Okay so I have more decisions coming over the next week but I just got my acceptance to UW Madison today. I am super excited about the offer but very conflicted about what to do. I was admitted early at Cal with an invite to Regent’s (which I will find out about on 3/26). I really like both schools but not sure which one I would choose if it came down to it. I applied political science both schools btw
UC Berkeley
Pros:
- I am from norcal so I have in-state tuition and received a good amount of aid
- I grew up on the campus so I feel comfortable at the school and feel a lot of school pride already
- I know some people going there so I would have friends going in
- The academics are amazing and the political science program is really good
- Regent’s would be a big plus is I were to receive it
- I like Berkeley and am fairly comfortable with the Bay Area
- probably some others I am forgetting
Cons: - lots of crime and as a female, I know I would feel more unsafe than at other schools (though obviously it is a city so there will be crime)
- housing!! I have heard so many dorm and housing horror stories and it is so expensive and I worry about finding off-campus housing
- not as much school spirit as UW
- the culture is very competitive and study focused and it seems like a very intense environment to be in all the time
- worried it will be too close to home
UW Madison
Pros:
- lots of school spirit and even in the town of Madison there is a lot of pride for the school
- it seems like a really good community to be in
- Madison is a cool city and I think I would feel safer there than in Berkeley
- also a really good school with a good political science department
- it’s a new location
Cons: - have not received my aid package yet and I am out of state
- I like cold weather but have never lived in really cold weather (I was born in Madison but moved when I was really young)
- I don’t know anyone there
- I have pretty much always lived in a coastal state so I don’t know if I would like being in the Midwest
- Academics aren’t necessarily as good as Cal
I think that UW could be a better fit for the kind of college experience I imagine myself having but Cal is a school I feel really comfortable with and their Political Science program is really good and I would love to go to a top grad school. Any insight/advice?