<p>Hey all, I posted this in the UC Transfers forum too but I figured this might be a good place to get answers too.
I’m transferring after this semester at my CC, and I got accepted into UCLA, Berkeley, and Stanford. I just got back from a trip up through the bay area to check out Berks and Stanford, and have comfortably ruled Stanford out. It’s too expensive, and according to an admissions counselor it’s easier to get into the law school there from either of the UC’s. Now, law school is my goal, and I’ve been accepted to the poli sci major at UCLA and UC, so I figure why make Stanford law harder on myself than it has to be in case I choose to go with them for my JD.
Now, all that said, I’m officially lost. I visited Cal and I love it. I also love UCLA. Financially they’re about the same, I live fairly close to UCLA but I plan on moving near the campus anyway because LA traffic is hell and I just don’t need the stress. So we can factor that out completely. For me it really comes down to which school is going to get me into a better law school. I’ve spent hours combing the internet looking for the answer, and I’m aware that Berkeley overall ranks a few spots higher than UCLA. But does that actually matter?
One more issue, possibly a significant one. I was accepted for Fall 2010 at UCLA, but Berkeley took me for Spring 2011. I talked to the poli sci counselor there who told me that I can take two classes during the Fall 2010 semester as a visiting student, but I wouldn’t be able to take any of my upper division coursework so I’d have to settle for elective courses. This also means that to graduate by Fall 2012 like I would at UCLA I would have to take two upper division courses over summer 2011. She said there may also be some affect on my ability to graduate in that admission only guarentees four semesters, therefore by taking classes during a fifth semester (Fall 2010) I may be risking losing my Spring 2012 semster. I don’t quite understand why the school would just kick me out after four semesters but I suppose it’s possible?
On a sidenote, I’m also a bit concerned in that I’ve heard a whole lot about Berkeley being insanely competitive and promoting teachers grading on a curve in hopes of driving students to compete. Is there any truth to this? Is the poli sci major “softer” at UCLA? If so I suppose the fact that Berkeley may be a bit better school is irrelevant in the face of higher GPA at UCLA.
I apologize if my post is a bit jumbled… I think the stress is mutilating my ability to phrase my question in anything even resembling a coherant manner. I’ve only got a couple of days left to choose and I’m seriously considering flipping a coin. Any input would really be appreciated, thank you so much to anyone who can help.</p>
<p>dang, long read. no one replied?</p>
<p>LS is (almost) all about gpa and lsat; the exceptions being Yale and Stanford, which due to their smaller class sizes, look at ECs. Undergrad college does not matter. Go to whichever college you like best. Both Cal and UCLA are brutally competitive in the sciences, but the humanities are much more grade friendly. The grade curves won’t be much different.</p>
<p>What is your college gpa? What were your SAT/ACT scores? (If you are not a strong test taker, your chances of acing the LSAT are low. Thus, HYS is probably not realistic.)</p>