UCLA or UC BERKELEY????

ok so i'm a junior in high school living in Georgia, but i was born in California, and i think i left my heart there because that's where i want to go to college. Stanford has always been the dream, but it seems more and more unlikely that that will happen because of the difficulty of getting in and the expenses. So i've narrowed my choices down to Berkeley and UCLA...i need to know which one i would probably like better if these were the criterias that i based them on.
size:
campus: nice and clean or unkept
sports: i love sports especially basketball so...
Dorms: which school has nicer dorms
close to the city: and as an out-of-state student which city would be easier to adjust to LA or SF?
People: which is more diverse?
Financial Aid: money is a big issue, especially since i will be coming from out-of-state
Nightlife:
Education: which has better teachers? more classes?
Safety: how is the security/safety at each school?


any additional comment and opinion will be VERY helpful too. this is a HUGE decision for me and i need all the information i can get
thanks :)

Gustavo gave you great info. I'll add that you need to make sure you have the grades to get into those schools. I know kids with a 4.0 (actually higher weighted with AP classes) from a top public school in the state (always has one of the highest number of perfect SAT scores in the US), amazing test scores, great resumes, and they don't get in UCLA. It's very competitive now.

Berkeley admitted 21.5% of applicants in 2008, UCLA is similar.

Here is some UCLA info: http://www.aim.ucla.edu/profile/main.asp

50% of incoming students have gpas of 4.03 - 4.40, 25% higher, 25% lower (but not much, I'm sure!). Only 4% of undergrads are from other states, 3% from other countries.

At Berkley about 85% of admitted freshman are from CA in 2008 (90%+ in the past), 3.82/4.0 avg gpa and 4.27/5.0 avg gpa. http://berkeley.edu/about/fact.shtml

Here is some info on getting financial aid from the Berkley website: http://students.berkeley.edu/finaid/home...

At UCLA, the non-resident cost now is about $40,000 - $45,000, non-resident tuition is $20,000 more than resident. Berkley is slightly more expensive. Financial aid will be tight for the next few years. But it's worth applying! Just be sure you start to plan right now so you have the grades, test scores and extracurriculars.

Also, you might think of going to a CA community college, paying non-resident tuition (around $200 per unit, compared to $20 for resident), establishing residency, and then transferring to a UC. http://www.ccctransfer.org/

Santa Monica College non-residents info: http://www.smc.edu/apps/pub.asp?Q=1363&B...

Information of transfer process for UCLA from Pasadena City College, most community colleges have similar programs: http://www.pasadena.edu/transfer/special...

Santa Monica College to UCLA: http://www.smc.edu/apps/Page.asp?Q=Why%2...

I know great students who didn't get into UCLA, their first choice, got into their 2nd choices, but decided to go to community college and then transfer to UCLA.

Good luck!

both campuses are well-sized. i don't go to either, but many of my friends didn't go to berkley because they disliked the campus. also, you have to know that up north, there is a lot of cloudiness and rain (cold weather, perhaps). la is the complete opposite. only in la will it rain one day and be sunny the next. it hardly rains, and if you like sunny skies, you're better off with ucla. as for academics, berkley is a lot more competitive than ucla. but they are both top-ranked UC's. try to get out here if you can during the break. your apps are due in november, so you have some time.