UCB. UCLA. Please, help me. T__T

[icesplendor]

<p>Location: Northern California. thirty minutes’ drive away from UCB’s campus. </p>

<p>Major: engineering (chemical for LA, bio for Cal)</p>

<p>Personal little story: Looking at the average stats/admit rates, especially for engineering, freaking bioengineering (didn’t realize how impacted it is when I applied)...I feel like I didn't deserve to get into Berkeley. I couldn't even write about engineering in my personal statements like the application told me to (no real experience or definite passion). So I wrote about...drawing. And not liking my parents. Back in November, I considered not applying for Cal b/c I thought it was useless to hope for it...w/e, I'm fine. UCLA ftw. (I didn’t really realize back then that LA’s and Cal’s admit rates were similar.) That Wednesday when UCLA posted its decisions was the first time I actually felt something from an admission notice. I was safe; I didn’t expect or particularly want to get accepted to UCB. Then last Thursday afternoon for Berkeley: “Congratulations!” -- WTC. This wasn't supposed to happen. But it did, and now I can't help but consider Cal. To think that I nearly had my mind happily settled on UCLA just three days ago…</p>

<p>pro/con list time? not all points carry the same weight. </p>

<p>Los Angeles </p>

<p>(+) campus is freaking beautiful
(+) UCLA’s student panel at their admitted students reception made it seem like LIFE and CULTURE was everywhere around LA. I’ll make time to participate, despite being in engineering.
(+) food is amazing. (downside to this is that I might overeat and gain lots of weight )= )
(+) school breaks always in sync with other UC’s, except for Cal(?), which means I get to meet up with friends more conveniently
(+) hotter guys? (:
(+) my first impression of surrounding cities: LA > Berkeley (I’m not too into the liberal/political scene…)
(+) the idea of traveling a considerable distance away from home, off to college~ sounds very attractive to me atm. I’ll either confirm that I am happier living away from my parents, or realize that I am spoiled and immature, maybe leading me to appreciate my home more. either result would be good…? In any case, finding independence is good.
(+) easier than Cal, so they say
(+) My older brother is there, in his third year of engineering. (Berkeley reject, very upsetting for him at the time, though he is now happy at LA) He claims he can hook me up with paid laboratory internships. And even if he can’t, research opportunities for class credit are readily available at LA as soon as freshman year, according to my older brother and another student I spoke with. </p>

<p>(-) smog
(-) sun <em>will bring an umbrella everywhere</em> I don’t enjoy frequent, strong sunlight.
(-) temperature might take a while to get used to, if I ever get used to it
(-) I’ll be intimidated by the pretty LA citizens?
(-) cost of living in LA is high
(-) need to pay for plane tickets
(-) weird meal plan system…three swipes of your card a day for buffet style meals…? No flexibility for snacks in between unless you want to get ripped off? I’m sure I’ll be able to get used to it eventually, but at the moment it sounds constraining…and fattening. But again, after the first year it doesn’t matter so much.
(-) My older brother is there</p>

<hr>

<p>Berkeley</p>

<p>(+) gave me the most money of all UC’s (I did not see this coming, but I will not complain). A few thousand dollars more, unless UCLA has not yet updated my work study…? Still, the scholarship (free money) is larger from Cal.
(+) no need to spend money on plane tickets
(+) I know a lot of people who will be there next year, from my class of ’09 as well as ’08 (quite a few engineering friends from ’08). Of course, I’ll make new friends anywhere, but staying close to old friends is good, too. My initial support network will be huge at Cal as opposed to LA. (And with CoE’s reputation, I will need it at Cal.)
(+) I could always sneak back to San Francisco without my parents knowing and visit downtown, Chinatown, Japantown, etc…but it’ll be nothing new. How’s the shopping/eating scene around Berkeley?
(+) Berkeley Bowl. (:</p>

