<p>Berkeley:</p>
<ol>
<li>San Francisco (take the bart): Culturally and historically rich; lots of tourism to explore. Berkeley as a town is not in great condition.</li>
<li>Seems to be a preponderance of residence halls</li>
<li>No smoking in the buildings</li>
<li>Infinitesimally more respected and prestigious—but prestige is not everything, or else I’d have aimed for Brown instead</li>
<li>Has a somewhat stronger reputation for grad school applications</li>
<li>Seven general education courses required</li>
<li>Foreign language requirement fulfilled by high school courses</li>
<li>Capped Econ major; 3.0 GPA required to get in; apply once a quarter to enter the major. Major not guaranteed; students are explicitly advised to have a backup plan.</li>
<li>Political Economy a possible alternative to Econ—though Pol Econ’s viability on a resume would be another question</li>
<li>Known for having one of the best Econ departments in the country alongside UChicago</li>
<li>Creative Writing minor</li>
<li>Chernin Mentoring Program for English majors</li>
<li>Highly ranked English department</li>
<li>Biannual Cal Literature & Arts Magazine </li>
<li>Daily Californian. Copyeditor position: Two 2-hr evening shifts per week. Finance intern position offered, 4-8 hrs per week.</li>
<li>The Berkeley Undergraduate Journal (for humanities and social sciences) and the PolicyMatters Journal (public policy analyses)</li>
<li>Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (faculty mentoring)</li>
<li>Work study offered along with loans. Same net cost overall.</li>
<li>A few friends may be going to Cal OR attending school in Nor Cal generally </li>
<li>I cannot remember why I wanted to go to Berkeley so badly in the first place. SF and prestige seem to be major allures.</li>
</ol>
<p>UCLA:
- Parental preference for UCLA
- Westwood (walking distance): small shops, small town, generally affluent area surrounded by Bel Air and Beverly Hills
- Plaza and suite housing offered to freshmen
- No smoking in the buildings
- Respected and prestigious
- Strong reputation would help with grad school applications
- Ten general education courses required
- Foreign language requirement fulfilled by placement exam or take a new language
- Normal Econ major; 2.5 GPA required to get in; apply anytime to enter the major. No reason for rejection from the major as long as prereqs are met.
- No Political Economy major
- Highly ranked Econ department, though generally seems to be slightly below Berkeley’s
- Creative Writing concentration within the English major
- Highly ranked English department
- Westwind quarterly literary magazine
- Daily Bruin. Copyeditor position. Workshops are required. Internship. Paid positions possible with advancement. Marketing and business positions offered.
- Aleph journal (for humanities and social sciences)
- Student Research Program. Seems to be a straightforward application process.
- Loans only. Same net cost overall
- Unsure how many people are seriously considering UCLA
- I feel enthusiasm and a sense of pride–or I thought I did.</p>
<p>(For the record, I am considering a double major in Econ and English, or maybe studying Econ and minoring in Eng/Creative Writing–that’s why both are mentioned in my lists.)</p>
<p>**What do you think I should base my decision on? What do you think are the most important factors to consider when choosing a school? </p>
<p>Thank you for any thoughtful advice; I feel paralyzed by indecision.**</p>