<p>Hi everyone! I'm currently waiting for my results to come in for the fall application and was just wondering if i could get a feel from you guys regarding the schools i applied to. I applied to berkerley, umich, uiuc, purdue and ucla to study undergraduate mechanical engineering. reading through several of the other threads, i understand that cost is a pretty huge concern with regards to choosing schools, be it in-state or out-state. however, im a singaporean and hence would have to pay the full international student bill irregardless of the school i enroll into.</p>
<p>thus, i was just hoping to get some suggestions as to which school you guys would prefer, in terms of academics, competition, school environment etc and hopefully offer me a ranking of the schools i have applied to? at the moment im looking at UCB, UMICH, UIUC, PURDUE, UCLA in that order. thank you!</p>
<p>Dig deep into each program and pick the one that maximizes “hands on” learning and offers the most lab time. The problem with the UC’s is that you will be stuck for a couple of years in general education classes and may not have any ME classes until your junior year. Also, some schools may accept you for ME but then you have to “earn” a spot in the program by proving yourself in your general ed classes. Go for the one that will put you in ME from your freshman year with no hoops to jump.</p>
<p><sarcasm>
Yeah. Those hoops - silly things like English and art and history and economics - don’t do anything except help you communicate, think creatively, integrate culturally, and understand the impact of your work. Nothing an engineer would need, especially not one who starts out as an international student.
</sarcasm></p>
<p>thanks for the replies! i understand what both of you mean… so @osakadad, so in general, the other three non-UC schools plunge you straight into mechanical engineering modules? or is it that the UC schools spend an extraordinarily long time focusing on the general education modules?</p>
<p>@lynxinsider, i definitely think that general education modules would benefit me! do you have any other opinions on the schools i stated though?</p>
<p>My S is a freshman Mech E major at Berkeley. He had Michigan slightly ahead of Berkeley but since we are CA residents he opted for Cal. He likes it a lot but says it is EXTREMELY challenging workload and grading. He is just barely getting a B average, getting C’s in his math classes so far. In HS, he never ever got a B grade in math and was the top math student at a very competitive private school. He has friends majoring in Mech E at all the other schools on your list and says their workload/grading is not as rigorous as his. I understand that this may or may not be true. He says it is based on specific feedback he gets from the kids attending these other schools regarding mostly math classes.</p>
<p>From a cultural perspective, Berkeley and neighboring San Francisco (a 20-minute rapid transit train ride away with a station on the edge of campus) is tough to beat.</p>
<p>@jshain, may i know why he chose umich over cal? so he feels that the workload is extremely different from that of the other schs? coming from an education system with a pretty hefty workload, i was kind of hoping for a slightly less cluttered college education. however, i have to agree that the proximity to SF as well as the weather at cali would be more desirable!</p>
<p>You cannot go wrong between those schools. All of them are excellent universities in their own way and have strong Engineering programs. In Mechanical Engineering, Cal, Michigan, Purdue and UIUC are all considered equally good.</p>
<p>This said, assuming cost of attendance is not a factor, I would recommend Cal and Michigan over the others. </p>
<p>As jshain points out, one of the advantages of Cal is having a great city like SF next door. Unfortunately, Michigan’s next door neighbour is Detroit! However, as far as college towns go, Ann Arbor is nicer than Berkeley. I recommend visiting some of those universities once admitted just to see which one feels best.</p>
<p>@alexandre, ohh okay that’s good! So you would rate cal and mich over the rest? Cos of the academics? Or cos of the town? As much as I would like to, I’m not able to visit the schools as I’m all the way in southeast asia haha. But I’ve been to cal as my sister studied there! Seemed pretty nice :)</p>
<p>I think Cal and Michigan match your interests best. </p>
<p>In terms of overall academic excellence, Cal is slightly better than Michigan and UCLA. UIUC is close behind, but not quite as good. </p>
<p>In terms of engineering quality, Cal is slightly better than Michigan and UIUC. Purdue is also excellent, but not quite as strong. </p>
<p>In terms of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan and Cal are slightly better than UIUC and Purdue. </p>
<p>In terms of campus life, Michigan and UCLA are slightly better than Cal or UIUC. </p>
<p>In terms of surounding area, Michigan and UCLA are slightly better than Cal and UIUC. </p>
<p>Overall, Cal and Michigan are the best options, but you should visit to determine which one suits you better. I would actually visit them once admitted.</p>
<p>It should be noted that there is no bad option in your list. Should one of the other three schools appeal to you the most for personal reasons, you would be just as well off going there. For example, if you really like LA, UCLA is a great option. Should finances be a concern, Purdue and UIUC could save you $10k/year.</p>
<p>Ahh I see… Thanks so much for the detailed conparisons! So you still think cal loses to both mich and uiuc in surrounding area despite its proximity to SF? I think at the moment I’m still looking to cal, mich and uiuc as the ME programme would be my priority. Yet cal and mich probably still ranks higher than uiuc. Currently I alr got admitted into uiuc! So hopefully the other two reply positively!</p>
<p>What I meant by “surounding area” is the immediate area accessible on foot. For that, I think Michigan and UCLA (not UIUC) have a slight advantage over Cal and UIUC.</p>
<p>As far as cost of attrendance goes, Cal, Michigan and UCLA cost over $50,000/year (including room and board, books etc…), while UIUC costs roughly around $45,000/year while Purdue costs roughly $40,000/year.</p>
<p>oh crap yea i meant to type ucla sorry. hmm okay i see theres a diff, but they are all still considerably cheaper as compared to the private universities right? i think cost should be reduced as much as possible without sacrificing on the academic and experience. thanks for the advice alexandre!</p>
<p>To those of you who recommended one program over another… Out of curiosity, what characteristics of the programs do you have in mind when you’re making your recommendations? Is it just reputation, or are there aspects of a ME program that are important that you’re making distinctions with?</p>
<p>Berkeley itself “surrounding area” would likely be a love it or hate it proposition. The dorms are right in the center of Berkeley action on Durant and Telegraph Ave. Lots of action, color, interest, late night pizza and dogs in quick walking distance but you’d better go in a group. In terms of SF being in proximity, with the workload it might as well be 1000 miles away. The weather is great, the people are nice in general. Intro classes are giant and generally very unforgiving with grading.</p>
<p>I don’t know if you are an auto admit to ME program or must apply during 2nd year, but that would be critical to know. Schools with tough core math/science grading and limited competative E and CS slots can surprise students and make first year or 2 much more stressful.</p>
<p>UCB, I guess it depends on personal preference. I really developped an allergic reaction to Berkeley. I loved the campus but I really disliked the town.</p>