<p>(-) cutthroat competition, more so than LA from what I can tell. I have to say, I am very worried about this. I want the option of graduate school, please.
(-) older buildings/facilities
(-) homeless people…?
(-) My mom is blindly pro-Cal, simply for its name. naturally, I want to go against her.
(-) everyone says that the dorm food is either bad or “decent”. However, the food off-campus seems good, which is what I guess we’ll mostly be eating after first year. though it’s more inconvenient to get to if we’ll be cramming around exam time. free delivery available?
(-) seems like Cal is less selective than UCLA for my high school; I’m guessing that Cal does have some sort of bias for us since we’re historically a large feeder school. I am surprised by some admits, even more surprised by some rejections of people whom everyone expected to get in.
(-) UCB feels so familiar and so close to home and will be full of people I already know. Will I get the typical “college experience” if I go here? If you asked me freshman year, I wouldn’t have cared about said experience; I’d hold my academic studies in priority. But after junior/senior year…I want that college experience. There’s a popular saying at my school that Cal is “exactly the same” as my high school in terms of environment (i.e. competitive. asian. some go as far as to point out that the even same people are there). Berkeley engineering = school. I am tired of school. I want to go to college.
(-) What if my grad school is also in the bay area? I may never get to live an appreciable distance away from home while I’m young…
(-) Honestly, I feel like I didn’t deserve to get in. One of the guys at my school seemed really upset that he didn’t get in, despite his option of going to UCLA. If I could, I would hand over my Cal acceptance to him and happily head over to LA myself. It’d make this decision easier, certainly. </p>

<p>*How easy is it to change my major…I was stupid and absentmindedly applied for bioengineering without looking into the field beforehand. Now I feel like I’d rather do…nearly anything else, as long as it’s not physics heavy. The thing is, chemical engineering is in a college separate from the College of Engineering. Will it be simple enough transferring, if I want to…? Actually, right now changing to engineering undeclared sounds nice. Is that difficult or even possible? </p>

<p>If you have any additions or corrections to my perceptions, or a link to another thread concerning this matter, I’d sincerely appreciate your input. </p>

<p>Of course, I will visit both campuses. In the end, it may all come down my gut feeling…at this point, I feel like it doesn’t matter which university I choose; I’ll be happy at either one. But that’s the very reason why I’m so conflicted right now!</p>

[fortify]

<p>Go with your gut feeling</p>

[xxdiskoolnerdxx]

<p>Im in the same situation, except with Cal and Irvine. I have know what idea to do, but im leaning towards Cal. I totally didnt expect to get in either, but i feel like i should go. I think we both need to take fortify’s advice.</p>

[brassring]

<p>This is the fourth or fifth thread with the same theme (the names of the two Univ. OP may be considering change. I posted this originally for some one evaluating UCB v UCSD but it also applies to OP here, so:</p>

<p>You are the decision maker. At best, we are the sounding board. And unfortunately the echo is not quite the chorus you may want. Its simply true that there is no CORRECT answer. The right choice for you may well be different from others.</p>

<p>Having said that, you are to be commended for some thoughtful research and soul searching. The initial instinct is to impulsively grab for prestige or the higher brand. Upon reflection, you seem to be leaning toward making the choice that both MEETS your academic expectations and is MORE COMFORTABLE for your overall personal well-being. That is a great test for any decision you make.</p>

[ZorroX99]

<p>Cal hands down. Unless your despearte to live in SoCal, which is nice if you havn’t really experienced.</p>

[thebeef]

<p>Cal’s generally the more ‘prestigious’ institution but obviously you’ve got a lot of other factors to think about. Try this pro & con calculator: [Pros</a> and Cons Calculator](<a href=“http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/CiLL/tools/prosandcons.htm]Pros”>http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/CiLL/tools/prosandcons.htm) it’s kinda fun :)</p>

<p>And I wouldn’t weight campus food to heavily. What’s more important is your future :)</p>

[Fasttrack]

<p>I agree with brassring, we are the sounding board - you ultimately need to make the right decision and not regret it. They are both world class universities with amazing faculty. Choose the place that will not only meet your academic needs but also your social life. Because success isn’t simply determined by a single factor (like academics), but it is determined by a series of factors (social life, job/internship opportunities, ECs, hobbies and talents).
I commend you for thinking this though. Like brassring said, most people I know simply points to Cal because of its prestige. Then after attending there, many of them regret their decisions. BTW, if you haven’t visit each campus yet - go visit them. Also explore their surrounding areas (San Francisco, Los Angeles, etc).</p>

[masterhammy]

