I’m having a hard time choosing between Berkeley and Cornell as a prospective Chemical engineering major.
From what I know, both Berkeley and Cornell have pretty strong Chem E programs but Berkeley has the upper hand. (dedicated college of chemistry, lab research resources, ranked 2 in nation etc.)
Cornell, however, has a lot more resources (being a private ivy school) and can give individual care to students.
Cornell’s campus is really beautiful but its location is sometimes described as being “in the middle of nowhere”
Berkeley, on the other hand, is surrounded by the tech companies. Does Berkeley’s location make it significantly better in terms of ease to get job/internships and experience?
Could someone comment on the strengths and weaknesses of their chem program and their experience in them?
Any suggestions / opinions / additional factors I should consider would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance 
Are you in-state for Berkeley? How do the finances compare?
I’m in state for Berkeley
Berkeley’s still cheaper but I got sufficient financial aid from Cornell
btw I’m kinda leaning towards Berkeley just because I sorta like the atmosphere there? I like the Cali weather
I heard stories about Cornell students being really stressed and having high suicide rates… dunno how much that should be a factor
Finances would play a factor. They are both excellent schools. You are correct; Berkeley does have a slight advantage in chemical engineering, but your prospects should be quite good at either. I have to disagree that Cornell has better resources than Berkeley – it may in fact be the opposite. Hopefully some of the Berkeley people here will be more concrete about the resources, facilities and expenditures that Berkeley offers.
Of course, Cornell is no slouch. Cornell is probably the ivy with the least personal attention, but that completely varies by department, class level, and individual. The same may be said of Berkeley. When you say chem program at the bottom of your post, I presume it is chemical engineering. If you are speaking of chemistry as a natural science, Berkeley has perhaps the best program in the country, if not top three.
At the undergrad level, you will get an outstanding engineering education at both.
I wouldn’t worry about access to internships at either… you won’t be doing internships during the academic year, you just won’t have time or energy with your engineering courses… you will do internships during the summer and you can obviously do them anywhere.
This really comes down to in which environment will you personally thrive… I’m sure plenty of engineering folks have had this exact same decision, and I’m sure it is pretty split.
Wow thanks so much for both of your quick and helpful replies
Definitely Berkeley. Stronger program, in state tuition, closer to home, better weather etc.