zz0987

I'm choosing school btw UCB and Colgate.
well, about major, I'm not so sure, but it's certain that I will major in Arts, such as psych, socialogy, philosophy or econ...
it's pretty hard choice for me
I like big class, but in UCB it's so big(since it's public) and I heard many people said UCB is a Science Uni and it somehow ignore Arts... So I intend to UCLA
For Colgate, well, at first I have no idea about it, I just chose it randomly during application process, for I wanna try 2 LACs
It was a surprise to receive this offer. And I began to learn about this college these days and found some facts that I love, such as its strong alumni association and rich research opportunities... something about LAC actually
But I'm kind of worried about Colgate's prestige and academics
and it didn't give me FA( I didnt apply for~~)

Also, I'll go to graduate school and work in USA after graduation.
BTW, I am a Chinese student.

gellino

I would personally much rather go to undergrad at Colgate than Cal/Berkeley or UCLA as I just think the atmosphere would be much better. It depends what you mean when it comes to prestige and academics. The student selectivity and class profile is comparable between the schools and would think the academic experience would be much more rewarding at Colgate. The professors may be more famous at the CA schools but how that tangibly benefits you as an UG student is unclear to me. In at least some ways, it is a negative to me because the classes will be much larger at UCB or UCLA and the profs are going to be less focused on teaching and UG student development in comparison to Colgate and you will have to contend with TAs, which isn't something you'll have to deal with at Colgate. I actually knew someone at Colgate who had transferred from UCLA who later realized she had the same outlook as me, so it really depends what environment you're seeking.

From what I have seen, I don't think Colgate's name is any less respected on the East Coast but the West Coast may be a different story. Philosophy is probably considered Colgate's strongest department.