UC Berkely vs Bowdoin College

[lapis wing]

Schools: Bowdoin College, UC Berkeley
Intended Major: double major in political science and either computer science or statistics
Similarities: Opportunities for research at both schools, although it would be much easier to access at Bowdoin

Bowdoin College

Pros:
-Amazing alumni network
-Strong grad school placement
-Small LAC experience <3
-Laidback community, definitely more collaborative than cutthroat
-Small classes
-Connections with professors
-Abundant opportunities for undergraduate research
-Really nice facilities, housing all four years, great food
-Pretty campus

Cons:
-Cold as hell
-Super far, seriously on the opposite end of the country
-Not a lot to do off-campus (not really a big deal for me)
-Very pricey (but still ultimately doable w/o having to take on loans)

UC Berkeley

Pros:
-Instate tuition
-Name recognition + strong bay area alumni network
-Highly ranked across the board for my majors
-I’m already super familiar with the city of Berkeley and I really like it
-Super wide range of student groups/clubs
-Really good food off campus
-Only an hour flight from home
-Amazing campus and top-notch stem facilities

Cons:
-Massive
-Super big classes + impacted majors
-Housing only guaranteed for freshmen
-Difficult to find good off-campus housing
-On-campus food isn’t great
-Not a lot of opportunities to get to know your professors
-Frats
-Hard to get certain classes
-Definitely more cutthroat

[hardy lodge]

Berkeley

Way cheaper and it’s your flagship

💖