UC Berkeley vs. UC San Diego for English/Literature?

Archive State Forums
1

<p>Hi everyone!</p>

<p>Like many others, I’m having some trouble deciding which college to attend. I’m a high school senior living in the Bay Area and I’m looking to pursue an English major with a possible minor in either Music or Political Science. I’m pretty sure I want to go to graduate school, and I hope to return to the Bay Area to work after I finish my education.</p>

<p>I’m currently debating between UC Berkeley and UC San Diego. In terms of campus atmosphere and location, I’m torn between the two because I like the UCSD campus more, yet I prefer the Bay Area to Southern California. </p>

<p>My major at Berkeley is undeclared in the College of Letters & Science (I would hope to become an English major if I attended) and my major at UCSD is Literature (Muir College). </p>

<p>I wasn’t expecting to be accepted to either school, so I don’t know a lot about the specifics of the English department at Berkeley or the Literature department at UCSD. Is there anyone (preferably a current English/Literature student at either university) who could give me more information?</p>

<p>I know that UC Berkeley’s English department is more highly ranked than UCSD’s Literature department. However, I’ve heard that many departments at Berkeley are extremely competitive, and I don’t think I would be happy in that kind of atmosphere since I love discussion and collaboration. Is there anyone who could tell me first-hand about how competitive/cut-throat the English department is? Is it possible to get to know the professors? Are there any small English classes? </p>

<p>I know that UCSD is primarily a science-oriented school, so I’m a little worried about what the Literature department is like there. Are there any UCSD Literature majors who could tell me a little about the program? How is it different than a traditional English program? How are the Literature professors at UCSD? Would it be reasonable to choose the UCSD Literature major over the Berkeley English major? </p>

<p>I’m hesitant to attend Berkeley because of how close it is to my hometown and the rumors I’ve heard about how competitive the school is. However, I’m hesitant to attend UC San Diego because the school lacks a traditional English department and focuses much more on the sciences. </p>

<p>Any advice? I would really appreciate it, as I don’t know any English/Literature majors at either school. Sorry that this post is so long! I’m just very anxious about the decision process. Thanks! </p>

2

<p>I am a mom. My two cents. My daughter went to San Diego State and I have a son who is a senior at UCLA and a son who is a freshman at Berkeley. I really don’t think you can go wrong with either school. For me, I think that Cal has much more school spirit than UCSD and more active alumni. Probably because of the Division I athletics. We live in Southern California, about an hour from UCLA, and despite being so close we rarely see my son. My son at Berkeley is Pre-Econ and has not found it to be overly competitive. </p>

3

<p>I’d vote for Berkeley as well, having lived in CA for most of my life. My son wanted literature and didn’t get in, but would really have wanted to go… he didn’t bother to write the essay required for the waitlist for San Diego. That is due to a teen aged take on the social life and literary atmosphere at UCSD from a southern California high achievement magnet perspective, for whatever 17 year olds know is worth. Berkeley has always been highly respected, not just ‘ranked’ (there IS a difference) in literature. I didn’t apply when I was 17 myself simply because I didn’t want to go to northern California (unless it was Stanford, which has a much more laid back feel and a family history :p). But at that time UCSB had the best (or arguably the best) creative writing department in the west and that is what I wanted. But ‘everyone knows’ about Berkeley and literature, and it is very well respected. </p>

<p>If you really want the beach, that is obviously your call, but I would agree with @tx5athome that the school spirit and college town atmosphere is supposed to be better at Cal.</p>

<p>–</p>

<p>Proximity to your hometown is a better reason, if you wouldn’t be able to live at school. But if you do live at school, unless your parents are really the hovering type I wouldn’t worry about that. Perhaps you could discuss family ground rules before you send in your SIR (that you want to ‘go away’ to college to develop independence, and while you love your family, you don’t want to be the weird guy whose parents are always visiting.) But my kids care a lot about ‘going away’, too, and so did I. I didn’t apply to UCLA because I didn’t want to be that close to ‘home’. Two years later when I decided to go to law school and wanted an obvious transcript transition in grades, I did transfer there, however, and it wasn’t a problem, at all.</p>