<p>Hey, all!
I'm an int'l student coming from China (ya, THE exporter), now deciding between Berkeley and Cambridge for econ. Any comment or thought or vote is welcomed:)</p>
<p>I plan to major in econ but am ultimately open to any track and career; love debating (mostly BP) and studio art (the irresistible magic of Chinese watercolor printmaking!).</p>
<p>Berkeley:
Pros:
- interdisciplinary studies and double majoring (wish I could understand the world a bit more before I trimmed down my interests) Is it that most Golden Bears double-major?
- Haas
- Bay area, California sunshine, Asian food
- easier to fit in considering how many Asian Americans and Asians are there</p>
<p>Cons:
- way too many Chinese
- way too big a school; prefer more tight-knit communities where ppl really know each other</p>
<p>Cambridge:
Pros:
- can accept focusing on econ simply because it's such a broad subject that allows much exploration
- arguably more prestigious
- the awesome debate society
- a very beautiful campus
- England and Europe is so small that travelling would be easier
- Tutorial system + the college I got in operates debates very frequently; this could put me at a disadvantage because I don't speak English as my mother tongue and at an advantage because I could get more personalized help from my tutors</p>
<p>Cons:
- plan to go to grad school in the States; the schedule is a bit too crammed to juggle study-work-life balance very well
- econ only for threee years during which I could have explored more about the world intellectually and geographically!
- immense pressure, like everyone is dying from what I know
- food... weather... yuck...</p>
<p>What are your plans post-graduation? I’m not sure about the work visa situation in the UK, but it’s currently extremely difficult for new college graduates to obtain a work visa in the US. Another point against Berkeley.</p>
<p>
Not that big of an issue because you won’t interact with most of the university. Most students socialize mostly with a relatively small set of people: the people they live with (e.g. 20 students in a co-op), students in their major who are taking the same classes, and students who they share a hobby with (e.g. the debate society and an art club).</p>
<p>It really comes down to personal preference. Where would you rather spend 3-4 years of your life? (I’d personally opt for Berkeley because I really appreciate the flexibility of the American college curriculum and because the British English accent drives me crazy, but that’s just me.)</p>
<p>Berkeley is in Northern California, so it won’t be as sunny and warm as you might think. The average temperature in the summer will be colder than Cambridge. A tight-knit community might mean that you are shut out of that community. Unless you have a work visa, you won’t be able to work at either location. </p>
<p>Choose where you would like to live for 3-4 years. You will be able to get into grad school from either university. Both are well known. </p>
<p>Re weather: Climate statistics suggest that the temperatures in Berkeley and Cambridge should be pretty similiar in the summer, with milder winters in Berkeley. Of course, Cambridge gets more rain in a month than Berkeley gets all year.</p>
<p>RE climate: Cambridge can be quite hot in the summer in my opinion but British summers can be cool so prepare to be disappointed… but will you be there in the summer anyway? It is also very cold in winter, Cambridge is one of the coldest cities (colder than many northern cities). It is also rather windy. Cambridge doesn’t get much rain at all; the east of England is in fact quite dry.</p>
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<p>All of them? There are hundreds, after all. I know you were only joking but that is a ridiculous reason.</p>
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<p>Cambridge is very inclusive, the OP wouldn’t be shut out. They could work, all international student are allowed to work a certain number of hours (cant remember how many, google it).</p>