<p>Now I know that I got into both CAL and UCLA, I'm happy but even more confused!! So what do you guys think I should pick? I'm a born and bred So Cal girl and love the weather, but Berkeley has my major. I've always been branded as the next UCLA grad in my mother's family and a CAL grad on my father's side. What should I do???</p>
<p>i'm in the same position, so cal native, and i like so cal. don't know what to do.</p>
<p>Go to Berkeley; it has your major, has a stronger reputation in the academic world beyond California, and the weather isn't much different than socal (I mean, it's still a lot better than NY, or anywhere else on the east coast).</p>
<p>i'm in the same boat... currently live in texas but was born and bred socal. its more familiar, but then again, i've always wanted to go to cal.</p>
<p>one disadvantage about cal: no in-n-outs in berkeley! bwahhh?</p>
<p>This is the case for me too. I am a so-cal girl, in love with sunny days. I got into both Cal and LA, so I'm leanings towards LA based on social life/location... and Cal for academic reasons. I don't know which to choose yet. My brother went to LA so that kind of clouds my opinion. =)</p>
<p>i got into both. and im going to cal because i grew up and live in norcal. my brother went to ucla, but its just more convenient for me to go to ucb. i like ucla's campus, but i prefer cal's reputation and industry (bay area/silicon valley, etc.)</p>
<p>I've been considered for both but I'm really the one who should be considering. I am torn between the two because I love UCLA's diddy riese, de neve, proximity to home, number of friends/relatives who go there (will provide ease in assimilation) but I've also been to Cal for one weekend. I like the weather in the bay area, I think the ocean is beautiful, but my only concerns are the horror stories I hear of the grading. I am not an exceptional student so I fear that I would not be able to survive at the nation's no. 1 public university.</p>
<p>i was going to go to cal over la if i got in, but now i'm not sure since i was accepted as a spring admit. do you think this should significantly affect my decision?</p>
<p>i wouldn't worry too much about the grading, toastysnot, if you're deciding between UCLA and UCB. Unless you're going for engineering or maybe a science major, the level of competition seems to be similar.</p>
<p>also, its your decision, but i wouldn't want to go to a school where i already knew a lot of people--you might want to meet new people, it'll be exciting</p>
<p>i was deciding, but i decided to go to berkeley...more opportunities overall</p>
<p>Yeahh so I'm confused too. I'll list some questions...hopefully other people find it useful too. Btw I'm in L&S mcb (which i don't doubt i'll change) and L&S biochem at UCLA.</p>
<p>-Does either school even make much difference for undergrad education? LA has more research opportunities and stuff for bio/chem/premed from what I hear, but can you find them at Cal too?
-How do the humanities programs compare at each school?
-Did most of you make your final decision based on each school's environment and where you liked it more?
-Should LA be chosen over Cal b/c this year it's apparently more selective..some say getting better than cal too? (For biological sciences..though probably ucsd is up there too)</p>
<p>Somehow I have the idea that either place is great to go to, depending on what YOU bring to the experience/how hard you work. I'm afraid though on what stuff I may miss out on either way haha...in the long run, like for grad school and such. </p>
<p>sorry for the long entry.</p>
<p>"Does either school even make much difference for undergrad education? LA has more research opportunities and stuff for bio/chem/premed from what I hear, but can you find them at Cal too?"</p>
<p>It boils down to the fact that no one is gonna hand you a research opportunity here at Cal or LA. You gotta work for it. Hard + luck. There may be more opportunities as you say, but still UCLA has a medical school and definitely MANY pre-med/science students will be fighting for those spots.</p>
<p>Okay, I think I can help out here. I just graduated from Cal, with a double major in MCB and another humanities area (which is far too identifiable ;-)), and am currently in graduate school at UCLA. So first, to answer some specific questions, and then to go on with my general impressions: </p>
<p>-Does either school even make much difference for undergrad education? LA has more research opportunities and stuff for bio/chem/premed from what I hear, but can you find them at Cal too?</p>
<p>Berkeley trumps UCLA in the biological sciences, easily. Just look at the graduate rankings. <em>That being said</em> it will make no difference where you do your undergraduate work. It will make an enormous difference how well you do in your classes, WHICH LAB you do your undergraduate research in, and how much time, energy, and effort you devote to getting involved in extracurricular activities related to your major and future graduate plans. That's going to be the clincher wherever you go. Doing well on grad school entrance exams won't hurt either! </p>
<p>-How do the humanities programs compare at each school?</p>
<p>The humanities at Berkeley are excellent. I'm not familiar with the programs at UCLA, but you can give yourself a good idea of this by going to the school websites and looking up what types of departments and courses they offer. Another really important factor, I think, is looking at what your requirements will be outside your major. You want to have as much flexibility as possible in this area. </p>
<p>-Did most of you make your final decision based on each school's environment and where you liked it more?</p>
<p>I always wanted to go to Cal as an undergrad, so there was no decision there. However, I love the environment at the school and in the surrounding area. But I can't say this enough-- Berkeley is NOT for everyone. Visiting both that campus and UCLA, and talking to the students should show you easily the differences between the two places. Some thrive in and love the diversity and "alternative"/ "urban" feel of Berkeley. Others can't handle it. </p>
<p>-Should LA be chosen over Cal b/c this year it's apparently more selective..some say getting better than cal too? (For biological sciences..though probably ucsd is up there too)</p>
