Rice University V. Berkeley University

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi guys, this is my first post so here goes:</p>

<p>So I live in Texas and I have already accepted Berkeley, because I wanted to get into their business program later on, but I just got a call on Tuesday notifying me that I was accepted off the waitlist to Rice University, but I have to accept (and pay $700) by TOMORROW!!>.< So I'm freaking out and not sure what to do.
The cost is pretty much the same so that's not the issue.</p>

<p>Rice does not have good business (only minor and new), but it is private, personal and a solid education whereas Berkeley has all these budget cuts?, competition and its not a guarantee I get into the business program. Berkeley is a little bit more exciting, social-wise to me though. It's also 42% Asian which is kind of exciting for me since I'm Asian. </p>

<p>Any advice?
Please &&Thank you :)</p>

2

<p>Personally, I think you will receive a better UNDERGRADUATE education at Rice. Berkeley is great for grad school —> much better than Rice for grad school. Berkeley has a great undergrad program from what I heard, but I still feel Rice is a lot more focused on undergrads.</p>

<p>All those Berkeley proponents on this board are going to call me ignorant and what not. But, whether they like it or not, Berkeley (and many other good state schools) are in a slide right now due to the economy –> such schools rely heavily on state funding. In this economy, it makes sense to go to Rice, especially since you are not even in-state for Berkeley (if you are in-state, another story).</p>

<p>Rice doesn’t have an undergraduate business major, but so doesn’t Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Brown, Dartmouth, etc. Notice that none of the very top universities have business majors. I talked to my Rice leadership professor who used to teach business courses, and he said it is better to major in a liberal arts/engineering field instead of majoring straight up in business. That is because a degree in the liberal arts, sciences, or engineering refines your critical thinking and problem solving skills, whereas a degree in business does not really improve your thinking skills. Its more learn this formula and learn how to apply it – not a lot of creativity required as in liberal arts or science/engineering majors (most science/engineering majors at Rice require a senior design project or a research thesis).</p>

<p>If you really want to major in business, there is talk around campus about creating a business major (although I doubt the administration will approve it because the reasons I stated above). You could always double major in managerial studies or minor in business. All business courses are at the Jones School of Business, which is slowly becoming a prestigious business school (has excellent programs in entrepreneurship and finance).</p>

<p>You really can’t go wrong, but I can say, without a doubt, you can get a lot more personal attention at Rice. Berkeley fans can argue all they want, but the fact of the matter is Berkeley has 25,000 undergrads, whereas Rice has 3,300 undergrads. Sure, Berkeley has more professors and other faculty members, but you are still going to be competing with a lot more students for leadership positions, school-sponsored internships, school-sponsored leadership programs, etc. For me, this is a no-brainer (I would go with Rice, especially with all the California budget cuts), but it depends what atmosphere you want. Again, you can’t go wrong with either choice… both are some of the most prestigious schools in the country.</p>

<p>Btw, Rice is 22% Asian… there are so many Asians at Rice too.</p>

<p>Anyway, you got to go with the school where you feel where you will be most happy. If you like Berkeley’s social atmosphere better, go there. However, Rice has a very accommodating social atmosphere as well.</p>

3

<p>Many if not most top executives, investment bankers, and venture capitalists were not business majors–or even went to schools that offer an undergraduate business major.</p>

4

<p>I would choose Rice over Cal if their costs are the same. You are seeking an undergraduate education; you can always get a top ranked MBA.</p>

5

<p>lol, no one calls Cal that (@title). </p>

<p>I’d take Rice.</p>

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<p>haha i know, i guess i was going for parallelism but its usually uc-berkeley or ucb right?
i think there’s an actual berkeley university too?lol</p>

<p>well thanks everyone for your advice and i think im leaning towards Rice :)</p>

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<p>You should do a search on this site. I think there have been a number of Rice v. Berkeley threads.</p>

8

<p>I’d take Rice for undergrad.</p>

9

<p>I agree with others. Go to Rice! And I’m a business school prof and i was just telling a bunch of highschool students to day “do not get a ug in business” (except if you want to be an accountant). One, it is so much easier to learn and absorb what is taught after you have work experience. Two, get an undergrad in something else because it will broaden your mind, and you can always get an MBA to go with it. Much better to have the value of two different degrees: you can do say an Eng. degree or econ degree or english degree and then an MBA, but you can’t do a business undergrad and Masters of Engineering, Econ or English!</p>

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<p>Haas is amazing. It’s significantly superior to Rice in terms of academic quality and academic prestige. Haas is globally prestigious and has a very rich and well-bonded alumni network all over the world. Aside from that, Berkeley - as a place - is awesome. It has a diverse crowd and it has easy access to SF. </p>

<p>Lastly, don’t believe that you’ll not get faculty attention at Haas. I have not heard anyone says that from Haas.</p>

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<p>There’s no guarantee that the OP will be admitted to Haas.</p>

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<p>RML,
Haas is definitely not “significantly superior to Rice in terms of academic quality and academic prestige.” You’re dangerous to these kids. Haas is a fine undergrad business school. Rice is a fine undergraduate college. Both schools can prepare students very well and place them very well. The academic differences are likely close to zero and may even favor Rice. </p>

<p>One important distinction-UC Berkeley proximity to Silicon Valley and the Peninsula’s incredible assembly of world-class high tech companies is a big deal if you want to go into the info tech world. Rice grads can make it big there also (eg, google John Doerr), but the path is easier if you’re just crossing the Bay Bridge as opposed to flying halfway across the country. Conversely, you can also do high tech in Dallas or Austin which are also pretty impressive and thriving high tech communities.</p>

13

<p>If I had to make the choice for me I would choose Berkeley, but I’m not majoring in the area you are.</p>

<p>For you I would probably choose Rice. It will probably give you a more typical undergraduate education. If you’re looking for the private type of education, and you like the idea of going to school near where you live, I’d probably choose Rice. </p>

<p>If you’re 100% sure that you want to do undergraduate business then Berkeley might be for you. If you’re looking for a private education where you could probably go from business to something completely different, then Rice would probably be better.</p>

14

<p>hawkette, you’re entitled to your own opinion and I respect what comes out of your mind, but I’m also entitled to mine. </p>

<p>Haas grads are considerably paid more than Rice grads are. Check out Forbes’ payscale.com so you’ll be reminded of where Rice is positioned relevant to Berkeley. In addition to that, Haas grads get into top grad business schools, and into the best companies in the banking and finance industry whether in Cali or WS or anywhere in the world. For example, McKinsey recruits at Haas, and so do Goldman and Blackstone. Just last year alone, McKinsey recruited 17 from Haas, something that’s almost a miracle to happen at Rice. In fact, these companies rarely recruit at Rice, if at all they do.</p>

<p>When two applicants having the same GPAs knock on the door at Goldman, Goldman would most likely hire someone at Haas. To simply put: Haas is a target for most top employers. Rice, outside of its area, isn’t. Again, that is not to say that Rice isn’t a great school. I’m just saying that Haas is simply superior to Rice in the interest of the OP, which is to major in buiness.</p>

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<p>“There’s no guarantee that the OP will be admitted to Haas.”</p>

<p>There is a 50-50 chance that he will or will not get into Haas. But even then, Berkeley’s Econ and Maths are amazing - some of the best in the country. Top companies do recruit grads of these programs too. Plus he will have the chance to live in California (and be away from his parents), which is an amazing state, where the action/fun is. ;)</p>