Now comes the biggest decision in my life thus far....

SOSTrooper

SOSTrooper

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UC Berkeley, UCLA, or UC Irvine?


I got accepted into the 3 along w/ UC Santa Barbara. If Berkeley and LA had rejected me it would've be a cake decision. Now I just can't decide. Berkeley is like the best public school in Cali, but its up north (I'm in So Cali), so its a life style change. UCLA is a good school, but I can't keep my job (too far) and have to find another one. UCI is like next door to where I currently work (chemical laboratory, relating to my major), so I get to go to work and school in same area, but Irvine doesnt have the name lik LA or Berkeley.

I'm excited, yet in a dilemma. :)
 
Let your penis be your guide (you are a guy right?).

Ok, sorry for that useless bit. I'd say go with UCI. The experience you get from the job (since you said it relates to your major) is a whole lot. Not to mention you have a tie to the place once you graduate. I know you said it's not a big name, but the impression you leave there at work may prove to be the best thing for you once you finish.

That and you get to drive your TSX around. Love the TSXs.
 
Good god, I would hope to get accepted to any one of those schools....:). If it was me, it would have to be UC Berkley, that's a pretty big name school and for good reason. I dunno though, UCLA is pretty good too. Either way congrats!

Doc
 
I've only been to LA and Irvine. Maybe I'll give Berkeley a visit right after my semester ends before the decision deadline.

My penis belongs to someone already, so I can't use that as my compass anymore :(
 
[quote name='SOSTrooper']My penis belongs to someone already, so I can't use that as my compass anymore :([/QUOTE]
That's nothing to be sad about. You've found him a good home.

How'd you like the campuses you've visited thus far? And what sort of campus/college life are you looking for?
 
UCI has a very relaxing campus. Lots of grass, lots of trees, lots of open area. UCLA, on the other hand, looks like downtown LA; half of the campus looks nice, but the other half (where the biology and chemistry buildings are) looks like hell.

I'm going to rent a room near the campus since I didn't apply for dorm rooms. I'm not a party guy, so I think rooms fit me more.
 
Judging from your descriptions and my preferences, I'd go with UCI. With the job you have close by seems like the best bet. But good luck either way. Good idea checking out the campus life.
 
My sister went to UC irvine, she's a teacher now. I would go to Berkeley, My uncle went there and is now very successful. I would love to go there, but would be hella hard for me to get in. and besides, when I'm there in 3 1/2 years, you can meet me :D
 
Being from San Francisco myself and familiar with the UC system, I'd rank them as follows in terms of reputation/academics:

1. UC Berkeley
2. UCLA
3a. UC San Diego
3b. UC Davis
4. UC Irvine
5. UC Santa Barbara

UCB and UCLA are clearly in a class above UC Irvine. However, Berkeley is really cut-throat, and you can really fall through the cracks and get weeded out, especially if you are going into something competitive such as pre-med.

I think there's also something to be said for going to college away from home. If you stay close to home, it's easy to create a rut for yourself, and I really think it hinders your ability to meet new people and grow as a person.

So I would say either go to Berkeley or LA. You can always go back home after four years, or maybe you'll decide to go someplace different. In the end, I think those two schools will open more doors for you than UC Irvine will.

I got into all of the UC's, and that's the order I would have gone to them. Instead, I went far away from home for college.

Nonetheless, congratulations on getting into those schools . They are all good places to be, and relatively cheap (which is nice).
 
I had a similar choice to make, mine were between UC Davis, Chico State or Cal Poly: SLO. I wanted to go to Chico the most b/c thats were all my friends were going but I ended up at SLO. I ended up using a coin flip, for SLO and Davis, it worked out in the end.

Anyways, I know you might not want to hear it, but the prestige you get from saying you go to UC Berkeley is insane, especially out of state where people think it is redicu-fucking-lously hard.
 
Why on earth would anyone want to go to Irvine? It's bottom rung on the UC ladder.

If you want the best school take Berkeley, if you want to stay local take UCLA, and if you want to party take Santa Barbara.
 
[quote name='SOSTrooper']I've only been to LA and Irvine. Maybe I'll give Berkeley a visit right after my semester ends before the decision deadline.

