<p>I currently attend a California community college and would like to transfer to a UC as a chemical engineering major. The two UC's I am interested in the most are UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara. A few other school I also have in the back of my mind are UCLA, UCSD, and Cal Poly Pomona. I have attended my college for two years and will be staying an additional year to finish a few more prerequisites, thus I will be applying to universities this coming Fall semester. </p>
<p>I do feel a little hesitant to attend Berkeley (if accepted) due to the rigor and prestige, but it is the prestige that makes me want to attend Berkeley. I have heard rumors that the program is supremely difficult and a gpa killer. However, I find the program at UCSB to be as equality as good as the one at Berkeley, but it does lack the bigger name that Berkeley has.</p>
<p>1) Does it matter which college I attend if I plan to go to Graduate school? Would attending Berkeley really increase my chances over UCSB?
2) How big are the class sizes of each college? I really love the personal attention from my professors at my college.
3) Which school offers more research opportunities?</p>
<p>Please note that I have my mind set on chemical engineering and do not plan to change my mind. My current gpa is 3.87 and I have already completed most of the prerequisites required by the major. The community college I attend has an exceptionally good science program [I had scored in the 95th percentile on the ACS Organic Chemistry Exam just recently :) ].</p>
<p>UC Berkeley has the 2nd best ChemE undergrad program in the nation, if I recall correctly (MIT is first). SB is also quite solid, but somewhere in the 20’s I believe.</p>
<p>Regardless of college, just keep the GPA and other activities up, and you should be alright for grad school.</p>
<p>No ideas for the other stuff, sorry.</p>
<p>I would go to UC Berkeley. This idea of “I don’t want to go to the best college in the U.S. for my major because it is going to hurt my grades” is a cop out and I find it to be a silly reason to not attend the top schools. You are going to college to learn. Might as well go the the best school that you can be accepted at.</p>
<p>I will see if I can get the poster “UCBChEGrad” to post here for you.</p>
<p>Complete USNews 2010 Undergrad Engineering Rankings for PhD Granting Schools </p>
<hr>
<p>Undergraduate Engineering Specialties: Chemical</p>
<p>1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA
2 University of California–Berkeley Berkeley, CA
3 University of Minnesota–Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
4 University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison, WI
5 Stanford University Stanford, CA
6 University of Texas–Austin Austin, TX
7 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA
7 University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
9 Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA
10 University of Delaware Newark, DE
11 Princeton University Princeton, NJ
12 University of Michigan–Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
13 Purdue University–West Lafayette West Lafayette, IN
14 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
15 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
16 Pennsylvania State University–University Park University Park, PA
17 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
18 University of California–Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
19 North Carolina State University–Raleigh Raleigh, NC
20 Iowa State University Ames, IA
20 Texas A&M University–College Station College Station, TX
20 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
23 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD
23 University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA
23 University of Washington Seattle, WA
23 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA</p>
<p>Thank you for posting the complete ranking list! </p>
<p>At the Berkeley website I came across this statement:
“Although nearly all of the best chemical engineers are Berkeley graduates, this department, like most other top chemical engineering departments, feels strongly that its’ undergraduates are better served by pursuing graduate studies in a new and different environment. Thus, unless you have obtained a degree elsewhere or have substantial industrial experience since you graduated from Berkeley, we will not admit you to the department for graduate work.” ([UC</a> Berkeley, Dept of Chemical Engineering](<a href=“http://cheme.berkeley.edu/grad_info/faq.php]UC”>http://cheme.berkeley.edu/grad_info/faq.php))</p>
<p>If I attend Berkeley for UG, I can’t attend for Grad school =/</p>
<p>I’m gonna have to disagree with JohnAdams12; Berkeley engineering is by all accounts a warzone, and I think your worries of being overwhelmed by the types of overachievers you’d run into there are not ill-founded, especially considering how you’re learning essentially the same thing at either school.</p>
<p>As for rankings…meh. I’m pretty laidback on those and figure that no employer (well, maybe an investment bank) is going to throw out your resume because you went to UCSB instead of UCB. Both are great schools and you’ll get a great education at either.</p>
<p>Maybe just choose whichever has the nicer location in your opinion?</p>
<p>Bah, I feel like I haven’t been much help, but I put just enough time into this post so that I don’t want to delete it.</p>
<p>chemistrynerd, then go to UC Berkeley undergrad and MIT or Stanford for graduate school.</p>
<p>that wouldn’t be a bad path to take eh?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>svenbay, wow, great advice that you are giving this kid:</p>
<p>Don’t go to UC Berkeley because it is too competitive.</p>
<p>More like “Don’t go to UC Berkeley if you think it’s too competitive especially since you’d be getting the same education at UCSB with less headache”.</p>
<p>I mean, what are YOU trying to tell him? “If you don’t go to UCB just to give yourself a hard time, you’re a sissy”?</p>
<p>Chemistrynerd, you’re right that both Berkeley and Santa Barbara offer strong cheme programs. The department chair at Berkeley got his PhD from UCSB. Definitely apply to both and see what happens. </p>
<p>I’m biased towards Berkeley…yes, the major is hard. Chem E series classes are about 100 students…electives are about 30 students. I imagine they’re similar at SB. If you’re proactive, you can get research positions.</p>
<p>Visit both and then decide. I think Berkeley offers more…pac10 athletics, sf, etc…plus the best chemistry college in the world…the college of chemistry!</p>
<p>Grad school will depend on grades and gre scores over ucb vs ucsb</p>
<p>It’s true grad programs don’t like to promote academic “inbreeding”…but I’m surprised Berkeley is that blunt. Depending on your career goals, you may not need a masters degree. PhDs are only necessary for a career in research or academia. I worked in industry and got an MBA several years later.</p>
