UC Berkeley vs UCLA Applied Math

[fruityicecream]

I am so very conflicted. I honestly would rather go to UCLA because of the happier and better campus life but I cannot ignore that Berkeley is ranked higher in a majority of STEM fields, STEM fields like finance, DS, CS, all of which I would consider partaking in. I’m really stuck and could use any advice.
If I choose UCLA I feel as though I am prioritizing what I want right now, a happier college life, over the potential of more opportunities in the future

[ucbalumnus]

Why not look at the upper level course offerings and faculty rosters in each math department to see which is more interesting to you from an academic point of view? Also do the same for any other subject that your choice of applied math touches (statistics, economics, industrial engineering, etc.).

Be aware that both schools’ CS courses are overflowing with just CS majors, so it can be difficult to enroll in CS courses as a non-CS major at both schools.

[tsbna44]

and you’ll be just fine at UCLA.

Go where you’ll be happy - not miserable.

Yes UCB is slightly higher ranked than UCLA in CS and sends more to Wall Street (if that’s your interest) but both land very successful people in both CS and Finance. And you only need one job.

Why would avoid going to where you clearly want to go?

We are not talking about UCB and a directional state school. We are comparing vs. UCLA - the differences are minimal.

Not really a tough choice given how you feel about top notch UCLA.

Good luck.

[parent365]

To the original poster, you might also find the thread linked below relevant, albeit in general sense.

I don’t think you could wrong with either UCLA or UC Berkeley; better to go where you think you’d be happiest.

Perceptions of UC Berkeley and UCLA in the "public eye"

In looking at the recent 2022-23 Common Data Set submissions for UC Berkeley and UCLA, the average unweighted GPAs for freshman admits at the two schools are virtually the same (3.90 Cal vs. 3.93 UCLA, respectively). And although UCs no longer consider standardized test scores, looking back at the 2020-21 CDS submissions, Berkeley’s middle-50% interquartile range for SAT scores was 1300-1520 compared to UCLA’s mid-50% range of 1290-1510. Again, virtually identical. By all accounts, the academic profile of the student bodies at the 2 schools are practically inseparable. And yet, when I hear high schoolers (and even college graduate friends) describe the two schools, it’s clear that the perception of these institutions are starkly different. UC Berkeley is most often described as an academic powerhouse with highly regarded programs across the board, ranging from engineering to the hard sciences, and from business to the humanities/social sciences. But it is also described as a plac…