<p>You've probably seen another one of these threads, but I seriously cannot decide between UChicago and UC Berkeley. UChicago is also one of my dream schools. Mostly, I love the mentality at UChicago (the whole atmosphere of learning), while I dislike the mentality at UC Berkeley (it's similar to that of my high school: competitive and everyone fights for numbers, and people competing to see who can come out on top). When I visited, I felt like an outsider at Berkeley, while I felt really at home at UChicago. Sometimes I felt judged at UCB for speaking my ideas (which are sometimes weird), but at UChicago I didn't feel an ounce of judgment, only acceptance. </p>
<p>However, UC Berkeley would be $15,000 cheaper than UChicago. I am in-state for California, so I get that benefit. </p>
<p>I plan to study statistics and possibly economics, and I know that both schools are pretty good at both (though I heard UChicago comes out a bit above, if not just neck-to-neck with UC Berkeley).</p>
<p>What should I do? My gut tells me UChicago but my wallet tells me UCB.</p>
<p>If you’re a more practical sort of person and think that you can find a job fairly easily after graduation, then $60,000 is manageable. Go with your gut feeling, but please, do not generalize the entire Berkeley student population. Not everyone is judgmental and competitive. Far from it.</p>
<p>Who would pay for the $15,000 per year? Can your parents afford it? How much of a loan would you be responsible for? If you can get by on the Stafford loan (about $25,000 for all four years) and your parents can afford the rest, go with UChicago, otherwise, Berkeley.</p>
<p>Is it really an option if you’re not financially well off? What are your parent’s finances like.
Would the extra 15k per year be all in loans, or can your family afford to pay for it without them having to take out loans or changing their relative lifestyle just to pay for your “fit”.</p>
<p>If finances were a non issue, and you were certain that economics was the field that you wanted to pursue, it would be difficult to find a school better than Chicago. UC Berkeley is a great institution and a great choice if money was a concern or you were not exactly sure what you wanted to major in. The bottom line is you have 2 outstanding options.</p>
<p>Save the 60 grand and go to Cal.</p>