<p>btw just in case anyone is interested, I created a pros/cons list of UCLA vs UCB yesterday. Here it is lol :):</p>
<p>Cal Pros: </p>
<p>1) Weather/style: I think these go hand-in-hand. I love the Bay Area weather. It’s colder, and many of my clothes are better suited for colder environments. I think that my style could be better expressed at Cal than at UCLA. However, I’m adaptable, and can definitely adapt to the socal weather if I went to UCLA. lol it’d be just sad if I couldn’t.</p>
<p>2) International prestige: I know that USNWR has Cal and UCLA practically the same with a nearly negligible difference in prestige, but from everyone I’ve read about on College Conf., it seems that Cal has nearly unmatched international prestige. It’s name is apparently thrown around with Stanford and the upper Ivies in other countries. It’s viewed as one of the top universities in the world. That’s not to say that it is, and maybe the world perception of a school is an illogical reason to contend for going there, but I do like how well known it is. I’m not sure if UCLA is as well known world-wide.</p>
<p>3) Sports. I know UCLA has 104 national championships :), but currently Cal’s sports programs are peaking. Their basketball team made the NCAA tournament for the first time in 50 years, and their football team is also very good. UCLA’s sports are generally better, but currently they’ve been a little bit down. The sports reason isn’t that big a deal to me, but I would prefer a school that has great sports teams while I’m there. </p>
<p>4) Berkeley. I really do love the uniqueness and I guess… that sort of special quality Berkeley has. It’s not the most safe place in the world, but the interesting people and food and vitality is so different. Here in norcal, Cal is soo highly respected. Most people are Cal fans that I know, and it would be fun to get to represent my school and go back and talk to them about life and the sports and everything. Again, I know this reason is sort of superficial, but it is fun to connect with people and develop that connection through a school. One of my close friends, Carlos, goes to St. Mary’s up here, and he wants to go to Cal football games with me (if I were to get in and go). I think that sounds like so much fun.</p>
<p>5) Decals: Decals stands for Democratized Education at Cal. I think this is an amazing program. You can teach a class for a semester! I can think of sooo many things I would want to teach: Communism - Why It Could NEVER Work (lol), Western vs Eastern Philosophy, I think decals are great because you’re teaching a class and you’re an undergrad! You create the syllabus, lesson plans, assign books to read, and literally lecture a 1-2 unit course for a semester. How cool is that? It’s like mini-training for being a professor in a university setting. This is one of my main draws to Cal.</p>
<p>Cal Cons:</p>
<p>1) Cutthroat nature: I picked up on a MUCH greater level of stress at Cal than I did at UCLA. I think it really wears people down. Many of the students were nice and calm, but many others were also sort of down-trodden and seemed burnt out. I’m a hard worker, but I don’t want to suffocate beneath my psych homework :).</p>
<p>2) Independent mentality: I like being independent and doing my own thing, but I also enjoy having close friends to share my experiences with. At Cal, I didn’t see many people enjoying themselves in groups or just hanging out. Everyone seemed to be on their own track.</p>
<p>3) Grad school. Berkeley very very rarely admits their own. If I were to go to UCLA, I would have a much better chance of getting into UCB’s grad school for psych or child dev. or Org. Development (wherever I decide to concentrate).</p>
<p>UCLA Pros:</p>
<p>1) Near the people I care about. I know that I would never pick a school for the people alone, but it does help SOO much that I’ll know people at/near UCLA. At Berkeley, I know 1 kid, and we’re not really friends. We went to the same elementary school, but we’re not close or anything. At UCLA I know you, my friend Arjun, kaitlynn (whom I saw when I visited), and Sari, and then Dennis is pretty nearby at UCSD. Having the people that I care about near me is definitely a major plus in my opinion.</p>
<p>2) The Experience.- Ok ok ok lol how cliche of me, I know. I’m always talking about experience, but going to UCLA is an experience in itself. It’s far from my home, the opposite of what I’m used to, a whole new lifestyle, and it’s vibrant! The Bay Area, while I do LOVE it here, is not vibrant in the least lol. Going far away to college is something that I’ve always dreampt about. Berkeley is 25 mins from my house or so :/. </p>
<p>3) The people. I’ll be honest when I say that there is a warmer vibe/feeling that the people at UCLA exude when compared to Berkeleyans. Our tourguide for UCLA was really knowledgeable and nice, and everyone around us seemed happy. I don’t think I picked up on any negativity whatsoever. Now my Berkeley tourguide was phenomenal, but the people overall weren’t at UCLA’s amiability level.</p>
<p>4) Gorgeous, amazing, spectacular campus! The UCLA campus is seriously second to none. It looks like an Ivy, the buildings are so unique, esp Royce :), and I like the communal feeling that I felt while I was there. Overall, UCLA is like a sunny piece of paradise. A balance…that’s what it is. I feel like Berkeley is weighted more toward academics, a more serious mentality (at least noticably from walking around there), and is moderately grungy.</p>
<p>UCLA Cons:</p>
<p>1) Weather/style lol. The weather is SOO different from what I’m used to. I was burning while I was down there lol. I’m sure I could adjust, but I’d have to buy many more shorts and short-sleeve shirts :p. </p>
<p>2) football team. I know that this reason should be small, but I do love football games. Just kicking back with some friends and eating hot dogs or pizza is always fun b4 games. At Cal I know that happens all the time. I’m just unsure about UCLA’s sports scene.</p>
<p>3) Less international notoriety. UCLA is an amazing school and very well known in its own right, but I just feel like Cal is one of those schools that everyone kind of knows. I feel like ppl I know would look up to me more…I know, I know, that’s not a reason to go to a school, but I am blinded by the perceived prestige lol.</p>
<p>Neutralities: Greek life, psych major (practically the same at both campuses), study abroad…I think that wherever I go, I’d like to study abroad at the other for a semester! lol. Who knows, I could def change my mind about that, but I would like to experience both…esp if I’m unhappy at one or the other…though I doubt I’d be unhappy at either one.</p>
i am so glad you had such an awesome experience. i really enjoyed reading it i felt like i was the freshman admit day too 