<p>I got into UCB and I got the presidential scholarship at USC... where should I go? I know UCB is really prestigous but so is USC... and USC is supposed to have a better social life. But it's also still expensive, even with the scholarship. also, does anyone know how much it costs to join a sorority, meaning in terms of dues??</p>
<p>USC is not "very" prestigious. If you want prestige, Cal is a better option. The real question is, which school do you think you will prefer. Are you more of a LA type of person or a SF type of person? Are you an intellectual or a social butterfly? Do you enjoy academic challenges or don't you? What do you intend to major in? Those two schools are very different.</p>
<p>Alexandre...</p>
<p>You are grossly exaggerating the differences... at the UNDERGRAD level, USC and Berkeley are pretty close academically and socially. Grad school is entirely a different matter, but for UNDERGRAD, not too different.</p>
<p>I don't think I am exaggerating. Cal and USC have very different cultures. And the OP is asking about prestige. Cal is more prestigious than USC...by a significant margin.</p>
<p>Not at the undergrad level.</p>
<p>"Do you enjoy academic challenges or don't you? "</p>
<p>I haven't visited USC, but I think thats a pretty harsh assessment. Academic challenges can be enjoyed at many schools, even if certain schools foster them more throughly.</p>
<p>With that being said, I'd choose Berkeley.</p>
<p>Well, maybe you can explain thepeer assessment score or Fiske's academic rating scores, both of which are a gauge of undergraduate prestige. USC 3.9/5.0 peer assessment and **** Fiske academic rating compared to Cal's 4.8/5.0 peer assessment score and ***** Fiske academic rating. You are the one exaggerating the difference between the quality of Cal's graduate programs and its undergraduate programs. Yes, Cal's graduate programs are better, but not because its undergraduate programs aren't amazing, but rather because its graduate programs are #1 in the nation. But make no mistake, Cal is still one of the top 10 undergraduate universities in the nation, especially where prestige is concerned. USC does not make the top 25 list.</p>
<p>Alexandre...</p>
<p>I'm an alum of Berkeley, and very well aware of how AMAZING Berkeley is...
At the GRADUATE level, it's peers truly are Harvard, Stanford, Yale, MIT, & Caltech. Berkeley's prestige is due SOLELY to faculty research at the GRADUATE level... it is a research juggernaut with few peers.</p>
<p>At the undergrad level? Still excellent... but for the vast majority of undergrads, they won't ever know that they are at a research mecca...
the opportunities for UNDERGRADS at Berkeley & USC will be pretty comparable...</p>
<p>My point is that Cal is significantly more prestigious than USC. Whether or not you think it is not better than USC is another issue. I will not debate that point because I personally hate Cal. But I have been exposed to enough people in the know to know that Cal is a very highly regarded undergraduate insitution and USC, although also highly regarded, is not quite as highly regarded.</p>
<p>i have heard that USC is a lot more social than berkeley. i definately want to focus on academics in college, but that doesn't mean i don't want to have fun too and im thinking of "going greek." and although berkeley has a higher rating on the US world news report thing, USC has a higher average SAT and GPA, according to college board... so im still having a hard time making my decision. also i'm planning to major in engineering as an undergrad and go to grad school for law and/or business school. which school would be better for me from this perspective?</p>
<p>The calibre of the students at both schools are similar, but the schools, and this is a sweeping generalization mind you, attract very different types of students. If you want prestige, go to Cal. Everything I ever heard and saw places Cal at a higher prestige level than USC. On the other hand, if you want fit, you really should visit both schools and decide based on your gut feeling. You really cannot go wrong either way. Both schools are excellent.</p>
<p>A small side-note. If you are serious about Engineering, Cal would make more sense...but if you are more serious about medical school, Engineering may not be the best major. Maintaining a high GPA in Engineering is tough and Medical schools really look for high GPAs.</p>
<p>i said i want to go to law or business school, not medical school =)</p>
<p>Staceyeva,</p>
<p>Alexandre got it right about the prestige thingy, however he did make the sweeping generalization against USC student body. When you think about it, it may have a ounce of truth in it because USC is more professional-oriented than CAL, but he did exaggerate the differences between CAL and USC body. (I actually thought about this stereotyping against USC due to the LA location, why nobody use it on UCLA which is closer to Hollywood) </p>
