<p>These are two excellent universities (both have great national reputations, and Berkeley also international – perhaps Cornell has an international rep also, but I don’t know). Both are top-ranked programs. To me this comes down to how you feel on campus and which one is more comfortable for you. If you have visited, what did you think of the students and the setting. Can you see yourself in one place more than the other? Does one place make you more comfortable than the other? You will do better work at the university where you can focus on your studies and develop an intellectual life – assuming that the extra $5K is not going to put you in a bad financial situation.</p>
<p>As a Californian, I understand the allure of going to the East. I spent many years living on different parts of the East coast but ultimately came back to California and would not leave now even for double my salary. I find the Cornell campus very remote – beautiful but cold and far from cities. Berkeley, the town, is fun but also kind of anachronistic. Looks like a place stuck in time. Some people like that, others don’t…Best wishes.</p>
<p>Well, let’s put it this way then. If I was offered HYP for the same price, I would take it over Cornell for the connections + class size, not for educational quality (from the staff) or for the environment. Simple enough?</p>
<p>As it stands, HYP has just as many stupid people as Cornell in proportion, maybe even more. The difference is that a higher number of their stupid people are generally really, really rich from their families (especially true for Harvard - because for those schools connections and hooks matter so much more than your simple academics to get you in). Connections - there lie the differences between HYP/Wharton and non-HYP ivies. You’ll be very likely to be connected to the most academically amazing kids you know in the Non-HYP ivies, but not so much for the super rich kids.</p>
<p>I’m not in denial. You’re just trying to make yourself feel better by getting ppl to trash HYP now. That is not much better than what you did before, at all. Face the reality and deal with it. Cornell has great connections and amazing programs. It just doesn’t give you the absurd connections you get at Harvard. I remember going to a random page in their accepted thread this year and seeing a kid get in with 1950 SATs, but whose parents donate millions every year to the school. As impressive as academics are, they usually don’t get you that far in life. You grow to realize that the connections are much more important.</p>
<p>@colm - the reason I mentioned UCLA - if OP is from CA that may be another option. I do have family who went to Cornell and now working in CA. But he was originally from east coast (CT).</p>
<p>But I think when you go all the way from CA, it should be really really what you want, considering the travel and other expenses. Also we used to live in NJ so am quite familar with east coast weather and the cold/gray season gets old fast. It is a personal choice really.</p>
<p>^^
My bad, I actually misinterpreted your early post. I thought you were saying “academics,” not “academic reputation.” </p>
<p>Yeah, it’s undeniable that the best connections and alumni network are at HYPW. That, endowment, and prestige are the only advantages I find them to have. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t overemphasize the importance of connections, though. There’s no guarantee you would even have made them at HYPW, and it’s still very possible to make them later in life. Can you elaborate on what exactly they do? Do they really even matter once you get your first job?</p>
<p>I’m kind of surprised that HYP has stupid people too. I heard that HALF of their applicants are hooked in some way, but it seemed way too unreal to be possible.</p>
<p>@Saugus
Im not testifying from my own experiences, but from my cousin’s and my brother’s experiences. Connections are extremely important in college and in life. They can easily nail you your first job, then move you up the ladder once you’re in there, bump your salary, and set you for life. My cousin, who graduated from USC last year, made many great connections and recently got her first “big job” of her career because of the people she knew. My brother got his right out of college because of the professional frat he was in. He wanted to work in Cali though, and his friend made it happen.
The connections you make with people in college are so important that I can’t emphasize it enough. The people you meet may go on to become the best in their fields and it’s always good to network with those types of people.</p>
<p>The bay area is a great area to get jobs if you’re considering doing a MechE undergrad. If you’re positive on doing AA engineering, then it won’t really matter too much where you go since the aim would be to study AA in graduate school. </p>
<p>I’d say the decision really boils down to where you want to live and where you’re interested in working (West coast or East coast), rankings wise Berkeley is higher for engineering but Cornell is solid and it has the advantages of being a private school with no budget issues.</p>
<p>Berkeley is not higher than Cornell for aerospace engineering according to US New’s appraisal of this specialty – this ranking is linked to in a post above (not that these lists/methodologies are necessarily anything approaching gospel).</p>
<p>I visited Cornell last week, and I just loved the smell of fresh air and trees around the campus since I’m pretty used to smoggy LA air. I had good feelings about the atmosphere, but I also will be visiting Berkeley tomorrow through the Society of Women Engineers hosting program to get a better impression of the campus and maybe talk to some current students.
One benefit, I think, of having an undergrad aerospace engineering experience is that it will help me decide whether that’s what I really do want to do with my life. Also, would you say that the connections and networking at Cornell are more broad than at Berkeley, or about the same? And do the engineering rankings matter at all in terms of academic rigor or graduate school opportunities?</p>
<p>"Well… That’s depressing. "
It’s only depressing if you can’t get out there, talk to people, and make friends. You’ll make great connections with Cornell (I know a LOT of rich kids here), but just probably not with kids with parents who make > $10 million every year. You’ll probably get to know some kids who’ll make it big later on in their life though or after graduation.</p>
<p>Also, connections matter. That’s life. Being born in wealth > academic smarts any day.</p>
<p>I think connections are over-rated. It is more about “networking”. Connections won’t get you a job nor will networking. What it may do is open you up to other opportunities. I don’t necessarily think connections aka networking is only through college. You can make connections anywhere…your co-students from high school that go on to diverse colleges, your family members, your cousins, your neighbors, your professors…get involved with things…you never know who can be a great connection. Go to job fairs, internships, keep in touch through social networking. You can make connection whether you go to an IVY or otherwise. It will be always upto YOU to network.</p>
<p>OP - looks like your heart is set on Cornell. Go for it then. I know a lot of people from bay area who don’t want to go to local UCs (however highly rated they are)…(@saugus for instance :)) and I know a lot of the top students who feel they have to “settle” for Berkeley. Or they feel that there are 15 other kids from my high school there. But college is what you make of it and every college has its challenges, you just have to find the right ‘fit’ for you (socially, academically, financially).</p>
<p>^ Excellent article. Makes me worry about our kids - they shouldn’t turn out clueless about common people like Mitt Romney. {shudder} Contacts with rich people’s kids is not the only way to get jobs.</p>
<p>I’m picking Cornell over Berkeley. I haven’t heard from Berkeley yet (transfer student) but I <em>think</em> I’ll be accepted. Berkeley is awesome, but California’s public education is really being hurt by cuts, quite frankly I don’t feel like we have any idea how this will play out over the next few years. If you can afford Cornell, it’s private, you know it’s not going anywhere, and you know your program won’t suffere severe cuts because of the state government.</p>
<p>If you are applying for grad school, most schools curve Cal COE grades while comparing with others. And if you are interested in the rigour of EECS, not just get a degree, then grades don’t matter. Companies hire Cal EECS for the same reason besides the fact that interning during the college terms is possible, not just summers or co-op terms. Cornell is absolutely great as well, but joining Coe there for ease of grades is absolutely the wrong reason.</p>