The Polar Opposite Conundrum: LAC vs Berkeley

UCBChemEGrad
Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:49:18 +0000

Congrats on your daughter’s acceptances, you must be very proud!

I have never taken classes at a LAC so I can’t comment on direct experiences. But, I’d like to give you some of my opinions.

The big difference between Berkeley/UCSD and the top LACs you are considering are class sizes and the amount of personal attention your daughter will receive.

Since Berkeley is big, the lower division math and science courses are large and very competitive, weeder classes. You will have a large lecture and a smaller “discussion” section, usually led by a graduate student. The humanities/social science classes are much smaller to foster interaction and discussion.

Berkeley’s academic advising will not be as good as a small LAC. Your daughter will have to seek out opportunities for herself. The opporunities are there, she will just have to be more independent and look for them.

Due to the poorer advisement and larger competitive classes, Berkeley has a kind of “sink or swim” atmosphere. However, I find students to be very social and helpful.

A LAC will give your daughter more care and feeding. However, if she’s an independent, free spirit, she might like the larger environment at Berkeley or UCSD.

With regard to grad school placement, LACs tend to perform better. This is partly due to the better advising, etc. but I also think LACs have a more concentrated student population interested in pursuing grad/academic studies than a large university does. Your daughter will get into top grad schools from either. It’s more dependent on her GPA, test scores and recommendations. She’ll do better in the environment which she is most happy - one that challenges her, but yet allows her to have some fun. Only she can make the decision on the environment best suited for herself.

Berkeley has some advantages over Scripps College, IMO. Cal of course has Pac-10 sports, the city of Berkeley, and San Francisco for escapes/activities. It’s all accessible via BART subway system…she will not need a car. You can easily access Oakland Airport from BART as well.

The Claremont Colleges are located in inland Los Angeles…a nice suburb, but nowhere near the exciting environment of Berkeley, IMO. She will need a car (or a friend with a car) to access L.A. Scripps will be warmer than Berkeley. It’ll also be smoggier and windier. The Santa Ana winds blow through the mountains and make everything hot and very dry…these usually last through the fall. Berkeley will be cooler with more rain…but nowhere near the environment she’d experience at Middlebury.

I’ll say this…when you first see the City of Berkeley, especially the famed Telegraph avenue, it can be quite a culture shock. I got used to it and enjoyed it being from SoCal - with its quirks and variety.

UCSD is a much more staid environment than Berkeley.

I’m glad you’re visiting because this is one of the only ways to decide and get a feel for the campus. If your daughter is independent, she might like and thrive with Berkeley…if she’s more reserved, she’ll probably prefer the smaller, more laid back aspects of Scripps or UCSD.

Does your daughter have any thoughts on majors?