<p>Well, as the title suggests, I was accepted to UCLA and Berkeley. I plan to major in Political Science/Pre-Law. I'm from southern California but I'm so confused on where to attend. I've been wanting to go to UCLA since I was 7 and it's so close to home, which is good. They are very popular and they have a lot of school pride. The only downside is that it might not be as prestigious as Berkeley. Berkeley has an awesome political science program, which is great but it's kind of far away and I'm not used to northern California weather. Also, I know that the campus is surrounded by a poor city with a lot of homeless people. I plan to visit both campuses very soon. Hmm... advice anyone?</p>
<p>visit both campuses before you make a decision.</p>
<p>Sounds like you want to go to UCLA. So go to UCLA.</p>
<p>im in the same situation!</p>
<p>UCLA! Truth is, UCLA’s more renowned/more well-known than UC Berkeley. Hard to believe because you’ve heard UC Berkeley’s more famous? No. More people all over the world know UCLA more than Berkeley. UCLA’s location is great. Situated right among the best neighborhoods in the nation - Bel-Air, Beverly Hills, and Brentwood - where can you go wrong? No hobos/bums there, unlike Berkeley. Berkeley’s atmosphere is also said to be more… uh… dreary? Cold? Uninviting? Students there are more into sororities/fraternities (this is what I hear from Cal students, mind you). Friends of mine that go to go Cal regretted it. Why? The area’s almost dead. San Francisco’s nightlife isn’t as vibrant as L.A.'s. UCLA is close to several amenities - close to shops, restaurants, theaters, the works. Public trans is also minutes away. You really don’t need a car, despite what everyone else says. UCLA students report satisfaction with their college life - 98.6%. UC Berkeley? I looked up the statistics, and only about 60% of the students love the campus. Also, many claim Berkeley’s much “better” in terms of academics when… it’s really not. Only in engineering. Engineering in Berkeley, I must admit, is a plus over UCLA. But UCLA succeeds over Cal in pretty much everything else. You decide. :)</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/770864-deterioration-ucla-8.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/770864-deterioration-ucla-8.html</a></p>
<p>Starlight, cut the ******** already</p>
<p>UC Berkeley!</p>
<p>Lol Starlight that is the most uneducated ******** argumentative rant I’ve ever seen. There are many reasons why UCLA could be better than Berkeley, however using falls statistics and made up examples doesn’t prove you point. </p>
<p>It all depends on the kind of culture you want. I’m from the Bay Area so everything here just seems normal and SoCal seems weird. I would say we’re a lot more laid back, I took classes at UCSD last summer as well as staying with a friend who was taking classes at UCLA and people just seemed a lot more superficial and stuck-up. Yes I will admit Berkeley has somewhat of a homeless problem, but it’s not because these people can’t find work, it’s cause they’re attracted to the sort of hippie culture from back in the day and want to revive that movement. They only really come out and show their heads on the weekend, so they’re easy to avoid. As for the social scene, well at UCLA you have Los Angeles and at Berkeley you have San Francisco. Both have plenty of nightlife and other activities if that’s what you’re after.</p>
<p>Just my 2 cents</p>
<p>It really comes down to what you value. Both schools are strong, they are comparable for undergrad. You can’t go wrong with either, and there isn’t a signficant enough difference(for undergrad) that should make you think one is superior of the other.The difference is the campus vibe and the student body. You should definitely visit both.</p>
<p>I’ve never been to Berkeley, but I’m at UCLA. Ucla, for me, was the smarter financial choice(after financial aid-berkeley didn’t kick in as much as ucla did). </p>
<p>I extremely doubt the above comment about UCLA’s student satisfaction. I must be one of the 1.4 percent who isn’t crazy about UCLA, but it’s decent.</p>
<p>Bayboi, any “deterioration” of UCLA would be related to the CA budget, and affects Berkeley the same as UCLA. </p>
<p>I have friends who have recently graduated from both, and the only three factors that come up consistently are:</p>
<p>1) Berkeley Engineering is better
2) UCLA’s weather is better
3) Berkeley (the city) can be a turnoff to some, and exciting to others.</p>
<p>Bayboi, one other thing, and this is <em>not</em> intended to be an ad hominem attack –</p>
<p>I recall several anti-UCLA posts from you recently, so I clicked on your name to find them. What I learned in the 2-3 minutes going down the list of your recent posts is that:</p>
<p>1) you are a student at UC Berkeley, and you’ve made posts putting down Berkeley b/c of the CA budget Cuts
2) You go out of your way in many posts asking “UCLA vs. XXX”, to dump on UCLA
3) Your sister attends USC
4) You are excited about photographs you’ve taken on all the UC campuses. I do like them and think they are a good service to those who want a feel for each campus.
