SO I have narrowed down my colleges to UCD or UCB. I do understand that UCB has an amazing reputation, as the #1 public university in the world, but I am not sure that I am ready for the level of rigor that I would be experiencing at Berkeley compared to Davis. I love both campuses and I really like that they are both close to home, I get more financial aid from Davis compared to Berkeley. I just am not sure what to pick because I know they are both amazing schools, but I am not sure if I should go for the name or cor the affordability. Any advice is accepted.
Major: College of Letters and Science (Berkeley)/ Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Davis)
@Mariri27 you should go to UC Berkeley because you worked so hard to get where you are and should take advantage of receiving the best education possible from the number 1 institution. There are individuals that would die to get into Berkeley and you’re already in!!! Take advantage!!!
Lol I chose UC Davis over UC Berkeley and UCLA. UC Davis offered almost a full ride, and UC Berkeley laughed in my face with financial aid. Once I stripped the “prestige” reason away, it was an obvious choice.
The only thing that kept me from fully committing to UCD right away was the location. It is nowhere near compared to UC Berkeley’s location, which is a city full of activities, culture, food places to eat . . . UCD’s downtown is nice, but it’s small and gets boring. Unless you have a car (which you won’t in your first year), it really can be isolating and boring here.
However, education wise, I didn’t see a big difference between UCB and UCD. Go into debt with student loans as a low income student for “prestige name” or go to UCD where I barely pay a dime and get the same opportunities? It’s competetive at UC Berkeley. My friends who were used to a nice high school environment suffered for awhile trying to adjust to competition and grabbing opportunities. But at UC Davis, I snagged several lab positions and internships within my first two quarters. It’s a different environment.
Both are amazing schools. But if the only thing you’re unsure of is prestige, don’t pick UCB because of it. Grad schools/med schools really don’t care at this point (UCD vs UCB), it’s the experience and opportunities you used at the school (internships, research, jobs, etc). Jobs will care even more about YOUR experience. Prestige only goes so far. If there are other reasons on why you like UCB (like location or a certain program), then pick UCB (or vice versa, UCD).