HELP! UPenn or Berkeley?????

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm an international student from Asia. Right now I'm choosing back and forth between Penn and UCB. My exchange year in the southwest and last year's spring break in CA kinda make me favor the west coast. My dream school is Stanford, but I got rejected....I once visited Cal and like it. But people around me are suggesting me to go for Penn. I'm not sure whether it's because of the IVY tag or sth else.</p>

<p>For majors, I think I'm doing econ, but still not sure about the focus. People told me Berkeley is good for econ related with public policy and Penn is defin great for business type of thing. These two also have different kinds of campus atmosphere. Cal is quite laid back and Penn is probably more academically hardcore. </p>

<p>Also I need to think about the financial issue. There's no FA for int'l in UCB and I didn't apply for FA in Penn. Right now I can estimate at least a $30,000 difference between them(including that Berkeley’s off-campus living will cut the cost in the following year). And I'm not positive that Penn’s cost of attendance(51,300) will cover everything there. </p>

<p>My mom says our family can afford either, but that won't be so easy. I really don't want them to spend extra money on one school while I can have the same good education elsewhere. My friends are telling me that I won't go wrong with either, but there's kinda a pressure here that giving up an ivy is stupid. It seems that Berkeley is easier to get in for Asian kids while Penn is more of a prestigious one. </p>

<p>Right now I can't make the decision. I don’t really know much about Penn. Which one do you think I should choose?</p>

2

<p>Berkeley! But I’m biased…;)</p>

<p>Berkeley estimates about $45k/year (living in the dorms), so not too much of a discount to Penn’s $51k/year.</p>

<p>If you can find an apartment with roomates, your costs would be cheaper. Keep in mind that apartment hunting in Berkeley is pretty stressful.</p>

<p>You’re right, you can’t go wrong with either. </p>

<p>Penn/Wharton is known for business. IMO, Berkeley is broader and deeper than Penn with academic offerings. </p>

<p>I believe Penn is pretty big for a private university, so I don’t know how much attention you’ll get as an undergrad compared to small liberal arts colleges. Berkeley, on the other hand, is large. Economics is a very popular major and the introductory economic lectures easily have 700 students. You’ll have smaller discussion sections led by TAs. The classes get much smaller for upper division econ courses. Students taking introductory economics are competitive, because they want to get good grades for admission into Berkeley’s Haas School of Business starting their junior year. Most of the humanities/social science courses at Berkeley are very small…20 students max.</p>

<p>Can you visit Penn?
One thing to consider is that a lot of students at Penn are paying full tuition…whereas at Berkeley, most students are paying in-state, discounted fees. This may swing the value into Penn’s favor. </p>

<p>If you can’t visit Penn, the safe bet is Berkeley, since you have seen the campus and know the environment. I can’t imagine making a commitment to attend a college without a visit first.</p>

3

<p>I say Berkeley. The cost difference at Penn is simply not worth it. Plus if you go back home after college Berkeley will go a long way.</p>

4

<p>Penn! But I’m biased… ;)</p>

<p>The econ programs at both schools are at or near the very top of the world, so it’s really a question of “fit” for you. I would definitely encourage you to visit Penn (if you can afford the tuition, a flight over here can’t be out of your reach ;))</p>

<p>Penn is intense–intensely challenging at times, but intensely rewarding, and intensely fun :)</p>

<p>U can PM me about Penn. I’m in Asia right now so I’m not goin to bed anytime soon ;)</p>

5

<p>Either school would be fabulous for international students especially for Asians.
UPenn has the edge for business whilst Berkeley pawns UPenn for engineering and comsci. As for all the rest, they’re pretty even.
I would say choose base on fit, weather and environment.</p>

6

<p>As an international students, it’s not easy to come to the States, mainly becasue of the visa thing…thank you for your advice!</p>

7

<p>Hey guys, I just come up with a new question about these two schools. How will you campare 4years in Penn CAS taking some Wharton courses vs. 2 years in UCb+2 years in Haas undergraduate program?
Any thoughts?</p>

8

<p>If you want business, go to Penn. even if you’re not enrolled at Wharton, you can take all the classes there you want. And if you get a high GPA freshmen year, you can transfer into Wharton. Wharton has much better job recruiting than Haas.</p>

9

<p>University of California-Berkeley</p>

10

<p>Are you accepted to Wharton @ UPenn?
I’d choose UPenn over Berkeley…</p>

11

<p>

</p>

<p>I don’t think this is true at all. Maybe a little better. But certainly NOT much better. In fact, according to Businessweek’s ranking of the best undergrad business school, Haas has been consistently ranked 2nd in Recruiter Rank. Its graduates are also some of the highest paid in the nation. And, as an MBA feeder school, it’s 3rd best amongst the elite business schools.</p>

