<p>UCLA:</p>
<ol>
<li>Parental preference for UCLA</li>
<li>Westwood (walking distance): small shops, small town, generally affluent area surrounded by Bel Air and Beverly Hills</li>
<li>Plaza and suite housing offered to freshmen</li>
<li>No smoking in the buildings</li>
<li>Respected and prestigious</li>
<li>Strong reputation would help with grad school applications</li>
<li>Ten general education courses required</li>
<li>Foreign language requirement fulfilled by placement exam or take a new language</li>
<li>Normal Econ major; 2.5 GPA required to get in; apply anytime to enter the major. No reason for rejection from the major as long as prereqs are met.</li>
<li>No Political Economy major</li>
<li>Highly ranked Econ department, though generally seems to be slightly below Berkeleys</li>
<li>Creative Writing concentration within the English major</li>
<li>Highly ranked English department</li>
<li>Westwind quarterly literary magazine</li>
<li>Daily Bruin. Copyeditor position. Workshops are required. Internship. Paid positions possible with advancement. Marketing and business positions offered.</li>
<li>Aleph journal (for humanities and social sciences)</li>
<li>Student Research Program. Seems to be a straightforward application process.</li>
<li>Loans only. Same net cost overall</li>
<li>Unsure how many people are seriously considering UCLA</li>
<li>I feel enthusiasm and a sense of pride--or I thought I did.</li>
</ol>
<p>Berkeley:</p>
<ol>
<li>San Francisco (take the bart): Culturally and historically rich; lots of tourism to explore. Berkeley as a town is not in great condition.</li>
<li>Seems to be a preponderance of residence halls</li>
<li>No smoking in the buildings</li>
<li>Infinitesimally more respected and prestigiousbut prestige is not everything, or else Id have aimed for Brown instead</li>
<li>Has a somewhat stronger reputation for grad school applications</li>
<li>Seven general education courses required</li>
<li>Foreign language requirement fulfilled by high school courses</li>
<li>Capped Econ major; 3.0 GPA required to get in; apply once a quarter to enter the major. Major not guaranteed; students are explicitly advised to have a backup plan.</li>
<li>Political Economy a possible alternative to Econthough Pol Econs viability on a resume would be another question</li>
<li>Known for having one of the best Econ departments in the country alongside UChicago</li>
<li>Creative Writing minor</li>
<li>Chernin Mentoring Program for English majors</li>
<li>Highly ranked English department</li>
<li>Biannual Cal Literature & Arts Magazine </li>
<li>Daily Californian. Copyeditor position: Two 2-hr evening shifts per week. Finance intern position offered, 4-8 hrs per week.</li>
<li>The Berkeley Undergraduate Journal (for humanities and social sciences) and the PolicyMatters Journal (public policy analyses)</li>
<li>Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (faculty mentoring)</li>
<li>Work study offered along with loans. Same net cost overall.</li>
<li>A few friends may be going to Cal OR attending school in Nor Cal generally </li>
<li>I cannot remember why I wanted to go to Berkeley so badly in the first place. SF and prestige seem to be major allures.</li>
</ol>
<p>(For the record, I am considering a double major in Econ and English, or maybe studying Econ and minoring in Eng/Creative Writing--that's why both are mentioned in my lists.)</p>
<p>**What do you think I should base my decision on? What do you think are the most important factors to consider when choosing a school? </p>
<p>Thank you for any thoughtful advice; I feel paralyzed by indecision.**</p>