I have been accepted to all three universities and would love some help choosing where to go. I want to have a good time i college, but of course am also ready to learn. Due to wake’s smaller size I was wondering if it would be more conducive to learning, but also would it feel suffocating?
From a research perspective there is no comparison. Both UCs are among the top research institutions in the country. More germane question is what is your intended course of study–and academic goals?
The good news is that you can’t go wrong. All three are fantastic options, and it really comes down to exactly what it is you want in a college.
Wake is arguably the most LAC-like of the national universities. In fact, it has a smaller percentage of large classes than some of the elite liberal arts colleges. It will certainly provide a much more intimate education than either Berkeley or UCLA. As for your question, one person’s “suffocating” is another’s comfort zone. Without knowing what you’re looking for, we can’t say whether Wake is too small for you. With about 4600 undergrads, however, there’s plenty of people to get to know (or avoid, as the case may be), and it has a surprising amount of school spirit for a small-ish school. Wake is the most geographically diverse of the three and has by far the friendliest student body (IMO).
UCLA and Berkeley are both high-powered research universities with strong programs in practically everything they offer. If you want a diversity of classes offered in almost any subject you could imagine, they may be a great place for you. In terms of cultural and ethnic diversity, the UCs outpace Wake Forest. (For example, you’ll find very vocal communities of Persian/Armenian/Chinese/etc. students at UCLA.) However, all of this comes at a price. Teaching and advising are very rarely at the top of the list of priorities for professors at either – even when it comes to their graduate students. The administrative red tape can be a nightmare, and competition for popular classes can be intense.
If you can afford it, visit all three. Decide whether you want a big, urban university (UCLA and Berkeley) or a much smaller, less urban university (Wake). If you decide the former, CC has literally dozens of threads comparing UCLA and Berkeley, so do a search – everything that can be said on the topic has been said numerous times.
@hailyf I am curious if you have made a choice? My daughter is choosing between UCLA and Wake Forest. We are from NC. She is having a lot of trouble making a choice.