<p>So with decisions out, my brother is in the tough position of choosing between these great institutions. He is interested in economics as well as business, and hopes to go to law school. He was admitted into Brown (Economics), Berkeley (Undeclared), USC (Marshall’s School of Business), and UCLA (Business/Economics). With that said, what does everyone recommend? </p>
<p>Side notes: We’re from Los Angeles and I attend Cal.</p>
<p>I’d say financial aid should play a role in this decision so it is hard to give an accurate opinion without knowing the cost of each school. For law school, any one of the above schools are good enough that you can get into any school you want to with a high enough gpa/lsat score. top-law-schools.com’s forum may be a good reference for this question as well.</p>
<p>As far as Econ programs go, Cal is the top choice here however I know it is quite competitive getting into specific majors when you come in undeclared. Not everyone can get into Haas for the business major for example at the 2 year mark. I don’t know about the Econ program but because Cal is generally a top school for Econ then this same issue might exist. </p>
<p>I’m not sure this helps. I think to make a good unbiased recommendation we’d need more info on what your brother is leaning towards, cost of attendance, how social he is, if he’s into sports or not, etc.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention I do not think cost would be to much of a factor because I expect him to get financial aid. He is very social and would enjoy sports (but I do not think it is a determining factor). Prior to admission to Brown, he was leaning towards Berkeley or SC, but I think it might be between Brown and Berkeley, maybe SC. In terms of economics at Cal, I know that economics is not impossible to get into but it is a fairly difficult major. However, I am interested to learn more about Economics at Brown. Perhaps he would have an easier time in terms of gpa and I do not how much weight an Ivy League name has when applying to law school vs. a name like Berkeley. Any help is much appreciated!</p>
<p>When I was an undergrad (about a couple decades ago), there was a stigma that Berkeley econ majors were the kids who weren’t accepted into Haas. My info is probably dated or just flat out wrong. Is there any truth to it, OP?</p>
<p>I would say that it is somewhat true that those who are not accepted into Haas tend to major in economics. However, there are plenty of econ majors who do not apply to haas.</p>
<p>Has he visited Brown? Does he like Providence? Does he think he’d like to end up living/working on the East Coast? </p>
<p>If FinAid is a factor, he needs to wait and see how that stacks up for him. There can be a big difference in how much grant aid (free money) is offered from school to school. They may all meet “need” as they calculate it, but not always in free money. Best of luck to him. Great choices.</p>
<p>USC’s Marshall School of Business, undergraduate, is ranked #9. Programs within the school are ranked:</p>
<p>Accounting----#4
Real Estate----#5
Entrepreneurship----#3 Ranked #1 by Entrepreneur Magazine
International Business----#4
Marketing----#10</p>
<p>If the student intends to stay in California the Trojan Family is strong and loyal. Job placement preparation is excellent if he changes his mind about law school. Alumni mentor students and the opportunities for foreign business experiences range from freshmen travel to China (LINC) to full semesters abroad.</p>
<p>All else being equal, I’d encourage your bro to Go East, get a different view of the country. I have former students at Brown, from SoCal, and they love it. The Brown degree will open doors for him nationwide.</p>
<p>Brown/Cal if you’re interested in higher ranked schools but are willing to have the majority of your time taken by tests and reading. </p>
<p>UCLA/USC if you intend to do less work and receive an equally strong degree. College is supposed to be about fun in my opinion.</p>
<p>Cons: Berkeley is a fun killer with a ton of work. Brown has cold weather and is in the a totally different part of the country. UCLA is extremely packed with huge classrooms and no individual attention. USC has high tuition and is located in downtown LA.</p>
<p>Pros: Berkeley is the best public school in America. Brown is an Ivy League. UCLA is located in a rich neighborhood. USC has strong connections and great alumni support. </p>
<p>Win/Win/Win/Win situation.</p>
<p>I’m from the East Coast and Brown (know several grads) isn’t that impressive and is an inferior Ivy. It’s probably the easiest of all schools mentioned at the undergrad level. Its most illustrious alumni include Amy Carter. I’d go to USC or Cal, based in part on all of these comments. Also, Providence is a lousy place to spend four years.</p>
<p>This thread started on March 30. I suspect the OP’s brother made his decision back on May 1st.</p>
<p>I know this thread is dead, but come on, SeattleTW, there’s no such thing as an inferior Ivy… it’s Ivy. I too am from the East Coast and the only “inferior” Ivy that comes to mind is Cornell’s ag school - their public land grant side.</p>
<p>Brown (I have several friends who went there) is basically the hippie outside of the box Berkeley of the Ivy League, and while it may be a half step below Harvard and maybe Yale, Princeton, and Stanford, the vast majority of students admitted to schools of that caliber could’ve easily been admitted to other top schools or narrowed their applications down to a few select schools. One friend of mine who went to Brown, for example, chose between that school and Rice.</p>
<p>I respectfully disagree. If you can’t get into HYP or D, you might as well go to USC or anywhere else. But unlike the inferior Ivies (Penn, Cornell and Brown), USC has the California sunshine going for it. When I told people I was a USC grad, the reaction was uniformly wow, great school, great location, etc., especially from those who had gone to BC, Brown and Penn. And one of my Brown buddies told me that while working here in Seattle for Amazon, the Stanford alumni showed him little respect, which ****ed him off because he thought Brown should carry more weight. It doesn’t.</p>
<p>Where did the brother in question choose?</p>