Kinda torn between the two as I know it’s super difficult to get into Haas, but that any degree from Berkeley is worth it. I like UCLA more as a school though. Any advice on what I should do?
I got off the waitlist just today, which is why I’m asking at the moment.
@denmum Congratulations, you should be proud of your acceptances to these great schools. My son had a similar dilemma when he was accepted to his top 2 choices, UCLA and USC. Many people, including many here on CC, like to exaggerate minor differences between similar schools into great chasms. Perhaps they think it will make their decision easier or help them reaffirm their decision.
I will tell you what I told him: you can’t go wrong with either of these choices. We were fortunate enough to be able to attend admitted student events for all three of his top choices, so that he had enough info to make an informed choice. After the last event, I asked if he had enough info to make a decision. His response was he was going UCLA. (We had just finished an outstanding event at USC, and he had been noncommittal throughout the process. So I was kind of shocked, when he was so decisive). When I asked him why he made his choice, he said he just felt more at home at UCLA.
Again you can’t go wrong with either choice. Wherever you go you will be surrounded by smart and motivated peers, amazing faculty and have access to fantastic facilities. If you go to either school and do well, you will have great opportunities whether it is career or graduate school oriented.
There are some differences, semester system at Cal vs. quarter system at UCLA, socal vs. NorCal weather, etc. But unless you know you want to start your career in the Bay Area or Silicon Valley (Cal has a connection advantage) or in LA or in the entertainment industry (UCLA has a connection advantage), pick where you think you will be happier.
I was also debating about these two schools, mainly because UCB sounds more reputable in the international sphere compared to UCLA. One shouldn’t be to keen on majoring in business econ since the acceptance rate to the major is really low when I looked at the charts they gave at the admitted students day. However, you can’t really go wrong with these two scores comparing econ with econ, and ultimately I feel like you should choose where you feel the best fit. Are you a heavy studier, an introvert, and a good test taker? Then go to Cal. Do you mind if you can let your grades slip a little bit but enjoy the social scene, beaches, and weather around LA? Then go to UCLA.