Engineering at Berkeley or USC?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>For both colleges, I will be paying around the same price due to aid. </p>

<p>I have visited both school and love them both. Cal is more socially safe for me since I have many friends there but USC seems more seductive because of its alumni connection and the family type of feeling. Cal is more prestigious and more intellectually engaging. USC give its undergraduates more FLEXIBILITY, attention and opportunities. I live one hour away from USC.</p>

<p>I want to do Industrial Engineering. I know the average pay for an Industrial Engineer is pretty low. If I go to USC and use its alumni connection program, I might be able to earn more money as if I go to Berkeley for Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. </p>

<p>My other problem is that I do not know whether I will completely stick with IEOR. What if I want to switch into Business and Accounting? I want to be able to graduate in four years. If I go to USC, I can do IE and two minors, Accounting and Business. I am very poor and I want to earn a lot of money >.<!!! </p>

<p>I love both schools very much but I do not know whether to accept Berkeley's fall admission or USC's spring admission. I feel like I will succeed in both college, but I simply want to know which one is better. Time is running out!!!!</p>

2

<p>It sounds like you really, really want USC. Go for it! It’s a perfectly fine school with great engineering.</p>

3

<p>I’d be shocked if, over the medium-term, you’d make more as a USC graduate than as a UCB graduate. </p>

<p>You seem to be leaning towards USC. Are you cool with the Spring thing? Do you want to stay close to home?</p>

4

<p>Cal, c’mon now. Spring admission puts students at a disadvantage, freshman year is too important making friends, connections to miss half of it</p>

5

<p>USC seems to offer you more of what you want. It’s harder to change major/college at Cal, UGBA at Haas requires additional application in your sophomore year. Very competitive GPA is required for possibility of acceptance, and engineering courses at Cal is not going to have mercy on your GPA.</p>

6

<p>^^Wow I never thought about it that way… I really wanted to be a fall admit to be with everybody else.</p>

7

<p>Then come to Cal, but it’s in your best interest to decide whether you want to study engineering or business. Dabbling in both is not impossible, but unlikely. Realistically you’ll have to pour in a significant portion of your time and effort into one to do well.</p>

8

<p>There is no evidence that USC’s alumni network is better than Cal’s. The strong alumni network that USC is known for is overrated. A survey by Forbes magazine ranked Cal grads number 12 in terms of getting high paying jobs. USC wasn’t even in the top 25 in the nation.
Now if USC’s alumni network would be that valuable…how come its grads don’t get paid as much as Cal grads do?
[In</a> Pictures: Tips For Making The Most Of Your CSR Program - Forbes.com](<a href=“In Pictures: Tips For Making The Most Of Your CSR Program”>In Pictures: Tips For Making The Most Of Your CSR Program)</p>

9

<p>

Especially for engineering. Engineering =/= film.</p>

10

<p>Berkeley engineering over USC if costs are similiar. This is pretty easy.</p>

11

<p>Berkeley’s industrial engineering program is ranked 5th in the country according to US News. USC’s program is not in the top 20. Not sure where USC falls.</p>

12

<p>It’s a lifestyle choice, really.</p>

<p>As to what you heard:</p>

<ul>
<li>USC’s alumni network is most assuredly NOT in engineering.</li>
<li>You will likely earn a little more with a Berkeley engineering degree</li>
</ul>

<p>Now, USC will be a less rigorous/competitive experience. Do you think you’re in the top half of Berkeley’s engineering admits? If not, that’s a TOUGH road… Berkeley will be harder, but you will learn more. USC will be hard but you won’t go around worrying that you’re going to flunk out…</p>

13

<p>^ Are you saying that 'SC graduates inferior engineers? Heh…c’mon Dunnin, your indirect 'ruin bias is showing…;)</p>