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Hi all,
I have been fortunate to receive admission to both UC Berkeley and UCLA for undergraduate study, and have been waitlisted at Stanford. Given the reputation of Berkeley, I am leaning towards attending Berkeley over UCLA, but each school comes with its pros and cons, so I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.
Academic Background: I'm a California resident, so UCLA and UCB are both similarly priced. I've completed the AP Calc and AP Stats sequence with 5's (suitable to waive Calc1/2 and elementary statistics at either school), as well as multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations at a local community college (which is transferrable to either school). Thus, I've essentially completed all the lower division math major requirements at both campuses. In terms of Upper Division coursework, I've completed Real Analysis (1 of 3), Optimization, and Probability (1 of 2) at another UC Campus, and will have completed the latter courses in Probability and Real Analysis by the time I begin at either UCLA or UCB in the Fall. Finally, I will also be completing a graduate course at my local UC in Mathematics of Data Science this Quarter. I've earned straight A/A+ grades in all of these classes, and have confirmed that UCLA and UCB will both accept all my prior coursework as transfer credit.
I've been admitted to the Pre-Mathematics Major at UCLA and the College of Letters & Sciences for UC Berkeley, and given my accelerated timeline, I would like to complete majors in mathematics and statistics, as well as a minor in computer science, as well as a healthy dose of graduate coursework in mathematics and statistics.
UCLA
Pros: Accelerated mathematics masters program (BS + MA in 4 years), Great campus and social life, Lesser (though still prevalent) grade deflation vs UC Berkeley
Cons: Weaker programs/reputation, poor location (versus Berkeley which is closer to SF)
Berkeley:
Pros: Better academic reputation, location
Cons: Major grade deflation, impacted enrollment for classes, poorer campus/social scene, no BS/MA program
Of course, if I do get off the Stanford waitlist, I understand that attending Stanford would be preferable to both UCB and UCLA (in terms of reputation and the alleviated worry of grade deflation). However, attending Stanford is more than twice as expensive as attending UCLA/Berkeley, so I'm wondering whether the quality of education and positioning for PhD/Grad School acceptance/Industry placement justifies the cost of attendance? How are UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Stanford perceived relative to each other in Quant circles? I would appreciate any insight!
I have been fortunate to receive admission to both UC Berkeley and UCLA for undergraduate study, and have been waitlisted at Stanford. Given the reputation of Berkeley, I am leaning towards attending Berkeley over UCLA, but each school comes with its pros and cons, so I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.
Academic Background: I'm a California resident, so UCLA and UCB are both similarly priced. I've completed the AP Calc and AP Stats sequence with 5's (suitable to waive Calc1/2 and elementary statistics at either school), as well as multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations at a local community college (which is transferrable to either school). Thus, I've essentially completed all the lower division math major requirements at both campuses. In terms of Upper Division coursework, I've completed Real Analysis (1 of 3), Optimization, and Probability (1 of 2) at another UC Campus, and will have completed the latter courses in Probability and Real Analysis by the time I begin at either UCLA or UCB in the Fall. Finally, I will also be completing a graduate course at my local UC in Mathematics of Data Science this Quarter. I've earned straight A/A+ grades in all of these classes, and have confirmed that UCLA and UCB will both accept all my prior coursework as transfer credit.
I've been admitted to the Pre-Mathematics Major at UCLA and the College of Letters & Sciences for UC Berkeley, and given my accelerated timeline, I would like to complete majors in mathematics and statistics, as well as a minor in computer science, as well as a healthy dose of graduate coursework in mathematics and statistics.
UCLA
Pros: Accelerated mathematics masters program (BS + MA in 4 years), Great campus and social life, Lesser (though still prevalent) grade deflation vs UC Berkeley
Cons: Weaker programs/reputation, poor location (versus Berkeley which is closer to SF)
Berkeley:
Pros: Better academic reputation, location
Cons: Major grade deflation, impacted enrollment for classes, poorer campus/social scene, no BS/MA program
Of course, if I do get off the Stanford waitlist, I understand that attending Stanford would be preferable to both UCB and UCLA (in terms of reputation and the alleviated worry of grade deflation). However, attending Stanford is more than twice as expensive as attending UCLA/Berkeley, so I'm wondering whether the quality of education and positioning for PhD/Grad School acceptance/Industry placement justifies the cost of attendance? How are UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Stanford perceived relative to each other in Quant circles? I would appreciate any insight!