<p>No matter how much more "selective" LA was this year over Cal, I don't think there's any doubt whatsoever that Berkeley comes out on top academically. I think I can say this without an incredible amount of bias--being at UCLA currently, it is also an excellent institution in its own right, but still very different from Cal, and I would say, not quite on the same level. Berkeley is internationally recognized as the #1 public university, and with good reason. </p>
<p>You mentioned UCSD. Specifically with regard to the biological sciences, I would say UCSD is pretty much neck and neck with Berkeley. They have some excellent faculty and an EXTREMELY strong research program. </p>
<p>TO end, having been at both these campuses, if you're looking at it from a graduate-school perspective, I would say that it DOES NOT MATTER WHERE YOU GO. People in my major would probably flog me for making this claim. Undergraduate science classes at Berkeley are hard. Very hard. Painful, often. People sometimes struggle to keep up their GPA. But there's nothing that would make me believe that they're any easier at UCLA (I would strongly suggest finding someone at UCLA and asking them, as I'm not really qualified to make comments in that area). At both UCLA and Cal you'll find extraordinarily talented and intelligent students to be around-- I don't think that this is an issue. Being pretty heavily involved with my major at Cal (I was a peer advisor) I can tell you that there are people who excelled and people who weren't able to cut it. Berkeley is an amazing, amazing place, but is definitely not for everyone. Go where you feel comfortable and be happy enough to concentrate on and do well in school. The rest will follow. Good luck, and I'll be hanging around if anyone else has any specific questions.</p>
<p>acalgrad05,</p>
<p>you mentioned that berkeley isnt for everyone; how so? what kind of personality do you need to survive/thrive? im also deciding between UCB and UCLA (both regents), EECS at UCB and BioE at UCLA. I like UCLA's climate, living conditions etc (like most) over UCB's, but I know that for engineering, UCB destroys UCLA. also i have to keep a 3.0 to retain my regents, is that really hard in EECS? thanks for input</p>
<p>-you mentioned that berkeley isnt for everyone; how so? what kind of personality do you need to survive/thrive? </p>
<p>Berkeley has always struck me as the type of place where it helps to be very independent and go-getter. You can do fine without these characteristics, but that is what will really make your 'Berkeley experience' worthwhile. I think it also helps to be tolerant, and appreciative of getting to know many different types of people. Frankly, the students at Berkeley cover the social spectrum. I'm convinced that everyone can find a niche, but you HAVE to put yourself out there. No one is going to come to you--I think this is what causes a lot of people to go under. Get involved. Join organizations (some suck, many do not). Go to study groups. If you're willing to put in the effort, you will do more than thrive. Outside of all that, the Berkeley campus and surrounding area do have a particular... personality to them. Sort of quirky and colorful, sometimes a little shady. Make sure that you are comfortable with that. Think about whether things like this would affect the way you study and live. The campus itself is great, the city is lively and full of culture, but it is also nothing like the little suburban oasis surrounding UCLA. But again, put the effort into making things work for you and they will. I think not giving up and not getting discouraged easily are a really vital part of being able to adjust well to Berkeley. And if you can manage to do this--which thousands of other students have done--I think you'll find that Berkeley is a unique and wonderful place. </p>
<p>-im also deciding between UCB and UCLA (both regents), EECS at UCB and BioE at UCLA. I like UCLA's climate, living conditions etc (like most) over UCB's, but I know that for engineering, UCB destroys UCLA. also i have to keep a 3.0 to retain my regents, is that really hard in EECS? thanks for input</p>
<p>Wow. Um, I can't really tell you anything about EECS except to say that in addition to being highly regarded--as you already know--it is known to be one of the toughest- if not the toughest- majors at Cal (along with BioE). You would really have to talk to someone in the program to find out how hard it is to mantain a 3.0. If you were qualified enough to get into EECS in the first place, <em>and</em> you transition well into the college enviornment, I can't see any reason for you to not keep a 3.0. But again, I repeat: EECS is a different story than other majors at Cal. Please talk to someone in engineering to get the total picture. :)</p>
<p>All the best.</p>
<p>thanks acalgrad05, ill keep this in mind :) and also, ill have to stalk some engineering guy now :P</p>
<p>thank you very much for the response, it's helpful and reassuring :)</p>
<p>hey acalgrad05, how hard is it to double major? i'm thinking of either MCB or psych and peace/conflict studies. alternatively, i'm looking at ucla for neuroscience and global studies. if i intend to go to grad school, does undergrad degree really make a difference?</p>
<p>There is an In&Out near campus, about a 10-15min drive in Pinole (7 miles off the highway), but there are lots of good burger joints in Berkeley, including this one below, so you won't find yourself taking that longer drive very often:</p>
<p>Other joints (SF, east bay and Sacramento)
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tspauld/sets/960578/show/%5B/url%5D">http://www.flickr.com/photos/tspauld/sets/960578/show/</a></p>
<p>Overall, the food is better around Cal than at UCLA.</p>
<p>Another thing that sets the two campuses apart is the fact that Berkeley is more compact, has a pedestrian layout and is well-served by subway. This makes it a bit more lively than UCLA.</p>
<p>UCLA doesnt have the same reputation that Berkeley has. Berkeley ranks among the top schools in the world, beside Harvard and Yale, UCLA is good, but when you say you went to Berkeley, people say wow, sam with Yale, Harvard, Princeton, but when you say you went to UCLA, people will say good job, but it is not as highly regarded as Berkeley, even though the eduacational values are the same, both are good schools, Berkeley is a name dropper...</p>