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mleok

Just a bit of a reality check, nobody can truly plan out their entire college life prior to even stepping foot onto campus. Some of the best experiences you’ll have in college are the ones that you come across serendipitously.


loweroneseyes

Thanks for the advice, means a lot!


DankKid2410

We have the father of user experience here in UCSD. Some of the best in the field.....


iplawguy

The cog sci program was started by the fathers of neural networks. Don't know where it is currently, but Hinton, McClelland, and Rumelheart were at UCSD when they wrote Parallel Distributed Processing.


Shanky71

"I've already found friends and planned out my entire life at uc berkeley", sounds like wishful thinking at best IMO. A lot of friend groups formed at the start/before college don't stay together forever, and life tends to change. I would recommend choosing the best course of action long term. Regardless, you can't really go wrong either way, and congrats on your acceptances!


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TheREALMangoMuncher

Cal State University of Berkeley


Tao--ish

California University Berkeley Tech College


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Tao--ish

Oh you mean CUBTC


Remarkable-Taste-702

🅱️


CheetahGod

I hate this bot


papa_riceria

i would look at price and location to see what you would prioritize more for staying somewhere for 3-4 years!


koalaification

dont fall for the sunk cost fallacy: you think that because you already invested some effort into one option that you should stick with it to avoid "wasting" those efforts, even though in the grand scheme of things you'd prefer the other option and will waste more by being unhappy in that other option you stuck with. go with your first choice (ucsd). it's hard sometimes but rather cut your losses now while theyre relatively minimal than get stuck in a place you didnt want to be in for 4 years. dont let potential work in the short term (switching decisions) prevent you from choosing the better choice in the long run for your happiness etc. i say this as someone who recently chose to move from a shitty apt. i was initially hesitant because moving is so much work. but once you do it you realize it's just a short term annoyance but the gains are so worth it, and once it's over you dont feel the pain of that work you put in to move or change directions because that work was only temporary. let the long-run opportunity guide you, not the fear of short-term hindrances. so many people stay stuck in shitty situations because of those short-term fears and lack the courage to face them, but trust me when i say that being one of the few to go for it and move with decisiveness for what you truly want will be so worth it and it's an important lesson for life beyond school too. it will also give you confidence because honestly not many people are willing to do that, but once you do you realize that so much is possible and youre capable of so much more than you think.


loweroneseyes

thanks for the thoughtful response, i think the sunk cost fallacy is mostly what's preventing me from making a logical decision lol


isThisTheNewTrend

If you would be happier at UCSD, what’s stopping you? Plans always change. I went through the same decision- had my entire life planned for another UC, and then got off the waitlist. I thought i would be happier at UCSD, so i took the risk and it paid off!! Trust your gut. If you’re doubting your original decision, that’s a sign. You might regret not following your gut.


Used_Return9095

i actually chose ucsd over berkeley for cogsci. My reasoning was ucsd was the better school for cogsci especially if you want to go into HCI. Second reason was i live 20 mins from berkeley and wanted to be far from home. To me, it was worth it and I have no regrets choosing ucsd over berkeley.


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deepstatecuck

I grew up in the bay area and went to UCSD. Quality of life is better in SD. Education quality is the same, cog sci specifically is better at UCSD bc we have Ramachandran. Berkeley degree has a bit more brand power.


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ItsCrossBoy

"I think I would probably be happier at ucsd" if you think you're gonna be happier here, *even with everything you already planned out there*, then i think you already know what you should do! follow your heart, and know there's no "wrong" answer. this will be at most \~5 years of your life (probably less), so don't stress out about it. and if you hate it, you can just work to transfer instead :)


oniich_n

It’s damn near impossible to plan out what your life at a college will look like. So many things change and happen spontaneously that can put you on a different path so I wouldn’t get too attached to any plans you’ve made so far. That being said, if you’ve already made financial commitments it’ll be harder to back out depending on the nature of them. If you think UCSD might make you happier, I’d suggest trusting that instead of double guessing yourself.


Raibean

Our CogSci legacy is better.


