I thought I had my college decision figured out (I put down my deposit for Berkeley yesterday), but I just got accepted to Duke off of the waitlist. If I go to Berkeley I will have to pay full out of state tuition for the first year, but for the last three years I won’t have to pay tuition, just room and board, due to the Cal Vet Program. I cannot see financial aid for Duke, but know that it will be minuscule (family has $140k income and I am only income). If money were no object, I would attend Duke due to the smaller size, smaller classes, proximity to home (if I went to Berkeley my family would move to California for free tuition), prestige, the fact it doesn’t seem as “cutthroat” as Berkeley, more professional opportunities, and the general beauty of the campus. However, I would think I would be happy Berkeley as well. I would appreciate any additional input!
Don’t think your Berkeley plan is going to work out for free tuition but there are some CA residents who can comment on this.
It’s through the Cal Vet Program. Essentially kids of veterans who served in the military for a certain amount of time who are residents get free tuition, but the family has to be California residents,
Since UCB and DUKE are ranked almost equally, with UCB having more international rep, I’d say go for UCB especially because of how tuition will be free for 3/4 of the years. What do you want to study?
Biology or Public Health, likely on a premed track
First of all congrats on Berkeley and Duke! In the end, you should be the one who makes the final decision. But since you asked I would like to agree with pakrepresent2022: Berkeley’s rep is outstanding. I am an international undergraduate and my teachers were impressed by Berkeley (they said it was on the same level as Stanford, which I doubt, but the point is that really everyone knows Berkeley, the number one public university worldwide). I personally like the physical beauty of the campus (especially the botanical gardens), the climate and it’s location: Silicon Valley! And Berkeley is known for outstanding programs in almost all fields. The only downside is the class size… but I believe that this will not hinder you from getting a top-notch education, because there are discussions with fewer people (~30) . The tuition is another factor to consider obviously. But in the end you have to listen to your heart and do what you think is the right thing to do. No matter how you decide: you have 4 awesome years ahead of you.
I would be 100 percent sure that your parents can establish residency in California for the last three years. The state makes it extremely difficult to do so for college purposes. (And your family shouldn’t underestimate the cost of living in the state–housing, both to buy or rent, is astronomical in many areas. So are taxes and even things like the price of gas, which is a dollar per gallon higher than most other states. $140,000 is a good income in many places, but not so much in California.) Unless you know for sure that in your situation you’ll be receiving free tuition, UCB wouldn’t make sense for economic reasons.
Congratulations on fantastic options! Your post suggests a clear preference for Duke. Having been there numerous time and researching extensively your observations seem well founded.
I have only walked the UCB campus once and it was very nice but beyond that I am uninformed. Sounds like you were excited to go there but had held out hope of having Duke as an option.
Given your ambivalence I don’t think your greatest risk is a bad decision because both schools have so much to offer. Your risk however seems to be seconding guessing your decision later. I won’t try and interpret your post and suggest a school but my advice is once you choose never ever look back!
Might want to confirm residency requirements…
https://www.ucop.edu/residency/index.html
“The adult student and one parent must be physically present in California on a continuous basis for at least 366 days
immediately prior to the Residence Determination Date (RDD) for the relevant term” …"Physical presence in California solely for educational purposes does not constitute the establishment of California residence, regardless of length of stay.’
to explain my comment earlier…
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/biology-biochemistry
Berkeley is ranked 3rd (before stanford) for biology
And 1st for public health
http://college.usatoday.com/2016/03/25/best-colleges-for-a-major-in-public-health/
If that’s your intended major, it sounds like a great fit.
Duke is #16 and #23 so it’s very good, too! There is no way you can make a bad choice here.
I completely agree with 80degrees on UCB, I have a friend doing Comp Bio I believe from UCB and although rigorous (as you’d expect at any top 20 school) she loves it, it’s an amazing place (San francisco hello), and lots of school spirit over hating stanford lmao, but it’s your choice, good luck, you’ll be amazing whereever you go!
I completely agree with 80degrees on UCB, I have a friend doing Comp Bio I believe from UCB and although rigorous (as you’d expect at any top 20 school) she loves it, it’s an amazing place (San francisco hello), and lots of school spirit over hating stanford lmao, but it’s your choice, good luck, you’ll be amazing whereever you go!
And I didn’t know UCB was ranked 3rd in Bio that’s amazing, and first in Public Health sounds perfect for you too.
I think it is good to have a sense of what the graduating class from UCB in Public Health and Biology are heading for.
Based on a link posted by @ucbalumnus recently (good info as usual from him/her!)
https://career.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/Survey/2017PublicHealth.pdf
https://career.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/Survey/2017IntBio.pdf
https://career.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/Survey/2017MCB.pdf
The number of folks still looking for employment is concerning for these branches, compared to say Eng, Eco or CS. Also, average starting salaries are low, especially if they are based in the Bay Area.
https://career.berkeley.edu/Survey/2017Majors
UC San Diego is ranked 11 spots higher than Penn on the ranking. Would you pick UC San Diego over Penn? These global rankings are essentially meaningless for undergraduates.
^ Just my opinion. No one picks BU over Dartmouth or Iowa over Brown but they should according to these inane rankings.
I definitely know of some people who chose BU over Dartmouth. More than a few actually for specific reasons. And not just money. Some schools have specific research or professors at the cutting edge of some areas that would attract specific students.
Iowa over Brown probably not. Unless you play football or where an Olympic wrestler
How many chose BU over Dartmouth because of ARWU, QS or THE?
I don’t know what the acronyms stand for in your post. So can’t answer your question.
In general, of course most students wouldn’t choose any school over an Ivy. It’s history. Brand. Bragging rights. But perhaps the international rankings look at things that don’t account for the bumper sticker factor in the US.
But I do know specific examples of BU being the destination vs Dartmouth brown Cornell never hpys. The Dartmouth issues usually revolve around young women who perceive it to be a little frat/prep for their personal taste. But two examples I can recall don’t make a trend.
I agree with your larger point.
@chelsea37 what have you decided then