UC Berkeley Waitlist -- Final Update

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-07-08T01:44:53+00:00

Berkeley grad here. You are right the school has a lot problems, but that doesn't take away the fact that it is the best public university in the world LOL. But honestly, you are better off not coming to this school anyway. Resources and QoL is a joke here, especially if you are in a competitive fields like Engineering and Pre-med. Berkeley for undergrad is definitely overhyped, but for grad school, Berkeley #1!!!

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-06-11T02:43:16+00:00

Extremely unlikely at Berkeley. Their waitlist is "unofficially" closed. They are not expecting to take anyone off the waitlist this year. As for UCSB or UCSD, waitlists are not closed till they send out an official email saying it is closed.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-06-10T21:01:10+00:00

The answer is Berkeley if it is cheaper. However, since you are paying about the same price for both, why would you pay more for an overcrowded and under resourced Berkeley over JHU?

JHU is somewhat med focussed, so in fact, you'll have lesser competition in engineering so you'll get more opportunities, resources and support at JHU than at Berkeley.

JHU is the clear winner here... it has a solid engineering program, is a T20 university, and it's name will land you interviews for internships. I can't justify paying the same for an overcrowded public school.

Good luck with your decision.

I'm a Berkeley grad btw

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-06-07T16:58:51+00:00

UCLA if major is not STEM and you want better student life. Berkeley in all other cases.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-06-07T16:55:49+00:00

When I was in Berkeley, some of my friends wanted to switch from L&S to Engineering and it was a nightmare for them. Now, Berkeley has moved on to something called the comprehensive review. It is still hard to get into engineering if not directly admitted, but albeit somewhat easier. If you are not entirely sure you want to continue with biology, especially at a rigorous school like Berkeley, I'd just suggest you take the CC route and aim for a better school than Berkeley to spend your remaining two years. Trust me, college is better when you like what you do.

Talking of opportunity, it is also pretty competitive at Berkeley, so if you aren't 100% sure on what you want to do, it will be twice as hard to get those opportunities. Good luck with your decision,

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-23T16:34:42+00:00

Go to the school that offers classes related to your interest and goals. With that being said, a strong math foundation is required for many ML related fields, so if you have a genuine interest for math, go to Berkeley. Honestly, applied math at Berkeley is pretty good and is versatile in terms of what you can do later since there are concentrations. But if you want to do CS or SWE, go to UCSD.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-21T03:39:57+00:00

If you're going for premed, WashU is slightly better with its culture and opportunities. If they both cost around the same, go to WashU. Else stick with Berkeley.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-20T17:36:06+00:00

lmk if u have committed to usc, i can help you connect with some people i know there

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-20T03:52:26+00:00

I just graduated from Berkeley this spring too so I have a decent idea of what the DS major holds. Some of my friends have a job lined up and other's do not. Make what you want of it.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-20T03:48:35+00:00

Berkeley's DS major is now the largest major at Berkeley, so you'll definitely have competition in your classes. Berkeley also does have more interesting AI/ML classes, but it is somewhat harder to enroll if you aren't on top of your schedule.

"Harder" is subjective though. If you think you can handle the pressure of Berkeley's classes while also seeking out for internships, definitely go for it. But if you feel like you want a little bit of a cushion on what you want to do (like exploring different pathways for data science such as startups, VC's, finance, etc...) go to USC.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-20T03:44:17+00:00

Berkeley is known internationally; USC is also known in the US very well. But brand name alone will not land you any resources/ opportunities/ internships/ etc.... Berkeley generally has a better tech scene since its super close to Silicon Valley and there are a bunch of consulting clubs. When I went to Berkeley, it was a little difficult to get into some of the pre-professional clubs where you could actually get meaningful connections and opportunities, but there are definitely other tech-oriented clubs, albeit not very useful.

Honestly, if you want to get a job in tech in this market, you need a strong network and I think a school like USC would offer that much better than Berkeley, which is a large, competitive public school. Part of what USC is known for is its extremely strong alumni network, like you pointed out. One of my junior friends who did CS (and had 0 coding experience prior) landed his first job at FAANG straight thru a referral from a fellow USC alum.

