<p>hey guys, i got off the waitlist for columbia and i can't decide between columbia and UC Berkeley now...ahh! i know they're both great schools, and i think they're comparable in terms of quality of education and prestige, etc., so right now for me it comes down to the communities. is there a certain culture at each school? i would especially love info about columbia since i know less about it. i'm a prospective english major who's interesting in just about everything, but especially interested in writing. i'd love any input!</p>
<p>Just curious, does cost matter for you at all?</p>
<p>cost isn't a concern right now, although the fact that berkeley has better value (as in great education for so much less money) isn't lost on me.</p>
<p>it depends. Huge core curriculum is at Columbia if you want it ( i would never want it). Both look especially good for grad school admissions, as well as both having great world prestige (Cal probably moreso) and amazing professors. That being said, there are many pluses about Cal (including price). I think you will get a great education at both, but if you are not a very active and self driven person, than i suggest Columbia because at Berkeley, it is much less personal.</p>
<p>academically, reputation-wise for your major, they are a wash. i personally wouldn't want to go to school in new york, and berkeley is a really cool place. so i'd personally choose cal. it all depends on your needs though. why not give each place a visit?</p>
<p>I agree with the above posters. You really can't go wrong, and should consider the environments. Do you prefer bustle-bustle New York or unique/liberal Bay Area? Both are booming with culture and you'd never be bored. Do you like large core curricula? If so, Columbia might be ideal.</p>
<p>A factor to consider is that with Cal's larger population you will less personal attention from your professors than Columbia.</p>
<p>while cal berkeley is definitely respected... it's not equal to Columbia University's reputation at a world wide level. Columbia is an Ivy League school, has a huge endowment relative to Berk's, and has the most nobel prizes in the world. at the graduate level, Berkeley is highly regarded. At the undergrad level, Columbia is defintely more prestigious.</p>
<p>TruAzn, nobel prizes aren't that important for someone studying undergrad. </p>
<p>Nobel prize winners are usually professors oriented towards research and graduate studies.</p>
<p>Think about this: where will you be happier, and how much will you give up by attending one school over the other?</p>
<p>For writing, by which I assume you mean creative writing, an important consideration is how difficult it is to get into writing workshop classes. How many are offered, who teaches them, how large are they. (You can look up prof reviews at Columbia -- just google CULPA. Since writing classes need to be small, how popular are they, and how competitive to enroll in at Cal. I would strongly suspect that you are more likely to get into them at Columbia, but that's something to investigate.</p>
<p>In case you don't know, Columbia has just started an undergrad creative writing major. Also, its MFA writing program is very good, and being in NYC means a large pool of affiliated writers. There have even been writing seminars offered by grad students that are given outside of the curriculum, without the pressure of grades, just for undergrads who want to work on their writing. NYC, of course, offers the opportunity to attend lots of readings. Cal does not have an MFA program, though it does have an excellent English department.</p>
<p>In other words, look at both schools in terms of your particular interests. It doesn't matter which has more Nobel winners in chemistry, unless you're going to be a chemist. (In terms of full disclosure, though my S is at Columbia, there are many people on this board I've urged to give strong consideration to Cal. Again, it depends on their interests, their finances, their future plans.)</p>
<p>Columbia and Cal are very similar in that they have very large and dominant graduate schools. They are also very similar in that they are strong across the academic spectrum, although Cal is better in Engineering and offers Business to undergrads. Where they are different is in campus culture and environment. Cal has a more spreadout campus in a small college town right next to a large city. Columbia has a very compact campus in the heart of a huge city. Cal has a rather spirited athletic tradition, Columbia doesn't. 90% of Cal students are from California, compared to 60% of Columbia coming from the NE. Columbia will probably have a greater reputation on the East Coast whereas Cal will likely have a greater reputation on the West Coast. In the rest of the nation (and the World for that matter), both schools are equally regarded. Cal is the #1 public university in the US and Columbia is an Ivy League. In terms of academics and reputation, you cannot go wrong. However, you should figure out which university fits your personality, academic style/interests and professional goals/aspirations best.</p>
<p>^^ nice assessment, Alexandre.</p>
<p>Truazn...i personally am gonna have to disagree. I mean columbia is extremely well known world wide and all, but not like Berkeley.<br>
Sure columbia has given birth to great world political leaders, but not to some of the truly most revolutionizing creations ever invented. </p>
<p>You do realize that the King of all weapons was created at Berkeley. Yup, the Nuclear bomb, the singlemost feared object in the world, was first invented at Berkeley. Were talkin one of the single reasons why the US has had the most feared military presence in the world since the end of the 1940s. </p>
<p>A political leader is known by a country, but the King of Bombs is known by the world.</p>
<p>Sure columbia prestige is great and all (top 10 for sure), but to compare it to the headquarters of chemical revolutions would be insane. (MIT i would say is up with Cal in prestige, but for different scientific findings and stuff).</p>
<p>Between the two, i would choose Cal also, but only really because i hate Columbia's huge core. I mean i would love to go to cal, heck ide be 5th generation in my family, 15 person to go, but i cant get in easily (my freshman and sophomore grades are lacking...unless they take my upward trend into consideration (3.2 to a 4.2 student from sophomore year to junior year.)
and that my family has donated millions (which didnt seem to help my brother who had a 3.5 ucgpa and a 2050 sat)
but i have almost a 3.75 so maybe.</p>
<p>Anyway, back to my point, both are great schools, and i love berkeley and allm but i would die to go to school in NYC (just me, but im dying to get out of California...i live by sacramento). </p>
<p>If you want to do business, go to Cal.
