Hello,
I am a Senior in High School who chose Berkeley over UCLA. Now, I am faced with another dilemma. I was recently taken off the WASHU Waitlist and have been given a full scholarship. At Berkeley, I would be paying around 9,000/year. I have ONLY 3 MORE DAYS to make the decision!
I see the smallness and the community of WashU as a pro, and personally I loved the environment when I visited campus. I enjoyed the environment at Berkeley as well, however, which seems very stimulating - in part because of its size.
Academically, Berkeley is the strongest school in the US… I looked major by major on US News, and while even Harvard sometimes deviates from the top, Berkeley consistently lands in the top 10 (usually top 5). Berkeley also carries more prestige and name recognition than WashU - although WashU is definitely reputable and well respected. WashU generally lands in the top 40, but it is only top 10 in med stuff which I am not interested in.
I am not sure what I want to study, so the flexibility at WashU could be beneficial… I am in letters and sciences at both universities.
At WashU, I could try engineering, while Berkeley engineering is nearly impossible to swich into —WashU engineering is ranked # 41, though, so I don’t know if that would be a good track anyway. At Berkeley, I could major in Computer Science -ranked #3 on US News - from letters and sciences (Though I have never tried computer science and am not sure if I would enjoy it).
Please, your advice would be very helpful. I need to be swayed in one direction or the other, as right now I have no clue what to tell these schools in 3 days.
Is there an obvious choice? If not, what would you choose? Based on what I said what do you think I should choose?
Thanks!
Will it be hard for you to pay the $36,000 premium for Berkeley?
I think you are getting a bit too caught up in the various rankings of the programs, especially for someone who is undecided on a major.
The smaller size and greater flexibility of WUSTL seem to be very appealing to you. Given the cost difference plus the greater flexibility in choosing a major, I think WUSTL may have a slight edge.
I would go with WashU. Berkeley is truly incredible for graduate research. However, its size is not optimal for an undergraduate education, IMO.
Thank you for your input! My parents said not to factor money into the situation, although it’s hard to ignore an extra $36,000. The reason I’m putting emphasis on the rankings of the various programs is because I am undecided. At Berkeley, whatever I end up majoring in will be a top program because they only have top programs. At WashU, I could discover a passion in a certain area but then end up not studying in a top program because not all programs at WU are top - though they are all good.
Is that the wrong approach?
I think you are getting too caught up in rankings. What’s the point of going to a school with slightly higher ranked programs if it’s nearly impossible to switch into those programs? Rankings of specific programs are really more important for grad school anyway. You’ll get an amazing undergraduate education for almost all programs at either of those schools. To me, it seems like Wash U would be a better fit for you because of its small size and flexibility.
It seems as if your are a very analytical person trying to make this decision based on rankings and statistics, but this choice may come down to where you feel you “fit” the best. You don’t have a wrong choice to make. I would look into how hard it is to change majors at Berkeley. This could be a deciding factor.
I agree about not getting too wrapped up in the rankings. Both schools are great, but different. You will get much better support at WUSTL given the size difference. UCB will be very sink or swim, which is not for everyone. Given that you are not sure what path you are on yet, I would say WUSTL.
I see why it is a hard decision. I tend to prefer smaller schools (smaller than Wash U and much smaller than Berkeley) for undergraduate education, so that and the financial difference might make me choose Wash U. OTOH, I would much rather live in Berkeley and have access to the whole SF Bay Area than live in St Louis. If finances were an issue for your parents Wash U would be the clear winner, but if they really want you to take the finances out of the equation, then I think you need to really think about which size and style of institution and surrounding environment you want. Both are excellent schools, so I agree with others that getting too wrapped up in the rankings is not the most useful way to approach the decision (it would be exactly the right thing to think about if this were a decision about grad school, but much less important for undergrad). Sorry to be waffly. I think they are both good choices, just very different ones.
If you are undecided, know that changing majors, especially changing into impacted majors like computer science at Berkeley would be very difficult to impossible to do.
I would choose the smaller school…more personalized attention. Plus Berkeley seems to have a more competitive atmosphere than Wash U. However everybody values different things…you certainly can’t go wrong with either choice. They are both fantastic options.
Thank you profparent that’s really helpful. Qwerty568, at Berkeley I can major in computer science from letters and sciences so I don’t have to switch into it. It’s engineering that would be difficult to switch into. Everything else, I think, is pretty flexible… I’m just not sure if I want to rule out enginneering.
Are you from California? Are you saying you got a full ride from WUSTL? Where would you like to live after graduation? IMHO, if your parents can comfortably afford Berkeley, that would be my recommendation. Compare to WUSTL, Berkeley has instant name recognition, which carries a lot of weight when it comes to job search. If Engineering is your final choice of major, Berkeley has an excellent Engineering School. Although it might be difficult to switch into the Engineering Program, with excellent grades in your first year, you might be able to get into their Engineering program
Yes, I am from Los Angeles and would like to live here - at least part time - after college as well.
You can’t switch into Engineering at Berkeley after a year (or it’s very unlikely) no matter what grades you get.
http://engineering.berkeley.edu/admissions/undergrad-admissions/change-college
If Wash U allows you to try engineering and that is something you are interested in, I think it would be the better school for you.
Thanks for the stats. I’m not set on engineering, it’s just that I don’t want to rule it out as a possibility and it sounds interesting.
@coolweather You cannot compare the employment surveys of Berkeley and Wash U. Berkeley surveyed its graduates before they left school. Wash U surveyed Spring 2014 grads in January 2015. So the Wash U grads had months to find employment after they graduated and presumably could afford to be more mobile than students still in college.
Additionally, I believe the 8 semester graduation rate at Berkeley is much higher than its four year graduation rate even though they purport to measure much the same thing.
^ Your first point could be correct. But it does not mean WUSTL engineering degree is not hot.
Also, you can compare the rate for graduate schools (available long before graduation) to see the difference.
I don’t understand your second point.
I didn’t disagree that Wash U isn’t a good school for engineering, a point which frankly is likely moot for the OP (this sounds like a student who will soon discover a major that they hadn’t considered before once actually enrolled in college).
My second point was that while Berkeley’s four year graduation rate is lower than Wash U’s, data which I can’t find at the moment, shows that the 8 semester graduation rate at Berkeley is very high. Basically that means that many students take 4.5 or 5 years to actually graduate when in reality they only took four years or fewer of classes.