<p>the point is not that privates are expensive the point is that the UC’s are suppose to be affordable to the general public. And that Cal and UCLA should be attracting top profs not repelling them.</p>
<p>Those estimated budgets are just that- estimates. The only fee that is fixed is the tuition fee. Non-dorm housing can be cheaper, health insurance can be waived, transportation costs may be lower for local students, etc. The UCs are among the most economically diverse universities in the country, because they provide aid to lower-income students and actively recruit them. Despite all the doom and gloom, I’m still a big UC fan. I wish the people of the state of California would realize how important the UCs are to our long-term financial and intellectual future. So many of our creative and technological minds have come from UCs and CSUs. The economic, intellectual, and technological health of this country lies in promoting the talents and skills of our youth, and public higher education is a major part of that.</p>
<p>camathmom-----No one here, is saying “everything is alright”. Only one side of this “discussion” has a manic obsession with hyperbole. I think chicken little(see “sky falling” reference #88) has hijacked this thread enough. GOODBYE</p>
<p>how’s this for hyperbole, the sky has already fallen…duct tape holding my shoes together.</p>
<p>“All campuses have it really hard. I know students, we’re struggling … you’re barely making it by, I feel you. I got duct tape holding my shoes together … Then (staff) take furloughs, then they take staff cuts … You’re cutting off thousands of staff”</p>
<p>Jesse Cheng, student Regent. A student and a Regent, think he might know what’s going on at UC’s and UCLA??..“cutting off thousands of staff”</p>
<p>[The</a> Daily Bruin :: Q&A with Jesse Cheng: The student regent opens up about the budget crisis and how it will affect the UC](<a href=“http://www.dailybruin.com/index.php/article/2011/01/qa_with_jesse_cheng_the_student_regent_opens_up_about_the_budget_crisis_and_how_it_will_affect_the_u]The”>http://www.dailybruin.com/index.php/article/2011/01/qa_with_jesse_cheng_the_student_regent_opens_up_about_the_budget_crisis_and_how_it_will_affect_the_u)</p>
<p>My daughter is entering a graduate program at UC-Berkeley. She has told me her program (which is small) just hired two additional professors (not replacements).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Pacheight, you continue to insult and undermine my professional work, which has nothing to do with this thread. However, again, I will defend your accusations as you are so off the mark. For starters, NONE of my advisees are from Vermont. I advise students from around the country and internationally. I have had only one student ever opt to apply to UCLA (she was from CA but ended up withdrawing her app when she got in ED to Northwestern for theater). I have had no students ever apply to Berkeley. (I have worked every year with students from CA, including currently) I also never said everything is fine at UCLA and Cal. </p>
<p>I do have a daughter, however, entering Berkeley for grad school (who turned down Stanford which you are touting). For the umpteenth time, what I am saying is it is very off putting to see a parent (or anyone) bashing certain colleges. That type of attitude irks me. I think you are entitled to your opinion but it would best be shared by saying why your kids chose their schools over other schools and leave it at that, rather than saying your kids’ schools are better or these other schools are bad or inferior. I don’t think that way myself, nor do my kids. They loved their schools but none of us purport their schools to be the best schools, but simply were really good schools for them personally and they have nothing against other schools. Also, if UCLA and UCB are so bad, why did your younger D even apply (you mention her turning these offers down)? Also, you have stated some information/stats about these schools that are currently incorrect. You have gone on to state as factual predictions about grad rates, SAT scores, and so on. What is factual are the budget cuts at the UCs. Even us ignorant Vermonters are aware of those.</p>
<p>By the way, I don’t “send” any kid to any college. My clients pick the schools THEY wish to attend. </p>
<p>My own kid, a native Vermonter, has chosen UC-Berkeley for grad school as it is tops in her field. She only applied to a few schools and got in them and they were all the best programs in her field and highly selective. She is not settling by going to Berkeley. In fact, she feels very very lucky to have been chosen with a 5% admit rate to this program. Not everyone is down on Berkeley…sorry to break it to you. Stanford is a wonderful school. You won’t find me putting it down. We are grateful they selected our D for a highly selective program (her school within the university told her it was their most selective program and they offered her quite a bit of money). Stanford, while great, is not the end all and be all. It is about FIT…which school meets an applicant’s personal selection criteria. My kids, nor I, think their schools are “the best,” but simply are best for THEM. Berkeley is costing me more than Stanford would have. It is worth it. This is the program D wanted. I’ll still root for Stanford (even though you won’t for Cal) and my D was even offered to coach a team at Stanford next year.</p>
