USC Annenberg or UC Berkeley? (undergrad)?

Question

So, it's May 1, and I am totally stuck. I'm a self-proclaimed nerd from Los Angeles. I want to major in political science and, if it's offered, print journalism.
Berkeley:
Pros: Farther from home, nicer area, more overall prestigious, more intellectual, probably a better social scene for me
Cons: Huge classes, huge dorms, huge...everything, not much of a support system, no j-school and all that would provide

USC:
Pros: Fantastic journalism school, nicer campus, smaller classes, more supportive atmosphere
Cons: Not as academically prestigious overall, sporty/preppy/party atmosphere would be somewhat wrong for me, not great neighborhood, much closer to home
I don't know which school's paper is better - I've read them both and like them equally, but any experience at what it's like to work at one or thoughts differentiating the two would be great. Yes, this is an important factor.

Costs would end up being about the same.

Basically, I feel that Berkeley looks like more of a fit for me, but I'm really worried about the size and not sure I want to give up the journalism education. USC has those advantages, but I'm worried that the social atmosphere and the laissez-faire approach to schoolwork by some would make me totally miserable. To complicate the matter, my parents just told me they weren't sure I could cut it at Berkeley (nice, right?) and so that in their opinion, USC being less academic would be a plus, and reminded me that I couild probably transfer from USC to Berkeley but not the other way around.

So it's 8 am, and I frankly have no idea, and thoughts would really really really be appreciated, because I don't know which to choose. I like both schools and could see myself at either.

(And one last question that's going to get me crucified...I know double-depositing is frowned upon, but...how frowned upon is it? I think a little more time would help me a LOT, and I have perfectly justifiable reasons as to why I would have to pull out of either school.)

Answer 1

Cal berkely

Answer 2

Berkeley is a much better school. They actually do have a Journalism school -- but only offer graduate degrees through it. However, they have a Mass Communications major for undergraduates that includes a concentration in Journalism. As a junior or senior, you will probably be able to take some of the 5000 level classes in the J-School. They are open to graduate students and undergraduates.

UC-Berkeley is a large school and introductory classes are large. However, more advanced classes are smaller. Princeton Review reports that the most common class size is in the 10-19 range. Many of the classes that I took while at Berkeley were smaller.