<p>pros:
-smaller class size
-direct admit to Olin</p>
<p>cons:
-59k (no FA)
-Missouri's harsh winter</p>
<h1>UCBerkeley: </h1>
<p>pros:
-in state, $30k
-1 hr from home
- higher ranking</p>
<p>cons:
-competitions
-if not admitted by Haas (apply as a sophomore), will need to settle for an<br>
economics major.</p>
<h1>Tulane: </h1>
<p>pros:
-altman program in international studies and business (double major)
-$30k annual tuition (has been awarded Presidential scholarship)
- small class size </p>
<p>From my view, I’m not sure that Tulane offers anything that washu or Berkeley doesn’t, so I will focus on comparing those two.</p>
<p>Pro-WUSTL:
I don’t know the acceptance rate to Haas, but even if it is fairly high, I do view direct admission to Olin as a fairly sizable advantage. You begin taking business courses your freshman year, and don’t have to settle for a major as a result of not being admitted to the b-school.
I wouldn’t weight the harshness of the winter all that much. There are plenty of SoCal students here, and they all deal with the weather pretty well. St. Louis is generally not as bad as other, more northern, midwest cities.
Finally, I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that Berkeley has a higher ranked program. While there are legitimate concerns regarding the validity of BusinessWeek rankings, the most recent ones have WUSTL above UCB.</p>
<p>Pro-Berkeley:
The cost is obviously a huge factor. I know nothing about your financial situation, but the difference is quite sizable, and I’m skeptical that washu is THAT much better than Berkeley.
I can’t comment much on your point regarding geographic location, as that is something which varies quite widely from person to person. Some people love to spend a few years in another part of the country, while others love the convenience that comes with living nearby where you grew up.</p>
<p>I think your choice is between Cal and WashU. I would probably go with Cal because of the financial savings - especially with the potential of law school (cost).</p>
<p>In regards to ranking, us news has berkeley higher (#3) but wash u is higher in businessweek (#4), so they are most likely relatively close. If your concerned with money then probably berkeley is the best option. But wash u is extremely flexible so you can easily double major outside olin and have a second major in international relations. And your already guarenteed into the business school at wash u so you dont have to worry about getting into the b school.</p>
<p>If money is not an Issue, you’re definitely going to get a better education at WashU with smaller class sizes, more accessible professors and abundant opportunities. The UC’s are not in a good state at the moment due to budget cuts etc. But if money is a HUGE factor, then go with Cal.</p>
<p>money is a consideration. yes, my parents can pay for my UG education. but $250k is the absolute maximum. If i spend it all on UG, there will be nothing left for law school/MBA. if i could pay less for a comparable program, i would prefer it. i understand everything comes at a cost.</p>
<p>Washu is far superior in terms of quality of education as well as dorms/food. It is easy to double major too, so the only thing Tulane has is the price. But Berkeley is better than Tulane for the same price, so I simply don’t consider it as good as your other two options.</p>