<p>Hey, I know it is an age old dilemma between UCLA and Cal... but who here chose UCLA over Berkeley? Why?</p>
<p>I can't really decide, though I am leaning towards UCLA. Time is quickly running out.</p>
<p>I didn't get a chance to visit any of the campuses.. so I didn't get to experience the "it" factor.</p>
<p>Anyways.. I think that UCLA is great academically... The campus is aesthetically pleasing (so I've heard). The area is great.. weather is great.. And it's about an hour or two away from home; I'd like to visit my current area every now and then without having to deal with significant transportation expenses.</p>
<p>However.. Berkeley is even better academically.. and supposedly many times more prestigious. Many people see it as part of the IVY league of public schools. However... the area, weather, aesthetics, etc. isn't as good (again, so I've heard). Also, I've heard that the competition is fierce.</p>
<p>So many people at my HS are going to be future Bruins... the numbers just make the school seem less "special" (not to be arrogant or anything, people that have worked less hard are getting in). I live in So. California... am undecided (therefore.. choosing colleges based in part on major isn't an option... I'd like to keep my options open... the closest I can narrow my interests down to is mathematics and science). Barely anyone got accepted into Berkeley.. so that makes it more of an honor. The admission letter was many folds greater than UCLA's.</p>
<p>I think the enviroment is important.. what's the point of going to a better school if isn't as conducive to studying? Also, there has been discussions on this board about the GPA factor... anyone have any comments.. I'd greatly appreciate it... I know, I know. This has been asked many many times.</p>
<p>If I do end up going to UCLA... it will be hard to justify the decision of giving up Berkeley.. a college that many want to attend but cannot. But if.. if I do go to Cal.. what if I don't like it?</p>
<p>It's really tough to make a decision like this without visiting the schools. I just went on a long trip and visited all of my top choices, and the places that excited me most were not the ones that I expected. My preferences were originally:</p>
<p>It really makes a difference. I'm going to be visiting JHU this Monday, so my preferences could even change again depending on what I see there. There is still over a week left to visit, so if you get a chance I would do it. If you can't just make a list of what is most important to you and see how each college stacks up.</p>
<p>Remember that if you are planning on going to graduate school, where you go for undergraduate doesn't matter as much career-wise. If you're not planning on going to graduate school, I can see picking Cal on prestige. However, if you are planning on going to graduate school, I would pick the place that you think you'll be happiest for the next four years. What that means really depends on you.</p>
<p>You have to visit. I heard those very same rumors about Cal being dreary and how the city is dilapidated and dangerous. Complete BS. If you've ever been to San Francisco, the area looks a lot like that. Colorful buildings closely packed together. The campus is unquestionably beautiful (it's a world class university, what do you expect?) and the weather is just fine. I've lived in Northern California all my life, and weather is nothing to complain about. It's fickle, sure, but that's good in some ways. All I'm saying is not to make a decision based solely on what others say, because everyone says something different. That's because it's all based on YOUR preference. It's nice for me to be able to answer questions rather than just ask them. Firsthand experience is VERY important in decisions like this.</p>
<p>Well.. I've been on UCLA's campus a couple times.. but it wasn't long enough to really create an impression. I had dinner at one of the dining halls and it was great! The pictures on the tour online looks good too.</p>
<p>I've been to San Francisco.. and saw the tower from across the bay. I'm not used to the weather... I can't say that it's dangerous since I don't know. But it sure does look dilapidated.. And I'm the kinda person to prefer contemporary styles and amenities. I was there for about 4 days... SF is great to visit and explore... but I'm not sure if I'd like to live there.</p>
<p>It's really difficult for me to visit any of these schools. I was planning on going to UCLA's College Honor Day.. but I forgot to RSVP in time.. so it was full. I wish that college stuff would be due June or something. It's really crunch time right now with all the APs...</p>
<p>That's strange. Barely anyone got into UCLA from my school, and a handful got into CAL. I guess I have the opposite effect--UCLA suddenly seems more prestigious =/ Who knows.</p>
<p>Call the admissions office and ask them to put you in touch with some current teachers and students. They've been really good about that in my experience, and it could really help.</p>
