UCLA vs. Berkeley for Psychology

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hi all, I was accepted to both schools (fall admit for UCLA and spring admit for Berkeley) and am having trouble deciding between the two. I'm leaning a bit towards UCLA because of its location and somewhat less competitive academic environment (or so I've heard), but I think the strength of the program should be the deciding factor. I've never set foot in either school, however, so I'd appreciate the input of current or former psych majors at either school. </p>

<p>You're probably all tired of UCLA vs. Berkeley threads (I've search these forums enough to know there are a LOT), but I'm more interested in hearing about their respective psychology programs, which do not get nearly as much discussion on here. </p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

1 Like
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<p>UCLA and Berkeley are both top ranked for Psychology.</p>

<p>[Top</a> 10 Psychology Colleges in the USA](<a href=“GoDaddy Corporate Domains - Protected”>GoDaddy Corporate Domains - Protected)</p>

<p>Visit the campuses, talk to students, explore the surrounding neighborhoods, and see where you would feel happiest. I have heard that fall admits have an easier time meeting friends than spring admits.</p>

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<p>Go where you think you’ll be happiest. Either can take you as far as you want to go in psychology.</p>

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<p>agreed, it would not make a difference for your major. Just visit and choose the campus that feels right to you.</p>

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<p>check out where you can do research at both. UCLA has the convenience of the NeuroPsychiatric Insitute on campus.</p>

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<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&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>look at the course offerings for each schools. this should make you help you decide, because difference campuses/schools offer different classes in what make a major.</p>

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<p><em>bump Please</em>
I also share similiar concerns with wishless. I hopes that people who attended UCLA and Berkeley as an psychology major can reflects on what they experiences (including double major-ing, staff assistance and guidance etc). And I sincerely hope that it won’t turn into a UCLA V. Berkeley war. In my honest opinion, both schools are fantastic and I just want to hear both side of the story to truely make a decision for my self.</p>

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<p>sorry for replying to an old post
<em>bump please</em></p>

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<p>As everybody has said before, their programs are about equal. You will probably get a MA or PhD or PsyD if you stick with Psychology. As such, it doesn’t really matter where you do your undergrad. Getting a BA from either Berkeley or UCLA will give you a great launching pad into graduate school. Of course, it all depends on how you do in the schools…If you do well at either place,you will be in a good position. I believe that you will have about the same opportunities at either school. Basically, your decision (imo) shouldn’t really hinge upon pure academics, since they’re about the same. Instead, like others suggested, look into research opportunities…Also, DEFINITELY visit both campuses. I am in the exact same boat as you (admitted to both, spring admit for ucb). I practically live on UCLA campus (I go there at least several times a week). It was my dream school. I didn’t even consider Berkeley until I visited it. When I did, I loved it, mostly because of the environment, and the “college-town” feel. Another factor to consider is the quarter system/semester system. Quarters go by much more quickly, so you can get classes out of the way, and if you don’t like them, they’re over much sooner. But, you do have to digest things much more quickly. On the other hand, semesters, even though they are long, give you a better chance to understand subject matter, and make connections with professors. But if you dislike a class, you will still be in it for a quite while. </p>

<p>I don’t know where you live. If you would like to hear more about the “feel” of ucla vs berkeley, in my biased opinion, of course, then reply to me. If not, I won’t bore you with the details. Hope this has helped. :)</p>

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<p>I would go to UCLA based on the Fall admission vs the Spring Admission. I think there is something to be said for making strong connections with your incoming classmates. Either choice is really fine though.</p>

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<p>On the topic of fall vs spring admission:</p>

<p>Well…If you reserved a position in the FPF (Fall Program for Freshmen), I would say that you shouldn’t think about the spring vs fall thing at all…You’re gonna have about the same social life, and even though you’re not guaranteed dorms, most students over the past few years who were spring admits have been able to get dorms. If you did not, however, reserve your spot, then that is DEFINITELY a huge thing to think about.</p>

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<p>:) No problem. So, for one thing, UCLA is famed for socal weather (warm all the time)…that is one thing to think about. But, I have to say, Berkeley weather is very similar. It is just more cloudy and cold at Berkeley, but it rains almost the same amount. If you are somebody who gets depressed when the sky is always cloudy, I would consider that factor. </p>

<p>Berkeley is known for having more “liberal” people there (when folks say that, they mean hippies). I’m not a Berkeley expert (I visited it for 3 days, though, and my father attended it), but I definitely think the atmosphere is different there. I tend to like the social justice part of the school’s history. It seems like people at LA are more “mainstream”, but I don’t know if that’s true.</p>

<p>Berkeley is definitely in a more economically depressed area than UCLA, but when I visited I expected the worst…And Berkeley really wasn’t that bad. A lot of (relatively) new buildings have sprung up, and it isn’t more creepy than, say, Westwood Village. Yes, there are more bums there than there are at Westwood, but not by a huge margin. Yes, I wouldn’t recommend walking alone at night, but…really, I wouldn’t tell you to do that in LA either.</p>

