Hey guys, I wanted to ask for your opinion on which school I should pick. I’m pretty divided between the two, and my mom wants me to go to Berkeley and I’m leaning more toward UCLA.
So here’s the deal: I want to get into comedy (for example writing scrips for TV shows) and genetics (a more serious major). And UCLA is obviously better if I want to go into comedy, and UC Berkeley is better for genetics because it has all the hook-ups for start-ups or labs in general in the Silicon Valley. I want to attend UCLA because it’s far away from home (my mom wants me to go to Berkeley because it’s not), and Berkeley is basically my high school all over again. As in, UCB takes a lot of students from my high school, and I just can’t stand being with them for another 4 years. And I’ve seen that Berkeley is pretty cutthroat, just like my high school as well, and I don’t think I can deal with that again either. I can’t stress this enough.
But the one thing that’s holding me back is that Berkeley is an established name, or at least more so than UCLA. And of course, you should “never pick a college based on prestige” but it’ll definitely be advantageous if I end up going into genetics and am trying to find a job. UCLA isn’t bad either, but it just isn’t up to par with Berkeley.
Also, I got the same financial aid from both of them so it doesn’t really help me make my decision. I’m so confused on what to do! If you have any insights to provide or competing information that’d be really helpful for me. Thanks for taking the time to read and/or comment!