UC Berkeley vs. Wesleyan?

moi26 · 05-07-2008, 10:37 AM

hi everyone, I hope that you'll be able to help me out!

I just found out that I got in, through appeal, to UC Berkeley's spring semester 2009. And I've already sent my deposit to Wesleyan, since I didn't know that I was into Berkeley yet. And now I have to choose!

A little bit about me: I'm 17, I live in San Francisco, I want to major in social and cultural anthropology. I am and speak French, I've done 6 years of Chinese, and I'm very interested in all that is international, politics, economy, sociology, third world development, etc.

Some advantages and disadvantages I'm considering:

PRICE: I don't qualify for any financial aid, so Wesleyan is twice as expensive as Berkeley.

DISTANCE: Berkeley is very near home, which I don't mind, except that I don't get to discover something new, like seasons, snow, the East Coast in general... Wesleyan is far, so I'll also have to factor in the cost of plane rides for vacation.

LOCATION: Wesleyan is slightly in the middle of nowhere for me (it's 2 hours from NYC and from Boston). But there are so many events going on within the campus that I doubt it will be much of a problem. Berkeley is very urban: more exciting, but also more gritty (I think).

Wesleyan would give me more personal attention, smaller classes, etc, while Berkeley is huge, but also has tons of resources and opportunities.

I've visited Wesleyan (they paid for my trip!) and loved it: the people, the campus, the whole "feel" was great. I didn't go to CalDay (because I was initially rejected from Berkeley), but I have visited and it's big, exciting and lively.

Finally, the fact that I got into Cal for Spring Semester: their Extension Fall Program for Freshmen is full, so I'd either have to go to a community college (not very appealing) or take a semester off. I go to a very rigorous high school and did well on my SATs, so I actually probably have enough credits to skip a semester, so I could travel, etc...

Basically, I'm very torn! If you have any ideas, opinions or aspects that I haven't considered, I would love to hear it! Thank you so much in advance, I appreciate your time!

middsmith · 05-07-2008, 10:49 AM

Going to Berkeley will save you 100k. Take a semester off, do something fun.

DunninLA · 05-07-2008, 10:55 AM

what middsmith said. My neighbor was a Spring '05 admit to Berkeley and travelled to Australia and China for three months in Fall of '04.

Best thing he ever did. Take some of the $110k (includes airfare) you'll save by attending Berkeley and spend it on a world tour. You did say your interestes were internationally oriented? You should be able to do that in under $15k. Then enter Berkeley with some experiences to share with your classmates.

moi26 · 05-07-2008, 11:13 AM

that's a great idea, thanks so much! do you think that entering a semester after most people is hard? I feel like Berkeley is already so big, it might be even harder to make friends if I come in late...

moi26 · 05-07-2008, 11:21 AM

also, I forgot to add that both of my parents went to Berkeley (my dad would like for me to go (cheaper, closer) but he would also support me if I chose Wesleyan).

also, one more factor to consider: Berkeley has a great reputation, even internationally, while nobody has heard of Wesleyan ("oh, Hillary Clinton went there, right?" haha)

middsmith · 05-07-2008, 12:26 PM

Quote:

I feel like Berkeley is already so big, it might be even harder to make friends if I come in late...

Not really. Look at all the transfer students. They come in 2 years later and made a lot of friends. After working together 20 hours straight and everyone start to smell funny, and the occasional drool when you fall asleep, you'll bond for life.

Quote:

also, one more factor to consider: Berkeley has a great reputation, even internationally, while nobody has heard of Wesleyan ("oh, Hillary Clinton went there, right?" haha)

is this a hint of sarcasm? I can't tell.
Same thing when I mentioned Wellesley and someone working for Sun said my CEO went there.

kenf1234 · 05-07-2008, 12:33 PM

Go to Berkeley. Take a year abroad for a change of scenery. Take the semester and do something amazing with the money you save, if possible, as discussed above.

Wesleyan is the type of place, if you think it's your dream school, you should go there. If you don't have that feeling, you shouldn't.

moi26 · 05-07-2008, 12:35 PM

well clinton went to wellesley, not wesleyan, and people get very confused between the two! so yes, a hint of sarcasm

you're right about the transfer students. you all raise great points about Berkeley, but I LOVE Wes too, and it's really hard to turn your back on a "feel".

essentially, which school would give me the better education: tons of resources and huge classes with limited access to profs, or smaller classes with more access to profs, but less resources? it's basically the whole big public university vs smaller LAC debate...!

middsmith · 05-07-2008, 12:49 PM

I chose LAC over Berkeley, sadly. It's purely money. They made an offer I couldn't refuse.
For you, I think Berkeley makes a lot more sense. It's not about big public university vs. smaller LAC anymore. It's Berkeley vs. smaller LAC. Berkeley has great resources almost rival to none if you know where to look.

kenf1234 · 05-07-2008, 12:50 PM

If money is not an issue, follow your instincts, don't try to analyze it, because you can't. They are so different, but both will give you a good education. If money is an issue, go to Berkeley.

moi26 · 05-07-2008, 01:35 PM

that's a really good point, kenf, because I've been trying to analyze this "mathematically", but you're right, you really can't. I guess that means that there's no real wrong choice and that I could do well in both environments... good to know but it doesn't help me decide! I do love wes, but how do i know if it's my dream school/one true love?

and yes, middsmith, it is Berkeley! I told my dad that I got in today and he started telling me how Cal is (one of) the best public schools in the world, fantastic international reputation, etc. it's hard to turn down!

anyways, thanks for all of your help, I'm going to go discuss this with my college counselor and see if she has any words of wisdom to impart!

DunninLA · 05-07-2008, 01:50 PM

moi... Berkeley is one of the best public universities for undergraduate in the world.

For graduate, no qualifications apply. It is THE best school in the world, overall.

Kenf1234 wrote: "if money is not an issue" -- OP already wrote that money IS an issue -- she wrote her father prefers she go to Berkeley because it is cheaper and closer.

Knowing that her father attended Berkeley, and that attending Berkeley will give father/daughter another way to bond, is a significant factor as well.

johnwesley · 05-07-2008, 04:21 PM

yes, but it also sounds as if the OP is interested in grad school which means she may never set foot on another another campus once she enrolls as a Berkeley undergrad. Something to think about.

liek0806 · 05-07-2008, 04:53 PM

moi26, being french, and not a us citizen, aren't you going to be billed UC out of state price?

Sam Lee · 05-07-2008, 05:04 PM

Both of his parents went to Berkeley, so he's probably a US citizen by now even if he's foreign-born.