<p>I have finally narrowed it down to two schools maybe. Yes, it seems as if people here have the same dilemma as I do. Anyways, I am currently deciding between Emory and Berkeley for political science and I'm really unsure which one is better. It would be GREATLY appreciated it you guys could help me :). </p>
<p>Berkeley Pros:
- I live in Southern California so Berkeley's not too close but not too far away from home (which is nice)
- From what I have researched and read, Berkeley's political science program is stronger
- When I visited, I found such an intellectual environment among the people (not that Emory doesn't have it-- I just haven't visited).
- I sat in a couple of classes (intro ones) and they were amazing. They were engaging and it wasn't the TA's teaching to my surprise
- Berkeley is near San Francisco-- location location location-- also, it may give me a chance to get more internship/job opportunities around the Bay Area
-Overall, VIBE was good. Plus, I went to UCB for a camp long ago, so I didn't feel too lost there.
-Reputation</p>
<p>Berkeley Cons:
-Budget, Budget, Budget--It's not a lie when people CA budget cuts are bad.
- Large classes although I don't have a problem being assertive (or so I think).
-I heard there was grade deflation (but not so much for humanities?)
-You're one student out of thousands.
-Kids from my school go to Cal (about 15 this year and more from past years)
-Too many asians (I'm Asian myself-- 43%)</p>
<p>Emory Pros:
-Emory teacher-student relationship is pretty strong
-Location in Atlanta-- it's something new for me, a new place
-Advising is strong at approachable at Emory
-Emory reputation
-It's a smaller school, more intimate environment.
-I kind of want to get away from home-- how's Atlanta?
-Recognized by professors, etc. </p>
<p>Emory Cons:
-Does not have the same reputation as Berkeley internationally (though I may be wrong)
- political activism is not as big
-less cutthroat competition</p>
<p>As seen from above, it's pretty obvious I don't know much about Emory because I just found out more about Emory last year. However, it is a great and respectable school. The reason I'm so panicked is that I may not have time to visit Emory because of scheduling conflicts with AP/IB Tests and stuff.</p>
<p>If someone could help me, it'd be greatly GREATLY appreciated!</p>
<p>I have the exact same situation that you have. I’m either going to Berkeley or Emory. However, I chose Emory primarily on size and competition. Last weekend I visited berkeley for this overnight host program and it was really great, but the amount of people was pretty bad in my opinion.
too many people= terrible competition, even the juniors/ seniors say its quite cutthroat, very hard to get to know professors ( all the students I asked said their freshman/ soph classes are gigantic).
the population also makes it difficult to stand out, get internships, jobs, etc…
^ also i’m asian and i felt like i looked like every other asian there lol</p>
<p>So about emory… Atlanta is quite ghetto but not ghetto at all around the Emory, Georgia tech neighborhood. All cities have ghettos but Emory is not where one of them is. The underground mall at night is a different story.
I like emory because the class size is great. Enough people (1200 freshman) to have similar interests for everybody and few enough to make it easier making friends, getting jobs, etc. </p>
<p>But if you are going to Berkeley I have to say its super bro chill there and the campus is great, weather is awesome too. tax is a little high though.</p>
<p>Shu: You already said this about every other non-Emory school. I’m sure if you had a choice of hell as an institution, you’d choose it, and maybe you should. Your stance is predictable and has no substance Again, you present no reason, you’re a ■■■■■, step aside.</p>
<p>About Berkeley, many people would consider the San Fran Area or many California Cities quite rough. Atlanta really isn’t that bad, and is not mostly ghetto. I have no idea where that perception stems from (perhaps from people who live in a bubble of sorts, from some relatively wealthy area that is not the city center, then again, Emory is nowhere near the center center). Go to mid-town, Buckhead (both Atlanta city), whatever (downtown is quite ghetto, but most towns have somewhat ghetto downtown and the A is experiencing a lot of revitalization down there, especially at the mid-town/downtown line). Also, much of the areas surrounding Atlanta are quite nice, and this is where a huge majority of people live. Also, as a southerner, I value the trees. Atlanta has way more green space and trees than most if not all U.S. metro areas. Some people may considered these heavily wooded, non-commercially developed/dense areas as ghetto. Also, if every house isn’t a stereotypical Mcmansion of sorts, it’s ghetto. I find a lot of people’s standards ridiculous (or at least those considering top schools). Atlanta is a place where a normal person can afford to live, whether in luxury or not (and boy are there a lot of people living in luxury here, there are also lots extremely well-off black neighborhoods. Something you don’t see in most thriving metro areas).</p>
