[burstingbrain]

Im out of state and i really have no clue how these schools are like or how they're regarded! my only guideline is probably U.S news report rankings so anyway... which would you choose? and why? taking into consideration academics, social scene, location, general vibe and whatever else. thanks!

[janex06]

personally, i would pick berkeley. it's stronger academically and the campus is stunning.

[LDYxCR1STAL]

totally berkeley.

"ranks 1st in quality of its faculty and graduate programs.(The top ten, in rank order, are: UC Berkeley, MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, CalTech, Yale, Chicago, Cornell and UCSD)"

"ranks 2nd in the nation in National Academy of Sciences membership. (The top ten, in rank order, are: Harvard, UC Berkeley, Stanford, MIT, Yale, UCSD, CalTech, Princeton, Cornell and Chicago.)"

BUT, if yu go to berkeley, be prepared to work REALLY REALLY REALLY hard. [:

congrats!

[mickey012]

it depends on what your deciding factors are...tuition? your major? lifestyle? academia?

berkeley...out of all 8 UC campuses for undergrad, berkeley is considered the best for undergrad studies...
usc, on the other hand, is a private institution...

i'd say berkeley is the better choice (unless you find usc more suitable for your needs/liking)... =)

[clairdeluned]

Well, I am totally USC biased, so here's a pro-USC person to tell you the fabulous things about USC

Firstly, yes, Berkeley is a better school in ranking. However, although I got into Berkeley and other UC schools, I am not even considering them, and am planning to go to USC. Why? Because I plan on going to grad school. The UC system is freaking ENORMOUS.

My friend's cousin went to Berkeley, pulled off good grades, and all that. Then he decided he wanted to go to medical school. When he went to the professors he had, not a single one knew the hell he was. Why? Because he was just a face in one of the 300-people classes. So he had to give up med school...and grad school for that matter, because without rec letters, nothing can really be done. Unless you make a HUGE effort to get to know your teachers in Berkeley (which is still difficult, since every other student who has grad school in mind is doing the same), your professors will not even know you exist. At USC on the other hand, most professors know your name (I've actually heard complaints about this, since the professors know the students so well that they cannot cut, since the professor will notice, but I say it's better)

Also, USC has an extensive network called the "Trojan Family", aka, if you go to USC and you are looking for an internship opportunity/job, you pretty much get it if the employer also went to USC. The networking is amazing at USC, and personally, I plan to go to med school, so I need all the extracurricular activities I can get my hands on, and USC can easily help me with that. (There's even a separate page for USC students where you can look up former USC alumni who have internships available for their companies and easily apply to them) At Berkeley, as I understand it, you have to fight tooth and nail to get any internship because the one you're interested in has several hundred other people interested in it as well.

School pride....huge at USC. Everyone who goes there loves it, and that says something to me. I have plenty of friends that go to Berkeley and they say it's "eh," while the people I know at USC rave about it...the weather, the people, the city, the campus, the internships, the professors etc. etc. Personally, the schools I've gone to have had NO school pride, and I can't wait to join a school that has tons of it.

Also, USC has tons of faculty advisors who help you through your four years in terms of course selection, especially if you know what profession you want to pursue. They can help you fulfill all of the requirements while keeping other options open (for example, I'm going to take classes so I can keep law and medicine open). At Berkeley, unless you are a regents scholar, it is incredibly difficult to get the classes you sign up for, and a lot of people aren't even able to graduate in 4 years. Personally, I'm not into that. I want to get my 4 years and graduate, and go on with my life.

USC is commonly called "University of Spoiled Children," but honestly, that's ridiculous. Of course there are extremely wealthy people who attend, but there are people like that at EVERY school. The student population is very diverse, ranging from people who are very (and I mean very) lacking in money, to those who grew up in Bel Air.

People are usually concerned about campus security, but the last time I went, I saw blue buttons EVERYWHERE. Basically, if you feel unsafe, you press the button, and USC's security people will come to the place within a minute (I have heard 20 seconds is the norm). So I would say that as long as you're sensible (I mean, LA is a CITY. You shouldn't go walking around at night by yourself anyway), you'll be fine.

Personally, I am choosing USC because I don't want to be a faceless person in the crowd. Mind you, I am getting a full scholarship from USC. However, even if I had not received any scholarship, I would still choose USC over Berkeley. Not only are the professors VERY accessible and campus very beautiful, but with the care and experience you get from there, it's a worthy investment, despite its price tag.

Whew that was long.

