Hi!
I have recently been admitted to MHC(in-state) and Berkeley. If I go to MHC, I basically just have to pay for room and board. But if I go to Berkeley I have to pay for everything. But Berkeley feels more prestigious and I don’t want to abandon this opportunity just to save money. Any advice?
Both are different school - University v/s LAC. But Berkley is very hard core and large school and you will compete with smart people because they do grade curve i.e. for example only 20% will get A.
Being said that great school and very good reputation in tech/engineering, research, prep for post grad etc. Since you are OOS fees are more and boarding is very expensive too. total $60k.
If you are going, you may not like surrounding area as it is in the downtown.
Make sure you attend the school you’re a better fit at. If that’s MHC, of course go for it and vise versa. Do not simply attend one school over another because of prestige.
Wow, really comparing apples and oranges!! PIck the school that feels right. MHC is probably as prestigious among LAC;s as Cal is among state flagships.
I would echo what everyone is saying about choose the one that is the better FIT for you. My son chose a more prestigious school that he didn’t really have strong feelings about over the less prestigious school he really loved. He was miserable and moved home at the end of his freshman year.
I’m not saying that will necessarily happen to you, but if I had it to do over again, I would have encouraged him to follow his heart instead of the prestige.
You are choosing between a “prestigious” LAC and a “prestigious” research university. Congratulations! As a Californian, I would be hard pressed to say Cal is more prestigious than MHC. They are just different. Do you want the big research university or the small LAC? That is the better way to make the choice. I would not decide based on a “feeling” of one being more prestigious than the other.
Try to attend the admitted student days at MHC. You will not only get a good feel for the College but also meet many of your prospective classmates. Once on campus, you will be able to decide definitively if it is the right place for you. Personally, I would not give up one minute of my four years at Mount Holyoke and would start all over again if I could. I do not see Cal-Berkeley as being more prestigious except perhaps among those unfamiliar with the top liberal arts colleges. Just so you know, after I graduated from Mount Holyoke I attended a prestigious large public university (the University of Michigan) for law school and felt quite smug about how clever I had been youyto avoid the undergraduate experience at such a large school where it was difficult to find the New York Times ! However, if you love football, then you will just have to go off campus to find it if you attend Mount Holyoke!
Wow MHC v Cal. UC Berkley really is the only UC school worth considering (my opinion as a Californian). MHC v Cal Berkley would be a reasonable question if you were also a California resident. But as non-resident you will pay top dollar for a mid-dollar experience. Most of your money will go to fund the few California residents who “won” admission. Don’t let Cal berkley’s low acceptance rate fool into thinking it’s an Ivy-like education. Read up on the recent UC scandal regrading admissions rates. That said, Berkely is the best UC but still a UC where classes are “impacted” housing is not guaranteed, meals are blocks away from the dorms, classes are taught by grad students (many of whom are english language learners) stuff does not get fixed or maintained because of “budget cuts”.
Cal Berkley will in no way compare the supportive environment at MHC. Do yourself a favor. Save your money for grad school at Cal Berkely. A basically free ride at MHC will give you the funds and opportunity to prepare for a grad school in four years.
Agree with all that’s been said about fit. They couldn’t be more different.
But I’ll add another perspective about Cal: it is known all over the globe and it is widey considered the finest public institution of higher learning in the US.
This is coming from a guy who has an admitted bias in favor of the LAC model and an admiration for the Seven Sisters. I often say that I have never encountered a single person from a 7 Sister who has failed to really impress me. You can never say that about a large public school.
Generally Cal has a much bigger name than MHC. If you were asking about Wellesley then I’d say the name rec wouldn’t be closer. But with MHC there’s no doubt there are many people who haven’t heard of it.
Doesn’t matter.
I always push for where you will receive the better education: I think MHC does a better job of educating undergrads. It’s all they do. Cal does a lot of things and reports from those who attend often involve stories that are typical of big school issues: getting classes, crowding, professor access issues, etc.
Free ride to MHC seems hard to pass on.
But that’s me with my bias; I will tell you that if you asked 100 people probably 60 or more would tell you to go to Berkeley.
Kind of late to weigh in now @MiddleburyDad2. @bluenemo , what did you decide?