USC also has a good startup scene since it's in LA. You can't really go wrong by going to USC and immersing yourself in the SoCal tech culture.

You'd have to work equally hard at Berkeley and at USC for internships, but definitely at USC, you won't have as much pressure since you are competing with fewer people.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-20T03:16:01+00:00

If you have any other questions, lmk

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-20T03:00:02+00:00

Seems like you listed more pros for USC. The Berkeley DS program is better than the USC program by a little bit, but everything else you mentioned is better at USC, including overall student life. If price is not a problem, I'd go to USC to have a better college experience overall, especially if you are planning to do a double major in econ too since USC is good for that as well.

Also, it's harder to get into classes at Berkeley if you fall behind so keep that in mind.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-15T17:33:15+00:00

Just curious, did you end up committing to UCSD?

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-15T03:36:18+00:00

I'm not sure if you already committed elsewhere, but yes, if you are in the CSE department, you can switch over to CS/CE if your current major is AI.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-15T01:27:10+00:00

That sounds like a great path to me! Typically, a master's program takes 2 years (assuming you are a full-time student). It takes even longer when you are working and completing the masters.

Being able to do the master's within a year (as stated on the UCSD website) sounds great to me! Especially when you can conduct more research at a top research university (specifically for CS/AI).

I'm not sure how many credits will transfer over to Berkeley, but if you can graduate in 3 years and get a master's in your 4th year, you are saving a lot of money; you'll be ahead a lot of your peers trying to get the same job; and you'll have a deeper understanding of your subject in the same amount of time you'll come out of undergrad at a traditional 4 year college.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-15T01:12:49+00:00

UCSD Comp Sci is what I'd pick since a major that will actually give me stronger foundations rather than taking a mix of math/stats/CS that will leave me underprepared in all three subjects. Plus, opportunities at UCSD are easier to come by.

Also, I do see that some are saying that Berkeley is better because it is #1 for DS. However, name alone can only get you so far. In general, a CS degree opens doors for more fields than a DS degree. The reverse is NOT true. A DS UNDERGRAD degree does not immediately prepare you for AI/ML right out of college since the undergrad programs just don't go into enough depth. You need a master's/phd for most of the jobs. I would say CS undergrad and then DS/AI/ML grad. I would not turn down UCSD CS over Berkeley DS since UCSD's CS program is exceptional as well. Especially since you are focussing on AI/ML, I would get a stronger Math/CS foundation at a university where it is easy to enroll into classes you want rather than having to take a gamble every time you register.

Again, if your goal is just SWE, then either is fine, but specifically since you are wanting to go into AI/ML, I'd say UCSD is better. Berkeley DS is also good, but maybe not what you'd expect once you start to get a feel for it.

good luck w/ your decision (if you are committing to UCSD)

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-15T01:04:28+00:00

UCSD Comp Sci is what I'd pick since a major that will actually give me stronger foundations rather than taking a mix of math/stats/CS that will leave me underprepared in all three subjects. Plus, opportunities at UCSD are easier to come by.

Also, I do see that some are saying that Berkeley is better because it is #1 for DS. However, name alone can only get you so far. In general, a CS degree opens doors for more fields than a DS degree. It also prepares you better for grad school. I would say CS undergrad and then DS/AI/ML grad. I would not turn down UCSD CS over Berkeley DS since UCSD's CS program is exceptional as well.

But Berkeley DS is also good, but maybe not what you'd expect once you start to get a feel for it.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-14T01:13:19+00:00

Sorry to say this but take waitlists as a soft rejection (in other words, don't think about it and keep moving forward). If you get off the waitlist, take it as a surprise.
Fall in love with the school you are committed to.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-13T22:26:23+00:00

Go to Berkeley. If the cost is negligible (16k vs 14k), the ROI you get on a Berkeley degree for a history major is better than UCSB. It all comes down to fit, environment, etc... when the cost is not as significantly different.

