I live in CA, and the cost to attend Cornell would be the same as attending Berkeley due to Cornell’s generous FA. I will be visiting Cornell next week for the Diversity Hosting week and I have toured Berkeley once. I got into Cornell for biological sciences and into Berkeley for biochemistry (which school would offer better research opportunities?), and planning on going to medicals school after. I like being in the city, so Berkeley has that going for it, but I was also wondering what are some differences in the social life between Berkeley and Cornell. Any help would be very appreciated as I am currently conflicted in deciding which school to attend. Thank you very much!
UC Berkeley is far superior in research over Cornell. There’s much more internship opportunities in silicon valley and the environment is much better than Cornell’s. Cornell is ranked the #1 most stressful school in the United States after all. They’re both super competitive schools and unless you’re not a hard worker, you won’t end up at a top medical school from either. Getting a 3.8 gpa and above is hard from both.
UC Berkeley is laid back and very liberal. Cornell has a bunch of pretentious retards if you’re in the Class of 2021 group chat… I would much prefer Berkeley for pre-med.
It’s disappointing to see that the “stressed out” article is getting any currency. Rather than repeat, my comments on the “stressed” survey are in # 15 here:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20396823/#Comment_20396823
Do you really think JMU would be more stressful than premed at Berkeley?
My guess is, they probably surveyed Cornell students just after an exam week.
Also the “better envronment” is a matter of preference. Ithaca is beautiful.
Some people from CA who have attended Cornell have posted on CC that they liked the different environment, exposure to the Northeast, and the different type/mix of people.
I personally don’t know much about pre-med at Cornell- other than a number of my fellow classmates who became doctors. You might search on CC for past posts by Norcalguy- a [former?] CC poster who attended Cornell and then went to med school back in California.
Re #1, no doubt you will find “pretentious ■■■■■■■” at Cornell. Along with just about every other type of person. The university is very diverse, in types of people and their interest/ perspectives, due to the vastly different programs it offers. I know a roommate of my daughters transferred to Cornell from Berkeley, and preferred Cornell. IIRC he thought there was more of a “groupthink” mentality at Berkeley. That too was probably an unjustified impression.
Any survey that has UCSB listed in the Top Ten for Stressed Students has to be wrong!
My son is also trying to decide between UC Berkeley and Cornell for physics. Both schools are strong in this area at the undergraduate level. My main concern is that the housing situation at Berkeley forces students off campus (sometimes miles away from campus) after freshman year whereas there are still options to stay on campus at Cornell. Cornell is probably more diverse than Berkeley. Berkeley has a very extensive public transportation system with lots of things to visit nearby. Cornell’s campus is isolated from the rest of Ithaca which is good in terms of not having to worry as much about crime.
UC Berkeley is a state school, no matter how reputable it is. When it is a state school, it is at the mercy of state budget. Academic aside, Cornell’s facilities are much better (check out both campuses when you visit), and it is not often that students can’t get into classes they want at Cornell. If a student is a CA resident and the cost is a lot less than Cornell then I would recommend Berkeley, but if the cost is about the same or less to go to Cornell then I would recommend Cornell.
Just google UC Berkeley budget cut. From this one article,
http://news.berkeley.edu/2016/11/16/budget-qa-carol-christ/
First no student could go wrong going to either of these schools. I agree with oldfort’s comment on cost although the difficulty in student getting into classes at Berkeley needs to be better addressed. The lost income a STEM student that graduates in 5 years vs. 4 is real. No question weather in Berkley is leagues better
@Viking2017 I say go for Cornell! Experience something different. I guarantee you’ll love it there. I assume you’ll be in CALS? Either way, both schools are great but Cornell is ahead of Berkeley in FA. As long as your parents’ financial situation doesn’t change much you should be able to keep the same amount awarded to you.