<p>First off, I know both schools are remarkably different in terms of LAC vs University and I can't quite decide between the two for other reasons.</p>
<p>I'm interested in an Econ and CogSci double major....</p>
<p>Berkeley: </p>
<p>PROS:
- I'm finished with my GE already (it takes 1 year to complete) through CC courses so I graduate early or I can pursue a double major. I plan to go into HAAS too.
- cheaper than Swarthmore
- more friends at Berkeley
- better greek life</p>
<p>CONS:
- big budget cuts might not get me the classes i want
- Berk and especially HAAS is really cutthroat and competitive</p>
<p>Swarthmore: </p>
<p>PROS:
- I like the small classes and professor attention
- Swarthmore will probably make me more academically attractive than Berkeley to graduate schools.
- students are less preoccupied with outperforming each other
- can get out of my comfort zone.</p>
<p>CONS:
-might feel that i'm going to be suffocated in the small class.
- more expensive
- almost nonexistent greek life</p>
<p>What do the sages of College confidential think? </p>
<p>How is Berk's econ/HAAS dept compared to Swarthmore's econ dept?</p>
<p>You’re not going to have an “easy” time at either school. Swarthmore is an intense school. Berkeley is competitive. At one you’ll be competing against yourself(Swarthmore) at another school you’ll be competing against your peers.</p>
<p>I’m in the same exact position (minus Haas plans)! It’s a difficult choice. Swarthmore and Berkeley are very different, not just in terms of academics, but also social life and atmosphere. Have you visited Swarthmore or are you planning on attending Ride the Tide?</p>
<p>The competition to get into Haas is pretty dumb, but once you get in, the classes are really easy IMO. I distinctly remember feeling jilted when I got a B on a BA10 test after getting only 2 scantron questions incorrect. On the other hand, I hardly studied for BA102A/B and that was some of the easiest material I have seen in my life.</p>
Keep in mind, Berkeley has plugged the gap via tuition/fee increases, enrolling more high-paying out-of-state students, cut administrative costs/positions, and is pushing the California legislature to restore funding in next fiscal years budget. Berkeley is limiting impact to its core mission of education and research. From what I’ve heard from current students, impact to getting required classes have been non-exisitant - especially for smaller programs like Haas and engineering.</p>
<p>
Both will provide a fantastic education in economics - intro econ lecture courses at Berkeley are huge (500-700), upper division required courses are about 100, upper division electives are smaller . If you want, through Haas, Berkeley offers an undergrad business administration degree, Swat doesn’t. Personally, if your plans eventually include an MBA, I don’t see the value of an MBA-lite for undergrad. I prefer the econ route.</p>
<p>I don’t know how much cheaper than Swat Berkeley would be, but if the cost differential wasn’t staggering, my personal preferences would lean strongly to Swarthmore. However . . . </p>
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<p>Maybe if you’re from California, you just think of Berkeley as the State U. I know I saw UVA that way as a HS student growing up in Virginia. But Berkeley isn’t just a State U - it’s one of the most prestigious universities in the world, with one of the most highley-respected names in the academic world. I didn’t know that a lot of applicants make a Berkeley vs. Swat decision, but know that many agonize over Berkeley vs. Harvard. Surely there’s no graduate school in the world that would routinely find a Berkeley undergrad degree unattractive.</p>
<p>There are things about an education at a place like Swarthmore that really make it worth extra money and effort. It is a very personal education, with brilliant professors who will take time to bring out the best in you. You will be surrounded by passionate people whose intense and sincere interests will encourage you to explore your own nascent passions and really try out new things and believe in them. In a big university, even a prestigious one, a lot of time is spent just navigating the system and fighting for the education you want. At a place like Swarthmore, you are encouraged–personally encouraged–to develop yourself in new ways. You are molded into becoming a thinker at a higher level. Furthermore, the Quaker heritage of Swarthmore in particular gives it a very thoughtful, humane atmosphere. Swarthmore isn’t for everyone–it can be claustrophobic for some, and the high expectations can be exhausting. In a way it’s a very simple, stripped-down life, whereas a place like Berkeley is full of exciting distractions. But for a certain kind of person it is heaven on earth. P.S. it’s also gorgeous.</p>
<p>If you can’t decide between them, and can’t attend both of them at the same time, logic compels us to conclude that you won’t be attending either of them.</p>
<p>Before gadad pointed it out, I’d never thought that my feelings about Berkeley might have stemmed from my proximity to it. Now that I think about it… Berkeley really has been like a state u. in my mind (albeit a very, very selective state u.). But even if it is, in reality, one of the most prestigious universities in the world, what does that mean? It says nothing of the quality of your undergraduate experience there, if you choose to matriculate at UCB. Yes, cutting-edge research is happening at Berkeley. But what does that mean for you, as an undergrad, and an econ undergrad at that?</p>
<p>You have a good pros and cons list going… Which ones on your list are you willing to sacrifice?</p>