I have narrowed my college choices down to Berkeley and Cal Poly, but I like each of them for very different reasons. At Berkeley I am pursuing the Haas School of Business because it has a lot of prestige and connections. At Cal Poly I will be majoring in Biomedical Engineering, although I might try CS or other engineering majors. I’ve heard that their graduates have no trouble finding good employment. I’m not sure which choice gives the best job prospects.
I also care a lot about the school’s atmosphere. Berkeley I’ve heard is very intense with “study culture” and the students seem to be depressed, but at the same time I think Berkeley has a lot more interesting history, tradition, and school spirit, not to mention a nicer campus with lots of places to study. On the other hand, Cal Poly has a nice location and nice weather, but the actual campus itself is bland and I don’t feel the same school pride from them. Because of the coronavirus I’m not able to visit in person (although I have visited both in the past), so if anyone could clear up if these are misconceptions or if there’s something else I’m missing, please let me know.
Just my opinion but I think that you will have equal opportunities to find jobs from both schools. Did you get into MET at Berkeley? You write that you are pursuing Haas because of “prestige and connections.” You should be pursuing it because you have an interest in business.
Berkeley does have more history, tradition and is a Pac-12 school. It is more urban and SLO is more rural. I would agree that Berkeley is more intense but I wouldn’t say that the students are depressed. I think they work hard and put academics first. When you have a lot of very bright students who make academics a priority, it can be intense.
I did not get into MET, I got into the college of Letters and Sciences. One thing that does worry me is the fact that admission into Haas isn’t guaranteed. I do have a genuine interest in business, but my issue right now is I can see myself doing either business or engineering, so I’m trying to figure out which school will give me the better opportunities.
A relative of mine who is a recent graduate from Cal, was an Academic All Pac-12 D1 varsity starter for 4 years with a 3.8 GPA and was rejected by Haas UG.
No Haas isn’t guaranteed. Not even close.
Both are fantastic schools. Congratulations.
It is difficult to get into Haas and it is difficult to get into engineering at Cal. Are there majors in L&S that you would be content studying?
What do you really want to study?
The business major at UCB is competitive admission, so you need to consider other majors in case you are not admitted. (It is also very difficult to switch from L&S to an engineering major.)