<p>A couple of points in difference on the SAT is not going to make a big difference because they aren't given a lot of weight.</p>
<p>^ its 30-50 when I asked in a thread a long time ago. Thats the difference. If you want to conduct a similiar study, then by all means go right ahead. Until then, the previous results of 30-50 points should be used. It is by no means scientific, but its much better than ignoring it.</p>
<p>My best one sitting in 1994 was a 1600 by SAT I conversion. And my best verbal + best math is 50 points above a 1600 by SAT I conversion.</p>
<p>Its way too easy to get a 1600 in your generation. There needs to be more upper end differentiation for the sake of this country.</p>
<p>I took it just once. I should have been smarter. ;)</p>
<p>^ Well a lot of people take it once, but most take it 2 or 3 times. Especially Asian parents who aren't satisfied with their child getting 1490 or 1540. Given Berkeley's high American of Asian descent population, Berkeley's SAT range would suffer the most in my opinion because of the two differing methodologies.</p>
<p>Thank God, my parents aren't typical Asian ones. I don't think I ever told them how I did. :)</p>
<p>Hello Folks...</p>
<p>All I have to say is that you should definitely definitely pick CAL over NW because it is ridiculously more prestigous...It has one of the highest percentages of nobel laureates of any institution in the world, and so many things have been discovered there...When you have professors who are at the cutting edge of research you're getting a more intimate lesson in whatever it is you're studying, an insider's view of things....It can be argued that Berkeley is the absolute best institution of higher learning in the United States because it has the most graduate programs ranked in the top ten of any university...(I believe 37, then stanford comes in second with like 27, and harvard at third with about 23 or so)...</p>
<p>Anyhow, with all the rankings and prestige set aside...Berkeley is probably the most intellectually vibrant community on the planet...Whatever you'd get at Northwestern couldn't hold a candle to what you'd get at berkeley...there are more bookstores per capita in the city of berkeley than any other city in the united states, Berkeley and neighboring oakland are bastions of TRUTH, you can't even begin to imagine how many progressive people and institutions are there...you can find everything in berkeley from the prison activist resource center to berkeley college republicans if that floats your boat...and the library, my god the library is the thirld larget academic library in the united states after the libraries at harvard and yale respectively....you might not be as loved and nurtured at berkeley as say you would at northwestern but that's what makes cal students so amazing!! If you can go to cal and survive your four years there you're ready for what the real world has to offer and then some....this has been a long ass rant so I'm sorry if it doesn't make sense...but trust berkeley is the best place you can go=)</p>
<p>What does the amount of bookstores per capita have to do with a college?</p>
<p>And I love how Berkeley-supporters bash the US News for ranking Berkeley so low (9 spots below NU), but they turn around and use the rankings to say it is the "best university in the world." It's either one or the other: you accept the rankings or you don't. You can't choose the ones that support your argument and disregard the ones that don't. Unless of course you make a habit of lacking integrity.</p>
<p>Highest number of bookstores per capita? That's a LIE, I believe. I took a summer class through Berkeley's Extension and walked around there before. I think I only saw ONE on Telegraph! Harvard Square has a lot more! It's kinda annoying that I see a few, not just one, Berk's fans that appear to give false information. It's one thing to be biased and it's quite another to just make stuff up.</p>
<p>"So many things have been discovered"...NOT by the undergrads though. Berkeley is not Harvard Square. I didn't really feel it has THAT much intellectual atmosphere. Don't try to make it look like something it isn't! It does feel very liberal though.</p>
<p>i do agree with your point about class rank, however, schools do notice which schools are more competitive, plus, it should include AP scores and such right? which are standardised.......
