Berkeley v. Cornell

Applying to College
1

<p>Okay, CCers, I've been coming to this site way more often than I should have been over probably the past year or so of my life, and I've gotten a lot of good information from you all, so don't fail me now. I'll spend my own time making pro-con lists on this issue over the next couple days undoubtedly, but I just wanted to know your thoughts. I'm torn between Cornell and Berkeley, and it's coming down to the wire, but I still don't know where I want to be. I'm a California residents, and I'll probably be studying international relations (at Berkeley, Peace & Conflict Studies) or linguistics, but I'm also interested in several other subjects, so I'm not really sure. My major will most likely be in the Humanities or Social Sciences though. I may go to law school eventually.</p>

<p>Berkeley is within reasonable distance (a couple hours drive) from my family and friends, which is nice. I like the Bay Area. I'm not so into the huge student body, and I'm scared I'll sort of get lost. The dorms are not that great, and I'm afraid that after my two years of guaranteed housing runs out, the only places I'll be able to find will be too expensive and/or too distant. Berkeley does give more IB credits though, so it might be easier to do a double major and/or further pursue my interests in music. (I'm a full IB diploma candidate, and if you get thirty points on your diploma you basically have sophomore standing, if I'm not mistaken). There's also the financial issue, although my family can pay for Cornell, it'll just be more difficult.</p>

<p>Cornell is on the East Coast, which I love. The only relative within striking distance is my aunt in New York City. The weather there pretty much sucks. I'll honestly say that I don't know a ton about the quality of education in the social sciences compared to Berkeley, since most of the great stuff I hear about Cornell is in their engineering and science departments, but since it's an ivy I assume it's as good as or better than Berkeley, but please correct me if I'm wrong. The location is remote, but I like the town of Ithaca itself alright, and that also means that off-campus housing is pretty readily available and more affordable. They don't give as much credit for IB as Berkeley. The dorms are nice, and I really like the idea of living in Risley at some point. It's a smaller school, and I think the fact that CAS is only 4,200 will make it seem even smaller, and less intimidating. I think they've also got a higher acceptance percentage into law school, but again correct me if I'm wrong.</p>

<p>Thank you very much if you read all of that. Thoughts? Opinions? Corrections? Advice? Experiences? Links to useful information? Links to similar threads? Any help is appreciated.</p>

2

<p>Anyone at all?</p>

3

<p>if you dont like huge student bodies, cornell is big too. have you visited both schools? i think an overnight would really help you see which school you like better. also, is you can save several thousand dollars by going to berkeley, that may be a better option for your family as a whole. of course the ivies are prestigious, but no one will look down on you for going to berkeley.</p>

4

<p>I've visited both campuses and I still don't have a clear final choice, so I'm asking for second opinions.</p>

5

<p>Go Cornell!!</p>

6

<p>What will the 4 year cost be at both?</p>

7

<p>cornell, hands down. Berk for grad school</p>

8

<p>Personally, I'm leaning towards Berkeley....</p>

9

<p>
[quote]
cornell, hands down. Berk for grad school

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Hands down based on what? Both are similarly good for undergrad, and both are similar schools.</p>

<p>I think that cost should seriously factor into this. What will Cornell cost in terms of loans? You have to ask yourself what the actual cost (in terms of the future value) of the loans, plus the interest, will cost you.</p>

<p>That $25K loan doesn't look so nasty, but don't forget that it collects interest over its lifetime (as long as it's not deferred.)</p>

<p>Even a $50K loan can be overwhelming for someone right out of school.</p>

10

<p>If I go to Cornell, I'll probably graduate with 40k-50k in loans. That'd be manageable on its own, I figure, but on top of that I'll probably be going to grad school or law school, and thus accruing more debt. I'm leaning toward Berkeley at the moment.</p>

11

<p>Even $40-50K is going to cost you quite a bit. Take a look:</p>

<p>Loan Balance: $50,000.00
Loan Interest Rate: 6.80%
Loan Term: 10 years
Minimum Payment: $50.00</p>

<p>Monthly Loan Payment: $575.40
Number of Payments: 120</p>

<p>Cumulative Payments: $69,048.28
Total Interest Paid: $19,048.28</p>

<p>Over the course of 10 years, you're going to rack up almost $20K in interest, and you'll be paying $575 a month. That's a lot of money; it's especially a lot at the entry level.</p>