<p>soozievt: I am not personally clued in to the status of the UC graduate schools. I am, however, very worried about the UCs in general. I hope that everything goes well for your child!</p>
<p>camathmom, I understand the concern with the UC budget cuts, I can assure you. I would much rather a parent point out this information than bash schools as not as good as others or give predictions as facts. But yes, I know the budget cuts are a serious concern!</p>
<p>My D’s grad program at Cal is one of the best regarded ones in her specialty. She left grad school at MIT to pursue this specialty in fact. Not everyone choosing UC-Berkeley thinks poorly of it.</p>
<p>sooz, once again what are you talking about? This entire discussion is about UG. Not grad schools. </p>
<p>But a good opportunity for you to talk about your angles. Yay! I’m glad their so academically and artistically wonderful.</p>
<p>Grad schools, especially at Cal, are funded by Federal grants, companies, and private donors, and have nothing to do with the State of California’s financial disaster and the undergraduate populations experience.</p>
<p>and since you like to tout your kids achievements, my daughter did not apply to Cal or UCLA. But both came after her, and one still does, which is different.</p>
<p>and you advised a young actor to pass on UCLA and go to Northwestern, why? UCLA is no longer a 1st rate academic university but it’s still top 5 for actors and MT. What’s NW, top 50?</p>
<p>hold on you’re a musical theater and actor specialist college counselor with clients all over the world although you don’t advise or have ever had any of your clients to go to Cal or UCLA for acting??</p>
<p>what?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You brought up my knowledge of UC and so I mentioned my kid is going to a UC (Cal) for grad school. You also compared the UCs to Stanford and USC (D turned down Stanford for Cal). That was in THAT context.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t have “angles.” Do you mean “angels?” I don’t have angels either. Do you mean "THEY’RE’ (not “their”) academically and artistically wonderful? Didn’t say that either. My point about bringing up D is that while she got into other very selective schools and programs, she CHOSE Berkeley. She doesn’t think Berkeley is the best school but simply the best one for her. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I do not tell students where to go to school. I suggest schools and they create a list. They choose where to attend. This student from your area, who was a very competitive candidate for BFA in musical theater programs, fell in love with Northwestern and after doing all her apps, decided to do ED to Northwestern and got in. Northwestern is one of the top BA theater programs in the country (she liked the combo of challenging academics and strong theater, as well as it offers a MT Certificate program). She was not seeking an acting degree. Northwestern is very strong and highly regarded in theater and musical theater (the latter is this student’s passion and talent). The family is thrilled. By the way, while UCLA is a top program for acting, I would not consider it in the top five MT programs (though it is a very good BA in MT program). It is never listed in top five MT programs and is not a BFA either. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I NEVER said I don’t advise students to apply to UCLA!! I have suggested the school to many students. Many have chosen not to apply. Some don’t want the West Coast, for example. Some are not good enough students for UCLA (I work with a range of students). I suggest schools but the final choice of where to apply is up to the student. Berkeley, however, doesn’t come up for acting or musical theater students. It doesn’t have a MT Program. It has no BFA. It is not one of the schools known for strong theater. UCLA and USC are the two most frequently recommended theater schools in CA. I had a student turn down an acceptance at Stanford for NYU/Tisch.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>What would your California budget priorities be? To be specific, would you make the following changes to the existing California budget priorities (which are the major parts of the California budget) in order to increase funding for post-secondary education?</p>
<ul>
<li>Cut K-12 education spending including repealing proposition 98.</li>
<li>Cut health and welfare spending.</li>
<li>Cut prison spending by repealing “three strikes” or limiting it to “serious or violent” third strikes.</li>
<li>Raise taxes and repeal proposition 13.</li>
</ul>
<p>I am a Californian. This discussion has been breathtaking.
