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I'm living in SoCal, currently attending a community college. i'm transferring in the fall with a 4.0, honors program completion, student of distinction, All-California Academic First Team, etc etc.

I've applied to UCLA and Berkeley, and should get accepted with a full ride to both. I had decided upon Berkeley based on advice from my current history professors (I'm a history major) who said it was #2 in the nation for history.

I thought all was well and good. Berkeley with a full ride.

Well, Cornell, without any prompting from me, has started to send me e-mails and literature in the mail, asking me to apply.

Where should I go? Is Cornell likely to give me equivalent fiscal grants? Which school would suit my major better?

I've never seen Cornell, but Berkeley's campus is truly amazing.

Advice? Comments? Help?

Thanks!

By Militarygrade (Militarygrade) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 07:36 pm: Edit

*bump*

By Cru (Cru) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 08:14 pm: Edit

hmmm...
How do you know that you'll get full financial aid for Berkeley?

By Militarygrade (Militarygrade) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 10:23 pm: Edit

While I'm not positive, I'm about 95% sure that UCB will pay for my attendance, and about 99% sure that UCLA will be done under the Regent's scholarship. I've been told by admission officers at both schools that, assuming my last semester at CC is not 2.0 or below, my record will pretty much guarantee a full ride.

In addition, I was recently named to the PSCFSA All-Academic Team and the Phi Theta Kappa All-California Team. I've got tons of EC (including VP of the student body and Pres of a Veteran's Org on campus), two semesters in Open Parli debate, and completion of my college's honor's program, which is a program tailored to UCLA and UCB transfers.

The only reason why I'm confident in a full ride is because I've been told by everyone I've spoken to that I should expect it.

By Militarygrade (Militarygrade) on Tuesday, March 04, 2003 - 11:20 am: Edit

Hello/?????

Can anyone help me out here?

Thanks....

By Katwkittens (Katwkittens) on Tuesday, March 04, 2003 - 12:28 pm: Edit

Hey...so you sent in your app and designated ucla and cal has your campus sites. Did you indicate any other campuses? Have you been up to cal to get the lay of the land? A few years ago (5) I was accepted to both cal and davis and irvine also a transfer student from a cc, Diablo Valley, as a history major. And yes cal ranks high as does davis #5. But when I went and drove around and attempted to park and find the bookstore and campuses and lunch I was so frustrated at cal. It was everything, yuck parking, eateries I didn't care for, the naked guy, and on and on. Spent a couple days there and also ended up taking an english class extension and it constantly made me nuts. On the other hand drove to davis and fell in love, with the school, the town, the dept. and the abundance of parking!!! My hist prof there had just won a pulitzer prize for hist so it was way cool. Unfortunately due to a nasty divorce my family and I had to move and leave davis after being there for 4 years.
Now we are in vegas (UGH) and wishing we were in davis.
As far as cornell, it is in ithaca a far cry from northern or southern cal. Big time. And its cold, really cold. Of course I am partial to northern ca but love southern cal almost as much. Love san diego and ucla is in a good location, good school. Have you actually applied to cornell yet? Remember part of cornell is private and part is a land grant (state) which could affect your admission and residency status for aid. Your Cal Grant A or B can be used at the UC's not Cornell. And the equivalent in New York (TAP) tuition assistance program is for New York residents not cal. So if money is an issue it would be a big issue at cornell.

By Militarygrade (Militarygrade) on Tuesday, March 04, 2003 - 03:11 pm: Edit

Kat -

Thanks for the response!

I applied in Nov to UCLA, UCB, UCSB, and UCSC. SB and SC were done simply because I was given a waiver to apply to four schools, so I applied to the two academic campuses and the two scenic campuses.

I've visited UCB, and while I'm pretty conservative, I really liked the campus. The politics might wear on me, but I really liked the area.

I don't think I'm going to even apply to Cornell. I've heard mixed opinions from everyone - 50% of those I ask say UCB is better, 50% say Cornell is better. That leads me to believe that, biases aside, they are both fairly equal.

So that leaves Cal and UCLA....now I'm just waiting to hear from either one!

What were your stats out of CC? And what history program did you center on?

Again, thanks for the response!

By Cornellian07 (Cornellian07) on Tuesday, March 04, 2003 - 04:56 pm: Edit

Although I may be extremely biased, I think Cornell is better overall. But, if you can go to Berkeley for free, then I would definitely go there, because it is undoubtedly a great school, and the price is awesome, especially compared to Cornell's $40K per year.
As for the mail you received from Cornell, everyone receives mail from colleges, urging them to apply. But overall, I think you made the right choice staying in Cal with the free education.

By Qwer (Qwer) on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 - 04:09 am: Edit

militarygrade,

i read in another thread that you hope to attend harvard law after college. in the same thread, you recommend that the major chosen should be one that interests you.

i agree with that statement. you seem to see the "big picture."

so let me give you my take on it. between cornell and berkeley, i would have to say that cornell is the overall superior university. that is not to say that berkeley isnt great either.

i doubt that cornell will give you a full ride...as the history department is in the college of arts and sciences, an endowed and private sector of cornell. they send out letters of interest to thousands of people. harvard does the same thing (sends not thousands but hundreds). therefore, the berkeley program with a full ride would be the wiser choice.

concerning harvard law, i am currently a harvard undergraduate student applying to HLS. i ran over to pound hall at the law school and saw the list of accepted students from last year.

there were 21 first year law students who did their undergrad work at cornell. berkeley sent 11.

its pretty clear to me that both schools are very strong. some schools in the country cant send even ONE student to HLS...whereas cornell and berkeley can boast multiple matriculants!

also, looking at the statistics, the LSAT seems to be the prevailing choice when differentiating applicants. the 25th pecentile was a 167 while the 75th percentile was only a 173! ONLY a 6 point LSAT score difference between the top and bottom! this tells me that a great LSAT score of say...175+ should get you into HLS whether you come from berkeley or cornell.

best of luck!