<p>Technically, people should not prefer NYU or Columbia by such logic because a great deal of NYC is ghetto (though not the parts that Hollywood would present to you or the parts that a more middle-upper income would be familiar with). Then again, most cities are presented this way by such media). No, it’s an exception, b/c it’s NYC, therefore it’s okay for it to be dangerous. Let’s not apply double standards to cities.</p>
<p>I had to face the same choice a couple years ago and I picked Emory. Berkeley has a great international reputation and great grad programs, but for undergrad you just can’t get the same kind of attention Emory offers. Go Emory!</p>
<p>I’ve lived in Atlanta my entire life, and I can honestly say that I love that city. Like any city, some parts are unsavory, but Emory is in a wonderful area of town, and the campus is beautiful! The surrounding neighborhoods - Emory Village, Druid Hills, Decatur, Little Five Points – are all unique and great places to hang out or grab food. Don’t underestimate southern hospitality either; it’s a real thing. Atlanta’s got great character, and a boatload of opportunities for internships, work, or jobs after graduation. If you have the opportunity to visit both the campus and the city before making your decision, definitely do so.</p>
<p>While both schools also have fantastic reputations, if you’re looking for less cutthroat competition and more personal attention from your teachers (and money isn’t an issue), go with Emory. As someone who’s trying to transfer from a large flagship institution to a smaller university, I can tell you that interacting with your professors really makes a world of difference. That said, I’m sure you’d still succeed at Berkeley. It’s just a matter of where you’ll feel more comfortable.</p>
<p>Go to Berkeley. I had a friend who came to Emory from San Marino high school and regretted choosing Emory over Berkeley. She was a good student and is doing graduate work at the University of Chicago. Atlanta is a terrible city. There is a lot of racial tension. It reminds me of Durham, NC from what I heard about it in the news during to coverage of the Duke rape case.</p>
<p>That doesn’t make sense. Nearly all large and acclaimed California Cities have “real” racial tension, especially Los Angeles and San Francisco(where I guess y’all choose to ignore it because they are such “popular” cities) where much of the minorities are somewhat (this is an understatement) socioeconomically marginalized to an unacceptable extent. You must be crazy citylife (now I know you hate Emory. I don’t what happened, but you dislike it strongly). At least there are lots of extremely wealthy black folks (it ranks between 1 and 2 for places for black people to before or after DC). In a place with legit racial tension, this could not happen. There is self-segregation as in most major cities, but less marginalization. This is rare in the south or any major city. Again, places like NYC have lots of racial tension, but people don’t avoid going to school there. Chicago has it, and no one says anything about. DC/Baltimore has, and no one says anything about. You need to just shut it. Plus your statement is completely contradictory, notice how she was “successful” and is now at UChicago doing what she wants. She can regret it all she wants, but Emory did not prevent her from doing well and attending a great grad. school. Also, I imagine the horrible city part is not her opinion, that’s you injecting yours into the anecdote which is cancelled out by another poster in the forum who actually chose Emory over Berkeley and does not regret, thus yours counts less because it’s hearsay. Go figure. </p>
<p>If it’s so horrible, please explain how most of my relatives in Atlanta stay in very nice neighborhoods (I’m talking mini-mansions, in nice hilly, wooded, neighborhoods)? Not only this, but like pre-dominantly white neighborhoods like it, they are the majority, meaning that more blacks are living in luxury. You need to just let it go right now. At least do the OP the favor of talking about why you hate the school so much now. Leave your quasi-informed opinions about Atlanta out of it. You are starting to turn into shu. You can say something like: The business school or econ. program is not what I expected. It somewhat disappointed (however, I think most BBAs will disappoint if you are expecting to be truly challenged academically. None are that challenging. Did you see how much work Penn students estimate they do outside of class, and they probably have all 5 days of class. Wow! Pathetic. All top 3 are pathetic. Notre Dame is actually the worst among the 3 in terms of rigor.).</p>
<p>And despite any opinions you have on your time at the B-School/Econ. program here, the OP wants political science, where Emory does very well (Though I suppose the B-School obviously is relatively well off as none are as great as they hype themselves up to be, including Penn. Penn only benefits from prestige. The academics are apparently very comparable). Again, the former roomie who transferred from Northwestern actually thinks ours is slightly better/more serious than theirs. He’s really enjoyed it so far and seems to have no regrets.</p>