Michigan or Berkeley...? Plz help

Hello everyone, I thought I was Michigan-bound ever since EA, but now somehow got into Berkeley and everyone in my family liked it better. However, I have emotional attachments to Michigan, and everyone has been saying “weather” but I’m immune to cold since I attend High school in Nebraska.
I’m majoring Biology or something related. I know Berkeley has a top bio program but at Michigan I want to go to Residential College and also learn art/ Japanese/ have a life…etc.
Berkeley would give me more prestige I guess, but academics is tough, and neighborhood more dangerous than Ann Arbor. I plan on going to grad school and don’t know which one would prepare me better for it.
What would you suggest if weather is not a concern (in fact I don’t like it too hot) and I want to major in biology? Thank you all very much!

Both schools are very prestigious and will prepare you very well for grad school. Go with your gut (and/or finances if one is cheaper than the other).

Michigan is in MUCH better financial shape than Berkeley or any UC.

By the way, since it was brought up, I am full pay at both universities. Not because I am rich, I am very grateful for my parents who supports me, but as an international student it’s hard to gain aid. We could afford both schools, of course. I believe Michigan is around 65k and Berkeley 60k, so the cost is negligible. In short, both are costly for me but we are willing to sacrifice I guess.

You won’t have more of a life at Michigan. They are equally rigorous schools, and bio is a grindingly difficult major at both because there are a lot of very smart premed students gunning for As.

Have you visited both? Do that if you can. I assume if your family can pay OOS tuition, they can pay for plane tickets to see both.

I am planning to visit both schools next weekend, and just want to get more opinions from others on the forum, especially alums, I definitely appreciate all the insights all of you puts in!

I don’t see how “financial shape” has anything to do with much. Berkeley professors aren’t going on strike anytime soon. The neighborhood at Berkeley might not look so nice on the south end if you chose to wander around way away from campus late at night but otherwise it’s no different than any urban campus in a big city.

If your end goal is pre-Med I would almost posit that both places are really tough. The big advantage of Berkeley will be access to lots of tech and biotech nearby.

My end goal would not be pre-med but definitely graduate schools with bio-related major. To help the context I got into Berkeley’s school of natural resources with microbial biology major, I heard there are unique research chances so that’s a plus for Berkeley.
At Michigan I will plan to pursue a more diverse path, learn some drawing (because I was self taught for a long time) and learn another foreign language in more depth…etc. I have different plans.

Location wise, Ann Arbor is a nicer town than Berkeley, but San Francisco definitely beats Detroit.

Michigan has an endowment of $11 Billion dollars, the 8th largest in the US. Larger than the entire UC system all together.

Why does financial shape matter? Most dorms on Central and the Hill campuses have been remodeled and for the most part gorgeous. I don’t know about North Campus. I haven’t been there. Otherwise, there are no housing problems that I’m aware of at UMich.

Here’s a sampling of how money matters:

  1. Michigan has built several new buildings, including the biological sciences building:

https://lsa.umich.edu/ummnh/about/biological-sciences-building.html

  1. The brand new student union will reopen in January 2020:

https://uunions.umich.edu/reunion

  1. A remodeled/new central campus building adding classrooms will be built soon:

https://record.umich.edu/articles/new-central-campus-building-include-innovative-classrooms

  1. The Intramural Building has been remodeled: https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2016/10/take_a_look_at_u-ms_renovated.html
  2. And the Central Campus Recreation Center will also be remodeled very soon:

https://record.umich.edu/articles/regents-approve-replacing-central-campus-recreation-building

The student faculty ratio:

UCB 18:1
UMich 15:1

UMich has no budget problems. UC’s do.

Do you want to change your major? It’s very easy to do at UMich. How about at Cal?

I vote for Michigan.

I know I am bent towards Michigan in terms of settings and such, but that might just be I have been researching Michigan ever since I got in during EA, versus Berkeley which I just got in last night, and that’s the reason I wanted to hear more from all perspectives and make sure I make informed decision.

@sushiritto Berkeley’s Li Ka Shing building which houses a lot of the biomedical studies is pretty much state of the art. There’s a lot being invested in new housing. Unless the students are seeing the endowment money, who really cares how big the endowment money is like? It’s sort of like saying you should buy an Apple product over some other product because it has the largest market value in the world. No, you buy a product because of the product.

I’m coming from China, however, I won’t necessarily prefer a predominately Asian student percentage, whichever school it might be. I want more diversity for sure.

Ah, Berkely is predominantly Asian, about 40%, if that matters to you. Asian population at Michigan is about 12%. These are undergrad figures.

I would think, besides plant, operations, hiring faculty and employees, paying faculty and employees, Michigan would have a money advantage. Cal just had a faculty strike, no?

https://www.berkeleyside.com/2018/05/07/workers-at-uc-berkeley-other-campuses-launch-3-day-strike

Advising appointments are easy to make, you can make express appointments with multiple advisors for multiple majors and minors w/o an issue. Also, there are free math, science, writing, engineeriing labs, if tutors are needed. Registration hassles, none so far for my freshman. Switch majors? Easy at Michigan. You don’t even declare until 2nd semester sophomore year.

If you want to argue that having a larger endowment doesn’t help, then I’m out!

Asian student percentage won’t matter too much, just a trivial feeling. As for housing, at Michigan I will for sure want to live in the Residential College at East Quad. I’m not sure where for Berkeley yet, I heard there are nice dorms in some buildings but not sure. I need more research myself too. But I will look into endowments and renovations…

East Quad is beautiful, but there are a lot of beautiful dorms on campus.

https://lsa.umich.edu/rc/reserve-a-room-.html

You will get more diversity at Cal for sure.

Michigan Class of 2022 is 65% white, 15% Asian and 6% Hispanic and 5% African American

https://admissions.umich.edu/apply/freshmen-applicants/student-profile

In this country both are considered outstanding publics. I’m a big fan of Michigan. But, it you are wondering which of the two has the stronger academic reputation, it is “neck-and-neck”; something reflected in the fact that the relative order differs across rating system. But I’d give the nod to Berkeley overall.