<p>Considering you get a presidential scholarship, I really think going to USC will be a wiser choice. Since cost will not be a huge factor any more (quite similar if including FA and paid research opportunity coming with the scholarship), you really should think about what fits you. Not just social life, at USC you will have more freedom to choose major (or change it), have more resources for you, and more personal mentoring. Berkeley also has some greek scene, just not up to par with USC's. </p>
<p>One way to make your decision easier may be to ask what schools other presidential scholars at USC turned down before? I don't have the answer, but I bet most of them turned down schools at least as prestigous as CAL, if not more. So your decision is not the first, nor the last, actually is one a lot of people had made before. </p>
<p>Graduating as a presidential scholar from USC, you're mostly guaranteed to law/b/grad school. So it won't be a terrible decision whichever school you choose.</p>
<p>i didnt like UCB at all. I was really turned off by the people that were their during this tour group i went with. It wasn't for me. USC is a lot better choice and you will enjoy it a lot more their.</p>
<p>i agree. berkeley is super overrated. go to USC since academics is about the same for ugrad.</p>
<p>Staceyeva, even if your intent is to go into Law, Engineering is not the best major because Law Schools are also very numbers driven, and most law schools would rather take a 3.8 English major than a 3.5 Engineer and let me tell you, graduating with a 3.5 GPA from Cal or USC Engineering is not easy.</p>
<p>I agree with most people here. There isn't a huge difference between Cal and USC where academics are concerned. Then again, there isn't much of a difference between Cal and Harvard either. But if you care about "prestige", then I'd say that Cal and USC are not quite in the same league. However, it is unwise to chose a university based solely on prestige and it's not like USC isn't prestigious. Between those two, I would go for fit. You need to go to those two universities and get a feel for their campus cultures.</p>
<p>Alright... I think i'll focus on the best fit then. By the way, I want to be a "science and technology lawyer", so it is very important that I have an engineering degree.</p>
<p>I still think that Cal is the better option despite the USC Presidential Scholarship. That's not to say that I think Cal is perfect. Far from it, in fact. But even I would acknowledge that it's a pretty good bargain and the school does offer a plethora of resoruces that are available to those who are aggressive enough to access them.</p>
<p>Harvard_Berkelely said, "Berkeley's prestige is due SOLELY to faculty research at the GRADUATE level"</p>
<p>Care to explain that? And if that's the case, then why couldn't you say the same for all the other highly regarded research schools like MIT, Caltech and Harvard? I agree that a large portion of Berkeley's prestige comes from its grad programs, but I also believe that you could say the same thing about Harvard, Yale etc (please, before everyone starts freaking out, I'm not saying Cal is on par with Harvard).
If Harvard didn't have its amazing grad programs they wouldn't attract nearly any of the top professors that they have, nor would they get the media attention that they often recieve from putting out the research that they do. Without the grad programs they would just be another high quality LAC, which is fine, but it wouldn't be "Harvard."</p>
<p>I disagree Alexandre, there is a large difference in academics between Cal and USC, as your figures indicate. USC does a much better job than Cal in things like student orientation and marketing, which makes it easy for some people to blur the line with academics.</p>
<p>A couple of things stacey:</p>
<p>-Cal is the best environment for IP law due to its presence and influence on silicon valley. There are some amazing classes available at Haas, and a lot of colaboration between the law, business and engineering schools even at the undergraduate level. Very stimulating and dynamic environment. The CALIBER of the faculty, with people like Mario Rosati (partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the top IP law firm in the US...) is superior to USC's.</p>
<p>-you don't need to get an engineering degree to do this, you can get a computer science major with a business minor or other science minor (bio is where it's at) in the Letters and Science dept at Cal. That path is just as good for what you want to do.</p>
<p>-There is a good greek scene at Cal. It's not dominant on campus, but it's still a very important niche on campus and it's a much nicer setup than at USC. Greek row is in a nice area just next to campus. Walk to class, hang out in cafes, soak up the sun, party hard, study hard, play hard...</p>