<p>dont base your judgement on how many students from your school got in. you'll soon realize that the world is bigger than your hometown. at least in california, anybody who gets into berkeley/ucla is very respected, so you cant go wrong with either if prestige is your thing.</p>
<p>im choosing ucla over cal. (probably) for a couple of reasons:
1. i live in northen california, and even though i LOVE the bay area, i need a change of location
2. just because ucla isn't AS prestigious as cal, its still is a really good school
3. competition at berkeley seems too ... much</p>
<p>but it was one of the hardest decisions. my family (inc. my brother who goes to berkeley) thinks im making the wrong decision. its ok, ucla just seems better for me. good luck</p>
<p>Erlkonig: what do u mean by "ask them to put you in touch with some current teachers and students"? i would like to know more about UCLA and stuff.</p>
<p>UC Berkeley all the way. Yes there is this huge gap between the two schools. UCLA compares to what schools... Georgia Tech? Washington? UT Austin? Who the hell cares about those schools? Using that logic, UCLA is just overhyped and not that great.</p>
<p>Cal has the top programs in the world. If you think UCLA will get you jobs, it won't be as good as Cal. If you're doing anything bio/med related, SD would be FAR better than LA. </p>
<p>Is the weather in Berkeley BAD? I lived in San Jose. Well, more specifically Cupertino, if you know where that is (10 min south of StanFUrd). It rains in the winter, but so what. The summer/spring/fall are all nice times. I walk around in a t-shirt during those times, and in the winter I cover myself with a sweatshirt. If you want LA weather, you're not gonna get that hot 80 degs everyday. However, you don't get all that ghetto smog either. The weather is fine here.</p>
<p>If you visited Cal, you will definitely recognize that teh environment is not as bad as you thought. Thats what I thought when I first saw campus, as did like 20 other people I've talked to. It's not LA great, but it's good enough for me. </p>
<p>If the program here can kick LA's sorry butt around then you would be unjustified in picking LA over Cal for program.</p>
<p>The only valid reason to me is you want to be in LA. For me, that's not too great of a reason at all, so thats why I picked Cal over LA.</p>
<p>Cal has the top programs in the world. If you think UCLA will get you jobs, it won't be as good as Cal. </p>
<p>Wrong, very wrong. The jobs between Cal and UCLA students are not assigned "hierarchy-wise", with Cal students getting excellent jobs and UCLA students getting the "leftovers".</p>
<p>As a person who went through the recruiting process so "ardently", I state with authority that the jobs between UCLA and Cal studets are separated along the line of geographic factors.</p>
<p>Goldman Sachs regional office in SF/Bay area go to Cal and Stanford for campus interview, while Goldman Sachs regional office in LA go to UCLA and USC.</p>
<p>You can ask for transfer from SF to LA or from LA to SF, but going to the SF interview with the expectation of being transferred to LA office is rather "unique", if not absurd from the view point of the recruiters.</p>
<p>Westow: I mean just call up the undergraduate admissions office at UCLA and ask the people there if they can put you in touch with any students so you can ask questions, or put you in touch with a professor that teaches something that you're interested in so you can talk about that.</p>
<p>That's what I've done everywhere, and they've always been happy to help me out.</p>
<p>Apparently certain Cal students have absolutely nothing better to do with their spare time but put down other schools on a message board geared towards high school students. :P</p>
<p>I seriously don't get why this topic keeps on coming up. It's as if people need to keep rationalizing their school of choice, because god forbid you go to the fourth public school in the country rather than the first. I think people need to worry about themselves and what they're capable of and where they'll be happiest rather than worrying about being a part of some "elite" group in a high school hierarchy or being able to flash your degree at job interviews and cocktail parties. Using that logic, you should be more worried about the guy from Stanford. I mean, next to him you're totally screwed, right?</p>
<p>Sorry to sound harsh, but I'm just really sick of the same 20 threads that keep stroking Cal's already throbbing ego, and I'm even more confused as to why Cal students feel the need to rationalize the 'prestige' of their school by coming over to LA's board and talking trash. Man, get over it.</p>
<p>You know, I don't understand why UCLA has no one to challenge other than Berkeley. Berkeley has lately been doing nothing but challenging the east coast ivies, and here you guys are sidebusting on Cal while we're out there trying to make a better name for the UC's. </p>
<p>I personally think UCLA is better than Cornell and Brown.</p>