My D got admitted to UC Berkeley and UCLA in the College of letter and science. She likes to pursue major in molecular biology. She is also interested in business and would like to pursue a minor in business. She plans to do MBA a few years after her undergrad.
In UC Berkeley, there is a new dual-degree program - ‘Biology+Business’. She is interested in pursuing that. The admission to this program is highly competitive and she needs to apply to this program in the first semester of her Sophomore year. Whereas at UCLA, she will do a major in Molecular Biology plus minor in business economics.
She is deciding between these two schools. Whereas Berkeley’s program is an excellent match. Berkeley has excellent academic, great internship/career opportunities being in bay area, but food/dorm/safety/environment is not that great. Whereas UCLA have a lot more activities, food/dorm/safety is not a concern. She is an outgoing person and feels that vibe at UCLA is better as compared to UC Berkeley. Question she has is will she lose out in terms of academics/internship/career opportunities if she chooses UCLA. ALso, does a dual degree (Biology+business) at undergrad really helps in career?
Hey I’m also a fellow senior currently trying to make my college choice but in my opinion I think the difference in ranking/prestige between Berkeley and UCLA is very slim nowadays. Your D wont be missing out in terms of academics. I think if she vibes more with UCLA and can see herself being happier there than thats all that matters. Also since you said she plan to get an MBA, I don’t think undergrad is as important.
DD is deciding between UCB BioEngineering and UCLA BioEngineering and JHU ChemBE. Interested in Biology, research with post-grad intentions. Both UC BioE programs seem very interesting. Concerned about stress, GPA issues at each of the above. In-state for UCs. Visited all, except JHU. Any pointers? Thanks very much!
Hi, Got admitted to UCLA engineering CS major, is UCB CS(BA) worth considering?
Ranking wise UCB CS is #2
Ignoring GPA requirements (3.3) to get CS in UCB, are career opportunities better with Berkeley stamp compared to UCLA?
UC Berkeley’s computer science program is one of the best in the world… there are two majors in CS in Berkeley… the declared major of EECS (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science) which is difficult to get in the first place… and computer science L&S which typically needs to be declared 2 years later, this one can be confusing as it has very high competition and GPA requirements…
now, UCLA engineering in CS may not be in top 10 in the world, but is very highly regarded and is a guaranteed major… I would recommend UCLA Engineering CS guaranteed major versus Berkeley’s undeclared L&S CS major…
Agreed, securing 3.3 GPA is a risk but manageable, there is an appeal process if one is short of 3.3, in any case, we have to maintain good GPA for jobs whether it is UCLA or UCB. Talking to many seniors I gathered that this is worth taking the risk