C-A-L-I-FOR-NIA, California, California, Yeah!!! Go Bears!
hiya, student at cal here and when i recruit i make sure to put cal out there and numerous recruiters that I’ve talked to would mention that it is impressive that I go to cal. this is i banking in the bay area though but I’ve also recruited long distance for the LA area and the response was around the same. marshall is definitely a great school, but it really depends on what kind of atmosphere your brother wants since berkeley definitely does NOT baby you and if you survive you’ll definitely weather the intense industry.
@tx5athome I would expect in socal you would get more “Cal/Bears” comments. In Norcal you would get the “Fight On” or “Ya Bruins” wearing those hats. It would be odd to call out the school down the street.
I am a CA resident and actually visited the following colleges. After also researching and talking to parents and their kids who went to UCB, UCLA and USC and other schools in CA, I ranked as follows for the following specific schools we were looking at regarding OVERALL academic (not specific program) and general difficulty in getting accepted. Specifically, most programs are ranked higher (undergrad) at UC Berkeley than at UCLA/USC.
Stanford
Pomona (not really a national school)
UC Berkeley
UCLA/USC
UC Davis/UCSD
UCSB/UC Irvine
Other UCs
I realize others may have different opinions. Personally, I thought UCLA campus was “better” than UCB campus.
@websensation UCLA is a beautiful campus, no question. It felt more cohesive and planned than Cal, which is a dog’s dinner of buildings spanning over a century in construction and style. Just the fact that UCLA housing is guaranteed for 3 years and is physically on the campus is a plus (but don’t whine when you have to do that uphill hike at the end of the day).
One important consideration that I don’t think anyone has touched on is how different the “vibe” (for lack of a better catchall) is at these 3 schools & at USC v Cal, in particular. If your brother thinks Cal if the right “fit” for him (ultra, liberal with a distinct NorCal outlook/mentality), I don’t think he’d feel as at home (if at all) at USC, which seems to be much more “rah rah”, sports-centered, work-hard play hard & not-so-liberal bent. (I’m not saying USC isn’t liberal, it’s just more moderate on the liberal spectrum than Cal). Your brother already loves Cal & feels it is the right school – I’d say pick Cal, even if it were ranked #3 on the list instead of #1 of those 3. The fact that it’s the #1 (of those 3, in terms of rankings) is just icing on the cake.
@blueskies2day would you mind elaborating on “scholarship kids are treated like gold at usc”. That is the second time I’ve read this and i was just wondering since my son is up for one this year and has not yet decided what school to attend. Thanks!
@letsshare They get a lot of personal attention and mentoring opportunities. They have “ins” to opportunities not availed to others.