Is it worth it to pay out-of-state tuition for Berkeley?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i like Duke.

No one likes Duke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ten years ago, maybe. Now, no. Berkeley faculty had a huge turnover with all the UC cuts and incentivized retirements. Now in rebuilding phase, does not have the same level of prestige it once did.

OP again. Thank you everyone for your comments and opinions - reading through this thread is just like the conversations in our house lately. I guess, though, it boils down to -- is Berkeley the same school it was 10-20 years ago?
Have the budget cuts damaged it?
Is it overcrowded?
With all the impacted majors are the students too stressed out? Too hard to get classes?

Does anyone have kids currently there or recently graduated?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it causes financial hardship, then no.

Even if it causes financial hardship, then yes. Some things are worth the sacrifice. And my kid's education is one of them. If your kid was from Indiana deciding between these two schools and UVA was much cheaper, I might consider UVA. But for a kid from Virginia? UC Berkeley for sure.

Depends on the area of study. Forbes ranked UVA higher than Berkeley in 2016, UVA at 36 and Berkeley at 40, on US top college list. Not saying Forbes is the only ranking to go by, but I think Berkeley is living off laurels of the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it causes financial hardship, then no.

Even if it causes financial hardship, then yes. Some things are worth the sacrifice. And my kid's education is one of them. If your kid was from Indiana deciding between these two schools and UVA was much cheaper, I might consider UVA. But for a kid from Virginia? UC Berkeley for sure.

huh? that makes no sense. why is UVA better for a kid from Indiana than Virginia?

Distance from home. Having few, if any, high school classmates attending the same university, experiencing a different region of the country...

+1000. I feel that college is a time for kids to stretch their wings, experience something different from what they know, and grow their independence and self-reliance. We have a young kid but will totally push her to consider CA (where we used to live) when the time comes. Nothing like it, and it would be life-changing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ten years ago, maybe. Now, no. Berkeley faculty had a huge turnover with all the UC cuts and incentivized retirements. Now in rebuilding phase, does not have the same level of prestige it once did.

OP again. Thank you everyone for your comments and opinions - reading through this thread is just like the conversations in our house lately. I guess, though, it boils down to -- is Berkeley the same school it was 10-20 years ago?
Have the budget cuts damaged it?
Is it overcrowded?
With all the impacted majors are the students too stressed out? Too hard to get classes?

Does anyone have kids currently there or recently graduated?

If you can afford it and child wants to go, fly out and take a look and talk to current students. No school is the same as it was 10 years ago and some of that is a good thing. I look at the schools I went to and they have so many more activities, sports, cool new buildings and far better food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it causes financial hardship, then no.

Even if it causes financial hardship, then yes. Some things are worth the sacrifice. And my kid's education is one of them. If your kid was from Indiana deciding between these two schools and UVA was much cheaper, I might consider UVA. But for a kid from Virginia? UC Berkeley for sure.

huh? that makes no sense. why is UVA better for a kid from Indiana than Virginia?

Distance from home. Having few, if any, high school classmates attending the same university, experiencing a different region of the country...

those things are not worth "financial hardship."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did Berkeley put a strong effort into recruiting domestic non-California kids this year? On Facebook I've seen a lot of east coast and midwest kid's friends get in.

THe school needs the out of state tuition money.

[Anonymous]

Berkeley is the best state university in the country--by far. The name is powerful. UVA is good too. But not great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it causes financial hardship, then no.

Even if it causes financial hardship, then yes. Some things are worth the sacrifice. And my kid's education is one of them. If your kid was from Indiana deciding between these two schools and UVA was much cheaper, I might consider UVA. But for a kid from Virginia? UC Berkeley for sure.

Depends on the area of study. Forbes ranked UVA higher than Berkeley in 2016, UVA at 36 and Berkeley at 40, on US top college list. Not saying Forbes is the only ranking to go by, but I think Berkeley is living off laurels of the past.