<p>Actually, I am planning to go for a career in research or academia. Working in industry is something I’m still considering though. I’ve obtained an nsf funded research position this summer at a nearby university. The research is in chemistry rather than engineering since I don’t have much of a background in engineering just yet. Is it difficult to obtain research positions at Berkeley? Was it hard for you to find a job after graduating? Does location of the school affect where you might be employed (for jobs in industry)?</p>
<p>JohnAdams12, I do like the idea of attending MIT or Stanford for graduate school, but that goal is pretty challenging. I will try my best though. I just don’t like the idea of attending Berkeley for UG and end up at a graduate program ranked lower than Berkeley.</p>
<p>Just as a side note: I’m a female.</p>
<p>
If you’re proactive (i.e. get visible by attending office hours, asking pertinent questions, etc.) you can usually get on with a prof’s research group.</p>
<p>
No, but I did graduate at a time when the economy wasn’t so bad. That being said, engineers are in demand…so I don’t think you’ll have too much difficulty finding a job.</p>
<p>
Yes. Berkeley was recruited by national companies/locations due to its more visible/distinguished engineering programs. However, most of the firms were located in the Bay Area. A school like UCSB is more likely to be recruited from firms based in Southern California. </p>
<p>You can look at each school’s career website and see where grads ended up, or what employers actively recruit on campus. </p>
<p>Here is Berkeley’s info:
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/ChemEngr.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/ChemEngr.stm</a>
[for 2009, it looks like more kids are looking for employment or heading to grad school than in years past…likely due to the slow economy.]</p>
<p>Here is 2008 data:
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/ChemEngr.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/ChemEngr.stm</a>
and 2007:
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2007/ChemEngr.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2007/ChemEngr.stm</a></p>
<p>Past Berkeley Career Fairs Employer Lists:
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Fairs/FairDir.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Fairs/FairDir.stm</a></p>
<p>Keep in mind, if you get a degree from either Berkeley or UCSB, you can get the job you want…you just may have to do more leg work if the firm doesn’t actively recruit on your campus.</p>
<p>
Heh, I understand what you’re saying but there is no guarantee you’ll get into Cal for grad school either. If you get in for undergrad, it could be your only chance to attend Berkeley since admission to Cal’s grad programs are even more competitive.</p>
<p>Also, there is only one school usually ranked better than Berkeley for graduate chemical engineering - MIT. :)</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)
Best Engineering Schools Specialty Rankings: Chemical
Ranked in 2010
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 4.9
2 University of California–Berkeley Berkeley, CA 4.8
3 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 4.7
3 University of Minnesota–Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 4.7
5 Stanford University Stanford, CA 4.5
6 Princeton University Princeton, NJ 4.4
6 University of Texas–Austin (Cockrell) Austin, TX 4.4
6 University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison, WI 4.4
9 University of California–Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 4.2
10 University of Delaware Newark, DE 4.1 </p>
<p>All of these schools are fantastic and, IMO, would not be seen as a “step down” from Berkeley’s chemical engineering grad program.</p>
<p>Thank you, UCBChemEGrad!</p>
<p>I know this thread is about a year old, but I wanted to say that I got into both UCSB and UC Berkeley =)</p>
<p>Also, I decided to SIR to UCSB. I can’t wait to transfer!</p>
<p>So why did you pick UCSB over Cal?</p>
<p>I chose SB because I felt like it was a better fit for me.</p>
<p>I loved the fact that UCSB has a smaller program than the one at Cal. This gives me a better chance to get to know my professors and peers. Also, I talked to a few professors from my college that graduated from UCSB, and they told me that most students there get to participate in research (well…for the ones who want it). They loved it there and highly recommend it. I also talked to a professor who graduated from Cal, but she mostly just gave me tips about how to be productive at Cal (how to find research, etc). </p>
<p>Theres no guarantee I’ll get to know the professors at UCSB, but I have a feeling I’ll have a better chance there than at Cal. Research and letters of recommendations are super important for me because I plan to go to graduate school. Most people told me Cal would help me get into graduate school better than UCSB can, but most people underestimate the program at UCSB because they think it’s a party school (also because Cal is ranked higher). They don’t know how good the ChemE program is at UCSB. It is probably true that more people from Cal get into graduate programs than UCSB students do, but that doesn’t mean UCSB students can’t get into them.</p>
<p>But like I said, I chose SB because I felt like it was a better fit for me. It has great weather, is located in a beautiful area, and is closer to home. Cal used to be my #1 choice until I researched more about the program at UCSB.</p>
<p>Ignore JamesMadison. That’s just rude. I appreciate your response. UCSB is clearly a great school for ChemE. Thanks and good luck.</p>
<p>@chemistrynerd
I know this is an old thread and I am two years late, but I want to know how you liked the chemical engineering program at UCSB? I have also been accepted and am researching which program would be the best for me.</p>
<p>chemistrynerd, Congrats! I know the last post was posted 2 years ago but I just came across this and I’m wondering if you can help me with my college choices. I’m want to get an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering in UC Berkley and hope to get accepted like you.</p>
<p>I’m currently a high school student living overseas but I will be living in Los Angeles County after graduating next year and I’m not sure as to which college I should apply to. My parents told me that if I want to go to college in the US, it has to be a community college preferably around that area. I plan to apply to Santa Monica College, Pasadena City College and Mt. San Antonio College but I’m not sure that they have a strong chemistry program like yours. Can you please suggest some colleges I should apply to? </p>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate it 
Please help!</p>