<p>Ask current students how is the physics program in UCLA, is the honor program available there? How do you compare it with UCSD? Thanks.</p>
<p>UCLA does have an honors physics program. It may roughly be the same, though UCSD is really known for the sciences. Then again, UCLA has greater prestige. In the end, it’s all up to you.</p>
<p>Physics is physics, there is not much prestige associated with the field no matter where you get that particular degree at. This is especially true when you apply for graduate school. So yeah, if you want to go to a school based on “the name” or on the relative difficulty of getting in, then come to UCLA. But in all honesty, if you plan on being a physics major, go to the school that you will feel most happy based on the atmosphere, environment, name, etc. But don’t choose UCLA over UCSD because you think that they have a “better” physics program, because you are learning the same freaking material at relatively the same difficulty.</p>
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<p>I don’t know why people keep saying that UCSD is known for their sciences. In what aspect? Is it because they have more nobel laureates? More award-winners in their faculty? Is their research on the whole more ground-breaking than other the UCs?? What does UCSD have that UCLA don’t got? Also, don’t choose UCLA because of prestige either. Choose Cal, because it’s like a whole tier above UCLA. But then again, prestige doesn’t mean **** in the real world. Only your ingenuity and work ethics garner respect.</p>
<p>I agree with Fizast, the academic excellence is the utmost I care. I also heard of Cal, but my Sat score is just 2000+, not a match of Cal. If only consider physics, you will prefer UCLA or UCSD?</p>
<p>The difficulty is going to be about the same at both UCLA and UCSD. Ultimately, you will still learn the same physics. The main difference is going to be the environment, costs, and distance from home.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much about the difference in the major/program differences because they’re going to be minimal at most.</p>
<p>Also, UCLA has a physics honors program.</p>
<p>I am from China, my Dad has been to UCSD and the environment there suits me better than UCLA. But the standard of the program is more important, so the honors program is more attractive to me, I like challenge.</p>
<p>@Foshan: I had a 2000 flat SAT and 680-700 on both of my SAT 2’s and I had a 4.3 weighted GPA. I got into every UC, so don’t think that you aren’t a match for Berkeley. It doesn’t hurt to apply.</p>
<p>brosiedon, thank you for you encourage. I have 3 SAT 2 of 800, but the GPA is unweighted, do you think 3.9 is enough to apply Berkeley?</p>
<p>It’s worth a shot! Make sure to write a mind-blowing essay too!</p>
<p>I think you should apply to Berkeley. Since you’re international, you’ll probably have a great chance of getting in too since Berkeley wants more OOS applicants (for money of course).</p>
<p>If my friend with a 1300 could get into Berkeley (and yes that’s out of 2400 scale), then I say you have just as a good of a chance.</p>
<p>Really? As to Berkeley essay, which side may be more useful? character? academic potential? or EC? I know there is not a formula, but the essay is very important to save my shortage of scores, so I am nervous.</p>
<p>I don’t think I can help you there because I don’t know what the prompts are this year. I tied my EC’s into my character if that helps</p>
<p>The prompts are the same as last year.</p>
<p>Write about what you want to write about, seriously.</p>
<p>if anything, cal is technically easier to get into than UCLA now (look at the most recent admission statistics). A 2000+ is not a match at either school, but you have the advantage of being international</p>
<p>I heard that Cal only pays attention to graduate students, not undergraduate. Is it true?</p>
<p>UCSD is comparable to UCI and UC Davis in academics.</p>
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<p>In what aspect? Well, whatever aspect you are referring to and by your line of reasoning, UCLA is also comparable to UCI and UC Davis in academics.</p>
<p><em>I heard that Cal only pays attention to graduate students, not undergraduate. Is it true?</em></p>
<p>Absolutely. When the Dean is driving in his Rolls Royce, he runs over the students walking on the sidewalks because he physically cannot see them. You see, when you are hired as a UC Berkeley faculty member, you are injected with a psychological drug that allows for your cornea to omit all vision of undergraduate students.</p>
<p>For this reason, when professors are teaching undergrad classes at Berkeley, they feel they are wasting their time because they are talking to an empty room with empty chairs even when in reality there are 300 students in there.</p>
<p>Have you ever seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1? Do you remember the first scene when Hermione casts a memory charm on her parents and all photos of herself disappear? That is what happens to UC Berkeley faculty members when they are hired, except the people that disappear from their lives are undergrads.</p>
<p>How come? That means all the undergraduates in Cal are good at self-studying. The program is benefit from the high standard peers, not the professor. Am I right? If so, why I still struggle to UCB?</p>