<p>In California, UC Berkeley is typically viewed at second only to Stanford. UCLA follows closely. Honestly, I had never known Cal Tech was a good school until this year (I know, haha), but that’s because it’s not a field I’m interested in. When I tell people I’m going to Berkeley, they are impressed. Not as impressed as if I were going to an Ivy, probably, but still pretty impressed. But for most normal people on the West Coast, elite East Coast schools tend to fly under our radar. I mean, I couldn’t name you all of the schools in the Ivy League and could not even begin to start naming “lesser Ivy equivalents.” </p>
<p>So I guess my answer is: in state, Cal is definitely viewed as a top notch school. It is consistently ranked the number one public university in the country. It’s the reach school for most Californian high school students who are interested in staying in state and paying less. </p>
<p>P.S. No one in California calls it “Cali.” No one.</p>
<p>I think it’s a bit overrated, honestly. The average kid (excluding prep school students, the top 10% at school, and those from areas that provide more) in Cali thinks Cal is the best when it’s not. We have Cal Tech and Stanford, too! As much as I like Cal, I don’t think it’ll ever be up to par with HYP, even if it were a private school. The stats, essays, and outcome provide some evidence. Don’t get me wrong, though. I think Cal is a great school and deserves recognition but I don’t think it’s underrated. People abroad (even kids from the the Beverly Hills region of Korea) consider Cal to be one of the best.</p>
<p>^^^No one says that Berkeley is on par with HYP or Stanford at the UG level. But it certainly doesn’t have 15 better schools above it in this country.</p>
<p>low selectivity, large class sizes, less undergraduate prestige, less student resources, worse financial aid program, fewer study abroad/civic engagement/research opportunities, terrible advising, etc.</p>
<p>ring,
Do you have any facts to back up your claims or were you just reciting anti-public school slogans?</p>
<p>
UCB ranks #14 in selectivity, tied with Cornell, Northwestern and Notre Dame. Only 13 schools are more selective, according to USNWR.</p>
<p>
Do you even know what programs and resources are available at UCB?</p>
<p>"Research: Berkeley ranks first amongst U.S. universities in the number of its research programs considered “distinguished” (32), according to the most recent National Research Council study.(Source)</p>
<p>A 2008 student survey found that 52% of Berkeley seniors have assisted faculty with research or creative projects. (UCUES Survey, 2008)" … and unlike some private school we know, UCB students get to do research with world-class professors who are leaders in their own fields.</p>
<p>“Public service by students: In any given year, more than 4,000 Cal students do volunteer work. UC Berkeley continues to be the only school in the country to have produced more than 3,000 Peace Corps volunteers since that organization’s inception in 1961. (Source)”</p>
It should be noted, however, that relatively few OOS domestic students actually enroll – 216 last year (4.52% of freshmen).</p>
<p>Interestingly, Berkeley enrolls 140% as many international students (45.2% yield) as OOS students (19.5% yield) despite admitting only 60% as many international students as OOS students. International admits are far more likely to enroll than domestic applicants, who apparently strongly prefer other options.</p>
<p>UCB isn’t that attractive for OOS students for undergrad. It’s a very large school that doesn’t offer many scholarships to OOS students. They choose to either go to a smaller private or to a cheaper public.</p>
<p>The only California public I considered was UCLA, and that was mostly becuase it was a match school in LA. I looked at OOS publics like Michigan, UVA, and UIUC because they had a better track record of scholarships for OOS students.</p>
<p>hawkette, most people overseas do not make as much of a distinction between graduate and undergraduate degrees (this is an American tradition.) In fact, it often doesn’t even come up unless someone is reading husband’s resume. When he mentions his education, he says Berkeley and leaves it at that. In any case I myself have an undergraduate degree from Berkeley and any mention of it in conversation with our foreign friends and colleagues it always elicits respect, and generates questions and comments. Not to mention the fact that I, as a mere undergraduate, had classes with two (count 'em two!) Nobel Prize winners. That’s the magical thing about Berkeley: it’s Cal that has a lore, a tradition, a PERSONALITY (not to mention a history of Nobel laureates) that gives it a national and international reputation lacking by many schools revered on CC for their supposed greater prestige.</p>
<p>I suppose Chicago could be deemed more lacking in tradition since it was founded 23 years after Berkeley, but it certainly has plenty of personality. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>IBclass06. If Berkeley were ranked at USNWR in the top 15 schools, this would be a good point. However it isn’t. That is why it is underrated on CC in my opinion. Way too many people here look at the USNWR rankings as gospel.</p>
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