I am officially going to the
University of California, Berkeley.
Woo hoo!
This was not an easy decision, it was between Berkeley and Santa Barbara. I've always wanted to go to Berkeley, but then Santa Barbara offered me their Regents scholarship. Santa Barbara is closer to home, has warmer weather, and would be less expensive. But Berkeley is the best public school in the country (if someone disagrees let me know) and it has a very different atmosphere. So I decided to embark on a mission this weekend to find out which one I would attend in the fall.
I went to Santa Barbara on friday, and when I got there it was mildly warm. No one was around because it was the morning and 4-20 for that matter. The campus is very beautiful, and the beach is very close. I talked to someone there about my future major, math, and all the opportunities I would have there to do research and such. It all seemed very appealing, and the dorms were even ok. It made my decision that much harder, which I didn't appreciate. For years I had wanted to go to Berkeley and that was supposed to be it. I had always thought that as soon as I received my acceptance letter from Berkeley, (as arrogant as I am, there was never a doubt in my mind that they would reject me) I would be set to go. Damnit.
I went to Berkeley on Saturday, and it was very confusing because I didn't know where the campus was, even when I was right on it. This is because you cannot tell the difference between the city of Berkeley and the University, because it is all mixed together. Very different from any college I had gone to before. The campus was also very beautiful, and very big. It was also a gorgeous day outside. Alot of people were out rallying their causes in the central area. I could see anything from Buddhists to Lesbians to Democrats, all within a ten foot radius. Maybe a few were even Buddhist Lesbian Democrats for all I knew. It didn't matter. Strangely, one of the highlights was when this tall black guy came up to me and asked for a hug. I gave him one, and remembered why I thought Berkeley was so cool. Being surrounded by those type of people is why I want to go to CalBerkeley. And it is far away from home, ten hours by car. And it's Berkeley.
I have no idea why I even considered going anywhere else. It's the best, and I deserve to be there just as much as the next guy. I belong there.