<p>I was accepted to both schools by some miracle, and I just cannot decide!!!
They're so different, but in the best combination of opposites possible it drives me crazy. I love both San Fran and NY. Berkeley has a name, more facilities, alumni networks, and rigor while Cooper Union has free tuition (btw I'm out of state for both), nontraditional atmosphere, rigor, and is more selective.
At HUGE Berkeley I'll be one in 4000 freshman, and at TINY Cooper Union I'll be one in ~200 freshmen. Less opportunities to get friends and meet people, but more opportunities to get personal with prof.s and stand out.
Visited both, love them both, want to go to both. I don't think money or recognition should be a big thing but ehhhhhh supports an argument.
I'M SO LOST.</p>
<p>I’d love to get input from anyone as to why they picked a school…if they have had experience with either school (although it will be biased towards UCB due to numbers)…or just random blurbs of thought such as what’s going through my head now. Thanks!</p>
<p>really…no one</p>
<p>Don’t make me have a conversation with myself because I will!!!</p>
<p>I have a friend whose mother’s friend’s daughter (I know, bear with me) says Cooper Union is a blast. Like I’m going to go just because of that! I also have a close friend in the New York area who would want me to go there as opposed to the vast unknown sea of people who inhabit California -other than 2 cousins in SoCal</p>
<p>The expansive lack of expertise about Cooper Union is sure end this discussion quickly. Most people here are only concerned with Ivies and have probably never even heard of Cooper Union…</p>
<p>I’d choose CU…save your $. My friend’s son is there and loves it.</p>
<p>Cooper Union is great for engineering and its free (keep in mind NYC rent is expensive). Berkeley OOS tuition costs will be expensive.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that at a small school, you have to fit in with the student body. At a large school, you will easily find others that you fit in with.</p>
<p>Congratulations! Tough choice huh? Wish I had your problem. 
Have you visited both schools? We just came back from a recent trip from NYC and Boston, and the one thing that I’ve noticed from walking around, you will either love it or hate it. I’m from VA, went to school in DC, now live in LA. </p>
<p>See if you can talk to other students directly, even over Skype, ask them about things that are important to you. Are you the kind of student that prefers to study in groups, do they think that the professors are easy to talk to and etc, are you interested in getting involved with research, does one school offer better job opportunities than the other when you done…</p>
<p>It’s about a fit. Remember what’s best for you. Also consider things like, airfare to fly home, expenses that you will incur while living away from home…</p>
<p>BTW… you never know Berkeley may offer you money later on. Once you touch down at campus, I know from experience if there’s a will there is a way. Check out their endowments, how much do they award to students, what are your chances of getting money your sophomore year, what GPA will you need to carry to make it happen?</p>
<p>BTW… your schools are in areas where you will meet friends from all around the world. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Since tuition is free go to CU. if to don’t like it you can find an alternate solution. Why spend money when you can save it. Many kids cannot afford tuition. CU is rated high. It is a good and creative school.Good luck.</p>
<p>I used to live close to Berkeley (30 minutes) and had a lot of friends/family friends who went there, so I’ve heard things.
Berkeley and CU are both extremely competitive schools. No matter where you go, you will have to work you butt off. However, I feel I am happier at CU (even though I sometimes my ED and wish I gave Berkeley a shot) because CU is such a small, tight knit community. Everyone (your classmates) is there for you when you need them, and there’s no cruel/harsh/cold competition between the students. It’s also A LOT easier for the Professors to remember your name (which can be good or bad) because each year only has a grand total of about 115 engineering students.
My friends who went to UCB are happy where they are, though I feel that I definitely would’ve not enjoyed the experience. There is more of a traditional college life there, but then you rarely have any personal interaction with the professors.
At this point it really depends on what you want out of your college experience.
Hope this helps in your decision making But remember, no matter which you choose, both schools are amazing for engineering.</p>
<p>I have the same problem…so which one did you eventually go?</p>