<p>I have been accepted into all 3 schools, as Engineering Physics in UCB, into both the school of engineering and science in Carnegie Mellon, and Engineering Undecided at UCLA. </p>
<p>I've been bouncing between UCLA and UCB for a while (I love Los Angeles, and I honestly think I'd do better in a more relaxed environment, but am not sure if it's just laziness kicking in), but people have mentioned Carnegie Mellon before... I heard it is far less competitive, and you're less restricted in the classes and path you can take in it. </p>
<p>Well all I can say is that UCLA and UCB have far more resources in that department being state research unversities, so you’ll probably have a lot more opportunities for undergraduate research and projects.</p>
<p>Of the three, Berkeley’s physics department is rated the highest but that shouldn’t be a major deciding factor. I think you should figure out which you like the least, cross it off, and then visit the remaining two. A couple thousand for plane tickets is expensive in the short run but it’s a reasonable price for deciding where you’ll be happiest for the next four years.</p>