<p>Hey, I think US News gives you a quick idea of the gap between the two programs. If I just say "Berkeley's engineering school has amazing faculty" well that doesn't tell you much. If I say "Berkeley's engineering school has amazing faculty and produce cutting-edge research while UCLA's faculty is not as good and they don't produce as much research" well that tells you a little more but it's still hard to tell how much of a gap there is between the two programs. US News rankings gives you a nice quantifiable idea of where two schools stand. Sure it's not perfect but I think it's pretty useful given the context, and it's probably more reputable than some random online poster. What makes Berkeley #2 and UCLA #19 other than "US News says so"? The general things that make one engineering program better than another. Better faculty, higher quality students, better job prospects (in my opinion), more prestige, better research, etc. My point is, if you want to compare two engineering schools (or two schools in general) and don't have the time to do in-depth research (like many posters) I think US News is a pretty good tool.</p>
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My take on this is that if you get active in what UCB has to offer, then it has the potential to essentially be the best engineering pogram there is. If a student simply does class work it has a slight edge due to the prestige factor. Would this be a fair assesment?
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<p>I agree with your first statement. But in my opinion even if you don't get active in everything UCB has to offer, it still provides one of the best undergrad engineering program out there (the others being Stanford and MIT). If you simply do class work I still think it gives you a noticible advantage over UCLA simply because many engineers just want to scrape by with a 2.0 and get that degree. It's the Berkeley engineering degree that gives you the edge in jobs, etc. You don't need to get involved in all kinds of ECs or get a really high GPA (although that helps).</p>
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How do you know many engineers just want to scape by with a 2.0?
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<p>I think I would characterize the situation as being that many engineering students at many schools may come in hoping to succeed in a wide range of tasks (high GPA, lots of internships, lots of EC's, etc.), but then end up having their expectations so dramatically lowered, particularly by the engineering weeder courses, that they end up being reduced to a state where they all want to do is just pass. I've certainly known quite a few engineering students who went through this transformation. As incoming freshmen, they plan to accomplish an entire kaleidoscope of activities - but a year or 2 later, all they want to do is avoid flunking out.</p>
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How do you know many engineers just want to scape by with a 2.0?
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<p>Because I've talked to many engineers who have told me "I just want to scrape by with a 2.0." To be more specific, I've been told "I don't care what my GPA is, as long as I graduate" and "I just have to stay above a 2.0" and "I'm trying to raise my GPA to a 2.3 so I can get work-study" and "I'm just trying to avoid academic probation right now", among other responses.</p>
<p>The average engineering GPA is somewhere around a 2.5-2.7, plus a few failed classes. When they mean "scrape by with a 2.0," they probably mean this on a semester basis.</p>
<p>Interesting. I haven't been too many of those who says that they are just trying to scape by, and I'm an engineer myself. Likewise, most people I knew who applied got into Haas this year. </p>
<p>Obviously, this all means that those who are lucky enough to know me are successful... :)</p>
<p>unlimitex, don't you know that unless your experience shows that berkeley is impossible to get through and/or a horrible place than you must be an anomoly?</p>
<p>About 60% of Berkeley continuing students who apply to Haas will get in. Of course that's just talking about those that apply - plenty of students don't even bother to apply because they know they won't get in.</p>
<p>"Of course that's just talking about those that apply - plenty of students don't even bother to apply because they know they won't get in."</p>
<p>I'm sure plenty of people apply who know they don't really have a chance but apply anyway, so the "real" acceptance rate is probably much higher for qualified students.</p>
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I'm sure plenty of people apply who know they don't really have a chance but apply anyway, so the "real" acceptance rate is probably much higher for qualified students.
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<p>Considering that the average continuing admitted student has a 3.63 GPA, which would qualify you for graduating with distinction ("cum laude"), you have to be rather qualified indeed to get admitted.</p>
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The average non-first semester Cal student has a 3.63? Really?
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<p>Come on, dobby, you should be able to have obtained by context that the average continuing * admitted * student (which, by context, is a student admitted * to the Haas School*) has a 3.63. The upshot is that it's no walk in the park to get into Haas.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Berkeley has a far more fossil collections that LA, they have a broader number of professors to research under, and they provide a diverser opportunity of types of paleontology to specialize in</p></li>
<li><p>The OP was asking about their academic quality</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Sorry I am new to the forum and don't know how to use the quoting tool, but here are some things that people said that I found interesting. Getting back to the generalized nature of discussion I thought this would be an appropriate posting.</p>
<p>"...degrees won't make much of a difference, especially with UCLA in an "up-swing" era (recently named a "new ivy" by newsweek I think)..."</p>
<p>"You have to consider though, that the gap in prestige is not that large unless you go international or something."</p>
<p>Do these points have a lot of merit, or just people speculating? Is UCLA truly on an upswing in terms of reputation? How great is the difference in reputation internationally?</p>
<p>I don't know how much UCLA is on an "upswing," really. I think it's pretty much hit its mark as somewhere in the top echelon, and it will stay there, crowding with the other schools. </p>
<p>Having lived in Japan, I can say that both Cal and UCLA are respected. UCLA has a different appeal, but it's definitely seen as a "smart" school.</p>