12

<p>I agree with UCLAri, go to Berkeley it is not worth taking out loans to go to Cornell in this situation</p>

13

<p>I went to Cornell undergrad (I'm from the East Coast) and am now a grad student at Berkeley. Stay in-state. I had an amazing academic experience at Cornell, but the resources at UCB are just as stellar, and the location is infinitely better. Cornell is SO isolated, so there are a lot fewer speakers, performers, etc. who come to campus. Also, the on-campus housing there isn't much better than at Berkeley (and in Ithaca there are a lot fewer off-campus housing options, so the slum lords gouge everyone). </p>

<p>With regard to quality of life, Berkeley again wins out. Obviously the weather is SO much better, and you've also got SF just a short subway ride away. I just remember that at Cornell everything always seemed to be kind of difficult: it's a pain to go out when it snows, no matter where you live it's an uphill walk to campus, and the roads suck for driving and parking. Also, and this many not affect you but it's something I wish I'd considered, there's not a whole lot of school spirit because the athletic program (except for in a few sports, but certainly not football) is mediocre. At Cal there's a lot more to see and be proud of. </p>

<p>Finally: IT'S SO CHEAP! Loans suck; I'll be paying them for the rest of my life. Go to Cal and use all that saved money to buy a house, or pay for grad school!</p>

14

<p>the off campus housing in Berkeley is less expensive than the dorms. Cornell housing ran out of rooom for next year's Sophs. Yes, Cornell is "smaller," but that's a relative term -- Cornell still has 13,500 undergrads, which puts it into the large school category, IMO.</p>

<p>That amount of loans aren't worth it, particularly if you are planning law school.</p>

<p>btw: Cal Engineering is #2 or 3 in the world (up there with MIT and Stanford). Cornell is excellent, as well.</p>

15

<p>Wow, sportsgirl04, that was an insightful post. =)</p>

16

<p>I grew up about an hour from Cornell, and spent my freshman and sophomore years there three decades ago. I later went to Berkeley for law school.</p>

<p>The Cornell campus is breathtakingly beautiful. Ithaca is small, but vibrant, and really caters to college students. (It's also the home of Ithaca College). The weather is not for the timid; you'll spend considerable time in the rain and snow getting to class. Social life is heavily Greek. Back in my day, the work load was very heavy, and the students were sometimes more competitive than collegial in their relations with one another, particularly in pre-med courses, which were aimed to weed people out. I had several large lecture classes with well known, charismatic professors; each had a weekly discussion section led by a graduate student. I took two small classes that were taught by graduate students, one a language class with four students, and the other a freshman writing seminar that was one of the best classes I have ever taken at any level. </p>

<p>Speaking of huge student bodies: mine was 40 pounds heavier at the end of the first semester. The food was outstanding, I'm afraid.</p>

<p>It's a bit of a misnomer to call Cornell an east coast school - it's in the east, but not on the coast. New York City is 3.5 hours away by bus.</p>

<p>Berkeley is much more urban. It's 20 minutes from San Francisco by BART, via Oakland, which Berkeley borders. When I first saw the campus, I found it a bit intimidating. (Take this with a grain of salt - I grew up in a town with two thirds the population of Ithaca.) My wife, who grew up on the Penninsula, and went to Berkeley both for college and law school, was so intimidated when she first saw the campus that she told her parents she had decided to stay at home and go to a JC. (They talked her out if it.) She grew to love the place. She's something of an introvert, but she made an impressive number of lifelong friends there.</p>

<p>Berkeley gets the nod for weather, but there are winters where it seems to rain endlessly for weeks. One stretch during my first year of law school, it rained for 20 days in a 21-day period.</p>

<p>Both schools have very notable social science faculties; Berkeley probably has the edge there. I had a boss who took classes from two future winners of the Nobel Memorial Prize for Economics. Both schools attract very smart graduate students. Some of them will be your TAs, so that's important.</p>

<p>They're both great schools, but $50K is a lot of debt to burden yourself with as an undergraduate. I'd probably learn toward Berkeley, under the circumstances.</p>