<p>Have to go with Westee on this. UCB has a top reputation ANYWHERE you go. NU is somewhat less highly regarded in most areas outside Chicago and even in Chicago it plays second to U of Chicago.</p>
<p>Really?! I heard that NU is the top man on campus in chicago...</p>
<p>Nope. UC is considered the more academic school.</p>
<p>How is that fair!? NW is ranked higher and is NW~ lol</p>
<p>Hardly anyone in the United States has heard of UChicago so I doubt it's any higher in other countries. In Chicago, Northwestern and UChicago hold entirely different reputations. Northwestern is seen more as a pre-professional school so more law/med/business companies recruit there, while UChicago is more of an academia school so there would be more people going to traditional graduate programs. To say one is better than the other is splitting hairs.</p>
<p>I'd never heard of NW until last year, and I didn't know where it was until a couple of weeks ago. But, then again, I'm not from the midwest. I think eveyone has heard of Berkeley.</p>
<p>Is reputation THAT important?</p>
<p>It has to be CAL! </p>
<p>CAL is world renowned! Where as Northwestern is relatively unknown outside the USA.</p>
<p>Don't waste 100k on NW when you can get a great education from UCB, the #1 public school in the nation for much less.</p>
<p>a, why should i care about anything OUTSIDE the US?
b, is reputation more important than the education itself?</p>
<p>You're going to be getting a better education at Berkeley anyways, especially with PoliSci. Don't let US News fool you, Berkeley is as good a school as any out there. If you want to do international business or some form of foreign service, then yes, a Berkeley degree is a nice way to impress clients. Otherwise, I would not say it is extremeley important other than networking in Asia, where there are many Cal alums.</p>
<p>but does US News pull these numbers out of their ass? There's gotta be some reason behind them.</p>
<p>Enders "b. is reputation more impartant than the education itself"
Go for berkeley, berkeley will give you a better education in poly sci. I think you'd be making a 100K mistake by attending Northwestern just because it's ranked higher than Berkeley by US News.</p>
<p>If you are going to grad/law school, and study Poly Sci at Berkeley for undergrad every top private/ivy/ will know of it's good education.</p>
<p>I think Northwestern is overrated. I think it should be ranked down near USC.</p>
<p>Why on earth do you think NW is overrated?</p>
<p>Don't listen to liek0806. That 100k is the reason and NU is not overrated. liek0806, there's no need to slam NU just so you can convince him/her to pick Berkeley.</p>
<p>I live in Asia and it is true that UCB has better rep than NWU around here. People around here know only some schools like: Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Caltech, UMich, UCLA, Columbia & some good Engineering (public) schools.</p>
<p>NWU, Duke, Rice, the other ivies are not that well known. LAC's are virtually unheard of.</p>
<p>That being said, don't think you should decide based on international prestige. NWU is an awesome school and well known in the US.</p>
<p>If money is an imp factor or if your looking at grad school, pick Berkeley and save the cash. If you want a private university setting and are willing to shell out more cash then pick NWU. Both schools will get you into great grad schools, grad school admissions will depend on how well you perform at either school. You should probably visit and then decide, email the Pol Sci profs/students at both the schools are ask them for their opinions.</p>
<p>Not that I agree, but it kills me...really, it kills me how on every thread Westslide and Barrons can only associate a good education with how well known a school might be in Budapest, Kuala Lampu or Southeastern Arkansas.</p>
<p>Has it occurred to either of you that very often getting an education is actually about an individual student being educated-- that is, knowledge...not the button you get to wear while on your Holiday in Cambodia?</p>
<p>Oh, No!....what will I say in Phnom Penh?!?! Theyll think Im a nobody!</p>
<p>If money is no obstacle go to Northwestern, it is overall a better school to learn and live IMO.</p>
<p>They talk about the international reputation because it is one of the only advantages that Berkeley has over Northwestern.</p>
<p>What do you want in a school besides the money factor?</p>
<p>Dont listen to West Sidee. His viewpoints are ridiculous. Northwestern is the "better" school overall, but not by THAT much. It will have other intrinsic benefits though such as a more intimate environtment, etc. I personally dont think the benefits are worth the extra 100K though...</p>
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I live in Asia and it is true that UCB has better rep than NWU around here. People around here know only some schools like: Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Caltech, UMich, UCLA, Columbia & some good Engineering (public) schools.
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</p>
<p>This is pretty much the same in Europe as well. </p>
<p>In investment banking in San Francisco, during the tech boom, the most highly recruited schools were in order of numbers: Berkeley, Stanfurd, Harvard, Wharton, Yale, Princeton, and one or two from UCLA, Dartmouth, and UVA. </p>
<p>U of Chicago is world class institution as well. Very very well respected for their research. They are ranked #1 in economics. Northwestern probably places more students in Med school than Berkeley, and Berkeley places more students in PhD programs in biology. But in political science, its Berkeley hands down. </p>
<p>I've worked in investment banking and wall street for 5 years now, I have yet to see a Northwestern grad anywhere here in San Francisco. There is a huge Berkeley alumni listserve group that is currently working in Chicago that I am on right now. That pretty much says everything.</p>
<p>Dude, Berkeley is so overrated. If you live in the Bay Area like I do, and watch all these mediocre kids get into that school, you won't have such a high opinion of it. There was this one girl who had a 3.0 GPA, an 1100 SAT score, always held the most superficial conversations about meaningless junk, and was the epitome of the "valley girl." She matriculated to Berkeley and told everyone that she also got into Harvard, Stanford, and Yale but was going to Berkeley because she had "friends" there. We knew she was lying because 1.) She way too dumb to ever get into those schools and 2.) She told everyone she got into HYS before decisions ever came out (and no, she didn't apply early action to all three).</p>