By Militarygrade (Militarygrade) on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 - 06:42 pm: Edit

Great response, Ower!

The big attraction to Cornell over UCB is the name, in all honesty.

I have two profs right now that went to Cornell - one for his undergrad, and one for her grad. They both told me it's a great school, and that I would probably enjoy it. But neither of them advised turning down a full ride @ UCB for Cornell. That pretty much sealed it....and I have 99% decided upon UCB.

But I agree with you 100% - HLS would look higher upon a Cornell degree, so I'm gonna have to work extra hard on my LSAT! Good thing for me, may SAT verbal was strong, and I'm a strong writer.

Have you prepped for the LSAT? If so, what are your impressions?

And how the hell is Harvard? I considered going for it, but I didn't think I'd get in. Damn good job on getting into that school...you should be proud!

By Akoolguy (Akoolguy) on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 - 09:37 pm: Edit

didnt u get rejected from santa cruz?

By Qwer (Qwer) on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 - 09:40 pm: Edit

militarygrade,

yes, i've been preparing for the LSATs ever since my freshman year. i think it is a very doable exam with enough time and practice. there are people out there who complain that it is yet another "unfair" standardized test...but i think those people are the ones who cant score well due to a lack of intelligence or commitment to study. they complain about studying for it for months and only obtaining an "average" score. lol. i studied for it for 3 years! after 3 years of studying...if someone cant do well on the LSAT, perhaps they really dont belong in HLS!

i've done lots of research with professors from HLS. they all assure me that i will get in...but i'm still a little uneasy about it until i have a signed and sealed letter of acceptance in my hand (thinking like a lawyer already!).

also, i dont plan to place all my eggs in one basket. i'm applying to the top 7 law programs in the country. by all regards of current practicing lawyers at top firms, the top 7 schools are ALWAYS: harvard, yale, cornell, columbia, NYU, stanford and chicago. i think every single member of the current supreme court has ties to one of these 7 programs one way or another!

sorry for digressing...back to the point of the post...just something to think about once you get to berkeley:

while a good GPA and high LSATs are necessary...if you cant get into the top 7 programs, a great program is berkeley's own law school. obviously, berkeley accepts tons of students from their own undergraduate program. why is this important? the transfers into HLS are DOMINATED by berkeley law students! for some reason, there is a disproportinately high number of transfers that get into HLS from berkeley law! perhaps a student in one of the top 7 usually stays put...thus leaving the transfer seats available for other highly qualified candidates...namely, berkeley.

also, there is a HLS-berkeley exchange program. here is the link: http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/resources/berkeley.html

thus, berkeley or cornell...either one...you cant lose. its a win-win.

best wishes!

By Militarygrade (Militarygrade) on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 - 10:04 pm: Edit

Yeah - I just got my rejection letter from UCSC.

WTF?

I'm one of the top 27 transfer students in the state of California!!???

I'm tearing my hair out now.....

By Akoolguy (Akoolguy) on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 - 10:49 pm: Edit

dont worry about it. UCs are notorious for their ramdom way of admiting students

By Katwkittens (Katwkittens) on Thursday, March 06, 2003 - 10:05 am: Edit

that randomness is the reason I DIDN'T apply to UCSC or UCSB....sometimes its the major or the stats who knows but they didn't have the history program you are looking for anyways...maybe they knew that...I had that same waiver you had militarygrade....four schools to designate I picked UCB, UCD, UCI, UCSD....thankfully got into all 4 but had a feeling I would get denied at some of the others...felt UCLA might be risky and again ended up at davis and very happy with the decision!

By Militarygrade (Militarygrade) on Thursday, March 06, 2003 - 11:26 am: Edit

That's for kind words, Akoolguy and Kat.

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed.....

By Musketeerlady (Musketeerlady) on Thursday, March 06, 2003 - 07:38 pm: Edit

Hi,
I am reading your advices about law school, and thanks al ot, because they're really helpful. I am currently a junior in high school, but I plan to go to law school later on. Next year I'll go to college, and because I can't make it to Harvard, I'll work my butt off to make it at graduate school. So what do I need for law school besides LSAT? I heard people have to write an essay. Also, Qwer, is there any student at HLS from, say, Tulane, Bates or Williams? (I may end up in one of those, and I just wonder). ANd whatever major in college can make it to law school? Thanks so much.

By Qwer (Qwer) on Friday, March 07, 2003 - 07:57 pm: Edit

musketeerlady,

good grades, high LSATs and possibly a Dean's letter is pretty much the admission ticket for virtually all good law programs.

there are several students at HLS from liberal arts colleges such as amherst, williams, swarthmore and wellesley. students from bates and tulane are a little more rare....but that is not to say that it cant be done!

to be fair, most of the entering class at HLS come from the traditionally top 25 schools in the nation with heavy representation among the ivies.

for example, according to the career and graduate placement office here at harvard, 75 students from harvard undergrad got into HLS in the 2001-2002 application year...thats right, SEVENTY-FIVE. this does not mean that they all actually matriculated...this is just the number of people who got in. i'm sure some people chose to goto yale law or stanford law to be closer to home or for other reasons.

By Musketeerlady (Musketeerlady) on Saturday, March 08, 2003 - 12:39 am: Edit

Qwer,
Thanks for the info. So what's the Dean's letter? Is that from the Dean of the major I'll be in in college?

By Crackcorn (Crackcorn) on Saturday, March 08, 2003 - 01:54 am: Edit

Yep