Cal vs USC vs Penn

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
41

<p>Here's one source.
According to Chancellor Robergineau:
". Tell us more about middle-income students.
A. Middle-class people are the most disadvantaged by this system. If you are admitted to Berkeley and your family income is above $90,000, we currently provide zero, or close to zero, financial aid. You must cover the total cost of $25,000 on your own. According to Harvard’s new financial-aid scheme, if you instead went to Harvard you would pay only 10 percent of that family income, which would be $9,000 for a $90,000-per-year family. That’s hugely different. "</p>

<p>01.30.2008</a> - Chancellor Birgeneau on keeping public universities affordable: ‘We have to start now’</p>

<p>I could very well dissect your posts sentence by sentence as well, but I'd like to spend more time more efficiently.</p>

42

<p>Yes. Come on future and fellow alums, donate to Berkeley!</p>

<p>I'm proud of my alma mater, warts and all. Seriously, if other top publics can have a much higher alumni giving rate, why can't Berkeley? Berkeley seriously needs to focus on raising private funds to compete in the future and remain the #1 public university, in light of threatened state funding.</p>

<p><em>Steps down from soap box</em></p>

43

<p>I am also curious as to why more Berkeley alumni don't donate back. Is it due to lack of loyalty or that the alumni don't make as much as their ivy league counterparts. I mean, there are around 4-5k seniors graduating every year and Berkeley has been around a while.</p>

44

<p>Okay, all of this financial stuff aside for a moment, I really think Cal gives students the greatest chance to advance intellectually. Some will look at the reasons as a disadvantage-large classes, more students, etc.-than SC or Penn. But Cal students are forced to find their way quickly, and thus gain intellectual independence faster than many of their IL counterparts. The going may be tough in the beginning, but few students regret such a rigorous yet rewarding experience. As a visiting Harvard professor told my brother's English class at Berkeley last year, "You students in the UC system earn your grades. At Harvard, you pay, you win." So if the OP wants connections, hand-held advice, etc., with a great education, they should go to Penn. If they want intellectual independence, social growth, and one of the toughest, yet most rewarding educations in the world, they should go to Berkeley.</p>

45

<p>Go to Berkeley or Penn! What's so great about Berkeley's undergrad programs? Most of them have the EXACT same professors as our graduate programs! And in case you haven't checked recently...we have great graduate programs. If you want to be challenged, go to Cal or Penn. If you want an easy ride, go to USC.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

46

<p>Berkeley right now is in the quiet face of the most sophisticated fundraising campaign in its history.....I think about 4-5 months ago they were around 850 million raised of the 2B goal which doesn't include the Hewlett gift I'm pretty sure. I'm going to try to get involved at the call center. Berkeley being a public institution has the perception that the state will pay to support it, and unlike privates, does not have the tradition of alumni giving back.......yet. I was looking some of the alumni of Berkeley and there is definitely some potential for massive donations...... many billionaires. One thing that does bother me is that alot of Berkeley alum give to other schools. Gordon Moore went to Berk and while he gives some money he gave 600 million to Caltech...his grad school, which is already wealthy and really small. I was also at the Furd and saw he has a hall named after him and there's also a Gates hall.....which I don't know why Bill would give to wealthy stanford but not berk.....ive also read of Berk alums giving millions to the ives...Princeton has Whitman Hall who is a berk alum.... I think its time our alum step up! We need another Phoebe Hearst to adopt our school as a pet project.(:</p>

47

<p>kyledavid80 has nothing to say in response to the source provided?</p>

48

<p>I hope the OP understands that he's posting this in a forum of Berkeley students, obviously to us, we think Cal is the bestest/greatest thing to happen on earth. Maybe he should try this same thread at the UPenn subforum.</p>

49

<p>Sorry, I hadn't seen it.</p>

<p>
[quote]
". Tell us more about middle-income students.
A. Middle-class people are the most disadvantaged by this system. If you are admitted to Berkeley and your family income is above $90,000, we currently provide zero, or close to zero, financial aid. You must cover the total cost of $25,000 on your own. According to Harvard’s new financial-aid scheme, if you instead went to Harvard you would pay only 10 percent of that family income, which would be $9,000 for a $90,000-per-year family. That’s hugely different. "

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I have a feeling that this is largely to pressure the state legislature to improve financial aid, because there are tons of students with such incomes who get more financial aid than that. I know that just from experience. Again, unfortunately, I don't know of any truly detailed info on who actually gets what in financial aid. Perhaps such info can be found from the StatFinder (which does not work for me, so you'd have to check on that).</p>

