<p>Please give me your opinions. Thanks a lot! I am having a hard time deciding.</p>
<p>follow the money at this point ^_^</p>
<p>I don’t have any opinions, but only a couple of questions you should ask yourself:
- Are you in-state for Michigan or Berkeley? If so, graduating debt-free (or with less debt), or with less damage to your family’s finances, is very attractive in today’s economic climate, especially if grad school may be in your future.
If you are OOS everywhere, then I agree with the poster above me. These are all great schools; therefore cost should be a key factor. - Are you aiming for business school? At Berkeley’s Haas, one must apply for admission during sophomore year. As a prospective Honors student at Michigan, you should have no trouble getting into Haas, but the process is very competitive and not everyone makes it in.
The state of California is having financial problems, and this is affecting the UCs generally. Three years ago, we toured Berkeley with S (now at Cornell). A great institution which has seen better days, at least in terms of the physical plant. Berkeley is well known for its stellar graduate and professional programs, but our impression of undergraduate life was only so-so. Of course, if you are in-state, the trade-off in terms of the in-state tuition rate and the prestige of a Berkeley degree cannot be ignored, and for many, these factors will tip the scales in favor of Berkeley.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice! </p>
<p>However, I am an international student and I will be going on a scholarship, so cost is not a deciding factor for me. Also, I am not aiming for business school. </p>
<p>What I am most concerned about is the quality of Econs teaching, the amount of faculty-student interaction and the overall atmosphere in the schools. Oh and if anyone knows, what are the Catholic groups like? (:</p>
<p>Considering money isn’t a factor, if you are interested in faculty-student interactions I would probably rule out Berkeley. </p>
<p>Cornell econ is generally very good for faculty student interactions, and most students I know who want significant research experience with a faculty member usually have no trouble obtaining such opportunities.</p>
<p>I have a lot of friends from Cornell currently getting their PhD in economics at Michigan – I think they are of the opinion that the class sizes are a bit too big there, but Michigan does have a fantastic econ department.</p>
<p>Cornell has a sizable Catholic group on campus. There are also sub-groups for various ethnicity:</p>
<p>[Cornell</a> Catholic Community](<a href=“http://cornellcatholic.org/]Cornell”>http://cornellcatholic.org/)</p>