5) You Authored a thread entitled “Deterioration of UCLA” which you link to frequently in other threads.</p>
<p>So, my question is, why the need to dump on UCLA, and even START a thread on the subject?</p>
<p>Berkeley is on the semester system, UCLA is on the quarter system.</p>
<p>I prefer semesters.</p>
<p>
LOL! I’ve never heard that about Berkeley. Berkeley is a college town, unlike Westwood. It is much more student/pedestrian oriented and includes the “Gourmet Ghetto”. Football is played on-campus versus 20 miles away…makes a big difference in social scene on fall Saturdays.</p>
<p>
Uh huh. So is public trans to Berkeley. BART>>>>>>>>>>MTA. You can get to both airports, San Francisco, downtown Berkeley, Oakland Coliseum all on one cohesive system.</p>
<p>I’m a Socal native. I found Berkeley and the Bay Area much more refreshing and intellectual vs. the fake glamour of Los Angeles.</p>
<p>Visit both and decide.</p>
<p>Go where your heart is. You can’t go wrong: both schools are excellent, don’t pay attention starlight’s silly and partisan post 
- they tend to have slightly different profiles and Berkeley has a slightly higher international reputation, with emphasis on ‘slightly.’</p>
<p>So the difference will be in vibe and atmosphere, and that’s up to you to choose. When you visit both schools, pay particular attention to neighboring areas, housing, things to do that interest you (nature/arts/food/sports/sightseeing)</p>
<p>And congrats on getting into 2 fabulous schools.</p>
<p>I recall there is a transportation system flush with Berkeley - - The BART.
I think Berkeley is stronger in the political sciences, but of course, research the offerings at each school to make sure.
The vibe of each difference is very different. I’ve visited Berkeley, and while the campus connects with the slightly shady city, there is a heavy cultural and dynamic vibe due to the free-spirited people and loads of multicultural restaurants in the area. I don’t think you’ll be bored there.</p>
<p>I hear UCLA has a more “beachy” feel. I hear that people at Berkeley tend to be more “bookish” types. Of course, these are just rumors. You should visit both campuses to be sure.</p>
<p>If you want to be close to home…seriously, I don’t think Berkeley is that far from home. Some other students have longer distance dilemmas, like kids debating between Cornell or Berkeley. </p>
<p>Good luck. Both are great schools, but the vibes are different.</p>
<p>I’m actually debating Cornell, UCLA, and Cal…</p>
<p>starlight, when you make a comment like this,</p>
<p>“But UCLA succeeds over Cal in pretty much everything else”</p>
<p>can you please show us some FACTS to support your statement?</p>
<p>So I visited the campuses. I feel as if I know what I’m getting into at Cal but not at UCLA. I think I need to visit UCLA again. I know Cal is better for my major but when I went up there it felt as if I would get tired of the city after 2 years of living there. I loved Telegraph but it just seems like it would bore me after a while. However, I didn’t really like the city of Westwood but I know I could go to other surrounding areas in L.A. for refuge. Also, I have heard that UCLA has more successful alumni compared to Cal and has more successful lawyers. But Cal is ranked higher in polsc than UCLA. hmmm…</p>
<p>I hope I don’t sound like your mother. UCLA has more bar-certified attys in CA. Outside of CA, who knows, but UCLA is just as international, or reknown out of the state, so I wouldn’t expect to see at worst a lot more Berkeley grads practicing law, say, in NYC.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to the CA Bar Assn, demographics:[State</a> Bar of CA :: Member Demographics](<a href=“http://members.calbar.ca.gov/search/demographics.aspx]State”>Attorney Demographics)</p>
<p>Berkeley grads will tell you that for your major (and for anything else), that they are >>>> than UCLA, but don’t believe the hype.</p>
<p>I’ll tell you right now, if you go to UCLA and do fairly well, you’ll have a lot of good to excellent law schools from which to choose. </p>
<p>Best of luck to your future.</p>
<p>UCLA!!! starlight379 i couldnt have said it better myself!
im got into both too and hope to be attending ucla next year but im oos so im not sure i can afford it if they dont give me more financial aid</p>