It’s Berkeley vs. UCSD for Environmental Science (CNR) or Environmental Systems (Scripps), respectively. I was admitted Marine Bio at UCSD tho.
**Financials are same for both, overall not a consideration. I’m OOS
**I want to go to grad school and get my PhD afterwards :))
Berkeley Pros
- Better ranked major
- Better ranked school overall
- I like the student body a bit better
- Bay Area
- Tiny college (natural resources) so there’s great advising and student groups and stuff
- Fun rivalry w Stanford lol
- Hella libraries everywhere for studying
Berkeley Cons
- Big homeless population
- Less safe surrounding area than UCSD (idk how bad)
- Heard the food is a little rough…
Tbh I’m not too worried about grade deflation. I’m prob gonna go to grad school but I am down for developing a hella work ethic and a little extra competition.
UCSD Pros
- I’m pretty familiar with La Jolla and I really like it
- Scripps is pretty good, especially for Marine Bio but idk if i’ll end up declaring this
- Quarter system - shorter classes, more accelerated, no homework over breaks
- Six college system - I visited and like my college a lot
- Better beaches
- Safe area
- The library is massive and it’s got lots of study spaces. Good views too
(4+1 Contiguous BS/MS program? Is this even worth it if I’m gonna do a PhD??)
UCSD Cons
- Lower ranking idk
- Student body is maybe not as involved and driven as Berkeley’s
- Campus has nice views and stuff but Berkeleys is much prettier IMO
THANK YOU. Any and all advice accepted, I am panickingggg
I congratulate you for being one of the few people who didn’t mention the very false narratives of “cutthroat” “too competitive” etc.
Regarding Berkeley, the dorm cafeteria food is ok, not super great but not bad. My kid has a meal plan but he really only goes for breakfast every morning and maybe for early dinner. There are literally a couple hundred restaurants on the north, west and south side of campus all within a block or two from the borders of campus that are great and with reasonable pricing. And if you then go up a mile north to Gourmet Ghetto, you get even more choices with places to eat.
There are some seedy patches of areas at night on the south and by the BART station. Nothing too unsafe. You get used to it quickly. It’s all relative, just use common sense and precautions when walking and you’ll be perfectly fine. Crime does happen, not gonna lie about that, mostly in the form of stolen laptops and stolen phones that could be preventable with precautions. Regarding homeless people, 95% of the homeless people won’t bother you, they’re humans just like you and me, down on their luck and in need of help that they’re not getting. And the population is nothing, compared to what you would see in say Skid Row in LA.
Both are good schools. Sounds like you should lean Berkeley’s way given what is important to you.
The issue you have is two very different majors. Marine bio is not CNR. You first have to decide which way you are leaning.
That being said, what is your instate option? I’m just not a fan of paying OOS rates for a generic major.
For the PhD, either school will get you there. But, again, into what major? If you want to be an Enviro type, Cal is a no-brainer. If you want a harder science degree, then SD-Scripps, one of the best in the world, is a no-brainer.
Compare the major requirements for each.
How strong are you? UCSD is not easy, but it may help if you are in the top of the class at the time you apply to graduate school.
You can apply to transfer between UCSD-UCB later too. I think your major is not impacted.
https://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/D6931DBE/How-to-Transfer-From-One-UC-to-Another/