[erure]

considering cost and prestige[imo] i'd go with berkeley. usc = university for spoiled children lol

[nonwinky]

im totally a southern california girl, so i'd choose USC. I also had a really bad impression of berkeley when i visited because it was dirty and it just wasn't my type of school. i know it's harder for you because you're out of state, but i think you should really try to visit the campus and get the vibe yourself. it's REALLY helpful in helping you decide where you want to go. After i visited berkeley, i decided that i didn't even want to apply... and im a California resident who had pretty decent grades in high school, and how many california residents dont apply to berkeley? haha

im not attending USC right now, but that's where I'm hoping to go for grad school =) Sure, Berkeley's academics are great, but it's not like USC's is bad either. They have a bad reputation because of all the people accepted through legacy and connections, but USC's academics definitely is not bad. As for the social scene, im sure its great in both places, i've heard good things about both places =)

i hope i helped in your decision... but yeah... REALLY try to visit both campuses, it'll help you a lot

[itzxaxducky]

I would go to berkeley because well, USC is really expensive so no-go for me. Anyways, a lot of people steer clear of Berkeley because as mentioned earlier, the area around there is really ghettoo. So I think you should really check out campuses because you're gonna be there for the next 4 years. The campus itself is beautiful but the surroundings are quite unappealing. For instance, People's Park, located right by the dorms, is full of bums. But yeah check it out before choosing because despite the amount of opinions you get, everyone thinks differently and you can really only trust your own judgement on this.

[mnmadi]

usc = university for spoiled children lol

no it's not

[clairdeluned]

I don't get how people who probably haven't even set foot on the USC campus or talked to a USC student can possibly call it "University of Spoiled Children". Honestly, you could apply that nickname to any prestigious school....you're telling me Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Stanford, and those other schools don't have very rich people?

[__laine]

i LOVE the usc campus. there's just a certain feel to it that i like.. and theres tons of students on campus during weekends too (i went on a saturday).

i still have yet to check out berkeley.

[hyerim07]

I don't get how people who probably haven't even set foot on the USC campus or talked to a USC student can possibly call it "University of Spoiled Children". Honestly, you could apply that nickname to any prestigious school....you're telling me Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Stanford, and those other schools don't have very rich people?

I agree.

I wrote a freaking essay on how great USC is here, don't want to type it out again... lol.
http://www.soompi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46951

[HURRRRR]

Just go to Berkeley and don't be that faceless person who doesn't know the professors.

Ghetto or no ghetto...it's not like the bums are gonna start attackin you or something. I was in a forum called CollegeConfidential and the bums are actually well-known in Cal. I'm actually lookin forward to meetin those bums...if they are still alive or not arrested.

Cost...well, I think we all know the answer to that and unless you have a full scholarship, the cost is a huge problemo.

I don't know anythin about the whole course selection/advisers/staff stuff in both colleges...but hey, if you are really dedicated to academics, many people do take summer classes. If you dont wanna, I guess you are not dedicated enough.

As for weather, I dont know where you are from but generally, USC is obviously good weather since it's in LA. Cal, I think it does get chilly and windy so you have to wear layers. But seriously, in Cal, I dont think you'll be kickin it outside that too much since all the Chinese ppl are superhumans takin over the universe with their superbrains.

anyways, you should go to Cal...cuz it's better than USC and I dont like the ppl in our school going to USC.

I bet this helped none.

[litoxshortaii]

you should also consider that it's way harder for an out of stater to get into a UC school. but i think i'd still choose USC =P

[kOoHII]

berekley...

usc undergrad. is crap...honestly. their grad. school has a great reputation though...that's about the only thing keeping them afloat.

rankings are biased...they rank private east coast schools higher...(so the more you're like them, the higher the ranking in addition to toher factors). in addition, USC inflates its "average" scores...

[clairdeluned]

I disagree.

Berkeley's undergrad system is...chaotic. If you are thinking about continuing your education past undergrad, USC is the clearcut better choice. USC professors actually try and get to know you and help you out through career choice etc. Berkeley professors don't give a damn that you even exist, and the school has a more "We're going to throw you out into the sea and see if you float, so good luck" mentality.

Berkeley grad school, on the other hand, is very good. But I wouldn't suggest Berkeley for undergrad to anyone unless they receive the Regent's schlolarship and get the priority class registration and such.

kOoHII...USC does inflate "average" scores, but we all know that scores don't mean diddly squat. Just because I got ____ on the SAT's doesn't mean that I'm necessarily smarter than someone else who got a lower score, and SAT scores most definitely do not measure a level of success in life. Scores before college are useless. The only thing that really matters is undergrad GPA... which, I might add, Berkeley is VERY stingy with, so it's incredibly difficult to get into a good grad school.

[g-yo]

We're going to throw you out into the sea and see if you float, so good luck

Well, basically, that's reality. Professors and other people can't spoonfeed you forever and you can't expect to be lead throughout your whole life. It's being independent and doing things for yourself is what gets you through life, so I don't think Berkeley professors are bad.

I say Berkeley. Ok, other than the bunches of restaurants and food places around Berkeley, it's better academically than USC. Depends on what you want to major in though. Berkeley has the 2nd best English department in the country, so yeah.

