<p>I think I'm going to end up deciding between Johns Hopkins and Berkeley, and I have no idea which to pick. I'm probably going into business; I'm from CA and didn't apply for FA so Berkeley is cheaper, but I wanted to go out of state/to a private. Any advice, pros/cons?</p>
<p>Any advice is appreciated!</p>
<p>You know, I'm almost always going to support JHU. But this is one of those rare cases where I'd have to say Berkeley is a more logical choice.</p>
<p>Hopkins is expensive. At JHU your parents (or whomever is paying your tuition) would be pulling around $200,000 from their pockets over the next four years. As you said, Berkeley is cheaper.</p>
<p>Berkeley is more well-known for its business programs. Though that's not to say that Hopkins doesn't have students attending very reputable business schools. But simply put, Berkeley actually has a graduate business school, and it's in the top 10.</p>
<p>I'm not sure what you're looking for in terms of things outside of academics, but my guess is that Berkeley will have a lot more to offer. I'm going to Hopkins because its medical facilities and opportunities best any other university out there. But you're interested in business, so I'd say go with Berkeley.</p>
<p>If the question was Berkeley out-of-state vs. Hopkins, then Hopkins would be the definate winner. When I visited Berkeley as an OOS student and met with the chair of the bioengineering department, he basically told me not to come to Berkeley from out of state - it would be better for me to either pay in-state tution and attend my own (massive) state school or pay full tuition and go to a private school where I would get much more personalized attention than I would at Berkeley. </p>
<p>Because you're in-state at Berkeley and also interested in business, it makes the question a lot tougher. First of all, Berkeley is (probably) a lot cheaper for you than Hopkins. Also, Berkely has a Business Administration major (though you don't enter it till junior year) while Hopkins has a Entrepeneurship and Management minor and an Economics minor/major. </p>
<p>If you can, I would advise you to visit both Cal and JHU and see how you like each of them before you make a decision</p>
<p>Berkeley has a reputation of focusing much more on research/grad school studens rather than on undergraduate studies.</p>
<p>The best advice I can add is to take the time (if possible) and visit both campuses. Walk around and see if you can see yourself there for four years. Speak with the current students and see if these are the people you want to live and debate with for four years. Meet the faculty and question whether or not these are the people you want to learn from. ETC....</p>
<p>Invest time in this process and you will make the right decision. Obviously money always plays a factor and you should continue to have that discussion with your parents. But in the end don't rely just on the comments of some anonymous message board -- check out the school's websites, visit the campuses, and in the end you will make the RIGHT decision.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>