UCLA Fall 09/Berkeley Spring 10

<p>Anyone else stuck in this situation? I'm majoring i economics so I'm unsure of what to do here. I've heard that the FPF (that's the acronym right?) program for Cal is great for the spring admitted students but is it worth it to wait a semester? I have read through the thread stickied on this Berkeley forum but I still could not decide. Anyone have any opinions on this situation? thanks.</p>

<p>If you want to do Economics, you should choose Cal. From what I have heard, FPF provides a great transition and you'll be at cal just like all the Fall freshman.</p>

<p>I'm in the same situation. I got admitted to UCLA for fall '09, psychobiology major and Berkeley for spring '10, college of letters & science. I'm going to visit both again and then decide.</p>

<p>My son was in FPF last fall and had a great experience. He had most courses off campus and one on campus. All in all it was a great way of easing into Cal. You almost feel like you are a part of small College within the larger University. He does find the UC course this spring more challenging.</p>

<p>FPF is awesome. As an FPF student you are equal to fall admits in almost every way (the two main differences is that you cannot be on a school NCAA athletics team and your classes are mostly in the ABSW building south of Unit 2)</p>

<p>why would you give up Berkeley just because you’re a spring admit?</p>

<p>Berkeley kicks a$$</p>

<p>Yeah, all I would say is, don’t let the Spring admit thing determine your decision.</p>

<p>Both UCLA and Cal are good colleges. But if you haven’t visited ucla or cal yet, i suggest you do to see which ENVIRONMENT is right for you. making a visit makes a difference; you want a feel for campus life. cal and ucla are pretty much level on the playing field academically for your intended major; they’re both world class universities, so neither is really more prestigious…it’s just one of those games parents enjoy -__- make sure you look at the requirements for your intended major at both to see which aligns most with what interests you; the majors could differ. what you get out of your academic career is up to you, but the opportunities available in terms of social/campus life is very different. you have 4 years in college; make sure you choose the one right for YOU and that you will not regret your decision later.</p>

<p>Maybe fasttrack can say that LA and Berkeley are close, academically, but HelloAll asked about econ specifically. If that’s the case, then Berkeley wins, hands down. And if this person is thinking about business as well as econ, then Haas >>>>>> bizecon at LA, which is just econ + some accounting classes. Not really a business major at all.</p>

<p>Spring admits generally (or so I hear) have better undergrad GPAs than fall students. Don’t know if there’s truth to that. For FPF better transition from HS to college, making the whole UG experience better (IMO). With FPF you won’t miss out on the great fall football season.</p>

<p>To OP:
I am currently in the same situation, admitted to UCLA and Spring Admit at Berkeley. I too am kind of on the fence as to which school to go to. I have read plenty on the FPF program and I think it sounds great, but I still feel like the first semester at Berkeley will be a pain in the a$$ due to the hoops you have to jump through as a spring admit, namely un-guaranteed housing. </p>

<p>On the other hand, my planned major is Computer Science and I hear Berkeley’s CS program is better compared to UCLA’s. Because of that, I’m kind of more partial towards Berkeley right now, but I do plan on visiting both campuses before I make my final decision.</p>

<p>It’s difficult for all of us spring admits, OP. I believe taking some more time to think and consider options would be a benefit to us all.</p>

<p>Before you know it, the fall semester will be over. So don’t let being a Spring admit stop you from choosing Cal.</p>