<p>I've been accepeted to both schools as a mechanical engineering major and am trying to decide where to go. I really like UCLA a lot. It's not too far from home, is a good campus, lots of activity, good sports - basically it seems like a great place to go. I haven't visited Berkeley yet (will be there this Saturday for Cal Day), but from what I hear about it it just doesn't sound that great of a school for me. Right now I am leaning heavily towards UCLA.</p>
<p>But when I tell a lot of people I'm thinking about UCLA over Cal for engineering they seem kind of shocked that I would give up Cal. I realize Berkeley is an amazing school for engineering, but I just don't think I'm going to end up there. I know UCLA is also a good school for engineering, but am I going to be put at some kind of disadvantage choosing LA over Cal, or will a Bachelor's from either school put me in relatively the same position for jobs/grad school/etc?</p>
<p>Cal's engineering school is higher ranked but I would personally choose UCLA over Cal. I just dont like the Cal campus or area at all. The first time I walked on the UCLA campus, it just felt right.</p>
<p>See how you feel about it after you goto Cal Day, then worry about deciding.</p>
<p>I'm not particularly well-versed in their engineering programs, but I agree with VTECaddict. Chose the school atmosphere you like better, and can see yourself living in. Even though Cal and UCLA are both very very close to big cities and in relatively fun areas, the atmospheres are rather different. As far as I know.. there are a lot of engineering jobs in southern california...</p>
<p>(seriously, when are these cal v. ucla threads going to end?!)</p>
<p>i am stuck in the same exact situation as you (except for Comp Sci Eng instead of Mech Eng). i visited LA, and loved the campus, atmosphere, location, people, everything. Also its close to home, and i really think i will get a good college experience from going there. However, im not sure how it relates to Cal's engineering program. for the most part i hear Cal is a bit better, and i asked myself the same thing - will i be at a disadvantage for grad school/jobs if i attend LA over Cal? Im not completely sure, but i am willing to say that at the most part you will be just fine at either of the schools. both are highly ecredited schools. just ask anyone in any part of the nation if they havent heard of Berkeley or UCLA. Also, as said in the post before me, there are many engineering job offers in so cal. These two colleges are almost neck n neck, so i say go with wutever your comfortable with. come on, these r gonna b some of the most influential years of your life, might as well make it somewhere youll enjoy.</p>
<p>(PS - im leaning heavily towards LA as well.)</p>
<p>UCB is ranked higher in pure Mechanical Engineering than UCLA, but UCLA is ranked higher in Aerospace Engineering than UCB. Also, UCLA gets all the SoCal-based defense contractors consistently recruiting Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering graduates on campus every quarter... It all boils down to your personal preferences and long-term goals. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Are you outta your mind ? I would choose UCB in a heartbeat if i were you. Berkeley ranks right with MIT Stanford CalTech in mechanical engineering. It's the world-class engineering school ! ! !</p>
<p>^^^ That is my dilemma. My gut feeling is I won't like the atmosphere, location, etc. of Cal compared to UCLA. If I still feel that way after I visit this weekend, I'm trying to decide whether I should just deal with all of those things for the better degree, or if I should go somewhere I might enjoy myself more for the less quality degree.</p>
<p>Of course, it's not like UCLA is a bad school for engineering - it's great. Which is why I'm curious about people's opinions about a degree from either school. Yes, Cal is up there with MIT/Stanford and whatnot, but does a degree form one of those schools carry enough extra weight with it that it would be worth it to maybe risk not enjoying college as much to have it? Or, as I'm thinking, is a degree from UCLA substantial enough?</p>
<p>think about it this way. whichever school you go to out of the two, you'll still be better off than many people around the world. go where you want and dont let prestige influence you into doing something you dont want to do</p>
<p>Man !!! u should go to Berkeley if money doesn't matter. It's like comparing Prada (UCB) vs NineWest (UCLA) !! You need to drink cold water man. UCB will open many doors to top Graduate Engineering Schools like MIT, CALTech, Stanford, Berkeley !!!!! Think Think Think</p>
<p>you get a LITTLE more prestige with the Acura, but under the surface, they are really close, and theres pros and cons to either choice. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>i hate people that think Cal is the end-all be-all of everything.</p>
<p>what is a diploma but simply a way to get a job?</p>
<p>and if you can get a high-paying job with a UCLA degree almost as easily as you can with a Cal degree...which you certainly can...then why is it such an issue? the real and more relevant issue is what location, what campus, would give you that intangible "college experience" that is so integral to the next four years of your life, and many years after?</p>
<p>you ought to do WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. not what someone else tells you to do, or thinks you should do. life is too short to be a rankings whore.</p>
<p>^^^Agreed, rankings are definetely not everything. I've just always had the impression, especially from these boards, the Cal owns UCLA at engineering, but if there's not that big a difference...</p>
<p>Decision time is coming up fast...any more opinions would be greatly appreciated. By the way, I liked Cal much better than I thought I would. I'm still leaning towards UCLA, but it will probably be a much harder decision now.</p>
<p>You're mostly right about:
1-Cal being outstanding in engineering
2-UCLA being quite good.</p>
<p>I think you might be wrong about your ability ot enjoy Cal. It was such a blast for me. And your first impression of the place might not be as good as it will get once you adapt there.</p>