<p>If I attend UCLA, I plan on majoring in Global Studies, and if I attend Cal, I plan on majoring in Peace and Conflict Studies. One day, I hope to work for an international organization, primarily the UN. </p>
<p>I'd love some pros and cons of each school, addressing academics, student life, financial costs, and just the universities in general.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>I think you’re asking for too much.</p>
<p>In terms of what kind of job I’d like to have? Or in terms of pros and cons? If you mean career-wise, the UN is a dream job, and I realize that I’d have to work extremely, extremely hard to get there. If you mean in terms of the universities, I would just like some ideas and info on what to take into consideration when picking between the two. If you have info worth sharing, I’d love to hear it. Thanks.</p>
<p>UCB all the way! Its much more prestigious…</p>
<p>How are you feeling at the moment? Leaning to one or the other, and for what reason?</p>
<p>Are you a SoCal or a NorCal, oos student or Int’l?</p>
<p>Wrt your major, what country interests you the most? What would you like to do? International development, third-world countries? </p>
<p>I believe that all Global Studies majors at UCLA will study abroad at one point, and I’m sure the same applies to the major you listed for Cal.</p>
<p>Generally, Cal is a bit more… let’s say cosmopolitan than UCLA though both are drawing in more int’ls. </p>
<p>UCLA is more jock oriented, a lot of people wear athletic gear, and a lot of athletic people on campus, and Cal’s is probably more intellectual as JCB noted before – just a tad.</p>
<p>Cal is probably more science oriented, UCLA is more artsy, a bit more law oriented, and definitely more entertainment oriented. </p>
<p>THis comes from the fact taht NorCal is more tech, SoCal more entertainment, TMZ, etc.</p>
<p>These are just a few things off the top of my head.</p>
<p>Right now, I’m leaning toward Cal for potentially better academics and the prestige, as well as because of the Bay Area. I’m leaning toward UCLA because I loved the campus, think I will like the student life better, and like its immediate neighborhood better than Berkeley’s.</p>
<p>I am from about two hours south of SF.</p>
<p>With my major, I’m not quite sure exactly which countries I’m most concerned with, but I do know I want to pursue international relations.</p>
<p>mikaela: By “asking too much” I meant your questions were way too broad. I don’t think many people feel like saying every pro and con for Berkeley and UCLA! Probably worth narrowing down your question a little bit.</p>
<p>…with more weights given to the things of higher significance to you…</p>
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</p>
<p>Say, Cal 10, UCLA 8</p>
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<p>Since you’re 2 hours south of Bay, and maybe 5 hours from UCLA:</p>
<p>Cal 10, UCLA 4 (I dunno, the closer gets more points, reverse-switch X 2)</p>
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<p>UCLA 4, Cal 2, say</p>
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<p>UCLA 10, Cal 7</p>
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<p>UCLA 6, Cal 3</p>
<p>So far we have the following:</p>
<p>Cal 32, UCLA 32 ;)</p>
<p>Just go through your list, weigh things on you list, see if you can get some separation between the two. </p>
<p>If perceived prestige is huge, then you may have your winner already, Cal. If it’s a lot deeper than that, things could tilt towards UCLA.</p>
<p>Drax, UCLA = TMZ! Haha!</p>
<p>arcadefire: Okay, ummm… How about some pros and cons about student life and the student body (at either school, depending on which you’re familiar with)? What is the overall vibe of each campus? And if you know anything about the Global Studies major UCLA or Peace and Conflict Studies major at Cal, that would be helpful.</p>
<p>drax: You’re weights were pretty dead on. I’m completely split! I’ll go through my own set of pros and cons again and try re-weighting them and looking at smaller details.</p>
<p>mikaela, my son was completely flummoxed by this same decision. He flipped back and forth for 2 weeks. Then visited both campuses, and was still undecided. He finally decided that the students at UCLA looked “happier”, and that tipped the scale.</p>
<p>UCLAbandmom: Thanks. I saw in some review that the overall happiness level at UCLA is higher than at Berkeley. However, I’m still thinking everything over.</p>
<p>This is so difficult! I have to decide by Saturday, so any more information from anyone would be great!</p>
<p>Berkeley has a more international name/reputation, esp. if you want to major in Peace and Conflict studies and work internationally. </p>
<p>Why go to the satellite campus when you can have the honest, true original?</p>
<p>UCBChem: Yeah, that’s something I’ve been struggling with. I don’t want the wrong decision to end up costing me an opportunity at a great job. </p>
<p>I’m bumping this thread up one last time…</p>
<p>TMZ = Thirty Mile Zone, JCB, and ‘SoCal more entertainment, TMZ, etc.’; UCLA isn’t TMZ, lol, but it’s located near it.</p>
<p>mikaela1117:</p>
<p>Not much to add (lol, as I edit later), although I would say, by quantifying things you try to include the things on your list you might miss. </p>
<p>A list weighing the various poinjts of each school should never be taken in priority over gut-feeling, how you feel at each campus, etc.</p>
<p>All that is important is how you feel, that’s why I said, eg, ‘[self-]perceived prestige.’</p>
<p>You could even manifest this on your list by let’s say the ‘winner’ of sub-category for each school attaining 10 points. If Perceived Prestige is huge in your mind, then Cal=10, and UCLA=2; not that Cal is 5x’s better the school – JCB comment to follow, but that prestige is big in your eyes, and you want enough displacement for it to weigh heavily on your list, although the actual weighing might be closer to Cal 10, UCLA 9. </p>
<p>Similarly, if geog is somewhat important, but not entirely so, then Cal 10, UCLA 8.</p>
<p>Similarly, student life, might be more UCLA 10, Cal -30, errrr… 8, because, though important to you, you wouldn’t want it to overshadow PP. </p>
<p>Best of luck…</p>
<p>^ See…even the silly 'ruin can’t convince ya to go to JCLA. :D</p>
<p>Just a change in tone, a fairly recent phenomenon when I saw some ultimate steering in another thread…and unless something is REALLY obvious, which I don’t think is in this instance. Yeah, I know, you think it is… </p>
<p>I don’t have any authority to direct these kids in one direction or another, especially in a toss-up situation. If they make any observations that are out of whack, I try to correct them with whatever limited info I have. I just want them to make sure they include all the factors they think are important.</p>
<p>One we didn’t discuss is COA. I’m just assuming the costs are ~ the same. But if she wanted to commute from home to Cal, a seeming remote possibility with her being two hours away by car (I’m presuming wrt auto), then that might tip things to Cal becasue of the “savings.” She didn’t reference merit either.</p>
<p>I guess what I meant by prestige is that in terms of the job I want to have, it would probably be better to have a more internationally known school. But thank you all for all your help!</p>