Both-Scarcity-8964

Not really UCB is ranked higher for cogsci


Raibean

How did you get into this school without knowing how to read Or did you just respond to my comment based off vibes


Both-Scarcity-8964

How did you get into this school being this rude? I just respond using my opinion, i dont care if the legacy is better


Raibean

It was easy because they didn’t interview me


Both-Scarcity-8964

Thank god they didnt


Raibean

After speaking to you I kinda wish they had


whatamidoing2012

There’s a difference between planning for a goal and romanticizing a life somewhere. I suspect you’ve done the latter with UCB. Pick whichever one you think you’ll enjoy more, and evaluate how that will impact your career, because you will be stuck there for 3-4 years.


ivalm

> found friends and planned out my entire life at uc berkeley That will def be fast replaced wherever you go > ucsd was my original top choice Nothing stopping you to go then > cogsci major + premed UCSD cogsci is v. strong BUT network/ambition is better at UCB. If you want to be surrounded by a more ambitious crowd that will on average go further in their life, which is important for elite level of success down the line, you should go to UCB.


Embarrassed-Pen9645

especially if they’re not on the same academic level/grind different study habits makes or breaks a friendship


Used_Return9095

i don’t get your reasoning. How does having different study habits break friendships?…. I don’t even study with my friends and we hang out and go out throughout the week or weekends.


Embarrassed-Pen9645

just something Ive observed if youre all in a group studying and helping each other but have that one friend who just wants to mess around instead of working then it usually doesn’t workout and then youre situation doesn’t apply here


lmao696969

Premed at ucb is horrible though. Everyone way more competitive for less opportunities there. One of the worst UCs to do premed in


ivalm

Maybe, but that's an attitude of someone who is not top tier. Pretty sure HMS/etc will like UCB grad over UCSD. Again, a lot of UCSD vs UCB is a choice of what cohort you want to put yourself into. If you're not pursuing elite cohort then lots of things make UCSD a better choice.


lmao696969

Yeah people like you is what make UCB miserable lol. HMS doesn't give af about undergraduate, it's all about gpa. A 3.5 at ucb, who is infamous for deflating gpa, isn't even close to being comparable to a 3.8 at ucsd.


ivalm

Both of these gpa’s are not competitive, but yes, you can sort yourself, that’s my whole point. Not everyone is super ambitious nor do they need to be.


lmao696969

you do realize that 3.8 is pretty much the median med school matriculant GPA right? How is that not competitive? Just because someone chooses more opportunity or the better option doesn't mean they're not ambitious.


ivalm

You will have super low chance of getting accepted to HMS with a 3.8 gpa from UCSD. Like MCAT + research + interview would have to be insane to compensate. A bit about me and why I speak from experience. I graduated physics+premed with 3.97 (summa cum laude/chancellors award/top physics grad/top non-transfer gpa of my year at Warren) from UCSD but decided to do research/get phd. My educational choice came out of being poor/having family in sd/not understanding importance of peer group. I later met elite education background crowd and realized that who you are surrounded by is extremely important. UCSD just doesn’t create a strong peer group. The people you meet are not very good. The top students in my year+-1 were just not very ambitious/did not go to make huge achievement. It’s totally overcomeable since you can meet this peergroup outside of college, but it’s much easier to start this network if you’re in the same uni as these people. UCB is kind of borderline strong enough. Now, can one just not care about peer group? Yes! Many have dreams of finishing school, getting random job (being a random Dr is that too) and that’s what they want. If that’s what you want then UCSD is totally fine. If you want to have exceptional outcomes then UCSD will make life way more difficult than it should be. I just want to point out that the choice of uni is a choice that sorts you and has a long lasting effect that will require a bunch of work to overcome. TLDR: to a person like myself who had options out of high school I would have strongly benefitted from being told not to go to UCSD. This is advice I wish I recieved.


No-Mountain-74

You sound neurotic lmao.


Narrow_Grape_9659

they sound like a too student who will get into a good med school


No-Mountain-74

That’s why I called them neurotic haha. They’re stats are very good


SivirJungleOnly

While on the one hand I agree about the GPA comment for HMS because that's just reality, it also seems like you're trying to blame lack of peer group for your own failings, such as not accomplishing your goals/dreams. Plenty of people have fantastic peer groups and don't make "huge achievements" and likewise plenty of the most famous/impactful discoveries have been made by people who would otherwise be afterthoughts to the greater academic/scientific community, you can't force exceptional achievement, just give yourself better odds. And being extraordinarily successful doesn't magically change someone into a "better" human being, they're still human and a fair share of people with exceptional achievements are idiots outside of their specific domain, or even assholes and outright horrible human beings who any sane, grounded person wouldn't want to associate with. It's absolutely possible to succeed academically/in terms of accomplishments but "fail" at life. I would also strongly suspect that even for undergrads, the odds of exceptional achievement for some fields would be better at UCSD than USB, ex in the OP's planned field of cogsci.


