<p>Location: Northern California. thirty minutes drive away from UCBs 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 (didnt 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 didnt really realize back then that LAs and Cals 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 didnt 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
(+) UCLAs student panel at their admitted students reception made it seem like LIFE and CULTURE was everywhere around LA. Ill 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 UCs, except for Cal(?), which means I get to meet up with friends more conveniently
(+) hotter guys? (:
(+) my first impression of surrounding cities: LA > Berkeley (Im 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. Ill 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 cant, 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 dont enjoy frequent, strong sunlight.
(-) temperature might take a while to get used to, if I ever get used to it
(-) Ill 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? Im sure Ill be able to get used to it eventually, but at the moment it sounds constraining
and fattening. But again, after the first year it doesnt matter so much.
(-) My older brother is there</p>
<hr>
<p>Berkeley</p>
<p>(+) gave me the most money of all UCs (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, Ill 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 CoEs 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 itll be nothing new. Hows 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 well mostly be eating after first year. though its more inconvenient to get to if well be cramming around exam time. free delivery available?
(-) seems like Cal is less selective than UCLA for my high school; Im guessing that Cal does have some sort of bias for us since were 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 wouldnt have cared about said experience; Id hold my academic studies in priority. But after junior/senior year
I want that college experience. Theres 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 Im young
(-) Honestly, I feel like I didnt deserve to get in. One of the guys at my school seemed really upset that he didnt 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. Itd 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 Id rather do nearly anything else, as long as its 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, Id 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 doesnt matter which university I choose; Ill be happy at either one. But thats the very reason why Im so conflicted right now!</p>