<p>hey, i'm an engineering freshman, currently at berkeley - i applied and was accepted to transfer to columbia. should i?</p>
<p>(i know that berkeley ranks higher for engineering... but other factors...?)</p>
<p>Columbia's small engineering school makes professors and undergrad research remarkably accessible. Students tend to be very bright there as well.</p>
<p>I just recently chose Columbia SEAS over Berkeley engineering. You probably know what's good about Berkeley, so here's what Columbia has over Berkeley:</p>
<p>1) diversity (Berkeley is 87% Californians, according to Princeton Review)</p>
<p>2) caliber of students (in my opinion, since Berkeley is a state school, the 87% of the students who attend did not have to jump over as high a hurdle to get admitted. If you lived in California you'll have gone through this first-hand, looking at the people around you who were accepted)</p>
<p>3) size (Columbia is the smallest Ivy I believe, while Berkeley is huge. This matters for opportunities)</p>
<p>4) location (NYC has the most opportunities and fun. It can supplement classroom learning in a way that the city of Berkeley can't)</p>
<p>Weigh these against what Berkeley has over Columbia. Visit and see for yourself</p>
<p>Do you hate Cal? If not, stay. You should only transfer if you're miserable (are you?) or if you're going to substantially improve your opportunities (they'll be quite similar).</p>