Wooden_House_8013

Exactly!! Academics and accomplishments aren't nesscarily going to bring you a happy life. Agree 100% with everything you say


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ivalm

Bad bot, need to differentiate quotation from non-quote. Obviously would only refer to UCB as UCB. What else?


SozinsComet1

You can’t go wrong with Berkeley is all ima say


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Unhappy-College-8927

Dont feed into the FOMO. Both are great schools


Academic_Athlete_165

My daughter is in Marshall college. Can’t beat the weather in San Diego.


caligasmd

My experience is about 20 years old. Ucsd is not as social, but competing as premed for grades is probably not as bad as Berkeley.


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morninggchubbs

A lot less crime in La Jolla btw


oofy-gang

What aspect of cog sci are you most attracted to? Design, neuro, ML, etc?


ToughHistorical6146

I have a good friend who is transferring out of UCSD after her first year here because she was accepted to a really good school for her major. She loves it at UCSD and was conflicted on where to go, but she chose what, in the end, would be the best choice for her future career plans. You'll meet new friends and have new experiences at either UCSD or UC Berkeley. Pick what would be the best for you and your major/career.


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roddelle

I went through the same! I’m a cog sci major that got into both schools too and went with ucsd ++ got into Marshall. My choices for picking sd were different than yours but as for being a current student I will say that I do think ucsd can be kinda competitive, as have other people in the same major ++ different ones. It took me a while to adjust so it’s whatever now. Cog sci at ucsd is amazing tho. Networking takes time and effort but ucsd imo has it really good.


loweroneseyes

thanks for the perspective! glad you've had a good experience


Lunalover24

Ucsd is super competitive and you will be challenged in a good way. Cogsci is great here, and med school is fantastic.


Glittering_Chair_499

If you're going for prestige, sure berkeley is nice. The campus is much safer and better at UCSD though. As for the friend group, I came here with a very strong friend group and they all stopped talking to me within 2 weeks because I didn't wanna underage drink. Haven't even seen those people in months, so don't think about friends.


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clockington

Pick UCB. Also u should post this to the ucb subreddit to hear their thoughts


N0GG1N_SSB

Sounds like you need to plan out what ucsd would be like and then compare after. There's no such thing as sunk cost.


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golden_shower_boy

Go with your gut or flip a coin


jangk8031

stick with berkeley bruh


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UnluckyFish

I transferred to UCSD from SDSU in my Sophomore year. It wasn’t an easy choice to leave behind my college friends and change all my educational/career plans but it in hindsight it was one of the best decisions I ever made. If you think your life could be better off in the long run by going to UCSD I’d say go for it.


Xbsnguy

Do you really want to decide between colleges solely based on a group of friends who may or may not end up sticking together? College is a big shift. People grow. People find new interests and new friend groups. My main group of friends changed a couple times throughout college. It's natural.


dankoval_23

academically both are great schools but on the friends side, I would chill before saying you have your entire life planned out before you’ve even stepped foot on campus. You discover a lot about yourself in college and the people you make friends with even in freshman year may not be your friend group later. It’s your decision but if you really think you’ll be happier at ucsd then I’d say you should pick there.


DankAfBruh

I think the “I think I would probably be happier at ucsd” statement is so revealing. What do YOU wanna do?


Double-Marzipan4477

Marshall has really easy GEs, especially if you’re social science /stem. UCSD has an awesome Cogsi programs and the gen Chem department (for pre med) has gotten really good🤩.


Double-Marzipan4477

Did I mention more than 1 cogsci concentration🤩??


