Duke vs. Berkeley (sorry for the cliche post)

Connyfoo
Mon, 17 Apr 2006 23:29:05 +0000

Hey folks — it’s crunch time and I’m seriously considering both schools. Howevs, Duke and Berkeley are like night and day (but I’m oddly attracted to both), and I need to make a decision soon.

Pros for Duke:
Excellent student/teacher ratio
Passionate profs who are willing to sacrifice time for you
FOCUS program
Unpretentious people (all of whom are undeniably smart)
K-ville
Well-rounded social sciences department

Negs for Duke:
It’s in Durham. In North Carolina. In the South.
Limited amount of majors
Accepts 2 AP’s
Low ranking on world’s top 500 best universities?
Conservative slant in Social Sciences (what I’m planning on picking a major in)
Awful music scene

Pros for Berkeley:
In San Fransisco
Plethora of majors
Accepts loads of AP’s
Prepares you for the “real world”
Apparently, number 2 for top 500 best universities
OK Go visits, and I love OK Go (they are the stuff of GODS!)

Negs for Berkeley:
Fairly homogenous student body
I stupidly applied for the Environmental Design school which I don’t think I want to go to anymore—hassle of transferring?
Impersonal profs
Cut throat environment
Extreme liberal bias for Social Sciences

Help?