<p>Just to let you know a bit about myself, I will be studying Chemical Engineering at Berkeley, or Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins. One of my biggest priorities at college is to have good undergrad research opportunities; the other is to have a decent social life and good extracurricular activities. </p>
<p>Berkeley has a better ranking in Chemical Engineering, however Johns Hopkins have a better ranking in Medical related things. Both are small schools (Berkeley's CoC has only about 200 freshman, making it seem like a very small tightknit envirionment, while JHU is private). What do you think would be a better choice for me, academically?</p>
<p>What about the social aspects - what are your opinions on Berkeley and JHU? Eg the types of people I'll meet etc. </p>
<p>And is there anything you think I should be aware of about the two schools?</p>
<p>We can’t speak for Johns Hopkins, obviously, but ChemE students at Berkeley are a very tight knit group. As far as undergraduate research opportunities go, a lot of undergraduates do research not only in ChemE but MatSci, Electrical Engineering and Chemistry. There are benefits to going to a large university. Academically, Berkeley’s ChemE major is one of the most difficult at Berkeley but the payoffs are high. I don’t know enough about JHU to comment on the differences though. (JHU does block off the 1st semester of grades so that it doesn’t count in your GPA, which is good)</p>
<p>Are you out-of-state? If you are in-state, I would definitely compare the cost of going to both. However, I would also consider the things that you do get for paying more to go to JHU. Namely smaller classes and more individualised attention not only in classes but also in advising, etc. </p>
<p>As far as social aspects goes. Berkeley is 45 minutes away from SF. It’s pretty hard to beat that :).</p>
<p>Look into CA financial situation before signing up for its state school. Are you out of state? If so, you will be paying the same amount as going to JHU.</p>
<p>IMO, Cal’s CoC is one of the few programs worth paying OOS fees for. It is LAC-like, with a singular focus. A very close-knit group of students AND faculty, surrounded by a major research Uni, albeit public.</p>
<p>Socially, Cal probably beats Hopkins, but that is really a personal thing.</p>