Hi everyone! I have a choice that’s not necessarily original, but very important and nerve-wracking for me. I’m torn between Cal and UCLA. I’ve visited both campuses before and I’m planning to visit again for Bruin Day and Cal Day in April. However, if someone could give me some insider knowledge to help me make my decision I’d really appreciate it. Here are the factors I’m weighing:
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Prestige. In my mind, UCB is the best UC (and the #1 public university in the world) which makes it really hard to turn down. I don’t think that UCLA is far behind, but I do think I would give the edge to UCB on this one.
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Location. I live near LA so UCLA is really close to home. This makes it my Mom’s clear favorite for me. Honestly, I want to make my own decision about where I go and I’m trying to distinguish my thoughts from hers. But in terms of safety, I think UCLA’s location in Westwood is inarguably safer.
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Housing. I want to know how big of a problem housing is at Berkeley. I know UCLA offers a 3 year on campus housing guarantee which is very attractive. Any thoughts are welcome though because that’s pretty much all I know.
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Professors/Opportunities. I like that UCB can brag about its Nobel laureate professors, periodic table elements, original UC status, and proximity to Silicon Valley. I’m planning to major in Cognitive Science (which may not directly benefit from this) but I still would give Berkeley the edge.
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Campus Social Life. This is a toss-up for me. I’m fairly liberal and introverted, so part of me wonders if I may not find more of “my people” at Berkeley. That being said, I don’t pledge allegiance to Karl Marx or burn down buildings so who knows? I know that an entire student body is difficult to generalize, but if anyone has thoughts on the people at Berkeley v. the people at LA I’d like to know.
So… yeah. If I had to pick today I’d say I’m leaning towards LA but I keep going back and forth. HELP!
My son goes to Cal. He loves it. It is a great combination of very academic and very fun. It’s far enough away that it feels like going out of state, but is only a 6 hour drive or 1 hour flight home. The climate is different, lots of new and exciting places to explore, places to eat, hikes etc. Everyone he knows loves it there. He did join greek life which he really enjoys and helps with him feeling connected. His roommates have not done the Greek thing and they are very happy also. He has lots of friends at Ucla. They seem to all like it as well. They do come home a lot though which puzzles my son as he is so happy at school, why come home? But he probably would pop home as well for a night if he was an hour away. One thing I noticed is people freaked out when he told them he was going to Cal, maybe not quite the same reaction for UCLA. But both are great schools so you are in an enviable position if you can choose between the two. The vibe of each campus is different so go with what feels good! Good luck!
Hello!
I haven’t attended either school, but I have friends who have gone to both and I live in Berkeley. I might be able to offer some insight.
In terms of safety, Berkeley isn’t particularly unsafe, nor is it super safe. It gets a bad rap because it’s so close to Oakland, but even Oakland has drastically changed over the last several years and has become more of a high end living location due to the increase in pricing. In Berkeley you do have to deal with some homeless people, but in my experience I’ve never been directly threatened or harmed by any of them. For the most part they just hang around and smoke pot, very typical Berkeley.
Housing is a serious problem at Berkeley and they do not guarantee housing as far as I know. It’s essentially a raffle process. My friend who transferred there was unlucky and had to find roommates and an apartment, which can be pricey given the Bay Area housing market (not as bad as Westwood, though). Also, the dorms are really ugly and old at Berkeley, UCLA dorms are nicer. If you decide on Berkeley, sign up for housing immediately.
Berkeley is very liberal but they also have a small population of students who are extremely conservative, alt-right type. It definitely leans liberal, and even though I identify as liberal I definitely know people who go there who take it waaaaayyyy too far. At the same time, it’s such a well-known, prestigious school that you are going to meet people from all kinds of backgrounds and different beliefs. It’s not like they take your political orientation into consideration when you apply. UC Berkeley people are far less concerned with looks and superficiality in comparison to UCLA people, which I like. It’s up to personal preference.