That says more about the magazine than the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it causes financial hardship, then no.

Even if it causes financial hardship, then yes. Some things are worth the sacrifice. And my kid's education is one of them. If your kid was from Indiana deciding between these two schools and UVA was much cheaper, I might consider UVA. But for a kid from Virginia? UC Berkeley for sure.

huh? that makes no sense. why is UVA better for a kid from Indiana than Virginia?

Distance from home. Having few, if any, high school classmates attending the same university, experiencing a different region of the country...

those things are not worth "financial hardship."

Yes, they are worth the financial hardship to me. Different strokes...

[Anonymous]

This thread is cracking me up, OP.

Twenty years ago (20?!?!!!!), I was a California kid who desperately wanted to go to UVA. My parents said no way were they paying out of state tuition for me to go to a subpar school. I went to Cal.

Now as an adult, I know lots of adults who went to Cal (obviously) and UVA (they're a dime a dozen in DC) - and I'm really glad I went to Cal. Even in California, it's considered special.

But beyond the academic experience, OP, your kid is going to have a very different LIFE experience at Cal than they will at UVA. At UVA you pretty much know what the college experience is going to look like - in Berkeley, it's much about living IN Berkeley and all that has to offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it causes financial hardship, then no.

Even if it causes financial hardship, then yes. Some things are worth the sacrifice. And my kid's education is one of them. If your kid was from Indiana deciding between these two schools and UVA was much cheaper, I might consider UVA. But for a kid from Virginia? UC Berkeley for sure.

Depends on the area of study. Forbes ranked UVA higher than Berkeley in 2016, UVA at 36 and Berkeley at 40, on US top college list. Not saying Forbes is the only ranking to go by, but I think Berkeley is living off laurels of the past.

Look a how many CURRENT Nobel Laureates are at each school. Does UVA any? I went to Berkeley and there is value in the name. Wherever in the world I wear my Cal gear I hear, "Go Bears!" when I walk by.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it causes financial hardship, then no.

Even if it causes financial hardship, then yes. Some things are worth the sacrifice. And my kid's education is one of them. If your kid was from Indiana deciding between these two schools and UVA was much cheaper, I might consider UVA. But for a kid from Virginia? UC Berkeley for sure.

Depends on the area of study. Forbes ranked UVA higher than Berkeley in 2016, UVA at 36 and Berkeley at 40, on US top college list. Not saying Forbes is the only ranking to go by, but I think Berkeley is living off laurels of the past.

Look a how many CURRENT Nobel Laureates are at each school. Does UVA any? I went to Berkeley and there is value in the name. Wherever in the world I wear my Cal gear I hear, "Go Bears!" when I walk by.

You are an adult still wearing your college name/emblem? I don't care where you went--this is pitiful.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the kid. Totally different schools and places. UVa is traditional, conservative, elitist, and located in a tiny, bucolic town in the middle of the Virginia countryside. Berkeley is one of the most liberal institutions in the country, and it's in an ultra-hip(py) part of San Francisco. It's also a slightly better school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it causes financial hardship, then no.

Even if it causes financial hardship, then yes. Some things are worth the sacrifice. And my kid's education is one of them. If your kid was from Indiana deciding between these two schools and UVA was much cheaper, I might consider UVA. But for a kid from Virginia? UC Berkeley for sure.

Depends on the area of study. Forbes ranked UVA higher than Berkeley in 2016, UVA at 36 and Berkeley at 40, on US top college list. Not saying Forbes is the only ranking to go by, but I think Berkeley is living off laurels of the past.

Look a how many CURRENT Nobel Laureates are at each school. Does UVA any? I went to Berkeley and there is value in the name. Wherever in the world I wear my Cal gear I hear, "Go Bears!" when I walk by.

You are an adult still wearing your college name/emblem? I don't care where you went--this is pitiful.

Agreed - this poster is giving Berkeley a bad name.