<p>I'm interested in both mechanical and aerospace engineering, and so here are the positives and negatives I'm considering so far:</p>
<p>UC Berkeley:
Most Important Pro:
[ul] [<em>] Better engineering program (third in the country)[/ul]
Other Pros:
[ul] [li] Less expensive, but double Cornell's amount in loans[/li][</em>] Location, closer to Silicon Valley[/ul]
Cons:
[ul] [<em>] 45% Asian...I wouldn't want to be "just another Asian"
[</em>] No undergrad aerospace
[li] Too many people I know are going there[/li][/ul]</p>
<p>Cornell:
Most Important Pros:
[ul] [<em>] Aerospace engineering minor
[</em>] East coast experience (but there's always grad school too)[/ul]
Other Pros:
[ul] [<em>] Snow!
[</em>] Mandatory P.E.
[<em>] Project teams (does Berkeley have this too?)
[</em>] Involved alumni network
[<em>] Slightly more prestigious/selective (something like 16% v. 20%)[/ul]
Cons:
[ul] [li] $5,000/yr more expensive overall[/li][</em>] Reputation as a party school?
[/ul]</p>
<pre><code> My list is pretty limited, so feel free to add anything else (dorms, social life, research opportunities, academics, etc) that I might want to consider in making my decision.
I'm also thinking of possibly going to law school for patent law or grad school afterward, so I'm also wondering what graduate/law schools think of the two.
The only thing that's really keeping me from deciding Berkeley though is the lack of an aerospace minor. Other than that, it's pretty even and I'm sure I'll be fine either way.
</code></pre>
<p>Cons:
45% Asian…I wouldn’t want to be “just another Asian”</p>
<p>(Cornell Engineering has a lot of Asians also)</p>
<p>No undergrad aerospace</p>
<p>(I think mechanical engineering will cover most of the stuff anyways…?
compare the courses)</p>
<p>Too many people I know are going there</p>
<p>(yeah, that is valid point, chance to get away from the same old high school crowd…though you will find people are the same everywhere… :))</p>
<p>Cornell:</p>
<p>Other Pros:
Snow!
(Snow isn’t that much fun!)</p>
<p>Involved alumni network
(isn’t that with berkeley also?)</p>
<p>I think you should visit and get a feel for Cornell, if you havent already. Programs are pretty comparable, I think…you just need to figure out if it is worth the extra cost.</p>
<p>Did you take in travel costs from Ithaca to S. Cal? No direct flights.
Also aerospace companies hire Mechanical Engineers and I don’t think a minor in aerospace makes a difference. Also you could additionally ramp up by taking classes at UCLA <a href=“http://www.mae.ucla.edu/[/url]”>http://www.mae.ucla.edu/</a> over summer, not that it makes a difference in getting hired but if you want to.</p>
<p>Again, before committing yourself, it is well worth the investment to make a trip there. Also aerospace industry is big in S. CAlifornia ( nasa, defense companies)</p>
<p>Congrats on your acceptances Semioverachiever! I don’t think you can go wrong either or, but let me give you some advice. </p>
<p>My brother goes to Cornell so I’ve been there multiple times, it is amazing. I’m being blunt but its so nice up there. One thing you get there is that “Ivy” experience. It is more prestigious (don’t let that be the decision maker) but I think its really down to fit. Cornell has a very different feel than Cal does, and its engineering is still top 10 (not as good as Cal though). I feel job wise you would still get equal oppurtunities wherever you go and that you really want to think about where you wanna be after school, east coast or west coast?</p>
<p>Last week, I was also deciding between Berkeley and Cornell. I live in the mid eastern coast so both schools are expensive–Berkeley being slightly more expensive due to flight expenses. Yesterday I chose Berkeley. It just overall has a better college feel to it and more opportunities due to its location. Also even though Cornell is an Ivy League, I think it’s lost much of its prestige over the years. Believe it or not, admissions is not nearly as selective, which you can view as a good thing or bad thing</p>
<p>P.S. snow isn’t that great if it snows like every other day in the winter Sunny days are don’t happen that often in Ithaca and you’ll miss the warmth and sunshine. The atmosphere is sort of depressing imo.</p>
<p>^ good luck! Bay area is fun, You can go surfing, scuba diving within 30min drive, hiking in the gorgeous redwoods and downhill skiing from 10,000 ft down to 6,000 ft at some of the most picturesque ski resorts 2hr30min away in Lake Tahoe, attend great shows at Zellerbach Hall in Cal campus, listen to lectures by Nobel laureates or world leaders in Commonwealth Club in San Francisco…and then intern at countless innovative companies in the bay area. I visited Ithaca, loved the campus, but Cal in Cal is awesome!</p>
<p>Berkeley students can do six month internships, the functional equivalent of co-ops at other schools, although looking for and recruiting such is done through the normal career center channels rather than through a special co-op office that was closed due to budget cuts.</p>
<p>Re: #6</p>
<p>Actual grades in EE and CS are higher now than what that policy from the 1970s and 1980s states. Engineering freshmen have about a 3.0-3.1 average these days, not 2.7.</p>
<p>Re: aerospace</p>
<p>While aerospace is often under mechanical engineering, it does not appear to be a big course or research emphasis in Berkeley’s mechanical engineering department, although there is an engineering aerodynamics course (ME 163).</p>
<p>This really depends on what community we’re talking of. The average American probably finds going to an Ivy over a top public school an advantage in prestige. The undergrad is more selective at Cornell.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, almost everyone knows that a lot of talented people choose to attend their flagship state school and probably could have gone somewhere else but didn’t really feel like it.</p>
<p>Meh, I hesitate to call Cornell more prestigious at the undergraduate level. Depends on which coast you are on really. The schools are pretty equal in terms of selectivity too; basically identical scores.</p>
<p>I chose between the two schools as well and picked Cal because I, A. love California, B. loathe cold, C. follow D1 basketball/football.</p>
<p>I’m making the same decision as well. (: Different type of engineering though. (ChemE!) Currently leaning Berkeley at the moment because of Cal Day and the people, but we’ll see. (In-state tuition doesn’t hurt either.)</p>
<p>“I think you should visit and get a feel for Cornell, if you havent already. Programs are pretty comparable, I think…you just need to figure out if it is worth the extra cost.”</p>
<p>Are they really that comparable? I’ve always thought Berkeley had the indisputably stronger engineering program. If they really are that similar, then it seems like Cornell would be a nicer choice, if only because it’s private and doesn’t have to worry about budget cuts.</p>
<p>Also, on the topic of prestige, my friend went to Columbia over the summer and said most of the people she met there thought Berkeley was the more prestigious and better choice, even though people here tend to think Cornell’s better. So, there is a difference in perception based on location. Prestige-wise, I think they’re just very, very even.</p>
<p>I’m not sure about prestige, but I know Berkeley engineering is way more selective than that of Cornell’s (especially for EECS, Eng undecided, and BioE)
For the actual program, Cornell might be more cutthroat in terms of difficulty…but I also hear that Berkeley is very competitive as well</p>
Sunny days are don’t happen that often in Ithaca and you’ll miss the warmth and sunshine. The atmosphere is sort of depressing imo.</p>