<p>I would like to get advise from you guys. Thanks.</p>
<p>Do you identify more with Paul Krugman or Tyler Cowen?</p>
<p>UChicago’s economics department is roundly considered better in economics, as far as I can tell.</p>
<p>If money is not an issue, Chicago is a better choice for you even though Berkeley has a strong econ department.</p>
<p>Berkeley… It’s known as the best public school in the United States, also your in sunny San Francisco near huge tech companies which pay out loads to their interns (like Facebook for example). Also it’s not freezing as hell, graded inflated UChicago.</p>
<p>^ lol grade inflation at uchicago is actually being used as an argument</p>
<p>never thought i’d hear that ever</p>
<p>Yea I agree Berkeley is great, also Stanford is amazing too. But If I were you I’d go to Berkeley instead of UChicago. </p>
<p>why is this even a question lol, UC Berkley is clearly the better choice here</p>
<p>Can’t really go wrong with either, they both have great academics. Econ is better at UChicago, but even if you end up switching majors there are plenty of other strong programs. As far as money, Berkeley is pretty expensive out-of-state, so it’s not going to be that much cheaper (UChicago usually gives better fin aid anyways). I’d decide based more on fit than anything else. Also, all of these guys with 10 posts each are probably the same person encouraging everyone not to go to UChicago for whatever reason (just look at the other threads and how they/he backs up their suggestion with absolutely no reasoning), so I’d ignore them lol.</p>
<p>it is unnecessary for me to consider money.</p>
<p>Go to UofC. When I visited Berkeley and was deciding between there and UofC, no one regarded Berkeley as the better choice (unless you’re in engineering). </p>
<p>You will definitely want to visit both schools. Berkeley is great for someone interested in tech/startups but if money is an issue and you are set on Econ, UofC. </p>
<p>UChicago Economics is probably one of the best (if not the best) in the country/world. UChicago’s huge number of Nobel Laureates are mostly Economics professors. If cost is not too much of an issue, DEFINITELY choose UofC. If you can’t afford it (I know UChicago is very, very pricey, and they don’t typically give enough aid), then choose UCB. It’s also a great school overall. </p>
<p>Since money is not an issue, I suggest U of C.
If you’re from California though, be forewarned: winters suck 
</p>
<p>I would recommend you to go UChicago. Both Berkeley and UChicago have strong Economics program but Uchicago is slightly better. At undergraduate level, the difference is much larger. Berkeley is too big and has too many students. The classes are generally much bigger. Too many students compete for the limited resources. Uchicago provides more resources for its students. You will get a totally different experience for your four years college life with high quality undergraduate education. However, if you cannot tolerate cold winter, you better stay in CA.</p>
<p>I’m a little worried about the security situation at UChicago. Is UChicago safe enough? I am looking forward to the experience seniors to answer me this question. Thanks.</p>
<p>Yes, it’s safe enough. I doubt there’s any safety difference between Chicago and Berkeley, to tell the truth, and I have spent time in both places. Many parts of Chicago have a terrible crime rate, and the same is true of many parts of Oakland (which are as close to Cal Berkeley as the terrible parts of Chicago are to the University of Chicago). That really doesn’t affect day to day life in Hyde Park. </p>
<p>Is it a city? Yes. In the course of four years, may someone try to steal your wallet sometime? Yes to that, too, at Chicago and at every other urban campus in the country. Is it a college where kids don’t always take care of their stuff, leading to some petty theft? Yes, and that’s true pretty much at 100% of colleges (maybe not West Point). Do students die or get seriously injured because of street crime? No. In the past thirty years, one graduate student was killed by a mugger, and it was a huge news story in Chicago for three days until the police caught the killer. It was a huge news story because it was the kind of thing that never happens.</p>
<p>If you are really worried about safety, the first thing to avoid is rural campuses with no muggers or break-ins. Because that’s where people are often tempted to drive drunk, or do other dangerous things drunk, and THAT’s the real safety threat to college students, not street crime. Also, don’t make friends with any of your classmates, because it’s your classmates who are most likely to rape you, or beat you up in a fight, or steal from you.</p>
<p>The issue at Chicago (and Berkeley, too), isn’t safety. It’s that you have a largely affluent, mainly white and Asian university near neighborhoods where poor people of color live, and everyone shares the same streets. Some people who aren’t used to it get really freaked out when they have to walk around, or ride the bus, with people who are racially and economically different. Most people like that get over it in a few weeks after they come to Chicago, but some don’t, and they feel frightened and threatened all the time. If that is what you are like, don’t go to Chicago (or Berkeley), find someplace else where you will feel better about life. If you think experience will calm you down about it, then Chicago will be fine.</p>
<p>I second JHS regarding the campus and Hyde Park’ environment as well as Chicago’s.</p>
<p>I had the same concern last year when deciding Chicago for my D who is a freshman currently at the college since Chicago had gotten so many negative news on its crime. I have visited Chicago twice since then and feel the safety issue is much exaggerated. The campus is pretty nice and safe during the day time - many people are walking on and so many activities are happening. I believe in the evening the policemen will pop up to stand at block corners to patrol the campus and its surroundings. Of course a big city, like Chicago, is dangerous at some places sometimes. You have to be street smart - my D was not used to it in our area.</p>
<p>The university’s NightRide system and some CTA buses cover the entire campus and its surroundings almost 24 hours a day. My D uses them frequently - it is safe and convenient in the cold days and evenings.</p>
<p>Here is some college crime report published by Business Insider and fortunately Chicago is not on the list there:
<a href=“Most Dangerous Colleges in America”>Most Dangerous Colleges in America;
<p>Surprisingly Chicago is not on the most dangerous cities list considering its bad crime reputation:
<a href=“The 25 Most Dangerous Cities in America”>The 25 Most Dangerous Cities in America;
<p>However CNN has covered a report about Chicago’s crime recently:
<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/13/us/chicago-crime-gap/”>Tackling Chicago's 'crime gap' - CNN;
<p>Chicago’s student newspaper also publishes campus crime reports regularly (I believe it should be weekly):
<a href=“http://chicagomaroon.com/tag/crime-report/”>http://chicagomaroon.com/tag/crime-report/</a></p>
<p>Good luck to your choice wherever you go.</p>
<p>JHS, eddi137 and other in this thread, thank you very much, you provide me with some significant points and information.</p>
<p>My personal experience with both Berkeley and UChicago campus surrounding was that they do not have difference. Berkeley campus is relatively safe if you do not go to the neighbor Oakland which is just a few blocks away. For UChicago, if you do not go a few blocks south, you are safe. Overall, I would say both are relatively safe if you do not do stupid things. I would not use safety as a factor when choosing between the two. </p>
<p>Once again, if you want to experience a large public school with totally focusing on graduate education, chose Berkeley. However, if you want to experience a small campus with evenly focusing on both undergraduate and graduate education, then UChicago is a obvious choice for you. They both have excellent academic reputation worldwide. With a degree from either school, you should be fine.</p>
<p>My impression is that the area where middle and upper-class white students might feel uncomfortable is much further away from the Berkeley campus than the corresponding areas around UChicago.</p>
<p>In reading this comment, you should be aware that my Berkeley experience was back in the 20th century.</p>