<p>
[quote]
I could very well dissect your posts sentence by sentence as well, but I'd like to spend more time more efficiently.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>It takes me very little time. And when I do, you know exactly what I'm addressing, instead of fumbling to figure out what my point is. =)</p>

50

<p>Well, considering how many posts you have on collegeconfidential and only joined in Dec 2006 it shows you've spent a lot of your spare time practicing =)</p>

51

<p>^^ er, that's your response?</p>

<p>(FWIW, I've had my "practice" in debate courses and much online participation. Not to mention I go on CC on breaks and such, so it's not difficult to make posts.)</p>

52

<p>Averaging 13-14 posts per day for more than a year is quite a feat. Did you list CC as an EC?</p>

53

<p>
[quote]
Berkeley right now is in the quiet face of the most sophisticated fundraising campaign in its history.....I think about 4-5 months ago they were around 850 million raised of the 2B goal which doesn't include the Hewlett gift I'm pretty sure. I'm going to try to get involved at the call center. Berkeley being a public institution has the perception that the state will pay to support it, and unlike privates, does not have the tradition of alumni giving back.......yet. I was looking some of the alumni of Berkeley and there is definitely some potential for massive donations...... many billionaires. One thing that does bother me is that alot of Berkeley alum give to other schools. Gordon Moore went to Berk and while he gives some money he gave 600 million to Caltech...his grad school, which is already wealthy and really small. I was also at the Furd and saw he has a hall named after him and there's also a Gates hall.....which I don't know why Bill would give to wealthy stanford but not berk.....ive also read of Berk alums giving millions to the ives...Princeton has Whitman Hall who is a berk alum.... I think its time our alum step up! We need another Phoebe Hearst to adopt our school as a pet project.(:

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I used to work at the Alumni Association, tis true. Far less of our alumni donate to Cal than Ivies' alumni donate to Ivies. (I think it's about half as much percentage wise, so if 40% of Ivies' alumni donate, only 20% of ours donate.) Plus we donate far less money. It's sad since we rely on all of this giving for scholarships and student services including the ASUC. Our tuition doesn't cover any of this.</p>

54

<p>
[quote]
Berkeley doesn't release than information, unfortunately. They do have detailed financial aid info in their CDS, though.</p>

<p>If you think that Berkeley is going to give out full merit rides (which I'm assuming you do since you said "100% due to financial need"), then no, it doesn't. Neither do top privates, for the most part. They look at financial need.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yes, I am talking about full-ride merit scholarships. Cal only gives full-ride scholarships (not referring to grants) to athletes. Privates tend to hand out more full-ride merit scholarships, more money to give.</p>

<p>
[quote]
No, again, the overwhelming majority cannot. The top privates can. And so can the top publics.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Isn't Berkeley the #1 public? .....</p>

<p>
[quote]
Such generalizations...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yes, generalizations are "generally" true...I have lived off campus for 3 years, near campus. The buildings close to campus are generally 100 years old.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Wrong again. Berkeley's annual budget is ~$1.6 billion. Only between around $105 million comes from private gifts. Much of Berkeley's expenses are paid from the endowment, from outside sources, etc. Academic support, student services, institutional support, etc. all cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Alumni donations wouldn't fit the bill.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>This is totally untrue. I worked at the Alumni Association and asked Alumni for donations. We don't usually spend our endowments, unless are renovating buildings on campus for example (hence institutional). All of the money for student resources, like Bearwalk, ASUC, scholarships, school's grants comes from donations. Institutional expenses are covered by the endowment while salaries are covered by tuition.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Yes, because I'm sure you've surveyed all those math and science classes to make such a generalization, right?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Well I've taken my fair share, so sure whatever.</p>

<p>Anyway this is getting really boring...I can't be bothered to copy and paste each thing you said.</p>

<p>Summarily, Berkeley is generally known for its grad programs while U Penn is generally known for its undergrad.</p>

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<p>morsvenit: Why get on someone's case when they're just trying to help people? I've been posting here for a while, and I've found kyle to be one of the most helpful, respectful, and knowledgeable people on here-on any college thread.</p>

56

<p>Yeah, seriously...I can see we all have fantastic social lives on Valentine's Day...:rolleyes:</p>

57

<p>
[quote]
I used to work at the Alumni Association, tis true.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>NeedAdvice, did you solicit alumni for donations? If you did, out of curiosity, what were the alums responses as to why they couldn't donate?</p>