We are in a very weird day and age when certain persons choose to bash UC Berkeley. </p>
<p>I will back up everything Soozievt has posted, incidentally.</p>
<p>I would repeal Prop 13 in a heartbeat; it’s ridiculous, and particularly ridiculous in the context of business real estate. I would try to reduce the prison population, by repealing 3 strikes for non-violent offenders and by not imprisoning people for minor marijuana crimes.</p>
<p>Ucb:</p>
<p>I 2nd the repeal of prop 13. Let the old couple in their 3 million dollar paid for home in Brentwood pay their fair share, a lot more than the 1200 dollars a year in property tax they pay now.</p>
<p>Release all non violent drug offenders from ca state prison, about 50% of the population.</p>
<p>And get rid of most of the public school admin layer.</p>
<p>Sooz: cal is a great place for actors (btw: your splitting of mt and actors is wrong. They r the same. Ok though, novice view). Long list of cal kids acting, mostly mt, at act before matriculating to high profile careers on broadway and film. But you should now this if you’re counseling actor/mt kids. Like I know where kids go after they left Earl in new haven even though I’m out here in ca</p>
<p>And Cal deserves the bashing. And if u want to help what use to be a great instituition then wake up to what’s happening</p>
<p>And sooz, what makes you think I’m not an actor?</p>
<p>Pacheight, you claim that UC Berkeley “deserves the bashing,” but I don’t feel any college deserves bashing. I’d rather hear someone point out some information they know about a school instead of putting down the school itself. I don’t think I am alone in that regard. </p>
<p>You also ask what makes me think you are not an actor. You may be. I don’t think that is your main profession. But ya see, I don’t mind if you give advice about acting. You have a kid who has worked in this field, I know. I also don’t mind you give advice about athletic recruiting, as your D went through that process. I am not the one bashing you for giving “advice.” </p>
<p>You are bashing me in several regards. One is you put me down for sharing about my own daughters, and sarcastically called them “angels” (well, you called them angles, but OK). But ya see, I don’t mind that you have shared about your daughters. You have shared about your younger D’s athletic recruiting, college acceptances, and even her SAT scores. Doesn’t bother me at all. You are rightfully proud. </p>
<p>But you also continue to undermine my professional work and bash my qualifications and knowledge of my field. I am quite informed about college admissions, which is my field, and have additional expertise in colleges for theater applicants as well. This is not relevant at all to this thread and your attempts to shoot me down personally and professionally are not appreciated. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Cal may be fine for actors. However, it is definitely NOT a top theater school. As well, many of the top college programs for acting are BFA programs which Cal doesn’t offer. While there are no rankings for college theater programs, Cal is never mentioned as one of the top ones. Ever. You claimed Northwestern was in the “top 50” which is almost too funny. For starters, Northwestern is ranked 12th in national universities by USNews (if you seem to care about rankings). For theater and for MT, it is one of the best regarded BA programs in the country. Anyone in theater would tell you that. </p>
<p>Also splitting MT and Acting COLLEGE PROGRAMS is not the same. A BFA in Acting doesn’t equate to a BFA in MT program. Some schools offer both and some only offer one or the other. For example, Boston Conservatory is a top MT program and doesn’t offer a degree in Acting. North Carolina School of the Arts or SUNY Purchase are top Acting programs but don’t offer degrees in MT. UCLA offers a BA, not a BFA, in Acting AND in MT. Their Acting program is one of the top ones. Their MT program is excellent but is never listed within the top five or so MT programs in the country. </p>
<p>By the way, I am quite familiar with ACT. I have clients who have attended ACT prior to college. In fact, my student who chose Northwestern is an ACT kid!!! Berkeley was never a consideration for her. UCLA was on the list for MT but again, she did ED to Northwestern. </p>
<p>I’m sorry I don’t know of “Earl.” My D’s best musical theater friend growing up is from New Haven. She attended one of the top MT programs in the country, CCM.</p>
<p>In any case, I am glad you are calling Cal great for actors. Hearing you call it great for something…is, well…something! :)</p>
<p>By the way, since I should know that graduates of Berkeley are doing well in musical theater on Broadway, can you give me a sample list of Broadway actors in musicals who are graduates of Berkeley? I read a lot of playbills from Broadway shows as a patron, and Berkeley is not a school I have seen for MT actors’ bios. Certain MT colleges are well represented. Cal doesn’t even offer a MT degree program. Their mainstage season in the theater dept. doesn’t include any musical productions. Not a place I’d recommend for a student seeking MT training.</p>
<p>When you spoke of kids in New Haven, I assumed you were talking of high school students and where they go to college. </p>
<p>You mention “Earl.” Perhaps you mean Earle Gister, the acting teacher? He was on the faculty of the MFA program at Yale. That is Earle, not Earl.</p>
<p>I deal with high school students entering BA and BFA degree programs.</p>