My penis belongs to someone already, so I can't use that as my compass anymore :([/QUOTE]

You really should check out the campus before you apply...
 
dude, ucla and uci suck, take berkeley... but to be honest berkeley sucks too, people think its some glorious liberal college, but man its in the fuckin hood and its not the 60s anymore... however id still choose it over ucla and uci, at the very least youll be a jump away from the city
 
I'd go with UCLA personally. But that's just me, I love the school and hope to attend myself when I graduate a year from now. Sucks being outta state, It's gonna be impossible to get in.
 
I don't really know anything about those schools as I am from the mid-west and now live in New Hampshire. Some things that you need to consider:

1) Which school will be best for you academically? Which school has the best reputation for what you are intersted in?
2) How much of a cost difference is there? This is a big one unless you or your parents are loaded, you will have to take loans. I have friends that have 4 year degrees and will be paying on them for the next 25 years!
3) Which campus do you like the best. You will be spending 4 years there, so make sure its a place that you want to live. If you don't like the school and atmoshpere, you may be transferring in a year or two.

Also, you need to consider how keeping a job in your chosen field will help you down the line. Experience is a great thing to have coming out of school as it will separate you from all of the other resumes.

I'd also consider living in a dorm for at least one year. I am biased as I lived in the dorm for most of my college, but it does have some definate advantages. You don't ever have to shop for food or cook as long as the food is average. You will also meet a lot of new people, which you might not if you have an apartment. Some of my best friends (7 years after I graduated) where people that I only met because I lived in a dorm. I'd stay away from frats, but that is a preference. You can get the same type of things from a frat that you do a dorm, but it is a very different lifestyle.

One last thought is I would consider picking a school that is away from home. You want to get out and be on your own. I went to school 3 hours from home. It was close enough to go for a weekend, but far enough that my parents didn't just drop in unannounced. This is a big one. I had freinds who grew up less than an hour from camputs and their parents would just drop in.

Bottom line is it looks like you have some choices, which all look good. Take the time to make a decision that will be the best for you, as it can make the difference between success and failure. I've seen a lot of really smart kids fail because the school wasn't the right choice for them.

Good luck.

TBW
 
Stay close to your job - the work you do (if it's related to your major) is defintiely more important than where you get your degree from.
 
Congrats on getting into those schools! I'm from the Midwest and UCLA and UC Berkeley have great reputations out here. If you have any desire to go to graduate or professional school I strongly recommend UCLA or preferably UC Berkeley. Reputation and connections are worth a lot when applying to and gaining respect in grad school. Plus, the competition at the more difficult schools is great preparation. If you aren't going to go on to graduate work, then your job near UCI will look great on the resume (and provide $$$ for CAG.) :)
 
My 2 cents:

I am considering Graduate school at UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Emory (atlanta). I currently live in ATL, so Emory is an otion, but UCB is my first choice. I toured UCLA last year, and UCB last month - both seem nice, but UCB easily wins.
Why?
1. prestige. let's mot kid ourselves - it really does matter.
2. campus. it is huge, beautiful, and holds the largest library I've ever seen.
3. professors. unlike some other schools, at UCB you will never be taught by a Grad Student - they are used as assistants only. Looking at UCB's tenured professor list is like a who's-who of academia.
4. surrounding area. rent is cheaper in Berkeley than in LA - even cheaper than the Valley/Burbank area. Lots of food, and easy mass transit.

Some poster above said UCB is in the hood...huh? I mean, it ain't like Pacific Heights or Beverly Hills to be sure, but it's not the ghetto. Yeah, there are a shit-ton of bums there, but that is also the case in SF and surely in the West Hollywood/UCLA area.

I'm torn myself, but we should both be thankful we can even get into those schools! ;)
Good luck man!
 
[quote name='whiteboy']I say dont let a bunch of internet nerds decide this.[/QUOTE]
Seconded.

I wouldn't let your job be the deciding factor, though. You should be able to find another one, and I'd do that unless you're not going to be able to support yourself during a potential period between jobs.
 
A Degree don't mean jack without experiance. Book knowledge and WORKING knowledge are worlds apart. Above all, DO NOT let your job interfere with your schooling. You're employer knows better especially since it benefits his trade.
 