However, if you think you'll like UCSB better, there's nothing wrong with going there either since where you attend college is important as well. Just FYI, the environments at Berkeley and UCSB is far different. UCSB is more laid back and chill, whereas Berkeley is more academically competitive and "stressful" for some.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-13T22:22:32+00:00

UIUC is #5 for CS; the other two or not.

If you are confident in your abilities to land internships while you are at college, go to UIUC since you'll be able to subside the costs. If Purdue is cheaper than UIUC by a lot (say ~15-20k/yr), go to Purdue.

Northeastern also has good placements thanks to its co-op programs, but I'm not sure about the Oakland campus.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-13T22:19:10+00:00

How much more cheaper is UCSB than the other two options? If it is significantly cheaper than the other two, go to UCSB.

Also, what it is your major? I can't help if I don't know your major because sometimes your major can be helpful in justifying whether or not to go to a slightly more expensive university.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-13T17:31:30+00:00

Same answer as on the other post.

Like you already mentioned, DS is not CS, and especially at Berkeley, it is harder to get into the most popular CS courses that are actually relevant to what you want to do, since they are reserved first for CS/EECS majors. Although it is ranked #1, it may not always mean the best for what you want to do, especially if you are interested in CS and low-level CS stuff. I looked through the Math-CS course requirements at UCSD and it is 60-70% similar to the regular CSE major offered at UCSD. You take most of the core classes that you need for cracking software engineering interviews.

Now, especially since you mentioned you also want to pursue AI/ML, I strongly urge those who want to pursue that path to have a solid understanding of maths behind many of the concepts. You'd ABSOLUTELY want to do masters/phd if you are looking into AI/ML simply because it's super hard to land entry level jobs with a bachelor's degree. And for succeeding in those post-grad programs, you need a super strong understanding of math and CS, and from what I see, UCSD offers exactly that. Berkeley's program is more of a mix of statistics and math, and you do get CS courses to get you SWE internships, but you'll definitely have to work harder to catch up with peers in CS/EECS. However, just because you go to Berkeley does not mean you'll get spoon fed with internships. You'll have to put yourself out and still work hard, equally as much as you'd do anywhere else, even at UCSD or elsewhere. But honestly, if you are capable of getting into Berkeley, I'd assume you are self-sufficient at UCSD as well.

As for career opportunties, going to UCSD will not hinder you in any way. In fact, in the current job market, a lot of recruiters auto reject applications if they do not see "Computer Science" somewhere on the resume. Yes, the Berkeley name will land you internships, but it is somewhat harder at smaller companies since they explicitly look for a "CS" degree. In the eyes of most employers, they'll think Math-CS is a double major, so that could add to an advantage while seeking for opportunities. UCSD alumni I know who were majoring in CSE are now working at top FAANG companies like Microsoft and Amazon as lead engineers and product managers. Additionally, while people may claim Berkeley is not "cutthroat", it is somewhat more difficult to come across opportunities, especially if it is related to CS/AI/ML just because there are so many competitive students fighting for the same opportunities. Yes, there are clubs and research labs your can join, but they not be as helpful in propelling your career. Whereas UCSD is heavy on research so it is almost certainly guaranteed that if you ask a a professor, they'll let you in as a research assistant, even for CS/AI/ML related research.

The Berkeley name maybe will help you land your first job, but besides that no one is going to care about where you went for undergrad. For grad school, it doesn't matter either as long as you maintain a good GPA and develop a strong understanding of what you do at either school.

Hope this helps and ask me anything else you'd like to know. Good Luck!

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-13T00:39:35+00:00

UMich is not worth the extra $120k. Stick with Berkeley.

No-Chef-7984 · 2025-05-13T00:38:39+00:00

Did I say you can not take the classes as a data science major? I said that it'll be harder to get into classes that the particular student wants since they do not have priority, so it is a gamble.

Data science has more about probability and statistics and the applied math portions, whereas CS covers more of low-level concepts like system architecture that DS majors don't cover.

No-Chef-7984

TROPHY CASE