<p>Hi, I got into Georgetown UC Berkeley and CMU, and I can't chose where to go.
Here is what I want from college:
A great economics program
Superb job placement
Opportunities for research, internships
Small classes for higher level classes
Prestige, good reputation
Pretty campus</p>
<p>Please help me by telling me which college you think meets my requirements. Above all, job placement and ranking/quality of economics program is most important. Do you think I should visit them, or can I make my decision without visiting? I live in Japan, so it will be expensive and a big deal to visit them. </p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>Berkeley is a large public university. Why you would go there for the same cost as going to private schools Georgetown or CMU!? It makes no sense at all. It is a pretty campus and Berkeley is a nice town, but there are a lot of bums and such because it is in a large metropolitan urban area. For graduate school it would make sense, but not for undergrad. Your classes are going to be gigantic and almost all the students are from California. Your upper division will be smaller size, but to me, you can scratch it off the list and add it back on for graduate school. It has wonderful weather and no snow. Economics, of course, is top rate at Berkeley, so I suppose you could consider that aspect of it. I just have trouble figuring out why someone who is not a California resident would attend a public UC university and pay the same price as you would for a private with much smaller classes. Wouldn’t it bother you to know 90% of student are paying half of what you have to pay??</p>
<p>Georgetown is in a very pretty town outside of Washington, DC, of course. Lots going on there. Lots of prestige. It is a large, safe and pretty campus. You will have a better undergrad experience at Georgetown because it is a private school with much smaller classes. You will pay around the same for an education there as you will for Berkeley. Housing is hard to get at Berkeley after the first year and you will likely have to get a place near campus and pay a ton for it. Georgetown has better housing. </p>
<p>I do not know enough about CMU to comment, but my gut feeling is that Georgetown should be your choice. It has everything you are looking for and is not a public university. Berkeley has everything except Georgetown is a prettier, safer campus. You will have other international students there, too. It snows in the winter, of course.</p>
<p>CMU is beautiful and it is known for getting juniors and seniors into amazing job internships. Im assuming you applied to the Tepper school which, as i’ve heard, has really helpful professors and motivated students. Plus, the campus is pristine.</p>
<p>What sort of Economics are you intending to study?</p>
<p>I’d say that DC is a better city for an international. It just has a better atmosphere for that sort of thing.</p>
<p>however, I must advise you that if your experience in japanese schools is anything like my understanding of it, you’re going to be in for quite a culture shock (don’t take that as prejudicial or offensive). I might say that Berkley is a good idea if your idea of going to college is based only in education.</p>