<p>I got acceptance from both Rice and Berkeley.
I have largely four factors that I consider:</p>
<li><p>$$$
I am an international student and thus could not apply for fin aid for both universities. The cost for international student is the same in both schools, so my only concern is that: in which school do I have higher chance to get fin aid or merit scholarship for sophomore? (by the way, does Rice provide Fin aid and merit based scholarship for returning international students? I know UCB does, but Rice doesn’t seem to)</p></li>
<li><p>major
I am planning to major in civil and environmental engineering, which I know that UCB is best at in the entire country. However, I am not quite sure whether I will continue my major, and from what I heard, Rice is good for double majoring and changing majors. Which school will be a better fit for me in this case?</p></li>
<li><p>life
I am going to live in campus, and I heard that Rice has one of the best residential college systems (which is the reason I applied for Rice). I am not quite sure about UCB. Is it fun to study at UCB? I know that undergrad is going to be rigorous and deadly in both schools, so I want to go to the place where I can study with some comfort at least.</p></li>
<li><p>grad school
I am planning to go to grad school, specifically engineering + MBA programs. Considering the difficulty of getting good GPA’s, relationship with professors, school reputation, etc., which school would be better?</p></li>
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<p>I am really having a difficulty choosing between these two schools. From what I believe, UCB has advantage in 1,2 and Rice has advantage in 3,4. I would really appreciate if anyone could give me advice on any of the four factors. Thank you very much.</p>
<p>They are good schools. Bothe schools are hard and competion is rough. However I would not live in Houston. I lived in Texas, I know. Berkeley and SF are a lot nicer and much better weather.</p>
<p>I'm from Texas and have a lot of friends that go to Rice (well at least 4-5) and I attend Berkeley myself, so I'll try to answer these questions as fairly as possible. </p>
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<li><p>First, are you sure the costs of both institutions is the same? While the tuition might be similar, living in Berkeley is FAR more expensive than Houston. I pay out-of-state tuition and the cost I incur here are about $8000 more (at least) than what my friends pay at Rice. So, cost of living is something you should take into account also. That being said, I don't really know the specifics on merit aid. I would suggest poking around on both schools' websites or maybe calling them. </p></li>
<li><p>They both have excellent engineering programs and I'm sure you'd have a bright future wherever you decide to go. If you are really career oriented, I'd suggest Berkeley then... the GPA deflation is a lie. People here complain about how difficult it is to get an A... but from my experience it's about as difficult as any other top institution. While classes have been tough, I've had no trouble getting the grades I want if I just study. As for changing majors: Rice is probably more friendly in that regard... I know someone who changed mid-junior year from biology to economics and ended up graduating on time. However, I'm sure you'd have no trouble changing at Berkeley if need be.</p></li>
<li><p>Rice's residential college system rocks. When I go down there to visit friends, everyone seems very close-knit and you basically know everybody in your college. Berkeley you have to work a little more to have a social life (but it's not that difficult). After your first year, usually you live off campus... which some people like and others don't. </p></li>
<li><p>I think either choice would be really good. Berkeley is a top-notch university as is Rice. You may have to work a little more at Berkeley to get to know your professors because of the much larger class sizes...it's definitely do-able though and most of the professors here are easily approachable. I think that if there are any differences between how easy it is to get a good GPA, then the grad schools would know of it and account for the difference accordingly. </p></li>
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<p>Thank you your answers!
so why is the whether in Houston so bad anyway? Is it too hot? I thought Houston is warm so it would be better than Toronto (where I live) which is so cold in winter.
And regarding the money thing, I just compared between the expected cost posted by both schools for 2008-2009 year. they were exactly the same--well, to be exact, there was $1 difference lol.</p>
<p>Houston is either blazing hot and dry, or dry and humid.</p>
<p>If you want to eventually work internationally, I think Cal has a better reputation around the globe. But I'm not going to slight Rice, it's a great school as well. </p>
<p>If you are into sports and such, Cal is the place to go, as it's athletics are top-notch. If you like a smaller feel, Rice would be better.</p>