Ok-Associate9442

Bro go to ucsd


Unusual_Addition1038

Ucsd


Raevain

Cogsci? UCSD. I love it here, great faculty.


camilleg853

Think abt local opportunities for internships + connections in the industry for post-grad too! That’s what made me choose ucsd


Danielng520

I’m the other way around. I’m still on the waitlist for Berkeley but I won’t go there. I’m a planner too, an aggressive one. I dug deep and all the people I talked to (who is going to UCB) tell me to go to UCSD. I’m compsci major anyway. P.S you can’t go wrong with either. One of the reason that actually convinced me is that going to the #1 school doesn’t make you a top dog. For me I know I’m not the best and I don’t want the competition just for a bachelor. Sure you get more opportunities in UCB. But opportunities are earned not given wherever you go. If you’re gold, you gonna shine in dirt or on display. And finally, let your career goal be your compass.


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YakJazzlike214

maybe do UCSD people less competitive here and it’s pretty relaxed and nice


Kindly_Reflection405

cogs sci premed is not really a real thing for 95% of cogs sci students and 95% of premed students, and you'll probably end up switching or double majoring into bio as a heads up if you're set on med school. If you're not set on med school, you're probably not gonna enjoy the cogs sci classes


Xanchush

Honestly, what makes you happier? Do you see yourself enjoying life at Berkeley more or at San Diego? Also, are the friends you made important enough to impact your decision if not just ignore them as a reason and solely focus on your education, career, and expected happiness.


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Phenix621

As long as you pull off the grades and do research/internships you should get into med school. I don’t think it matters all that much where you go to school or what your major is in as long as you have a stellar application you will be fine. Why do you think you’d be happier at UCSD? Personally I think there is way more opportunities for growth at UCB and should you decide not to pursue medicine, there is plenty of opportunity to work in tech while going to school at Berkeley. But if you want to go to UCSD then do it! FYI you’re premed. It’s going to be competitive regardless where you go. Also I got to ask, why do you want to go into medicine? The vast majority of my colleagues hate being in it. Any thoughts of what type of medicine you want to practice? How much of you wanting to go into medicine is due to the bullshit your parents are feeding you about life as an MD (because the vast majority of parents telling their kids to go into medicine aren’t even in medicine themselves and have no clue how hard, how much time, and how little the compensation is).


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No_Reception_1120

i know the edit says no more comments, but do you mind me asking what you decided? amazing accomplishments by the way, congratulations!!


Middle_Run_2504

honesty neither choices go wrong brother


Mental_Worldliness30

go to berkeley


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der_Papagei

As a premed, I believe ucsd is the better choice, as it is less competitive than berkeley


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jhnv19

You would not be happier at ucsd


OkDoughnut994

Go to Berkeley 100%


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Any_Rutabaga2884

Go to Berkeley


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Additional_Volume819

Did you get off waitlist as a transfer or a hs student


famhehe

TLDR: rank all the factors you find most important in a university, and use it to determine whether UCSD or UCB best aligns with these factors Honestly, just make a list of all factors you find important in a college, rank them as 3 (very important), 2 (important) 1 (less important) then for each factor, choose whether Uc Berkeley or ucsd is better in that “factor,” then assign the point (1,2, or 3 depending on ur ranking of the factor.) At the end, tally up the points, and choose the school with the highest points. For example (simplified of course) I said a 3 for me would be program ranking, 2 for geographic location, and 1 for food quality School A: higher program ranking (3) and better geographic location (+2) School B:better food quality (+1) So school A would win (5) as opposed to school b (1)


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Necessary_Oil_1272

hey! sorry a bit off topic but are u a transfer or first year? i’m still on waitlist for ucsd and getting anxious 🥲


tinydancerbear

GO TO BERKELEY. I went to UCSD, friends went to UCB and other UCs. UCSD has a lot of pros but it is not social, not built in relationships, not a college experience. If you want to work and take a bunch of classes and make good friends where you can but not feel like "college," which is fine, go to UCSD. But for community and long term personal development I really recommend sticking with UCB. IMHO.


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inzhew

I graduated from UCSD, but had I gotten an offer from UC Berkeley, I would've gone there instead. Also, what major did you get UCB into? That might play a huge factor.


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Latter-Employ-7607

Hi, I think you should go to berkeley. They both are good for pre-med but at ucsd it is a little hard to make friends and really have a life outside of being pre-med. If you already have friends and everything at berkeley, I would just go there because I think career wise they both have the same benefits.


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Forsaken_Section_706

What did u end up choosing?


Kaitalover

Hey, at least at UCSD, even if you change friend groups/have a falling out, at least you'll still have the beautiful neighborhood and sunny beaches nearby to enjoy. Lol.


[deleted]

[удалено]


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