Which is more prestigious after all? Seems to me that Berkeley is more prestigious and have more renowned faculty but Carnegie Mellon might provide for a better undergraduate experience.
CMU for CS, by a sliver. What do you intend to study?
Suppose that I live in California. Would you pick the cheaper option or the private university?
Cheaper option if you are full-pay at CMU.
I am a parent and I would pick Berkeley. My son goes to Berkeley for the debate tournament every year and he does not likes the hippy town feel…so I would suggest you to visit the college if you are in CA before committing for it.
If money is an issue probably Berkeley. Berkeley does has some cultural issues that may be off putting to some. If money was not an issue I would go with CMU.
Current CMU student here: you will get an amazing education at CMU but it’s insanely expensive, the stress culture is insane, and the social life barely exists. Some of our CS students are so inundated with work that they barely have time to shower.
It’s basically “How much am I willing to sacrifice for a great education?”