<p>Hello everyone! I could really use some help/opinions to help me with my college decisions, cause right now, I’M STRESSING OUT!!</p>
<p>So it all boils down to either USC or Cal, and I’m getting mixed feelings for both. I got accepted to both for the College of Letters and Science. I plan on double majoring in English/Literature and geology.</p>
<p>Cal seems great! widely known, prestigious, and it’s close to home since I live in San Jose. (not sure if that’s exactly a great thing haha) But I really hate the idea of being in a class of 500 and the intense academic competition atmosphere there. I enjoy my academia, sure, but I wouldn’t want my main focus in college to be avoiding everything at all costs to not fail a class! Also, since I am Asian and lived in the Bay Area all my life, I’m not sure if I want to go to Cal since it’s so similar to SJ.</p>
<p>USC would allow me to exposed to a totally different culture, but I only go accepted for the spring =/ Now, I wouldn’t mind that so much since I could always go to a CC, but it’s just the whole jumping in the middle of the year and missing the fun/welcoming freshman vibe. And I’m missing the football season!!! USC has a great alumni network but the school seems synonymous with partying and greek life. Also, I’m offered a spot in the Structured Curriculum Program if that makes a difference.</p>
<p>So here are my questions:</p>
<p>Which school will allow me to grow intellectually, but still give me a great college experience?
Which will give me greater success in finding a job/graduate school?
How are the English/science departments?
Which has a better study abroad program?</p>
<p>Any information/advice will be gladly appreciated! Thanks!</p>
<p>Did you get accepted into another UC to get away from home if you wish-perhaps UCLA? I personally would attend a UC due to the spring admit factor, but I really do not think it is a huge deal…I heard that once you enter, there is no differentiating between spring and regular admits.</p>
<p>Can’t go wrong with either of those two schools. I would choose USC for its smaller classes and alumni network. If football matters to you, go to USC. Cal football has given me heartache my whole life and the students don’t seem to care much about the team. I will definitely be making the 6 hour drive from the Bay Area to go see a couple of games this year, especially 10/16 when Cal plays USC in LA.
About the college experience, don’t let spring admission scare you too much. Unfortunately, you will have some weird housing for the first few months. We just have to accept that. After that, you will be a completely normal USC student. You will still be able to make friends and have a great experience if you put in the effort to branch out and find friends.
You also have to decide which school fits your personality better. Berkeley is cutthroat competitive and has a decidedly liberal student body. USC seems more laid back and less liberal than Berkeley. Good luck choosing. Like I said before, both schools are awesome. Don’t let that spring admission scare you away from USC if you feel like it is the school for you.</p>
<p>keev how would you know anything about Berkeley? You’re not an alum. Your posts is one of those you would see on a football forum that goes like “my QB is better than yours”.</p>
<p>I’m in the exact same position, except I was accepted as a fall admit to both. Is the cost of attendance an issue for you? If not, I would say USC all the way except for the fact that you’re accepted as a spring admit (I too wouldn’t want to miss the welcoming freshman vibe, but there’s always your sophomore, junior, and senior year!).</p>
<p>With regards to which will help you for grad school, I don’t know if the information is correct, but supposedly average GPA for say an engineering major at Cal is 3.2-3.4? My friend’s sister goes to USC and her GPA is like a 3.98 and she’s majoring in what I believe to be biology… From what I saw online, USC accepts about 50% of their students who apply to their medical school? If that’s your eventual goal, then probably USC, though I’m probably spewing false information… lol</p>
<p>Got to UC Berkeley for Fall. If you like it, stay. If you don’t, then you can be admitted to USC as a Spring admit. As a spring admit, you can go to another school for the fall.</p>
<p>unfortunately Cal is not what it use to be. and with the latest cash crisis classes will be even harder to get and more crowded. As a geology major, which is very popular at Cal, you’re probably looking at 5 years to graduate. so 30k x 5 is 150k. Cal’s prestige is larger than USC but primarily because of its grad schools, so the prestige doesn’t translate to a “better” undergrad experience.</p>
<p>For all around fun and a more intimate undergrad college experience USC has Cal beat, I wouldn’t have said that 20 years ago, but today it’s true. at USC the entire undergraduate community seems like one community where at Cal it’s multiple communities that don’t mix with each other much.</p>
<p>For location Cal’s campus is beautiful but off campus Berkeley is a bit of a mess. and the crime rate on students is higher at Cal than USC, USC knows it’s in a city and has a very good security force. USC has warm weather and the beaches and the campus is nice.</p>
<p>Greek system at both are large. </p>
<p>Cal has turned into a public school:) but there was a time when it was a shinning jewel. </p>
<p>so I think at the end of the day you’re choosing between an excellent private school and a good public school. One is managed by the best college administration (steven sample and his administration) in the country and the other is run by the same people that manage the DMV:)</p>
How so? I’ve talked to numerous current undergrads and there doesn’t seem to be a difference from when I went there 10 years ago.</p>
<p>The top UCs are not like Cal States. I had no problems getting classes at Berkeley like I did at a CSU.</p>
<p>Berkeley is the greatest public university in the nation and has one of the most decorated faculties outside of two colleges named Harvard and Stanford.</p>
<p>
Uh, no. UC is run by its own autonomous administration. Mark Yudof, UC President, was plucked from UT-Austin and is one of the more adept academic administrators in the country. UC Berkeley’s chancellor, Robert Birgeneau is a top physicist from MIT and Yale…Stephen Sample is an engineer from UIUC and managed SUNY-Buffalo.</p>
<p>It’s Steven B. Sample and not Stephen… He did his job far better than anyone who is in charge of UC Berkeley. You are right to defend UC Berkeley(amazing school of course) but don’t come here and post lies such “had no problems getting classes” because that’s just fiction. Many students have had trouble getting classes.</p>
<p>^ Re-read what I said. I said I had no problems getting classes. I was a chemical engineering major, so perhaps it’s a bit different. But, current students I’ve talked to haven’t had problems getting classes either. No lie.</p>
<p>Regret the mispelling of the esteemed Mr. Sample.</p>
<p>I read what you said and I understood it just fine. However, your own school paper has reported and several professors have commented on students not getting classes they want. I didn’t mean to make a big deal out of it. It is a problem at all lot of schools. I just found it a little ridiculous that someone would say “I had no problem getting classes…” when even Berkeley’s amazing faculty saying it is a problem for students to get in classes.</p>
<p>1) Cal SAT scores are lower than the top 28 privates, therefore Cal no longer attracts the brightest students in the country (and yes SAT scores are relevant and the only objective measurement out there)</p>
<p>2) Mark Yudof himself said in a radio interview, during the March protests, that students in econ, business, and hard sciences like chem, will most likely require 5 years to graduate because he has to fire professors because of the budget crisis, and therefore classes will not be available</p>
<p>and 3) Mark Yudof was hired by the same people who hired the the DMV management…why do people think that government does a lousy job running things, because it’s true. yet if you attended a government school it’s well run, fantastic, etc…</p>
My friend’s sister goes to USC and her GPA is like a 3.98 and she’s majoring in what I believe to be biology… From what I saw online, USC accepts about 50% of their students who apply to their medical school? If that’s your eventual goal, then probably USC, though I’m probably spewing false information… lol</p>