Columbia vs Brown vs UC Berkeley

College Search & Selection
1

Hi all,

Got into all three of the above universities for engineering at the undergraduate level. And I am having a tough time deciding which university should I go to. I am really excited to get admitted in all three and I’m not sure I can really make a wrong decision here. But I have to consider the pros and cons.

Major: Mechanical Engineering. I am interested in research.

Universities - Pros and Cons:
Berkeley - the class size is too big and I don’t know if I would be able to get an opportunity to research there. Also I don’t know how I will work with large class sizes, have never really tried it before. I guess it is a major factor.
Columbia - well its Columbia, an ivy. So a crazy place. It is really great for engineering. However, ranked lower than Berkeley for engineering and also the core, I am not a really great fan of the core.
Brown - well again its an IVY. Also its really diverse and open as compared to others, or so I have heard. Don’t know much about brown and about its engineering program as well, so would help if someone could really help me there.

Location: UCB and Columbia both are located in crazy places, Cal and NYC - so that is a +

Monetary: I got no scholarship from any of them, so that is all equal. That being said, Berkeley is cheaper than the other two - almost by about 8k to 10k. That is also a factor, though not major.

Would really appreciate if anyone could help me with this. Anything about these universities, any opinions, facts about their engineering program, weighing out the pros and cons would be helpful.

Thanks a lot!!

2

I’d go with Brown. Why?

Cal - really big classes
Columbia - you don’t like the core

Brown - its engineering program, while not as “highly ranked” as Cal, is solid. Much more focused on the undergrad experience than the other 2.

If I were you I’d go to Brown for undergrad and then apply to Cal for grad school.

Congrats!

3

As an ME in silicon valley for the past 20 years, I have worked with many engineers from all over the world. I don’t know any engineers from Columbia. I have worked with a few ME’s from Brown, and they seemed to like their school, and come out with a solid education. I work with many Cal ME’s, and they also get a solid education. You can do well at either school.

They are however, very different schools. Pick the one where you think you will fit in better. If the cost difference is not a big constraint I would personally pick the smaller school over the higher ranking.

4

UCB, best in the world, and a great place to be in Winter.

5

I agree with both nordicdad and prepped parent. But certainly all wonderful choices Good luck.