I was accepted into both UC Berkeley and UCLA as a transfer student. I’m an art major and I’m having a really tough time deciding on where I should go.
There are many factors that sway me back and forth but I ultimately need help on just picking one!
Overall, I love the vibe of UC Berkeley. I love the environment of the trees and river, as well as the downtown area. Cal is also only an hour away from my house, and I am a bit of a homebody so I think this factor would be better for me. However, I haven’t heard that many great things about Cal’s art program, but then again, the people that have said bad things I don’t personally know. The strength of the program is what is ultimately worrying me.
For UCLA, I have heard that the art program is really strong and competitive. I know that UCLA has a lot of art museums around the school, and this might lead to more career opportunities. UCLA is from home for me, which scares me. I also have been to the area around UCLA and I’m not a huge fan of the environment and people. Overall, I’m more of a northern California person.
This was probably more information than anyone needed but I ultimately want to go to a school that I will learn a lot from, and enjoy. Any advice would be really appreciated as I am really unsure, thanks!
Hi! I’m in a similar situation although the reverse…I’m an English major and I live very close to UCLA and after getting accepted to UCLA and UCB I have to decide where I want to go. I think I would fit in much better at Cal than UCLA but I like the idea of staying close to home and keeping the job I have in LA.
Despite UCLA probably being the easier choice, I’m leaning towards Berkeley because there is a little bit more prestige associated with it and I think it’s important to leave home and figure things out without so much help from my parents. At the end of the day, it’s only 2 years of my life and if I wanted to I could always come back to LA (which I probably will).
Both UCLA and Berkeley have amazing professors and the quality of the education you would receive at either are very similar despite Berkeley surpassing UCLA in academic rankings. UCLA is on the quarter system so classes are very fast paced, and while it could be a positive because you are able to take a larger variety of classes, it can be difficult for people that are used to the semester system.
In my opinion, Westwood sucks. Maybe I’m jaded because I’ve lived here my whole life, but it’s just not my scene at all. I love the Bay area and find it to be a lot more accepting and diverse compared to Westwood (although NorCal is a little bit more expensive than SoCal).
I’m an Art History minor as well and I can say that the museums down here are truly amazing. The LACMA always has a huge variety of amazing artists and really interesting exhibitions. The same goes for the MOCA. My favorite museum in my area is The Norton Simon which is kind of a hidden gem in Pasadena. It has free admission for students, a beautiful sculpture garden, and a great collection of Modern art. My art history professor told me that if I were an Art History major and not just a minor she would definitely recommend I choose UCLA over UCB.
In the end I think it just comes down to where you see yourself more and I’m totally grappling with that right now too. If you have any questions about what it’s like to live down here, let me know and I’ll try to answer as best I can.
Good luck!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate your advice! If you have questions about living in the Bay Area as well, feel free to contact me. And Good luck to you as well!