Northwestern ISP vs. UC Berkeley Physics

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

<p>Hi guys this is my first time posting a thread here. I'm in a difficult situation and I'm desperate for some good advice. This might be a little long since I want to pack as much my info as possible. Please help. </p>

<p>As the title suggests I am now deciding between NU and Berkeley. My academic interest is in physics, and I applied to both schools as a physics major. I don't see myself as a leading theoretical physicist in the future, but I am interested in the subject and want to learn as much as possible. That being said, I might switch major to engineering or something else in the future. Supposedly, Berkeley is one of the very top institutes in natural science. However I also got into the Integrated Science Program in NU, a very solid program in the field. </p>

<p>I have been to NU twice (a total periods of 8 days). I can't tell how much I like the school as a whole. During my stay I made friends with some amazingly talented and well-rounded students, lived and went to some classes with them. I am pretty sure NU provides the student body, academics and the overall life I am looking for. </p>

<p>However my opinion might be biased since I haven't visited Berkeley yet. I personally much lean towards NU, but the thing about Berkeley is that it enjoys a stronger prestige internationally (at least in Asia). I am a student from China (I came to US high school as a sophomore). While most of my American schoolmates/teachers suggested me to choose NU, all of my parents/families/friends back in China want me to go to Berkeley. While I am well aware of the the problems of Berkeley (big classes, low care for students, etc.), I can't deny the fact that the name and large Chinese student body of Berkeley more or less would aid me if I go back to China for work. However, there's a big chance that I will persuade graduate degree after undergraduate, and I'm not yet sure if I want to go back to China for work. </p>

<p>Finance/weather/transportation/geo location are not deciding factors for me. As I mentioned I still prefer NU personally (maybe that is why I post the thread here instead of at Berkeley's place), but I really need some objective advice. Thank you for reading this poorly-organized writing, I really appreciate your help!</p>

<p>Sincere thanks,
Adam Fu</p>

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<p>I can’t specifically answer your questions, but our S also has Berkeley and NU ISP (special interest in Chemistry) among his college choices, and he’s currently leaning toward Northwestern. </p>

<p>In case you haven’t seen it, here’s a recent thread on this subject that might be helpful to you.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northwestern-university/1481230-nu-vs-uc-berkeley.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northwestern-university/1481230-nu-vs-uc-berkeley.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Good luck, and congratulations on having such great choices. Maybe you and our S will be classmates next year!!</p>

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<p>Another plus for NU is the flexibility from the quarter system: you can do ISP & engineering at the same time. Such combination is logistically much more difficult, if not impossible, at Berkeley. </p>

<p>Here’s one proposal: NU for undergrad and grad school at Berkeley. </p>

<p>A PhD program at Berkeley isn’t easy to get in but if you only consider MS programs, even Berkeley isn’t difficult. But I heard most ISP end up at places like CalTech/Stanford for PhDs. Grad schools definitely know about ISP.</p>

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<p>ISP and Engineering can be done together (our S is in such a combination) and he loves it. Also ISP by its very nature offers many opportunities for research, and its prestige puts it in the radar of top graduate schools, should you be interested in pursuing further studies.</p>