Berkeley or UCL
Hi everyone,
Just posting to see if people can advise me on the tricky decision I have to make.
Basically, the universities I have been accepted to are Berkeley, UCLA and NYU in the USA…and University College London, in the UK. (all for Politics although major wise I may change but will almost definitely stay within the social sciences)
I have to admit my knowledge of US universities is perhaps not as great as it should be. In any case, I believe that the best reputation of those universities is Berkeley. (If anyone has differing opinions please let me know)
So if the above is correct my decision lies between Berkeley and University College London.
Now I am unsure of how to gauge which is better academically between the two so any help here will be most appreciated. I have looked at a few tables online which (and I realise that these can not be trusted too much) actually shows University College London above Berkeley in terms of international reputation. I think that the positioning of UCL in London obviously gives advantages of contacts in the city which may be the reason for this. That being said I have seen ‘lists’ which have Berkeley as top 5 in the world for SS
field QS Top Universities: University rankings in the Social Sciences
A point that may sway my decision slightly is that my other passion in directing and how the university I go to will influence this. I hope that the ethos of university in America will allow me to take some courses in this area but I was unsure whether there will be a big advantage being in California and closer to Hollywood.
Finally, a big difference between the two is the fact as an international student I was unable to get any financial aid at Berkeley and therefore will have to shell out about $45k a year. Does anyone know of any sort of additional scholarships/financial aid available? I have heard that there is a chance in the second year at Berkeley to apply but I am not sure.
So to wrap up the questions I am trying to ask is
1. Which of the following is the best university in terms of social science reputation (politics/economics) UCLA, Berkeley or NYU
2. Which has the better reputation and work opportunities: Berkeley or University College London (and what’s the international reputation like…i.e. is Berkeley’s reputation in the UK better than UCL’s in the US?
3. Any advantages in terms of Directing?
4. Financial Aid?
Thanks everyone for any help- it’s a big decision of my life and I want to make sure it’s the right one!
Most appreciated