<p>I would much rather go to UC Berkeley, but a full ride is a huge deal! Can some people give me reasons why it would be worth it to turn down the scholarship to CSULB in favor of Berkeley?</p>
<p>I'm undecided on what career I want to pursue, btw!</p>
<p>Well since you’re undecided, Berkeley would give you a lot more different options. But, a full ride really is a big deal. I’d say if you’re planning on going into some professional school, csulb might be a better idea since undergrad doesn’t matter as much as it would for say, graduate school or getting recruited into a company. I think because you’re undecided, the decision is made tougher.</p>
<p>Is the money aspect important for your decision? Do you have any scholarships for UC Berkeley? Because if the money is going to affect your family’s finances, then I would say go for the full ride at CSULB. However, if you are going to be okay money wise (if you only have to take out a couple grands) then I would go to UC Berkeley. UC Berkeley gives you a lot more opportunities, and the student atmosphere is different.</p>
<p>People I know at CSULB aren’t as ambitious or studious, so if you’re looking for a more enriching learning environment then CSULB may not be the best choice. A lot of people also judge based on the school name, so you are the type of person that values prestige/name of the school, then UC Berkeley would be the better choice. </p>
<p>If you’re undecided AND can afford either, choose Cal. Berkeley has many, many majors and they are all top 10 programs in their respective fields.</p>
<p>^^^ I agree with mothergoldenbear. If you are able to afford either one then choose cal. I turned down a full scholorship to UC Santa Barbara and also turned down Cornell univeristy for Berkeley.</p>
<p>The difference between Berkeley and CSULB is night and day. That said, it would be helpful to know what your intended major is in order to offer a more comprehensive argument for either.</p>
<p>I’m leaning towards Berkeley but the benefits of the full ride at CSULB are pretty great: tuition and dorms are free, priority registration, $200 towards books each year, automatic acceptance to the honors program, exclusive access to the president’s scholars center, personalized advising, and campus student parking privileges.</p>
<p>That being said, Berkeley is an awesome school, and I’m pretty tired of living in Long Beach. I’m already turning down USC and Carnegie Mellon because they’re just too expensive. I feel like Berkeley has all the benefits of a prestigious school without having to pay a ridiculous amount. I’m still really conflicted though because CSULB is throwing a lot of money at me…</p>
<p>Can anyone tell me about getting your classes at Berkeley? Is it extremely impacted/will I probably take more than 4 years to graduate?</p>
<p>Unless you do something very strange, you’ll end up graduating in 4 years. The same goes for getting classes, you’ll get all the classes you want, unless you sign up too late or mess something else up.</p>
<p>I never struggled to get into any of my classes, the system to get classes is annoying, but its not something that will prevent you from graduating on time. There are also many people that graduate within 3 years, so that is another option if you want to go to Berkeley and save money. Plus, a lot of books you can find online…$200 toward books a year is good, but I’ve saved a decent amount finding books through piratebay and buying used. However, seems like CSULB would definitely support you a lot more. UC Berkeley is super huge, so you have to be pretty independent. </p>
<p>@ rxnnjcbs</p>
<p>The vast majority of people who do not graduate in four years are those who switched majors late in their college career, or took on a double major late and need the extra year to finish up requirements. Most people don’t take more than four years to complete a single major, given no severe medical situations occurred on their part.</p>
<p>If finances aren’t an issue here, then go for Berkeley. It has a lot more to offer to students. </p>
<p>I’ll be $30k-40k in debt if I go to Berkeley 
I also have to make my decision today, and I still don’t know which school to pick. D:</p>
<p>If your parents are stuck paying a couple of tuitions, I would say Long Beach. If you want a change from Long Beach and you’re okay with an intense studying environment at Berkeley then go to Berkeley. If you plan to go to graduate school, go to Long Beach. They also have Boeing on-site for internships at Long Beach.</p>
<p>I’ll be $30k-40k in debt if I go to Berkeley I also have to make my decision today, and I still don’t know which school to pick. D:</p>
<p>Decide now and go to Berkeley. CSULB isn’t a good school (there’s a huge gap between the two). The college experience at both schools are very different. Berkeley would be more expensive, but your value would be much more higher after having a Berkeley degree. </p>
<p>Depending on your major, you could easily make that back in 1-3 years when you graduate. I’m an Econ major graduating this semester, and I have a job lined up in LA starting in the low 50ks. My friend who is majoring in EECS will have a salary of 105k…so you can easily pay it off, if you work hard, do internships, and have extracurricular activities at Berkeley. However, whether you choose CSULB or Cal is up to you, and you seem like you will do well in either. </p>
<p>I would pick Berkeley hands down even if I had to be $70k in debt. There are just so many more opportunities in Berkeley for everything, and they have great connections with career fairs and huge corporations for great jobs</p>
<p>I can’t imagine why some folks are advising you to go into debt, undergrad has basically become a second high school for all careers save those in engineering, cs, or business. If you are planning to go to grad or professional school, it isn’t worth it to go into debt, you can go to a good school later. </p>
<p>@rxnnjcbs What did you decide?</p>
<p>I say stay out of debt. As a parent, I know that students only look immediately to having their income needs met. However, what if you can’t find a job because your gpa is under 3.0? Berkeley is cut throat. What if you get sick? What if you can’t get credit or loans to fund your Berkeley experience? What if something changes at home? Think about it.</p>