculty and staff, anyone else (when I say everyone, I mean everyone), if you could please add your two cents to this thread, assessing my complex situation in an attempt to assist me, and help me to decide which school I'll be attending this fall. That would be amazing- thank you in advance for any info you would like to throw my way.</p>

<p>And yes, I'm posting this in both the UC Berkeley and UCLA forums, as to not get totally biased responses.</p>

<p>Thanks again, everyone!</p>

2

<p>Berkeley’s rated #1 in English.<br>
Berkeley has a more intellectual environment vs. UCLA and USC.</p>

3

<p>UCBChemEGrad, I know about the English ranking, but it’s interesting to hear that Cal has a more intellectual environment than UCLA. I’m leaning towards Cal as of right now, but I’m going to think about it throughout April. Looking at your username, I presume you went to Cal (I’ve also seen posts by you every once in a while, since I became addicted to CC last summer), so do you have any other info about the school, and your experience attending?</p>

4

<p>ClassClown,
I look back at my time at Berkeley very fondly. Academics were of course challenging. It was a bit of a culture shock walking down Telegraph for the first time but I grew to love it. The city is very student oriented. Many cheap, good places to eat. Going to football games on campus on Saturday afternoons with friends provided diversion. San Fran and airports all accessible via BART trains was very convenient. The students are academically and culturally engaged. It just felt very different and refreshing being from southern California.</p>

5

<p>ChemEGrad, that’s very interesting. I’ve visited Cal only once, but did pick up on the cultural air that the campus and city had. I also am from Southern California, and am partially looking for something different than what I’ve lived since I was three months old, so Northern California and specifically the city of Berkeley intrigue me. The good (and, probably more importantly, cheap!) places to eat, challenging academics, intellectual attitude, and proximity to San Francisco that you mention also make Cal seem very attractive to me. Thanks for all the info! I’ll have to make my decision soon, and when I do, I’ll post it in this thread, if you’d like to know what I end up choosing.</p>

6

<p>What was your gpa?</p>

7

<p>Just to insert historical context, Berkeley was always perceived as an enclave of intellectualism and scholarly activity that was opposite the big-time collegiate atmosphere of UCLA, although this perception has changed since the 90s with the emergence of Cal as an athletic powerhouse and the subsequent displacement of UCLA’s prominence in LA by USC. Now this contrast has expanded into a broader comparison of the Northern California universities (Berkeley and Stanford) to their southern counterparts (UCLA and USC). The irony now of course is that Stanford has the largest athletic department budget in the PAC-12.</p>

8

<p>ebwhite, my GPA was a 4.5.</p>

<p>CalBear, interesting historical summary of Cal and UCLA!Thanks, I always love to learn about that type of stuff!</p>

<p>And in case anyone is curious, I ended up choosing Berkeley. I’m going to be a Golden Bear this fall! Go Bears!</p>

9

<p>^ Excellent choice. Welcome to Berkeley!</p>