UCLA vs. Berkeley (Regents) for polisci

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At Berkeley I received regents so I get all the benefits. For UCLA, I end up paying around 5k a year- still generally very cheap but I have this dilemma because UCLA is closer to home and I really value my family.

I am an intended political science major, wanting to go into law.

Since I am from SoCal, being around here would likely feel most at home. Of course I am not opposing the idea of going to Berkeley or somewhere new but I feel so torn between the two schools because I know I can’t go wrong with either. Would it be a waste to go to UCLA? Should I go to Berkeley? Help decide please!

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Definitely not a waste to go to UCLA, if that’s where you want to be. It’s an excellent school. But…

My daughter is regents at Cal and I will just say one thing: it is REALLY nice to get registration priority. Like REALLY REALLY nice. My daughter always gets the classes she wants, no matter how popular.

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Yep

Go, get good grades, a great LSAT and then you’ll get into a great law school.

Plenty of kids can be happy at more than one place.

Have you checked out both ? They are different. One should stand out - campus, area, and more.

Best of luck.

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Definitely not a “waste” to go to Westwood, but I’m a fan of ‘going away’ to college and if the finances work for you, I’d jump on that Regents.

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As long as the $5k is affordable it seems to me you have earned the right to choose the school you prefer. Congrats!

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There are some opportunities like the Gardner fellowships that are available to Berkeley students but not UCLA students:

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Berkeley is still pretty close to home. You could hop on a cheap flight and be home in less time than it would take to sit in LA traffic!

(OK, an exaggeration, but a small one – I grew up in LA.)

You could think of Berkeley as baby steps away from home – far enough to build a little independence, close enough for periodic weekend visits. Both are great schools, but it sounds like the Regents scholarship could give you a boost.