Hey guys, so I was recently accepted by both UCLA and Berkeley as a transfer student for fall 2017. I had my eyes set on UCLA, and had never even considered going to Cal (I didn’t think I had any chance of getting in.) Now that I’ve been accepted to both, the choice has been insanely difficult. I was wondering if anyone had any insight that could help me make a decision!
Pros of UCLA:
- Close to home ( Less than 50 mins away - I live in the suburbs )
- Student body seems happy/vibrant atmosphere
- Gorgeous campus
Pros of Berkeley:
- New environment (Bay area) seems like a great experience and a fun one.
- Great Political Science program
- Highly regarded school with prestige that competes with Ivies internationally
As for the cons of UCLA, I don’t see very many, but it just seems like a safe choice. The fact that Berkeley is more well known with a better poli sci program makes me inclined to pick Cal. However, I keep hearing from students at Cal that the atmosphere is definitely gloomier than UCLA as far as happiness level of the student body goes. I’m going to be visiting in a few weeks, so I’m hoping that’ll help make my decision. I’m worried about Cal’s reputation for being an extremely stressful environment in where students are cut throat - leading to what seems like an unbalanced college experience, compared to UCLA seeming more well rounded. Anyways, I’d appreciate any advice/insight from you guys! Thank you
Berkeley is more prestigious. Be prepared when entering that Poli Sci program, though. I can only imagine how one-sided it is.
You mean the liberal leaning atmosphere?
@reevoalex Of course. Even if you are a liberal, I’d think being in an echo chamber would not be beneficial.
UC Berkeley has a longer history of activism. It is not the home to more liberals than UCLA. We are not comparing California and Alabama universities. Even assuming the stereotypes were true, UCLA is the last school you would want to attend to escape the ‘liberal elites.’
UCLA is not trailing behind Berkeley in political science. Both universities have excellent programs and competitive environments as a result. If you genuinely love political science, then you will not struggle with the expectations at Berkeley. I’m taking a seminar where we have written extensive research papers based on the census. I admit to procrastinating and rushing to finish them, but I was surprised how impressive my findings have been. Its been way easier than I expected to take seminars and discuss research with professors and join the URAP and actually work on research projects.
Unfortunately, you will only be at the new university for two years and it will fly buy. Even transfer who find friends fast usually don’t feel as though they had a stereotype college social experience. I wouldn’t make a decision based off that expectation, but our mindsets can be very influential on our experience. These fears will not disappear after you commit to Cal. So if you feel more confident in UCLA, then I would go there and move across the state or country for graduate school.