UC Berkeley vs. University of Virginia?

<p>Hi everyone!
Like all other seniors I'm sure, I'm procrastinating second semester work and trying to decide which college is right for me.
Based on aid/academics, I narrowed down my schools to UC Berkeley and UVa (as an econ major for both). I hope to attain my Economics degree, gain experience in the field, then possibly go to business school for an MBA-- but those are just vague ideas that I'm sure will change.</p>

<p>I took Macroeconomics/International Relations at Boston University this summer as part of a precollege program, and have a sense of how college life will be. However, I'm worried about the level of difficulty at UC Berkeley-- my brother attends, and I never hear the end of his engineering major woes. If there are any Econ Berkeley students, I'd love to hear about your experience there.</p>

<p>I'd say basically my issue is this: UC Berkeley has top notch academics, but I am concerned whether I will be able to excel above-average in such a competitive environment. Currently I am 3rd in my grade, 2250 on the SAT (If this helps as any indicator). Grades are a priority, but I love to socialize and participate in extracurricular activities.
On the other hand, Virginia will be closer to home, as I live in NY. Also, they gave me a larger scholarship, and the work load is less intense. </p>

<p>Any advice would be helpful! Thank you guys for taking the time to read. </p>

<p>If you got into Berkeley, you are smart enough to hurdle their academic loads, unless you’d personally slack off. Both are fantastic schools, but Berkeley has got the stronger prestige, and has way more students admitted to top MBA programs. </p>

<p>Berkeley economics is more mathematical than Virginia’s economics.</p>

<p>Berkeley offers less-math and more-math versions:
100A-100B-140: a year of calculus and a semester of statistics required
101A-101B-141: multivariable calculus, linear algebra and differential equations, and a semester of statistics required</p>

<p>Virginia offers less-math and more-math versions as well, but the more-math version is like Berkeley’s less-math version:
3010-3020-3720: a semester of calculus and a semster of statistics required
3110-3020-3720: a year of calculus and a semester of statistics required</p>

<p>So the question is, do you like having a lot of math in your economics?</p>

<p>The other economics question is, how do the net prices compare?</p>

<p>@RML Thanks for the encouragement! I’m trying to find the balance between the academic/social aspects of college, and that’s where the worrying comes in… </p>

<p>@Ucbalumnus
Right now I am in BC Calc and pull A’s, but don’t have a natural affinity for it- the humanities come much more easily to me. However, I found that economics was more concept-based and doable for me than say, a mathematics course. I wonder, considering the academic level of Berkeley students- would I fall behind in math-based econ? Also, is there a difference between job opportunities for those who choose the less math intensive track? </p>

<p>The price for Berkeley would be about 30k, and UVA would be 16k. There’s also travel expenses/not being able to come home often at all if I attend UCB. </p>

<p>On-campus recruiting is going to be largely regional.
If your long term perspective is to work out in the West, I would choose Berkeley.
Likewise, if you want to work and live in the East, I would choose Virginia.</p>

<p>Both are great programs for your interests and will get you where you want to go. However, you’ll just have to do more leg work for a job if you choose Berkeley and want to work back East. Likewise with Virginia and the West.</p>