<p>I am having the same problem with picking between UCSD and UCB. I am a UCSD winter admit, but got into Berkely in the fall. I will tell you I honestly did not deserve to get into Berkeley, so the last few weeks since UCSD came out I have been getting my head wrapped around the fact that I would be going to UCSD. There are more people from my school that will most likely end up at UCSD that I am closer with and I would really like that part of it. I would like to be familiar with people that I can hang with until I get close enoguh to others and can branch out. The problem with it is that I got into UCSD in the winter so I’m not guaranteed housing and I don’t start until January. With Cal, it’s Cal for god’s sake, I would be considered an idiot to turn down Cal after I messed around so much in HS, but I find myself not that excited about it and actually afraid of this new environment and how difficult I have heard it is. I just don’t know. My parents are pressuring me to go to Cal after I got rejected from my first choice UCLA and didn’t get in in the fall for San Diego. And then I miraculously got into Berkeley in the fall. I was actually rejected from Irvine, but accepted to Cal, I might be the first person this has ever happened to. I was honestly shocked after seeing the Acceptance. Now the decision is actually in my hands after it had basically been made for me after UCLA rejected me and UCSD accepted me for winter. I just need time to think about it</p>

[88888888]

<p>yea… i didn’t think i deserved to get into berkeley. but here i am anyways…</p>

[fiore]

<p>girl, i know how you feel.</p>

<p>hahahaha. i’m in the exact same situation as you…
except i’m from LA & i’m deciding between both. reasons are 99% similar.</p>

<p>there were like… 10 kids at my school who got rejected from LA but got into cal.
this other japanese kid i know got rejected from SD & LA but got in. weird.</p>

<p>let us know what you decide; i’m in the same boat but pretty much leaning towards la!</p>

[themoonisdown]

<p>I’m trying to choose between UCLA & Berkeley as well. The more I think about it, the more UCLA gains the upper hand. It’s ridiculously hard to decide though :(</p>

[Inquiringmind2]

<p>icesplendor. My daughter is a freshman at UCLA this year. We live in Nor Cal (about an hour from Cal). My daughter didn’t even apply to Cal despite the rep, rankings, etc. because she did not want to be so close to home. We are a close family but she wanted to experience living in another part of CA and go somewhere that was new, different, exciting, unfamiliar. All I really want to tell you is to go with YOUR gut. Go to the school that feels right for you (and not your mother). You are the one who will be spending 4 years there, not her. All this talk about ranking and prestige is tiresome. They are both excellent schools and you would have a good experience and get a great education at both.
My older daughter is a senior at a very good, private Liberal Arts College in Oregon. She didn’t even apply to any UC’s because she knew she wanted a small school with small classes and personal interaction with professors. I was perfectly fine with that because it was right for HER. Please don’t be so swayed by what parents, rankings, and other strangers tell you you should do. Go with your gut after visiting and seeing each campus through the eyes of an admitted student. My daughter loves UCLA and has so regrets at all. Good luck with your decision.</p>

[Inquiringmind2]

<p>PS: Meant to add that flights on Southwest between OAK and LAX are very inexpensive (my daugher flys back to LA today and her ticket was under $90). And driving to UCLA form Berkeley only takes about 6 hours.</p>

[sakurax]

<p>^
Agreed. When I used to go my private school in SF, plane tickets wouldn’t be a problem. </p>

<p>&& I agree with mostly everyone here! I think it’s your decision. I mean, it’s your life, decision in the end! You wouldn’t want to regret it!!! </p>

<p>Whatever you choose, you should be very very proud of yourself for getting into these two amazing Universities! </p>

<p>Best of luck! [:</p>

<p>P.S.-LA traffic is horrible. LOL. Sorry. Had to. Kinda dangerous too. :/</p>

[icesplendor]

<p>Thank you so much for your input, everyone. </p>

<p>Since my older brother is at UCLA now, I realize plane tickets aren’t horribly expensive…still don’t want to leave that completely out of my consideration, though. </p>

<p>One of the most prominent concerns I have about UCB is the competition in engineering. I had a good work ethic during my freshman year of high school (long time ago…), but as the years progressed, I feel like I’ve burned out; I stopped caring so much about those letters that appeared on my report card and instead learned to live a little socially. I got my fair share of B’s. I guess what saved me were my A’s in math/science AP courses. I’ve spoken to some of my friends who are currently freshmen engineering students at Cal, and they have told me that the difficulty is about the same as my high school. But I am keeping in mind that they are freshman—does Cal engineering get significantly harder as the years progress? I am really afraid of screwing up my options for grad school. Sure, it’d be nice to think that UCB accepted me because they believe I am capable of succeeding there, but…I still worry. </p>

