<p>U.S. ranks Berkeley's engineering in the Top three for undergrad too. Same for business. I was speaking to the person's reference about reputation which in that case even if the undergrad may not be statistically as good, abroad its overall rep is much higher. I know that those surveys were based primarily on graduate schools- but abroad those are the rankings people see. The surveys, except the NRC, doesn't say its based alot on graduate programs so most people around the world won't know that. Thus when you tell someone in Asia or Europe you went to Berkeley, there not going to say- wait for undergrad or grad. Also I still think Berkeley is stigmatized for being a public school in U.S. news undergrad rankings. Maybe when I start going to Berkeley for school and not just for summmer classes I will see the a difference but my summer class professors have been amazing and very helpful.</p>
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[quote]
does JHU even have an engineering major?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>JHU has a full compliment of engineering majors.</p>
<p>Ok Tuesday, May 1st, is coming up pretty soon. Now, I must make up my mind.</p>
<p>UC Berkeley
Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS)
Regents Scholarship
Alumni Leadership Scholarship
~$10,000 </p>
<p>OR</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins University
Biomedical Engineering (BME)
~$20,000</p>
<p>This is going to be a tough one. Hmmmm...As of now, I am leaning more towards CAL because it is more flexible. I mean, if I do go to JHU in the end and go for MEd; med school. I am afraid that if I don't think MED is for me, it wouldn't be worth going to JHU doing Engineering if I decide to not do MED. Afterall, CAL is raned #2 for Engineering, and its program is exceptionally recognized. At CAL, I feel that if I go there for engineering, I would have a more flexible choice. Maybe I don't like engineering, then, at least, I would still be able to go for MED by switching majors. I have heard of students coming out of CAL undergrad and going on to prestigious MED schools like JHU. So, maybe the cheaper and flexible alternative at CAL has a little advantage over JHU. I wouldn't want to go to JHU and discover that MED is not for me because then it wouldn't be worth attending JHU for 20,000 pursuing a goal other than MED. </p>
<p>Any comments? suggestions? input?
Thnx guys for all your help.</p>
<p>Btw, I will be visiting CAL tomorrow, so it seems like I will cement my choice after my visit.</p>
<h2>CTbear, if you are interested in premed, you can look through past threads in cc's premed forums, therefore getting the viewpoints from the most unbiased source due to the conflicting opinions, and many of those posted address about ucb and jhu. </h2>
<h2>but just a caution, ucb has one of the lowest retention rates, people transfer to a different school, drop out, etc. and they have no advising system hence one of the lowest percentage of grads attending med school. ahhh, they have all been addressed in the premed forum on cc. </h2>
<p>but in the end, if you feel more comfortable in ucb, definetely choose ucb =D! gl!!!</p>
<p>Well...with Regents scholarship, I get a faculty sponsor and first pick for classes, housing, etc. It seems as if they do provide me with "special" counseling, or, at least, I think they do....</p>
<p>Oh c'mon folks, don't get caught up in these med school acceptance numbers -- that is no way to choose a school. </p>
<p>If you go to Cal and work hard, do very well and take advantage of the amazing opportunities there you will get into medical school. </p>
<p>For the right person, Cal is a fantastic experience. Yes, there is overall less hand-holding and the folks who need more attention often decide to leave, but there is nothing wrong with having to be aggressive in the pursuit of your education. </p>
<p>FWIW, many years ago I went to Cal as a pre-med with a relatively heavy heart, I couldn't afford my first choice (U of Chicago) and Cal felt way too much like my local university (UCLA). But I had Regent's and Alumni scholarships -- these allowed me to become financially independent at a young age. They also took away some of the large-school annoyances (like housing issues).</p>
<p>I arrived as a straightforward pre-med student-- wanted to be a practicing physician. My first quarter there I was assigned a senior Regent's Scholar as a peer advisor-- he was a great guy and let me participate in his senior thesis research. I was hooked. Fast-forward 25 years and I'm a physician scientist on the faculty of a Northeastern medical school. My entire career was changed by the opportunities I had at Cal. Yes, I had to work my way through the system and yes, several of my close friends couldn't handle the atmosphere and transferred out.</p>
<p>Anywhere you go you have to be an active participant in the education you receive-- if Cal is a fit, you will not be at a disadvantage later on, far from it, anyone judging your eventual med or grad school apps will know exactly what it takes to excel at Berkeley.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>JT</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your input guys. As of now, I am leaning a little bit more for CAL than JHU.</p>
<p>I agree with what jct_ucb said. When you're picking between schools like Hopkins and Cal, things like med school acceptance rates or prestige really aren't that important. A degree from either school will take you great places. I think it really comes down to how you think you fit in each campus. If you think Cal is too large and impersonal, then it's probalby not the place for you and Hopkins might be a good fit. If you think Hopkins is too restrictive and less fun (I would strongly disagree, but I digress...), then maybe Cal would be a better fit. Good luck with your decision in the next couple days!</p>
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EECS + Regents @ Cal??? I Know JHU is a great school and its biomed is quite a lure, but a full ride at Cal is hard to beat. I will go to Cal in a heartbeat.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Uh, a Regents is not the same thing as a full ride. The money you get is contingent upon your family income - if your family makes a lot, you get very little out of your Regent's Scholarship (something like $1000, which is not much at all).</p>
<p>Now, if you're poor, the Regents' will give you a full ride. But of course, if you're poor, you'll probably also get a full ride from JHU too.</p>