<p>I am a Political Science major and I am completely lost right now as to where I want to transfer to. </p>
<p>Below are my opinions and thoughts so far that sways me toward LA although the reason I haven't SIRed yet is because I feel very IGNORANT about Cal (this shows from my list below). I really want to make a well-informed decision for myself.</p>
<p>CAL</p>
<p>PROS:
Change of scenery (I'm from Socal)
Slightly more academically recognized
Close to SF</p>
<p>CONS:
It’s far from home
Excessively liberal atmosphere
Known to be in a sketchy area
Said to have anti social environment
Cold and wet</p>
<p>UCLA</p>
<p>PROS:
Close to home (I live half an hour away)
Better social atmosphere/environment
Nicer neighborhood
Better at sports</p>
<p>CONS:
Not on Cal's prestige level </p>
<p>I would LOVE some thoughts, additions, facts, opinions, on this. I would mainly like to know more about why I should pick Cal. </p>
<p>Hey, UCLA is at Cal’s prestige level (well close enough).</p>
<p>I know that is too late but you would have benefited from attending Cal’s Transfer Bridge day. Before you SIR you should visit Cal.If you already talked to them try to talk to Cal Poli-Sci students, see what they have to say.</p>
<p>I also had the honor to choose between these 2 awesome Universities. The reason I became a BruWIN (get it) was because I liked the quarter system over the semesters.</p>
<p>I had a similar pro’s con’s list. I’m a poll sci major too and I realized that the things on the UCLA list didn’t matter to me as much as I had previously thought. UCLA has better sports but I figured with all the studying I’d be doing I’d hardly be at sporting events. Westwood is super nice but the idea of being in a college town like Berkeley and having access to SF on the weekends kind of makes up for the sketchiness and made the Berkeley area more attractive to me. I live an hour from UCLA too so this one was tough but I figured it’d only be 2 years and it’d be kinda awesome to do something completely new. I’m probably going end up staying in SoCal for a good amount of my future so going to Cal will give me a chance to experience the North.</p>
<p>The quarter vs semester thing was super tough. I prefer quarter because it’s what I’m already used to so I’d have to say that I can’t justify picking Cal over LA on this point. In terms of campus, both have nice old architecture and they’re both kind of on hills so expect to do a lot of uphill walking regardless. UCLA’s central campus is around the ballpark of 400 acres while Cal’s central campus is around 178 acres. I visited both and I preferred UCLA’s architecture and campus layout more but I figured I’d probably really only use the library and Cal’s library is pretty gorgeous.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t feel like you have an obligation to pick either school. I picked Cal because I feel like it offers me the chance to try new things and graduate with a degree that is respected internationally (of course a UCLA degree is also super prestigious, Cal is just more recognized beyond America which may or may not be a concern for you). Ultimately you have to figure out what things on your list are more important that the other things. It sounds like you want a reason to pick Cal but you just can’t find something compelling enough to pick Cal over LA. If that’s your situation then maybe UCLA is a better fit for you after all. Either way there are no mistakes to be made here. Good luck! </p>
<p>I agree with @CalBruin. So many good points mentioned and I didn’t know you were also a Poli Sci major CalBruin, haha awesome! </p>
<p>If you’re worried about the sketchy area, I would just stay away from Telegraph Avenue. That’s where the majority of the homeless population is and it’s where People’s Park is (don’t go to People’s Park!). On the other side of campus, you have the Gourmet Ghetto and public transportation is better than LA. </p>
<p>It can be an antisocial environment at either Cal or UCLA. It’s really what you make of it. If you don’t get involved and only study 24/7 then yeah it will be very antisocial for you. </p>
<p>Just choose where you would be happy. If you don’t like Cal, then don’t go… even if it’s one of the most prestigious universities in this nation. Also, have you considered which Political Science program is better? I’ve compared both because it’s also my major and hands-down Cal has the advantage, IMO.</p>
<p>I have mentioned this before. UCLA and Cal are not too far apart in terms of rankings, I think they are even. Some people think Cal is an Ivy of some sorts.Fantastic school, no doubt, but again, in terms of academia with UCLA, they are even. You are 30 minutes minutes away from UCLA, why would you move over 300 miles to do your undergrad? You can sleep in your own bed, you can enjoy UCLA a lot more like that. Personally, Central and Northern California is pretty mundane TBH, for me, it has always been a place I enjoy visiting but will never live.</p>
<p>You should try to visit Cal, so that you can get your own feel of it. I chose UCLA over Cal but that was only because i cant relocate my job there. And being married I knew having a steady income was necessary for us. </p>
<p>Had it not been for that I think I would have still chosen UCLA </p>
<p>I’m not a PoliSci major, but instead BizEcon for UCLA and Econ for Berkeley. I think UCLA has a more applied and broad program, while Berkeley, for at least Econ, is pretty much straight up Econ, more on theoretical end. I think UCLA is more flexible with their options of classes and the quarter, but I think for Econ at least, Berkeley has a more grad school oriented route (although I think it’d be harder to get a high GPA). </p>
<p>I think this sentiment runs in general for a lot of the Berkeley programs, even their intro CS classes teach overall CS theory rather than how to program in a certain language. </p>
<p>UC Berkeley is not anti social, lol. They have a lot of social events and clubs you can join. The area is a bit sketchy but the north Berkeley is very nice (chill and quiet) !!! I will choose Berkeley so you can get an outside experience from home Good luck to you!!</p>
<p>It took me a while to make up my mind, but I decided to go to Cal.</p>
<p>Pros of UC Berkeley:</p>
<p>-I have more connections up there, which will assist me in finding research opportunities
-Berkeley has a stronger faculty
-More respected internationally; anything I do at Cal looks better…because it was done at Cal
-New and different environment (I’m from SoCal)
-Semester System
-The culture of the campus (politics, academics, history, the pride, college town atmosphere)
-The libraries
-The weather (mid-40s to mid-70s); I prefer the gloominess
-Proximity to San Francisco + public transportation</p>
<p>Pros of UCLA:</p>
<p>-I absolutely love the student body, as everyone is super approachable and there are tons of attractive people.
-Newer facilities on campus
-Westwood
-Proximity to Los Angeles, which means more concerts for me
-Food on campus
-Sports Teams</p>
<p>But honestly, you should visit the campus and go to the school that’s right for you. You’ll perform better at the school you fit in more.</p>
Good luck to you!!</p>