<p>Now, there’s no two ways about it, Berkeley is a college town, and UCLA is definitely not. There is no contesting this. The city of Berkeley grew around the college; UCLA grew around the city. Berkeley has more of a “small” feel to it. UCLA feels vast. Many people talk about Westwood Village when they try to point out that UCLA does have some shops and places to eat, but…Westwood Village is a brisk ten minute walk from the center of the campus, so it’s not exactly a congregation place for students. It’s mostly populated by middle schoolers, high schoolers, and people who are already employed. Whereas, Berkeley (as a college town, again) is surrounded by small shops and places to eat. I went to eat in one such place when I visited it, and at 12:00 like at least 30 students streamed in all at once. There were almost no other people there aside from students.</p>

<p>UCLA does have Ackerman Union, basically a food-court with stuff like Jamba Juice, Sbarros, etc. It’s right in the middle of campus, so students will usually go there if they want a quick snack. Idk…I’ve seen people try to glam up LA, but seriously, it’s not very glamorous. You hardly ever see celebrities (I haven’t seen one yet, and I’ve lived here for 15 years). Yes, you will be near Brentwood, Bel Air, and Beverly Hills, but…You will be NEAR them, not in them. And you probably won’t go in them, since you most likely won’t have a car (and even if you do, finding parking is very difficult). There are no buses in Bel Air. There are some in Beverly Hills and Brentwood, but they’ll be out of your way, and you probably won’t have that much time.</p>

<p>Granted, I do think that LA has more “fancy” areas than Berkeley. It has nice weather, but the two things about Berkeley that appealed to me were, one, Berkeley is farther from my home, and I won’t be living in my own back yard. Plus, it will be a new experience, and usually I cling to the familiar, a habit which I want to break. And two, it is a college town. LA is a commuter school. You’ll probably have a social life no matter where you go, but to me, the “small campus” feel appealed to me.</p>

<p>Also, for some reason, as a random side-note, people at Berkeley are TALL. I don’t know why. lol. Walking around Berkeley I feel like an ant. Walking around UCLA I feel average. shrug. If you wanna know any more, ask away.</p>

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<p>tishtok, just a few clarifications to your post –</p>

<p>Westwood DID grow around UCLA. UCLA moved to its present location in 1929, and was surrounded by not much at the time.</p>

<p>Busses most certainly DO go from UCLA to Bel Air, Beverly Hills, etc. The #2/302 goes from downtown LA all the way to Pacific Palisades on Sunset Blvd., passing West Hollywood and Hollywood along the way, on a 20 minute basis during the day and into the evening. Late at night, its true you’re sort of stuck.</p>

<p>UCLA feels larger because of the adjacent hospital and outpatient centers on the south 30% of the campus. The medical center is HUGE, and employs thousands, so it makes the campus seem more massive.</p>

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<p>I did say that buses go into brentwood and beverly hills, I just said that it would be out of most students’ way…Basically, I mean that if you’re gonna go there to hang out/eat, it usually takes at least a few hours to get there and come back. Most students probably will have other on-campus activities that will be more important. That’s not to say that you can’t go there. I just don’t think that people usually will, and I don’t think the “glam factor” is really important in LA vs B. But I wasn’t aware that there was any bus system in bel air? I mean actually in bel air, not up sunset, but up beverly glen…There isn’t anything to do/see there anyways, so there isn’t a bus system there (unless you count tour buses…lol). There is a ucla shuttle that goes up beverly glen, six times a day, but it’s going to be closed down next year so…</p>

<p>True about the medical center stuff…It seems to me that UCLA is just more spread out and Berkeley is more “squashed in”. LA sprawl.</p>

<p>Good to know about Westwood Village, but what I meant when I said that UCLA grew around the city was that while Westwood Village has some places geared towards students (in’n’out, chipotles, diddy riese, etc), most of the people who frequent it aren’t college students…At least when I go there. LA isn’t a true college town, and UCLA is a bit of a commuter school (many people live at home).</p>

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<p>I’m pretty sure UCLA has the smallest UC campus.</p>

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<p>^ How could 419 acres (an acre is approx. a football field plus one end-zone) be the smallest UC campus? My bet is that it is UCSD, or UCI.</p>

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<p>Well, you are mostly correct TCBH –</p>

<p>Campus Acreage[27]
Berkeley 1,600
Davis 3,697
Irvine 1,400
Los Angeles 419
Merced 910
Riverside 1,160
San Diego 2,124
San Francisco 135
Santa*Barbara 990
Santa Cruz 2,950</p>

<p>UCSF is technically the smallest, but it really is an extension of Berkeley. I’ve been to the Irvine campus recently… where the heck are the 1,400 acres??? I was just at UCSD also… it seemed much smaller than UCLA< so where are those 2,000 acres ???</p>

<p>Here I thought UCLA was rather large for an urban campus, being about 3x the size of USC, but yeah, it’s the smallest of the UCs.</p>

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<p>It is widely known that UCLA had the smallest UC campus based on acreage. This is mentioned during tours and in the literature.</p>