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<p>spaceandscience - Can you be a little more clear about what you like about the atmosphere? For $20K+ extra a year to attend Cornell, you can buy a lot of atmosphere while you’re on break and over the summer.</p>
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<p>Emphasis here should be on “little.” You can travel through Ithaca’s downtown in 2 minutes.</p>
<p>I visited Cornell and thought it was amazing. Beautiful campus! And Ithaca is a nice college town. But I wouldn’t go into a lot of debt to go there over a school as good as Berkeley.</p>
<p>goldenboy8784, I said “prestige”, not league table.</p>
<p>I made an account just because I felt like I needed to say something here. Since when does the prestige of a college matter more than the quality of education you receive? </p>
<p>When I was in the Navy, we would get officers from the Academy (prestigious) and normal state schools (Not as prestigious). I can say without a doubt, that I wanted to be led by a person who was more intelligent, better educated, and a better leader. Not every time did that leader come from the most prestigious universities. </p>
<p>Now, with an astrophysics degree, I can only assume you want to be part of some sort of research team in the future. You did indicate you wanted to learn theoretical astrophysics, which led me to that assumption. Do you think your team mates in research are going to care more about which school you paid for your degree or weather or not you got a quality education? They want you to contribute, not necessarily be an ivy league graduate.</p>
<p>That being said, a quality education isn’t entirely about who is ranked higher in the US News top school rankings. Set, setting, other students, your chemistry with the faculty, and your own study habits are going to play a huge role in what you get out of college.</p>
<p>I would take the wise advice of applying everywhere. You don’t know for sure that Cornell is even going to want you (Or Berkeley, for that matter), so why not keep your options open? Apply to Arizona, UCLA, hell if you really care about astronomy, apply overseas as well. Then, visit campuses. Correspond with current students, call the department and set up a meeting with some of the faculty. Figure out what the best fit is for you that will set you up to be a bright leader in the future.</p>
<p>YouTube is also a fantastic resource, as many universities post lectures. You can listen to a lecture on the topic of your choice to get a feel for how that professor teaches the material.</p>
<p>In closing, the point I’m making is, Ivy League does not guarantee that you are going to be a successful person. That is entirely upon your shoulders.</p>
<p>Berkeley has larger class sizes and a more big-school atmosphere.</p>
<p>However, from my business travels, I’ve noticed that Berkeley’s reputation is stronger than Cornell’s.</p>
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<p>I didn’t say prestige = quality (all the time). But, seriously, only those who are naive who do not see school reputation is a plus for those students who are eying for postgrad school.</p>
<p>Not really wanting this to be a prestige debate, I do have to agree that Cornell is more prestigious than Berkeley except for maybe in Asia. It’s definitely far more prestigious where I live.</p>
<p>spaceandscience - I am going to have to go with RML’s view on this. Do not underestimate the perceived prestige of Berkeley, especially in the international arena. It is a very well recognized name and garners a lot of respect abroad. Cornell is as well, but honestly I would consider them peer schools as far as academics. The difference is going to be cultural, and of course Ithaca is going to be a lot colder for a majority of the year!</p>
<p>RML, that’s why the OP should choose Cornell: perceived prestige.</p>
<p>Based on actual student enrollment decisions, Cornell is #13 and Berkeley is #16.
[Parchment</a> Student Choice College Rankings 2013 | Parchment - College admissions predictions.](<a href=“http://www.parchment.com/c/college/college-rankings.php?thisYear=2012&thisCategory=National]Parchment”>Parchment Student Choice College Rankings 2013 | Parchment - College admissions predictions.)</p>
<p>Personally unless i hated Berkeley, I would not spend $80,000 more for an equivalent education.</p>
<p>Why are we talking about international rep? The OP is a California resident.</p>
<p>This was his/her latest question:
This is an issue between the OP and his/her parents.</p>
<p>goldenboy, enrollment decisions involve a lot of factors. It probably slips in your mind that you need to be rich (from the middle class, at least) to be able to afford Berkeley if you’re OOS or international. And over 30% of Berkeley freshmen and Sophomore students are OOS+International students. Such in not the case for the Ivies or top privates which provide tuition discounts or even stipend. BUT, as usual, you deviate from our discussion.</p>
<p>I said if the OP really wants Cornell as he sees it that he’s more of a fit in such kind of school, then he should go for it even when Berkeley is slightly the more prestigious school and has the more respected physics program or physical science program, in general. Or, even when Cornell would be more expensive. In short, for the OPs case, I’d advise that he heads to Cornell and never look back. But, if I were the OP, I would choose Berkeley in a heartbeat. For me, there are only 4 schools in the world that would keep me from not enrolling in Berkeley, and obviously, Cornell isn’t one of them.</p>
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<p>Not sure about the “big school atmosphere” or what that even means, but on class sizes the data suggest just the opposite.</p>
<p>Classes with 50+ students: Cornell 18%, UC Berkeley 14%.</p>
<p>Classes with <20 students: Cornell 57%, UC Berkeley 64%.</p>
<p>And with over 21,000 students, Cornell is not exactly a small school. It’s closer in size to UVA (about 24,000) than to Yale (around 11,000), Princeton (about 8,000), Brown (about 9,000) or MIT (about 11,000).</p>
<p>There are a lot of myths about Berkeley (or flagship campuses, for that matter) and this is obviously one of them.</p>
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<p>Interestingly, Harvard also has 21,000 students. Columbia and Penn actually have significantly more than 21,000 students. Berkeley has 36,000 students. Strongly suggest visiting Ithaca. It has stunning physical beauty [gorges, waterfalls] and a lot to do for a small city. Outdoor activities abound. Students at Cornell and Ithaca College comprise half of the population during the academic year. It’s on most lists of the best college towns in America.</p>
<p>^ Someone who grew up in California might find Ithaca daunting. I also suggest that the OP should visit Cornell first before finally making his/her decision.</p>
<p>Visit Cornell in January or February, when that icy wind whips across the lake and almost knocks you over atop the hill where Cornell sits.</p>
<p>Seriously, I think Cornell is a great school and Ithaca is a perfectly charming little town with a lot going for it, and some of the nearby areas are beautiful. But winters can be harsh for someone not accustomed to it (or even some of us who are).</p>
<p>This may not count for much much but as far as Engineering Physics goes, Cornell is #1 and UCB is #4. Not much of a difference</p>
<p>Cornell is an Ivy while Berkeley is a state school in California. A UCB degree cannot compare to a Cornell degree.</p>
<p>Goldenboy, you’re full of vitriol tonight.</p>