so i think they would consider the fact that they will or will not take in a valedictorian of a crappy school over a just above average student from a competitive high school.</p>
<p>just wondering, which high school did you go to? cause i'm in hong kong right now =)</p>
<p>haha yeh, when i tell ppl my sat scores, i tell them my best sittings, but then the difference is only 10. but still =p</p>
<p>I'd like some privacy. :)..it's one of the following all-boys schools--Diocesan Boys', La Salle, Queen's, or St. Joseph's. What brought you to HK?</p>
<p>westsidee,</p>
<p>Does the SAT score you refer to include the scores of the very high proportion of Community College transfers that end up Berkeley Grads, or does Berkeley ignore those scores and thus not include them in their reported totals, as schools normally do?</p>
<p>If so, I'm guessing that this would lower the SAT average of Berkeley by a good margin, although I think it's fascinating that so many Berkeley grads begin their collegiate careers in the community college of their choice. </p>
<p>I don't believe this is the case at most prestegious schools and it is unheard of at any of the Ivies.</p>
<p>Also, which community colleges are the best feeder-schools for Berkeley?</p>
<p>touching on an earlier topic in this thread...</p>
<p>there's a simple way of checking the international prestige/awareness/popularity between american universities. ask in the "international students" section of cc. i'm sure they have general knowledge of the good universities in america. i doubt they're guessing by whatever name sounds impressive.</p>
<p>i was born in hk and lived there all my life...still here...probably going to the states for uni tho. i have a couple friends who went to those schools...either in mine now or in uni. heh</p>
<p>well, as someone pointed out, does it matter what the internationals know about colleges?! unless you're going there to learn. honestly, i only knew about the prestige of the ivies (with cornell being the worst one, in general) and UCLA and UCB...</p>
<p>on the otherhand, adults would probably know more, after my whole application process, i probably know as much as the average american senior in high school</p>
<p>and i thought SAT scores aren't a factor for transfer students...if that is the case, i don't think they would take account of that.</p>
<p>SAT scores are definitely a factor for transfers. Maybe not as much as freshman admissions, but they certainly take them into consideration.</p>
<p>Well, as things come to an end... i have a few hesitations...</p>
<p>maybe people can offer specific comments haeving to do with the fallowing critiques...</p>
<p>the sheer size of Berekly excites me... YET i fear it may be too distracting. And because it is a state school, there is no saftey net to protect me. I have no immidiate problem with just being a number, but if that means i might fail in the process, thats not cool.</p>
<p>The city of Evanston is my main fear at Northwestern. It just seems booreing... and i dont get the same vibe of energy that I see at Cal. Does one have to go out of their way to achieve that at NU? or was it just an off day?</p>
<p>endersgame- I'm facing the same problem too, I can't decide between NU and Cal...I just visited and got back from NU today.</p>
<p>"The city of Evanston is my main fear at Northwestern" and it's not even that close to downtown Chicago :(</p>
<p>Evanston is really close to downtown Chicago. It's only 12 miles and an "El" trip away. Evanston is a nice, up-scale town compared to Berkeley which is kind of run-down.</p>
<p>Berekely is sure more happening than Evanston. UCB has a lot more students after all and they crowd the Telegraph Ave esp on weekends. I am pretty big on food and Berkeley has many decent ethnic (esp. Asian) restaurants to choose from (good price too). However, I personally like Evanston better if I were a student; it's a not as crowded and it's easier to find a quieter places such as coffee shops to study or chill; it's more relaxing and the town looks nicer and cleaner. I saw Berkeley's coffee shops and its other places were frequently crowded and packed. </p>
<p>Chicago isn't that far although the number of El's stops probably make the downdown look farther than it actually is. I have to admit the BART is more comfortable than the El.</p>
<p>This thread is great and you guys are great!!! I thought you could and would give my son a great help for his college situation. </p>
<p>Richard (my son) has Berkeley, Northwestern, Cornell and UPenn to choose from. All Engineering Undecided. No $ from any of them. We live in California. I am willing to pay extra $100K if he is committed to take a full advantage of what a private school can offer over Berkeley, whatever those are. Currently his thought on his career is get a BS or MS, work for a while in Engineer track, get an MBA, and move on to Marketing and/or Management.</p>
<p>Here is where my thoughts are on each school:</p>
<p>Berkeley: highest ranked Engineering school among those four, great reputation domestically and internationally, close to a great city(it is very important for Richard), $100K less (but again I am willing to pay), but on the other hand, issues related to the school size is a concern: class size, accessibility and level of relationship he can build with professors. And he will miss out an opportunity to live on the other side of the country as a Californian.</p>
<p>Cornell: Engineering school comparable with Berkeley and the best in Ivy. prestige as an Ivy domestically and internationally, great undergraduate program (very hard but still manageable enough not to lose too many student). But Richard hates the environment: middle of nowhere, study or drink, nothing much else to do. My only question is it is a private but a BIG private. Is he going to take the extra $100K worth advantage?</p>
<p>UPenn: An Ivy, great engineering/business program whether you do M&T or a double degree outside M&T. The best if you have Wall Street or business consulting in mind. But if you want to do just Engineering you are giving up too much Engineering ranking (compared to the other three). And he wants to be a pure engineer for a while before he makes transition to Marketing or Management. I think he will be more successful long term with a hard core engineering degree and experience.</p>
<p>Northwestern: It was his top choice at the beginning: great Engineering school (although I would rank it after Berkeley or Cornell), private school setting/environment, a great city in the back yard. But he changed his mind after his visits to the other three. He and I were scheduled to fly to Chcago this morning. But last night he cancelled the trip knowing it would be very difficult for him to put it back on his list.</p>
<p>Thank you very much in advance for your valuable inputs.</p>
<p>^ Personally...sir, I was in a similiar situation as your son. I chose Berkeley over UPenn Wharton and Cornell. </p>
<p>I would say that the engineering department at Berkeley is quite well funded, has the smartest brightest students in the nation, and also has the highest % of women out of any engineering department in the US. (this will encourage your son to study to look good in front of girls...lots of smart girl engineers come to Berkeley because of Berkeley's belief that no one's potential should be limited). </p>
<p>I chose Berkeley over the other two because I wanted to stay in California, and I knew that by having the best professors, I can get as much from my education as I could at Harvard, as long as I studied. </p>
<p>Berkeley's engineering is well funded and is probably better funded on a research priority basis than other departments. Its a prestigious major not only anywhere you go in the world, but also on the Berkeley campus. </p>
<p>I have seen well rounded Berkeley engineering students go into investment banking because of Berkeley's nature to have excellent departmental strength that make up for lacks in gaps of how science may relate to other fields in person.</p>