As the title suggests, I’m having trouble deciding which school to attend. I was accepted into the College of Letters & Sciences for both as a physics major, but I’ve never been sure about pursuing physics so I want to choose a school that is strong in all areas (not sure if I’d stick to STEM either). I’ve lived in the LA area my whole life and always thought I wanted to get out of SoCal for college, but I now see the benefits of being able to visit home every couple months, having parents nearby if I get sick, etc. I visited both colleges and liked both environments but felt especially at home at UCLA. At the same time, I want to start doing research early on and it seems like Berkeley is the better research institute. I talked to people from both schools and both have collaborative physics departments as well.
Although I think I’d be happy at both schools, living at UCLA (housing, food) seems exceptional whereas Berkeley is the way to go in terms of future education goals. Many people tell me that I should choose the school that I feel I fit into better (UCLA) but I’m worried that I won’t grow as a person in UCLA because of how “at home” I feel.
In this case, should I prioritize which school will help me grow out of my comfort zone and improve as a person or should I hold onto a school that I know will make me very happy?