If you want to do sciences/engineering go to cal.
If you want polisci, both are good choices.
If you want any type of asian studies, cal has one of the best (probably the best) EAS program in the country.</p>
<p>If you want anything else, its a tossup. Just choose what you want.</p>
<p>thanks guys! i know i can't go wrong, but then again, i know they're very different. what about the culture at columbia? i know that there are so many people at berkeley that you can find any kind of person, but the student body is dominantly very liberal, etc. (i've grown up in the bay area so i feel like i get the environment at cal). but how about columbia? is there anything definitive about the culture? i know the core is a big part, but that's academic. thanks so much again.</p>
<p>I can't say I agree with all of BIGTWIX's recommendations except for business, because Columbia doesn't have an undergraduate business school, it just depends on what you're looking for within the department, Columbia has one of the best polisci programs and from what I hear, a great East Asian studies program as well. </p>
<p>The big question is now..New York City or no New York City?</p>
<p>Peruse the Columbia board for the questions you have on social life, etc and you can feel free to PM me so I can give you what my personal impression is, however, I have not matriculated yet..this is just my information from the entire process. You can guess what school I'll be pushing :)</p>
<p>Bigtwix, ever hear of the Manhattan Project? Well, it wasn't named that because it was ever housed or researched or developed in Berkeley, CA. The building were atomic research was pioneered at Columbia is on the register of National Historic Landmarks.</p>
<p>Joshua, Asian Studies at Columbia is superlative.</p>
<p>Yes i heard of it...that was the whole project. it was pioneered at columbia, but then robert oppenheimer was selected to oversee it at Cal</p>
<p>I'm not sure, when the OP is interested in English and writing, people are going on about business and the atomic bomb and whether Cal or Columbia is better known in Asia... </p>
<p>As to the specific questions about campus culture, Columbia also leans liberal, similar to Cal. You will find more East Coast students there, of course, (though, second to New York state, the largest group is from California). There is definitely a difference in coastal cultures, and Columbia radiates NYC intensity. You'll probably also find more students coming from private rather than public schools at Columbia than at Cal and probably more international undergrads at Columbia. (Cal is very international, of course, at the grad level) Both campuses are vibrant -- in fact Columbia reminds me of Cal that way (as opposed to placid campuses like Princeton and Stanford), but the Columbia campus is much more compact, so students run into friends more frequently.</p>
<p>Other things to consider: At Columbia, you would live in student housing for four years. This is very different than at Cal, where people spread out into apartments after the first year. If your interest in English means you might like to work in book publishing, magazines,or newspapers, NYC will offer far more opportunities for internships, since it is the publishing center of the country. The core curriculum at Columbia is not just a matter of academic interest -- it really permeates the undergrad culture because every first and second year student is going through it at the same time, reading the same books. It also means that you will have some small discussion-based classes right away. On the other hand, the core makes it more difficult to take a year abroad and UCs have probably the best education abroad program going, with opportunities in about 30 different countries.</p>
<p>Again, I know people change their interests. But if English and writing are your thing, I'd really take a look at class size and availability between the two schools. You might also think about whether or not you want to experience a different part of the country. You will make friends either place.</p>
<p>I just noticed you said you're from the Bay Area. Then the question is also how far you want to be away from home and how many times a year it is important for you to come home. Good luck with your decision! They're both great schools of course, just different experiences.</p>
<p>Purplecroissant: Read Alexandre's post again, 'cause he pretty much nailed it, and he comes from the school of folks (who are completely right) that thinks fit is most important, especially when the choice is at the level of Cal vs. Columbia.</p>
<p>I went to Cal (studied English Lit. which is par excellence there) and didn't realize what a tremendously rich place it is academically, intellectually, socially, etc. until I went to grad school and was able to compare. I personally love Berkeley the city, and recognize it's not everybody's cup of tea. I do hate parts of southside at least for more than an occasional walkthrough, though, so it's not a blanket kind of love.</p>
<p>Having said that, go to Columbia, if the price is equal or close and your parents are indifferent and won't be hugely affected by your choice. I had a friend who did his doctorate at Cal and undergrad at Columbia. He had immense respect for Cal undergrads; he said that had he been a Cal undergrad, he would've floundered because he was a floundering type. And when he was floundering at Columbia a Dean personally intervened and got him back on track. You won't get that coddling at Cal. Not everybody needs that, but if you do or want more support, Columbia would be a good place to be. I didn't need coddling, but I regret that I didn't have a more active focuse toward what resources there were at Cal.</p>
<p>But more so: experience NYC if you at all like cities. I've lived all over the world, but made the mistake of never living in NYC. College would be a good time to live there, so long as you can stay focused.</p>
<p>After all: if you choose Cal, you will have a great experience. If you choose Columbia, you will have a great experience.</p>
<p>Go to Cal if it's going to help your parents out and if they have other kids to put through school. But if it really doesn't matter to your parents and you like cities and are intrigued by NYC and think you could handle the winters and all that, broaden your horizons even further (for going to Cal broadens one's horizons no matter whence you come) and go to Columbia.</p>