You really can’t compare a dorm experience at a $100,000 a year private school to the dorm experience at Cal.
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No comparison!
Btw Stanford is in Palo Alto with some of the nicest housing available in the bay area even if they didn’t live on campus.
Also, if you have time wander the area, especially around the dorms. There are a lot of small shops and places to eat. Even knowing where the Walgreens or student food collective are can help a kid feel comfortable. It will give you a feel for the area. My oldest, a senior, loves the urban area after growing up in suburbia.
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really? i am not talking about tuition, but just the housing. Here is what I found from their website for 2023-2024 freshmen:
- all locations except co-op houses and Mirrielees Apartments -$13,371 per year
- co-op houses - $11,235 per year
- Mirrielees Apartments- $14,349 per year
https://rde.stanford.edu/studenthousing/undergraduate-housing-rates-and-billing-information
Is UCB housing much cheaper than this?
It’s not really in Palo Alto proper, it’s just sort of adjacent with an enormous sprawly campus, so I can’t imagine that off-campus living in Palo Alto would feel conveniently close for an undergraduate student. Unless you are a drive everywhere person.
But I probably shouldn’t be continuing this discussion, since it’s hard to think of a more off topic subject in the Cal thread than Stanford 
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Thats a win. Small private school to Cal will be a huge shock to his system but can’t beat engineering at Cal
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Just another perspective, we just did an admitted students’ event at a private school and the kids on the student panel all suggested that their first priority was getting used to college and living away from home, for some the first time. They suggested not to worry too much about getting into research immediately as there is plenty of time after freshman year. Meet the other students, make some friends, join a bunch of clubs, see what you might like to spend your time doing over the next four years, and then maybe change your mind. Get out of your dorm and see what the campus has to offer. I thought this was good advice.
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This chant comes to mind: “Take off that red shirt!”
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Thanks super helpful link. We confused this with the on campus presentation which is booked. We had to scroll further down but it was there on his portal. Your post was more helpful.
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I have one daughter at Berkeley and one at UCSD, and they are both loving their choice in schools. Both universities are very difficult, so I don’t think that going to UCSD will be any easier than Berkeley. After two years, here are the big differences that I have noticed, the kids at UCSD can, and do, literally study on the beach (I get those pics all the time and am very jealous), and the kids at Berkeley enjoy a truly great college town which is open late into every evening. It really depends what your kid prefers. The similarities are that both are difficult schools, and both will afford your kid great opportunities.
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This!!!
I am familiar with the area, grew up there and still have family and many of friends in the area.
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I attended the off-topic university, but it was awhile ago. I think the area may have a different feeling if you are a student, vs. growing up and living in the area. My perspective was also different after I grew up and lived in the area as an adult and worked in downtown PA. But as a student on the campus, PA felt quite distant, since I did not own a car.
Michigan Ross (in-state) vs. UC Berkeley (political economy intending to transfer to Haas)
I am a senior in high school and have received acceptances into Michigan Ross for the BBA program and UC Berkeley for political economy in the College of Letters and Science. I am interested in pursuing a career in Business consulting and law.
I aim to transfer to the Haas school of business as a continuing student in sophomore year if I do decide to go to UC Berkeley.
Please pour in your experiences and advice.
Admission to the Haas program is far from guaranteed. It has historically been highly competitive, and is likely to become more difficult now that Haas has launched its new four year program (presumably leaving fewer spaces for students aiming for the two year program). Continuing students can apply to Haas only once, in the spring semester of either their sophomore or junior year.
If the business major is important to you, I would suggest that you strongly consider the school where you have been admitted directly to the major! (and it’s Michigan at in-state prices? sounds pretty great to me… 
)
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Without a doubt - Michigan Ross. Haas is extremely hard to get into and starting this year there will be even fewer transfer admits because they have started a 4 year BBA program
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Anyone know of a student who has successfully sought and received permission to take a gap year at Cal?
I have some rare deferrals mainly for Medical/Health issues or Military service. You can submit a request and see if it is approved.
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This might be of interest for all UCB enthusiasts. S22 sent me this screenshot from an internal EECS forum posting.
Looks like EECS has finally listened to my prediction/recommendations a while ago on another thread to create a hardware focused ECE major.
TBD what all of this will mean for upcoming classes but will return and update once I hear from DS.
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Yes! My kid called me yesterday with this news, too. Since he loves hardware, he’s excited! 
Generally, when there’s a change in majors offered, or a change in major requirements, isn’t it the case that students have the choice of fulfilling either the requirements that were in effect in their entering year (so for 2024 entry, the current EECS major) or the new requirements (ECE major assuming that they do create one)?
So for incoming EECS students, they shouldn’t have to worry about any changes to the major potentially affecting them in a way they wouldn’t like, because they should still be able to complete the existing, vintage 2024, EECS major?