#UCLA vs. UC Berkeley (Prelaw)

21 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

quiet siren
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Schools: UCLA vs. UC Berkeley (Prelaw)
Intended major: Political Science
Similarities: Great job markets. Same price for me. I'm a transfer student so coming in as a Junior.

UCLA
Pros:

  • Higher average GPA for Poli Sci classes
  • Guaranteed on-campus housing for both years
  • Modern and very safe campus
  • Great work hard, play hard balance
  • Might be beneficial to build a sense of independence

Cons:

  • Pretty far from home (~5hrs)
  • Less highly ranked Poli Sci program (still top 15)
  • Very unfamiliar with all of SoCal
  • I like the overall vibe of the Bay Area more than LA

UC Berkeley
Pros:

  • Close to home (~1hr)
  • I like the weather in the Bay Area more than SoCal
  • Top 5 Political Science program in the country
  • Close to the CA Capitol building for internships
  • Sends about 30% more graduates to top law schools
  • Has been my dream school all my life

Cons:

  • Lower average GPA for Political Science classes.
  • The area around campus isn’t the greatest
  • Housing situation seems really bad
  • Competitive atmosphere (Not cutthroat, but seems more academically competitive)
  • Campus doesn’t feel as modern as UCLA
grim scaffold
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UCLA imo. Has stronger social sciences which will allow for surrounding coursework to be better and more targeted for whatever interests may come up. LA has a lot of opportunities, and ultimately is less of a “rat race” than Cal. Originally from LA, feel free to AMA regarding SoCal and specifically the UCLA area.

lean coyote
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Just to be sure, you can graduate at the same time for both schools?

quiet siren
lean coyote
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Ah, that's good to hear :)

grim scaffold
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Any idea on what you want to minor/specialize in?

quiet siren
quiet siren
grim scaffold
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Not really, Cal might be a tad bit more known, but in-country they’re pretty similar. I’m at UMD, DC jobs are pretty competitive no matter what.

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I would consider minoring in whatever area of law you want to practice.

quiet siren
grim scaffold
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Yeah, seriously, college is less about where you went and more about what opportunities you chose to follow.

quiet siren
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Do you think an hour commute would be manageable for college?? If I went to Berkeley I could take the train and save a lot of money by living at home. Otherwise I’d be living in the dorms at either university

grim scaffold
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No, not at all. That's 2 hours a day you're losing to riding a train, even if you sat there and tried to do work I 100% think it'll be too distracting.

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I took public transit during my last year of undergrad from downtown to campus (30-45ish minutes each way) and I just lost the time.

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Another thing to consider is that when you're farther away from home, you HAVE to put yourself out more and seek more opportunities since you don't know people.

quiet siren
grim scaffold
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Your grades will take a hit if you let them, just do the work and you’ll be fine! I was also a transfer student, I went OOS after my community college and loved it.

quiet siren
grim scaffold
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Yeah, take your time and do what’s best for you. Don’t worry about prestige, especially if you’re going to a graduate program like law. Focus on what will help you get the best grades, experience, and specializations for law school. Any questions, feel free to DM!

wanton fog