<p>“(Although I guess I ended up here because I tossed a damn coin…best out of 7.)” </p>
<p>Lmao. For some reason I just thought this statement was hilarious.</p>
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<p>Going into this in a little more depth though, there are cases when it might be very much felt the opposite. People I know visiting graduate schools have said the atmosphere in certain departments is simply cozier, no questions asked. Sometimes the department commented as such on belongs to us.</p>
<p>If one’s primary involvement in a school is in a certain department, and not so much with the overall school, then this sort of consideration can very much apply to undergrad.</p>
<p>I encourage actually visiting and getting a feel for these types of things. Vast generalizations don’t help people make real decisions, even if they can be fine in a general debate.</p>
<p>Chemical Engineering rankings:</p>
<p>[Chemical</a> - Best Engineering Schools - Graduate Schools - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-engineering-schools/chemical-engineering]Chemical”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-engineering-schools/chemical-engineering)</p>
<p>Probably the most compelling argument I can make for Cal over Stanford is that if you’re the kind of person who is content to glide through life and let things happen to you (as I was four years ago), then you’re likely to grow a lot more as a person by going to a school like Cal which is by almost all standards more impersonal, less concerned with helping you succeed, and has fewer resources at your disposal than at Stanford. For this reason, and this reason alone, I’m ecstatic that I didn’t get into Stanford and had to “settle” for Cal. I went to a small, elite high school with great teachers and wonderful individual attention, and it was an extremely valuable learning environment. However, here at Cal is where I believe I have taken significant leaps in nearly all aspects of my personal growth, partly because I believe Cal’s atmosphere is more conducive to fostering independence than is Stanford’s.</p>
<p>With that being said, I still think you should go to Stanford. You can grow through any number of experiences; this is just the one that I happen to have. The worst-case scenario if you go there is that you’ll have a bit more adjusting to do when you enter post-undergraduate life. The worst-case scenario if you go to Cal is that you’ll struggle to find yourself and end up hating the years you spend here, just biding your time before you can leave. This isn’t my perspective at all, but unfortunately I know many people who have become extremely disillusioned here (including several on this board, I believe).</p>
<p>hmmm…placing boss at the end of your name doesn’t exactly mean you’re good at school or college for that matter. It makes you sound more or less like a ******bag. You misspelling of “coLLLege” is really not helping your case either. Just sayin. :)</p>
<p>woolybugger is right in that you’ll grow more as a person being thrown into a more real world situation and while it can be a nice coming of age story to tell your grand kids… I’d rather have a velvet cushioned roller coaster ride rather than one of those hard seated ones.</p>
<p>anyways I’m glad that people are being honest and this hasn’t degenerated into a fat flame war in which case I’d bring some hamburgers. I’m glad Cal is known to be a fierce rival of a school as good as Stanford. When people try to trump up UCLA or UCSD vs. Cal we just blink and think nothing of it.</p>
<p>beerom wow that was the nerdiest comeback ever. ever. colllegeboss is right.</p>
<p>hahaha. The first three comments on your thread completely contradict you being a “boss.” Hopefully your thread wasn’t serious because I thought it was funny in the sense that you seem like a total dick yet you’re trying to tell others how to be socially interactive. I can’t imagine that you have much success in that field if you’re really as ******y as some others might presume.</p>
<p>Good topic I loled.</p>
<p>Beerom, there’s nothing sadder than somebody trying to ■■■■■ and failing. It’s not that hard.</p>
<p>I can attest the Beerom isn’t a ■■■■■. He’s just more amused by internet idiocy than I am.</p>
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Yea, kids who grew up in Compton have more life skills than kids who grew up in the OC, but that doesn’t mean they are more likely to succeed in life. Tough makes you a better person, but the fewer opportunities means the chances you can apply them are decreased</p>
<p>I don’t think a hard life always makes better people. Some people might become desperate, bitter, damaged, ruthless, etc.</p>
<p>So you agree that it makes me a better person?</p>
<p>A hard life can make a better person if one actually rises out of it…what if one never does? </p>
<p>I think if one is to compare these schools it should be on the basis of atmosphere more. The academics are exceptionally well-rounded and simultaneously world-class at both, and both have good weather.</p>
<p>I like Berkeley’s atmosphere better than Stanford’s. Stanford to me appeared too pretentious. At Berkeley, there is such a large number of people that it is impossible to be out of place. You can do anything at Berkeley and you still wouldn’t stand out. Also, the city of Berkeley was more lively than Palo Alto.</p>
<p>Berkeley teaches you to be independent. Not everyone can succeed. Reality punches you in the face. Over here, only the strong, f*** the rest.</p>
<p>Berkeley has a better ChemE program</p>
<p>But go to Stanford if its cheaper, although that seems weird to me, it would only be cheaper if you have a really low EFC, and if you did get into stanford, im surprised you didn’t get regents at Berkeley which would probably make them cost the same</p>
<p>Go to Stanford. The guy above talking about how you’ll get more out of Cal if you’re used to coasting is right - you will get more out of Cal in terms of personal growth than you will out of Stanford.</p>
<p>That said, personal growth opportunities frankly do not outweigh the fact that Stanford is a brand name, and going there is tantamount to getting a special piece of paper that entitles you to higher immediate respect and opportunities than most others - a piece of paper that beyond this basic usefulness is also VERY difficult to lose, not to mention all-but-guaranteed to you once you’ve started the process of earning it.</p>
<p>I love Cal. I can’t say I would have been too eager to go to Stanford had I gotten in there but not into any of the other places I had ranked above Cal, and I’m actually kinda happy I didn’t get in, since that let me avoid a choice I don’t really think I would have wanted to make. But that said, I would <em>NEVER</em> counsel anyone to take Cal over Stanford unless it would near-permanently cripple that person’s finances to do so. Cal has a brand name of its own - a pretty damn strong one, outside of California - but Stanford’s will earn you more points almost anywhere.</p>
<p>To be completely honest, it’s almost universally agreed that both Stanford and Cal are top tier schools in ChemE. So, with that in mind, you should pick whichever one feels right.</p>
<p>I’m an EECS major, and the decision between Cal/Stanford was supposedly an even harder one considering that Cal/Stanford/MIT tend to rotate in terms of being at the top. Hence, it was a very subjective matter.</p>
<p>What did make the difference for me, though, was the fact that when I visited both Cal and Stanford, I felt comfortable with Cal, but not Stanford. To me, Stanford felt like that girl that people universally considered attractive, but just wasn’t my type at all. Objectively speaking, Stanford had a cleaner campus, lots of trees, and is located in a nice area. Yet, when I went there, my main thoughts were: too many trees, the environment feels fake (no matter how much I can prove it to be real), the suburbia feels awkward, I don’t feel I can ever fit it, and I didn’t feel welcome based on everyone I met. Yet, here at Cal, despite the hobos on the streets, the dangerous environment, and the obvious imperfections, it immediately clicked. With that in mind, I knew I didn’t want to go to Stanford and didn’t even waste time applying.</p>
<p>However, your case may be different. What if you find Berkeley’s urban environment repulsive? How about if you’d prefer a more academic feel? Perhaps you think it’s cruel that most people have GPA’s in the 2.x range?</p>
<p>It’s a very subjective matter, and when it comes down to things, you should go to the one that feels right. Stanford was clearly not for me, but it’s clear that there are many people who are very happy over there. Also, while I love Cal, there are some people that hate this place.</p>
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<p>Let’s keep things in perspective here, we’re talking Cal vs. Stanford, both of which are extremely good schools. One may be better than the other to some people but don’t exaggerate things and make it sound like Stanford is astronomically better than Cal.</p>