<p>I’ll put in a word for UC Berkeley.</p>
<p>Since you’re from California (awesome state, by the way), the cost of Berkeley is going to be 30K. A year at Duke is around 50K.</p>
<p>Assuming you aren’t getting financial aid at either institution, you’ll be saving around a total of $80,000 by attending Berkeley. That’s a ****load of money.</p>
<p>Of course, if you go to Berkeley you get what you pay for. Berkeley’s probably gonna have more bureaucracy, tougher grading, and pay less attention in general to you. You have to ask if it’s worth $80,000.</p>
<p>Finally, this may not apply to you - but if you’re Asian (especially from the Bay) Berkeley might feel more comfortable. I know several people who went to fairly white schools, and they said it felt kind of weird being so obviously in the minority. It’s probably good for them (since those places are more representative of America), but keep that in mind.</p>