I am incredibly honored that I got into both colleges, but I am really undecided between the two. I was hoping if you guys could give me some help or advice in deciding which college to go. Here below I will list some aspects - in order of importance - that my “ideal” college would have.
ATMOSPHERE = I am a very creative and entrepreneurial guy. Therefore, I hope to study in an environment where entrepreneurship is celebrated and widespread on campus. I want to meet multi-faceted people (not just business majors, but also engineering, art etc.) and discuss ideas with them, and I want the college to have the necessary infrastructures/faculties/tools to help me pursue my entrepreneurial goals, such as starting a company. In fact, my dream would be to meet talented people and start a company during the undergraduate years and lead it into a successful company, like Facebook. In addition, I really like the college to have an international student body.
ACADEMICS = As I mentioned above, I want to be an entrepreneur, and I believe that a business education will help me pursue that career. Therefore, an undergraduate business school/program would be ideal. But the absence of a business school is not a big deal either. Being a businessmen doesn’t mean you need a business education. Economics and computer science are among other areas of study that really interest me, but I am still quite undecided. Therefore, I hope to go to a school that excels in many aspects, in many branches of academics. In this way, I can explore without being afraid of getting a less than excellent education. I want to go a school that gives me the flexibility and freedom to take all sorts of different classes, even if there are remotely related to each other.
STUDENT BODY = I would also like that students come from wealthy and respected family. Now, I am not saying this because I am a spoiled rich kid who just wants to hang with equally rich peers. I am saying this because I want to use these connections to eventually succeed in the business world. As many of you may know, connection to “big” people is a vital business asset.
REPUTATION =I know that a school’s name, reputation, or ranking should be the least factor in deciding which college to go, but if all things are equal, I would definitely prefer the higher ranked one. The reason I put reputation is because I also intend to do international business/internships, specifically in China. Therefore, a higher ranked, or more renowned, school might help me secure a job/internship domestically and abroad more easily.
I’d go Berkeley: it’s comp sci program and engineering are world renowned. Places like Facebook specifically recruit at Berkeley. Silicon valley is right next to Berkeley.
internationally UC Berkeley is more well known,Dartmouth likely has a more affluent student body being that it is a private Ivy League School however Berkeley isn’t far behind with a plethora of rich international students, being that Berkeley is in Silicon Valley the mecca of entrepreneurship I’m sure there is more of an Entrepreneurial mentality in this area, and Berkeley is world renowned for it’s tough academics. I say Berkeley if you’re in-state for Cal the price should be the nail in the coffin
On #3, Dartmouth’s students skew much more toward wealth than Berkeley’s students. Of course, you will find scions of wealth at Berkeley (perhaps even in larger absolute numbers than at Dartmouth since Berkeley is a lot bigger overall), but they will be mixed in with numerous students from middle and lower income families (those on Pell grants – 35% at Berkeley, 14% at Dartmouth) and many students from merely upper middle income families. In contrast, about half of Dartmouth students do not receive any financial aid against Dartmouth’s list price of $67,652, so their families are presumably in the top few percent of income and wealth to be able to pay that.
American research universities are set up to be, first and foremost, knowledge factories.
However, many students like the OP expect them to be, above all, social and entrepreneurial meet markets.
Some colleges do seem to be pretty good at accommodating the latter need.
However, the best available performance metrics better reflect the “knowledge factory” function than the “meet market” function.
Therefore, it’s rather difficult to compare these two schools objectively for the performance factors that apparently matter most to the OP. Dartmouth seems to have a much higher concentration of well-connected rich kids. Berkeley is close to Silicon Valley. How much might either of these two advantages help the OP? It depends almost entirely on him, not on very much either school will do for him.
@andyis I didnt say I want to work at Facebook, thought it would be cool to have some internship. Instead, I want to spend my time in an environment that will allow me to create a company like Facebook.
Pros: Excellent for business/CS, located near silicon valley, excellent reputation in Asia
Cons: Very competitive cutthroat atmosphere, large class sizes, many classes taught by grad students/TAs
Dartmouth
Pros: Excellent for econ/CS, small class sizes (you will know your classmates and professors well), open Greek system (all students are welcome at parties, and networking through fraternities/sororities is an added bonus), about half of the students are from private prep/boarding schools (so they will be wealthy/children of movers/shakers), Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network (DEN) would be perfect for you, and you can easily secure funding through numerous sources for entrepreneurial projects. The alumni network is also ridiculously strong in silicon valley/new england
In addition, the D-Plan forces you to take terms off during the fall, winter, or spring of your sophomore/junior year to either work on interesting projects, do silicon valley/finance internships, or travel abroad. These periods are a lot less competitive since other prospective students are usually still in school.
Cons: Isolated (but still close enough to NYC and Boston), lacks large reputation in Asia
For what it’s worth, a good friend of mine was accepted in-state at Berkeley, Dartmouth, Columbia, and Caltech, and ended up choosing Dartmouth. He is a CS major and econ minor.
@BucketsUCSC the only thing that concerns me is that the classes at Berkeley are huge. Im afraid these large classes will prevent me from getting a stellar education and developing strong relationships with classmates and professors. To be honest, I am actually a very intellectual type of guy: I like discussing things like philosophy and be involved in debates. I know that I will have small classes and intellectual discussions at Dartmouth, but how about UC Berkeley?
@tk21769 Let me clarify that I do want to go a school where good “knowledge” is delivered. However, knowledge by itself is worthless, either intellectually or societally. What is important is what you can do with that knowledge: that is what entrepreneurship is about. Entrepreneurship is about channeling your knowledge into something tangible and usable; it is about addressing and solving problems. Therefore, entrepreneurship is a highly intellectual act. Which schools do you think can help me develop the skills described above?
@moooop that might be true, but I actually care more in the quality of individual entrepreneurs, not in the quantity of entrepreneurs. Meaning, I want the students to be really invested and passionate in what they are doing.