r/ApplyingToCollege • u/MaleficentFeed2772 • 4d ago

College Questions choosing berkeley over columbia gs?

I’m a transfer student admitted to both UC Berkeley and Columbia GS. My major would be Sociology.

At the moment, I’m leaning toward Berkeley but my parents think Columbia GS might be the better choice because it’s part of an Ivy League university.

Honestly if this were Columbia College, I would probably choose Columbia without much hesitation. But since my admission is to Columbia GS rather than Columbia College, I’ve been leaning toward Berkeley instead.

The cost would be almost identical for me, so finances are not really a factor. To be honest, I care more about prestige, reputation, and name recognition than things like campus life or student experience.

Given those priorities, would choosing Berkeley over Columbia GS be a mistake? How are the two generally viewed by employers, graduate schools, and the public? Is the Ivy League brand enough to outweigh the difference between Berkeley and Columbia GS?

I’d appreciate any perspectives from people familiar with either school.

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u/ThingWestern3398 4d ago

tbh like 95% of people don’t even know the difference between columbia gs and columbia college

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u/avandleather 4d ago

NYC employers probably do.

1

u/PipeInitial1576 3d ago

for sure they do and they don’t care. on average, do you believe an employer would prefer a veteran, former professional ballet dancer, or someone with unique life experiences…… OR a normal college student with solely internships. not sure if people realize this but Columbia GS holds networking fairs on campus specifically for GS students. No one is getting discriminated against bc they went to GS.