<p>[The</a> Top Undergraduate Business Programs](<a href=“http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/undergrad_bschool_2009/]The”>http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/undergrad_bschool_2009/)</p>

<p>Haas Students Comments on Haas:
*Haas provides the most top-notch undergraduate business program imaginable. The core, required classes are all very solid, taught by knowledgeable professors with relevant real world work experience in the area and an obvious passion for the subject. The best part about Haas courses, however, is the electives. Professors and guest lecturers are distinguished in the field that they teach, have extensive contacts, experiences galore to share, and are eager to help students enter the field, meet with their contacts, and provide additional color outside of class. Professors are always available to meet outside of class. Haas makes UC Berkeley feel like a small, intimate school where faces are familiar. The undergraduate office could not possible be run better.</p>

<hr>

<p>Our professors are extremely dedicated to the students’ educations. Throughout holidays and at all hours of the day, they will send emails and answer questions. Even with professors that are only lecturers and have another outside company or job, I have never felt like my education was taking second place to anything. They strive to not just give us a grade we deserve, but to teach us the material as well as possible.</p>

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<p>The diversity of the student body and the faculty is definitely something that differentiates the Haas brand. The high number of transfer students and foreign students not only allows a good percentage of the students to have in-depth international perspective, but it also allows a good percentage of the students to have unique, non-conventional life experiences. With a wider age-spectrum, backgrounds of transfer students who are admitted into Haas range from individuals who have lived in multiple continents during their lifetime to individuals who have served in the US army. It’s interesting to be able to converse with both in the same setting. In addition, Haas instructors, too, possess different backgrounds in their fields of expertise. There are tenured professors who are centered on the theories of academia, while some are successful professionals who willingly share their business experiences in the real world. Having a balance of both creates a unique learning experience for the typical Haas student. The mixing of all these different ideas and perspectives that occur in classes and lounges ultimately shapes the Haas brand of thinking that is unique, innovative, and out of the ordinary.</p>

<hr>

<p>The staff and faculty genuinely care about students. There is a great variety in terms of extra curricular activities and organizations you can participate in. There are an excessive number of competitions such as case competitions and business plan competitions you can join. Current events in business are tackled in classes and in seminars or talks. These seminars and talks involve business professionals brought in by the school. MBAs and PhDs mentor undergraduates. </p>

<p>*
[University</a> of California-Berkeley: Undergraduate Profile ? BusinessWeek](<a href=“Bloomberg Businessweek - Bloomberg”>Bloomberg Businessweek - Bloomberg)</p>

12

<p>I got into UPenn’s CAS not Wharton…but according to Penn’s one University policy, I can choose some courses from Wharton, although I have no idea the range for courses available.</p>

13

<p>You can go to Penn’s course register and see for yourself.</p>

<p>[2009-2010</a> Course Register](<a href=“Office of the University Registrar | Penn Student Registration & Financial Services| Penn Srfs”>Office of the University Registrar | Penn Student Registration & Financial Services| Penn Srfs)</p>

<p>As a CAS student you can enroll in just about ever course save for MGMT-100</p>

14

<p>I would choose Berkeley over Penn.</p>

15

<p>Penn has a more rigorous curriculum than Berkeley although both schools are quite reputable. You should research the areas around the schools and school life itself to see what suits you best. Berkeley has a high concentration of Asians although it is a dangerous city. I’m not very sure about Penn though.</p>

16

<p>The University of California BERKELEY!</p>

17

<p>I don’t see why it’s even a question. UPenn is a far better school than Berkeley. Unless you can’t afford the tuition at UPenn and you are getting full scholarship at Berkeley, you should definitely go to UPenn. By the way, Berkeley, it’s just full of Asians. Unless you want to be surrounded by all those fellow asians, I don’t recommend going to any UC schools. (But Berkeley’s location near San Francisco does give it a charm)</p>

18

<p>Definately UPenn, I loved it there!
I hated Berkeley for some reason, it’s a great school I just hated the vibe and town of Berkeley. The only good thing is that its right outside San Fran, but the down of Berkeley mainly consists of pot smoking hippies (at least the ones I talked to about their school)</p>

19

<p>I AM IN THE SAME EXACT POSITION AS YOU. like. same. exact. position. im doing economics too, but maybe want to take the business route…</p>

20

<p>basically for me its like do i want a better environment/atmosphere (i LOVED the berkeley campus and area)/save money … or a better education. i disliked the surrounding city area of upenn when i visited…just too like suppressing for me. also the people seemed less chill. i noticed there was less of a culture at penn.</p>

<p>however, theres something about going to an ivy that you cant really replace… plus wharton is better. the problem is i dont really know what i want to do with my life! mehhhh people help me too!</p>