The job is experience at the place you are working is going to make more of a difference for potential employers than the name of the school on the degree most likely. It also depends on how you respond to change, you may love the change to a new environment in Northern Cal or you could completely hate. It depends if you want to try something new or just stay where you're comfortable.
 
[quote name='Gothic_Walrus']I wouldn't let your job be the deciding factor, though. You should be able to find another one, and I'd do that unless you're not going to be able to support yourself during a potential period between jobs.[/QUOTE]
I agree with this. Unless you plan to stay with the same company forever, I suggest considering one of the much more reputable schools. You can get work experience through on campus research and summer internships anyway. Coming from a reputable school will help when you graduate and are job searching, and the starting salaries will most likely be better. I'm not sure which school is better for the major you plan on getting. I also personally feel it's good go out and see a new place that's not home, but that's just my opinion.
 
I work near UC Berkeley. That is definately not a party school. There are not a lot a bars in the area (compared to other colleges) but people most go to San Francisco to party anyways.

Personally, I kinda prefer Stanford over UC Berkeley but Both are great schools.
 
It really depends on you, but just a few words of advice from a current UCLA grad student with lots of student loan debt.

1. Check them all out before you decide. You may not like the insane traffic in LA or the hippies at Berkeley. But they both have more to do than Irvine.

2. Consider the cost of living at them all. LA and Berkeley are much more expensive places to live than Irvine. If you can keep your job in Irvine you may be able to avoid debt.

3. Prestige. It does count, but so does your performance. I went to a small private school for undergrad that no one has ever heard of. I worked hard to be at the top of my class and later I had no trouble getting into grad school.

4. Professors. Someone mentioned professors, but a big name prof who you have no real interaction doesn't really help you that much. Classes with one on one interactions with professors prepared me much better than being at a larger school with 100+ student classes. I am not really familiar with Irvine, but I know at Berkeley and UCLA both you may have massive classes. You will only be taught by professors, with labs done by TAs, but you will be 1 of 300 students.

5. Distance. It is good to get out from under your parents influence, but it is nice to be able to go home and visit for a weekend.

Good luck with whichever you choose.
 
[quote name='Rich']Cali blows. Go east coast. :)[/QUOTE]


I agree. Screw cali, all the presitgious schools are in the east. Anyone (most people) not living in CA is going to say UCLA or UB because it's known as great. UCI? So - so, but a degree is a degree. Most employers don't give a shit about where it's from, and the nay- sayers that say it does. Go talk to the thousands of unemployed Harvards grads. Also depending on your finanical afairs don't go broke over prestige.
 
I applied as a General Biology major to UCLA and Irvine, but since Berkeley does not have a general bio major (they want something more specific), I chose Neurobiology as my entree ticket. I plan to go into biological or medical research so I'll be looking at grad school for my master as well.

I'm tilting toward UCLA right now. Like someone said, I dont think I'm going to let my current work influence my decision on a school. Job I can get another, but opportunity like this is once in a life time.
 
[quote name='joshingit']I agree. Screw cali, all the presitgious schools are in the east. Anyone (most people) not living in CA is going to say UCLA or UB because it's known as great. UCI? So - so, but a degree is a degree. Most employers don't give a shit about where it's from, and the nay- sayers that say it does. Go talk to the thousands of unemployed Harvards grads. Also depending on your finanical afairs don't go broke over prestige.[/QUOTE]
I can tell you for a fact that the more prestigious the school, the more likely you're going to be paid higher than average. And in harder times, recruiting becomes more selective, and some employers only recruit at prestigious schools (or they only go for nearby schools). I'm not saying a degree from a prestigious school will guarantee you a job with okay pay (there are plenty of unemployed people from good schools... tough times hurt everyone), but it certainly doesn't hurt in the job search.... at least it's true for tech areas.

Harvard grads are unemployed because they major is useless crap. :) j/k, kind of... but I doubt their unemployment is statistically higher than other schools with the same popular majors.

Also, in terms of financials, that's more reason for the OP to stay in the west coast, since staying in CA for public schools is a lot cheaper than going to any school on the east coast, public or private.

Edited to add: OP, did you consider UCSD? I heard they had a decent biology program as well.
 
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