<p>Having being to both UCLA (undergrad) and Cal (currently attending as grad), I can tell you that both schools are great in terms of both environment and academics. Prestige only goes so far, and most employers don’t care where you go, they care what you do in college (your achievements, your skills, internships/jobs, community service experiences, etc). If you think you can achieve a higher GPA at UCLA and use the extra time to take some career-oriented courses and find some internships/research opportunities, then that will help you more in the long run.
The experiences I had in UCLA for undergrad were the best I ever had, and I would trade them for nothing else - not even Berkeley or any of the other top universities. The social atmosphere, the campus life, and the variety of clubs and activities at UCLA is much better than that of Cal.
At Berkeley, the competition is a bit more fierce and I found that it was harder to maintain a good GPA. But nevertheless, the things I learned at Cal - the education I got there - is purely amazing. I met some extraordinary and interesting people over the years at Cal and the education here is fantastic (please remember this is my grad experiences at Cal, not undergrad).
So as you can see, both schools are amazing, and their undergrad programs is roughly on the same academic field. So prestige, while it is important, don’t weigh too much on it. Weigh more on your college experiences. It is the journey and the experiences that count the most - not your destination.</p>
<p>Fasttrack,</p>
<p>The best of both worlds, eh?</p>
<p>ucla:
easier classes
less presitigous
attractive student body
social</p>
<p>berk:
harder classes
more prestigious
everyone is fugly
can be social if you try hard</p>
<p>muse_e,</p>
<p>Do you have ANY proof that UCLA’s classes will be “easier?”</p>
<p>Also, one of the most beautiful women I know went to Cal, so not “everybody” can be ugly. ;)</p>
<p>Cal and UCLA have roughly comparable difficulties</p>