<p>Hello! I've gotten accepted to both Emory and Berkeley, and now I have to choose which one I should attend. I'm sure some of you may know that comparison between Emory vs. Berkeley has previously come up in Emory forum, but the last student who asked this question was interested in Engineering school, and I'm actually interested in political science/international relations major. I'm sorry for bringing up the issue again, but I really needed some more information about both Emory and Berkeley. </p>
<p>My feelings were initially inclined to UC Berkeley, but as I continue on with my research, it seems like Emory has something more valuable to provide to undergraduate students in terms of not only facilities but also financial aid and academics. </p>
<p>I've also heard that education at Berkeley is much more rigorous than Emory (in terms of work loads and competition). I am actually looking for a liberal school with much freedom granted to students. Could any one confirm if Berkeley actually provides much more arduous and competitive assignments compared to Emory?</p>
<p>Just to let you know, I'm an international student - I'm not sure if this is going to make any difference.</p>
<p>I doubt that anyone could compare the rigor of academics between the two schools unless they have been to both.
With that said, I think you are on to something when it comes to undergraduate resources at Emory. About to graduate, I have received increasingly generous financial aid packages over the past four years. I have also been awarded numerous research grants (in the humanities, no less). Both schools have great political science faculty - perhaps, since Berkeley is larger, it might have more to choose from. </p>
<p>The size difference is also something to consider. While both schools have great professors, you’ll likely have much greater access to them at Emory since there are considerably fewer students (6,000 undergrads, 4,000 grad vs. 25,500 undergrads and 10,000 grad). Just some things to consider.</p>
<p>I don’t know about rigor comparisons, polysci at Emory can be tough, but it seems like an excellent department. Now, arguably, I don’t see a large “competitive” spirit at Emory, which is a good thing I believe. A really competitive atmosphere could make a program a lot tougher than what it would be if students were more collaborative. In other words, it could, itself, create the allusion of extreme rigor.</p>