Hey guys I need some inputs to help me choose between Berkeley College of Chemistry and Cornell College of Engineering! There are several factors that I will potentially affect my decision, and I will list them below. I visited Berkeley last Spring but it was pretty generic, and I am going to visit Cornell this Friday. So I hope someone who knows the college well could help answer some of my questions (and if you happen to know Cornell very well that’s even better):
- Major - When I applied to Berkeley I chose Chemical Biology as my major because up to that point I was pretty settled on this particular field; however, as college application went and after I did more research, right now I am more leaning towards engineering, particularly chemical, materials science, and biomedical engineering. I went to Berkeley Academic Guide website and saw that students can only "petition to change into a different major within the College of Chemistry after their first year." I wondered what's chance that students successfully change their majors like this in the past? If I go to Cornell then I will have more flexibility of choosing engineering majors, and if I go to Berkeley (and am able to change major) then I will be bind to Chem E. I also wonder if you guys know how stronger Chem E is compared to Cornell (I know anything Chemistry in Berkeley is probably stronger than Cornell but I want to know some specifics)?
- Research opportunities - is it really like what I heard that "it is harder to get research positions because it is a big university"? I want to get involved with research as early as possible and I plan to do starting Freshmen year. So how likely do you think I am able to do this (and /or is it common for Berkeley students at College of Chemistry to do research at Freshmen or Sophomore year)?
- Curriculum flexibility - I know that each major has a pre-desiged curriculum starting the 1st year, so I am a little worried that the course is inflexible. My interests are pretty diverse, and I want minor in subject offered at L&S, is that easy to do? And also I heard that someone struggled to enroll in courses they really need to take and end up not being able to graduate so I wondered if that depends on college or if that's generally true?
- Any comments on Campus life and how that compares to Cornell is appreciated!
PS: I am international so tuition is not a factor at this point. (if you have anything to say about international student life at Berkeley I am willing to hear as well!)
I read similar threads comparing Cornell and Berkeley, but I feel like my questions have not beeb fully answered… So bare with me…! Thanks in advance!