<p>Also, UCLA appears to offer more hands-on research opportunities to its undergrads, which I would love to do. Does UCB have any of this for engineering students? </p>

<p>@fiore—haha…really familiar situation, hm? At my school, a lot of kids were depressed that they were rejected from UCLA, and next week they were relieved to learn they were accepted to Cal. When I was walking around the halls frowning to myself after I had checked my admissions, people were like, “There, there. It’s okay.” thinking that I had been rejected lol. >___< There were a few people telling me that they were glad they weren’t in my situation. Ugh. There is no wrong choice. I don’t even know if there is a better choice.</p>

[Alc]

<p>haha you should read my post, I’m in the same situation, but flipped… had the same thing with Cal and LA admissions at my school though lol</p>

[Fasttrack]

<p>Depending on which specific engineering you get, it most likely will get harder. Cal’s engineering is #3 in the nation - near MIT and CalTech - so don’t expect it to be just a slap on the back. It is hard and will get harder. It’s nothing like HS. In an average EECS class, I would say As are extremely rare, Bs are rare, Cs are common, Ds are common, Fs are rare.</p>

[hereicome09]

<p>I’m in the exact situation, except I’m from so-cal. I think that it really comes down to researching your specific field of study at the university. None of us can give you an answer because everyone has different likes/dislikes/preferences and moving away from home vs staying in nor-cal is probably one of the things u should really think about. The college experience will probably be significantly different: would u rather spend another 4 years nearer to your house and then go off somewhere else when you’re more ready or are u already prepared to handle moving away…good luck and congrats!</p>

[vc08]

<p><a href=“-”>Quote</a> smog
(-) sun <em>will bring an umbrella everywhere</em> I don’t enjoy frequent, strong sunlight.
(-) temperature might take a while to get used to, if I ever get used to it
(-) I’ll be intimidated by the pretty LA citizens?
(-) cost of living in LA is high
(-) need to pay for plane tickets
(-) weird meal plan system…three swipes of your card a day for buffet style meals…? No flexibility for snacks in between unless you want to get ripped off? I’m sure I’ll be able to get used to it eventually, but at the moment it sounds constraining…and fattening. But again, after the first year it doesn’t matter so much.
(-) My older brother is there

[/Quote]
</p>

<p>So, one by one:</p>

<p>smog: I actually have taken 2 different classes this year discussing LA smog, and I assure you that the west LA air quality is among the best for large-cities in the country (can’t say the same for downtown, but the skies wouldn’t be as blue as they are here if there was tons of smog). </p>

<p>sun/temp: can’t help you there…except I haven’t ever heard anyone complain about weather here, except when it’s raining lol (even the NorCalers)</p>

<p>Cost of living: Were you planning on buying in Bel Air or Brentwood? Hahah if you’re doing dorms or apts., no worries; dorms are as cheap as all UCs, and apartments are cheaper. It’s nice being surrounded by expensive neighborhoods though, bc safety tends to be of essence.</p>

<p>Meal Plan: It sounds confusing, but it’s not. There are several meal plans, but only two categories: Premier, and regular. Premier allows you to use your swipes any time, with no limit per day (you do, however, have a certain limit per-quarter, depending on whether you sign up for 14 or 19 swipes/week). So you could stock up on snacks in-between; I’ve used as many as 11 swipes per day at the end of the quarter, because I had too many last quarter! Regular allows you to have either 2 or 3 meals per day, depending on your plan. You can use those during the set breakfast, lunch and dinner times, but not in-between like premier. I suggest premier…it’s pretty convenient.</p>

<p>As for the last one, can’t help you, except to say that there’s 38,000 people at this school, and you can see him as much or as little as you want.</p>

<p>Cal is a phenomenal school as well. It sounds like your heart is with UCLA though, and if you go with that, you can’t go wrong. Good luck, and congrats!</p>

[mofmog]

<p>SoCal water tastes funny now that I’ve been at Cal for two years. True story.</p>