Plus, I'm aiming for Berkely too. I've been around the campus a lot, since my relatives had a restaurant there and I went to this summer program thing held there. The campus and the students there are nice

[happyroach]

I got into Berkeley and USC 4 years ago and I chose Berkeley. I regret it.

Misoobishi is very right in stating that you won't be recognized by any of your professors. A friend of mine goes to office hours regularly but still has difficulty getting rec letters (and her grades = flying colors). There's too many people attending the school and too few people to help you. Most of my friends here don't like Berkeley. Life here is quite mundane. The only good part is our proximity to San Francisco. That city is much more lively and exciting. The only people I know who love it here are the business majors. All the business majors love it here. So unless you decide to go business, try elsewhere.

Oh and EECS, too. The EECS people always complain about their workload but they love it here because...well, top program in the nation, etc. Great job opportunities (lots of companies automatically come to seek you out).

My friends who went to USC, on the other hand, ALL love it. The class sizes are soooooooooooooooooo much smaller there and all their professors know them on a personal level. And they have mad connections. Most of my friends got internships/jobs through professor/advisor recommendations. Here at Berk you get nothing.

Oh one more thing. The bums here are Berkeley still scare the crap out of me. I've been semi physically attacked by a crazy bum. This woman walked up to me and wanted to see my glasses and I was like wtf so I didn't let her and just turned away. She started cussing me out and followed me on the bus and cussed me out there and when I was getting off she kicked me so I cussed her out too. That was truly wtf.

And one time a bum asked me for money (right in my face) and I was like "no" and he was like "WHY NOT?!"

I don't know, if you find bums entertaining, Berkeley is the place for you. Otherwise, stay clear of it.

[Eddie]

I got into Berkeley and USC 4 years ago and I chose Berkeley. I regret it.

Misoobishi is very right in stating that you won't be recognized by any of your professors. A friend of mine goes to office hours regularly but still has difficulty getting rec letters (and her grades = flying colors). There's too many people attending the school and too few people to help you. Most of my friends here don't like Berkeley. Life here is quite mundane. The only good part is our proximity to San Francisco. That city is much more lively and exciting. The only people I know who love it here are the business majors. All the business majors love it here. So unless you decide to go business, try elsewhere.

Oh and EECS, too. The EECS people always complain about their workload but they love it here because...well, top program in the nation, etc. Great job opportunities (lots of companies automatically come to seek you out).

My friends who went to USC, on the other hand, ALL love it. The class sizes are soooooooooooooooooo much smaller there and all their professors know them on a personal level. And they have mad connections. Most of my friends got internships/jobs through professor/advisor recommendations. Here at Berk you get nothing.

Oh one more thing. The bums here are Berkeley still scare the crap out of me. I've been semi physically attacked by a crazy bum. This woman walked up to me and wanted to see my glasses and I was like wtf so I didn't let her and just turned away. She started cussing me out and followed me on the bus and cussed me out there and when I was getting off she kicked me so I cussed her out too. That was truly wtf.

And one time a bum asked me for money (right in my face) and I was like "no" and he was like "WHY NOT?!"

I don't know, if you find bums entertaining, Berkeley is the place for you. Otherwise, stay clear of it.

wow, i guess i'm glad i got rejected from berkeley then. i've been hearing things like this for some time, but also statements from people "in denial?" too. ahh i can't wait to get my ass in LA lol

[clairdeluned]

Well, basically, that's reality. Professors and other people can't spoonfeed you forever and you can't expect to be lead throughout your whole life. It's being independent and doing things for yourself is what gets you through life, so I don't think Berkeley professors are bad.

I say Berkeley. Ok, other than the bunches of restaurants and food places around Berkeley, it's better academically than USC. Depends on what you want to major in though. Berkeley has the 2nd best English department in the country, so yeah.

Plus, I'm aiming for Berkely too. I've been around the campus a lot, since my relatives had a restaurant there and I went to this summer program thing held there. The campus and the students there are nice

I agree that spoonfeeding isn't good, but at Berkeley, there is no "feeding" whatsoever. You make a good point that college is a time for independence, but do you really want that independence if you can't get ANYTHING? Like happyroach says, opportunities such as internships etc. are considerably (read: damn near impossible) to get at Berkeley if you compare it with USC and look at how relatively easy it is to get internships/jobs etc. through the "Trojan Family." At USC they don't spoonfeed...they make it easier for you to get help/opportunities, but if you don't take the initiative, things aren't just handed to you, as it is at any school.

I used to live like 10 minutes away from Berkeley and I did not like the surroundings at all. I saw homeless people urinating in the streets on three different occasions in one day, and I was so traumatized that I vowed to never go to Berkeley. And some homeless people really can be scary and ask you VERY persistently for money. I do agree with you that the people are friendly though But all colleges have friendly people.