<p>So hypothetically speaking, if you had a choice between the math program at UCB and the college of creative studies at UCSB which one would you choose and why?</p>
<p>While UCB has all the prestige, yada yada yada, the CCS program at UCSB has a bunch of bonuses that are really cool like one-one time with professors, graduate student privileges, WAY smaller classes, self-tailored curriculum, and supposedly more opportunities to do research....but Berkeley is Berkeley...</p>
<p>Now, I haven't actually been accepted to UCSB or UCB (hence the HYPOTHETICALLY) BUT I have been accepted into the CCS program (separate admissions process) so I'm hoping that improves my chances at SB (prolly just wishful thinking on my part :D)....The reason I ask is CCS wants an answer by MAY 1ST! That gives me less than one day to make up my mind (once again SUPER wishful thinking on my part assuming I get into BOTH uc's). I really don't want to make up my mind in one day, so I need to have a plan, even if it NEVER happens. Better safe than sorry...</p>
<p>From what I just read on the UCSB site, the CCS sounds really interesting and rather prestigious. However, Berkeley is a great school so it would be a difficult decision for me.</p>
<p>Do you happen to know anyone that went through the CCS in math? I wonder if the admissions people or someone from that department might be able to put you in touch with a current student in the UCSB program.</p>
<p>Yeah, the CCS looks really nice I know! I heard the faculty actually chooses the admitted students themselves. I felt very good when I got in. At least it made me feel like I didn’t completely suck. hehe…</p>
<p>Anyway, I have spoken/chatted/forumed? with math major from both CCS and Cal and they BOTH love their schools. It’s like NO ONE has anything bad to say about either…grrr…I was worried about grad schools later on but apparently graduates from both schools do really well, so yeah…they weren’t very helpful. </p>
<p>I thought about calling CCS directly and flat out asking them how they compare to UCB but that’s horrible. I can’t do it…</p>
<p>i’ve had the unique experience of being a freshman at UCSB and a current UCB Math/Econ major. The CCS program has really cool stuff you can do like dropping a class up to the day of the final. Its also very small and you get personal attention to help you reach your full potential. At berkeley, you’re very much on your own and its up to you to rise to the top. I think the education you’ll get at both schools will give you excellent preparation for graduate school. However, berkeley has tons of famous mathematicians in the department as well as a few fields medalists. Of course, something you learn quickly at berkeley is that superstar professors are not necessarily good teachers. Many of the nobel laureates are very bad teachers here. In the end, it really depends on what you want out of your college experience and the atmosphere you are looking for. At UCSB you will receive plenty of attention and perks whereas at berkeley you will face the gods of math. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask.</p>
<p>@ mikei…I know…I’ve asked him a billion other math related questions in a bunch of other posts…hehe…</p>
<p>So what should I do, attempt to face the gods of math or get perks and attention??? Hmm…</p>
<p>I guess for me, the question is, if you actually DO more research at CCS than at UCB. IS there a noticeable difference? When going to grad school what’s gonna weigh more, the amount of research done or the name/prestige of the school (assuming all other factors such as gpa, rank, etc remain the same between both schools)?</p>
<p>your undergrad institution doesn’t really matter. There are plenty of graduate students here at berkeley from schools you’ve never heard of but theres also a ton from harvard, yale, princeton etc. What matters is your research and your letters of recommendations. Of course, at berkeley you’ll have access to top notch math professors and its up to you to decide whether you think their letters of recommendation would carry more weight than the ones at UCSB. Also, something you might want to consider is that at both schools taking the minimum number of courses to graduate with a math degree will NOT get you into a top math program. You’ll probably need to take a couple graduate level courses to show you can handle the work. Of course,the berkeley graduate math program is one of the top programs in the country so that might weight in on your decision. </p>
<p>Obviously i’m showing some bias here but its because the math department here is truly amazing. The UCSB math department simply doesn’t compare. I’ve heard many stories of professors not caring about the undergrads here but i have never encountered this. Every single one of my professors have been amazing and go out of their way to be accessible and helpful. Also, the graduate students who will be teaching your sections are the top math students in the world and can pretty much answer and question you can think of.</p>
<p>Thanks once again JetForce, that’s exactly the sort of thing I wanted to hear. I have zero experience with the big U and have heard from several sources that at a place like Cal you become a number. That no one really gives a crap and you NEVER get to see the professors. Although I am sure TA’s are brilliant and could answer most if not all of my questions, I’m extremely inquisitive and talking to TA’s is not the same as talking to the main profs. This, I think, is the main reason I considered UCSB, because of the one-on-one time that you supposedly get there which is unavailable at other universities. Additionally, they also claim you get to do more research than normal, but apparently you get to do plenty of research at Cal as it is. Am I correct? CCS also allows you to take graduate classes as an undergrad, which implies you’re normally not allowed. However, from your comment it seems as though you should definitely be able to. Based on this I’m starting to wonder how many of their “privileges” are truly exclusive to their program. </p>
<p>On a side note, my dad went to Cal for undergrad and grad school (for applied Physics). He’s a HUGE fan and told me that although during the first two years most of your classes are huge lecture halls, by junior and senior year the classes are much smaller and the professors much more accessible. From his experience, if you’re a good student the prof will bend over backwards to help you. Now, he went to school back in the 60’s so it’s been a long time. Is this still true to this day? It seems your experience is similar but correct me if I’m wrong. Are the people who complain about absent profs just bad students? Thanks for your help!:)</p>
<p>Yes you will find plenty of research going on here and you can apply for research positions through the URAP program. Also, students here are strongly encouraged to take graduate courses. Math is probably the most lenient department in letting undergrads take graduate courses. </p>
<p>The only large upper div math course you will encounter at Cal will probably be math 110 which is linear algebra since it is taught in a huge lecture style with about 200 students. This is mainly because its the most popular upper div math course. Most of the other upper div math courses are taught by a professor in a classroom with less than 35 students which is probably what you’re more used to. In these courses you will get to know the professor really well and you’d only goto the GSI for help with homework. But in math 110, since the class is so huge, you’ll probably be meeting with the GSI the most.</p>
<p>Also, even if you are a bad student the professors here will try to help you out as much as possible. If you are doing poorly they strongly encourage you to come to office hours so that they can help you. For example, one of my friends dropped an econ course and stopped attending and the professor emailed her to see if everything was okay because he didn’t receive her problem set that week. This same professor also buys lunch for anyone that wants to go with him after lecture so that he can meet and talk with his students outside of class.</p>
<p>OK, cool. From the way you describe it the profs are really cool. I think I’m closer to making a decision (assuming I have the option). I always liked the environment around Cal WAY more than SB, but I needed to make sure I wasn’t throwing a better opportunity away because of prestige. I guess I’m leaning towards Cal after all. (Now I REALLY want to get in).</p>
<p>Thanks for your help though. As usual, you are the COOLEST CC math major ever!</p>