<p>How would you all compare UC Berkeley with U of MIchigan in the field of engineering or psychology? I am an out of state applicant and wondering which of the two public institutions I should apply to. Location is not much of a factor, but difficulty of admission is one of the factors. Any and all comparisons appreciated.</p>
<p>berkely is tough, lots of competitive students, U MICH is more easier</p>
<p>berkeley certainly has better weather. why not apply to both?</p>
<p>Both subjects are solid here. With psych, you have to do some pre req classes. Basically you choose to take specific classes from the possible ones given to you on a list, keep above a 3.2, and you can major in psych. Engineering has its weeding process as well, which is tough (so i hear).</p>
<p>Mich is supposed to be good, and is slightly easier to get into. Why not apply to both? I think mich has good engineering and psych as well.</p>
<p>No dispute that overall UC Berkeley is the superior public university in engineering.</p>
<p>U Mich is probably easier to get into, but who knows, you might get into both, you might get into neither, you might only get into one.</p>
<p>Honestly, either school is difficult to get into for out-of-state. So much so, that if you are good enough to get into one of them, you are probably good enough to get into several top private schools.</p>
<p>where i'm coming from (ny) michigan is much easier to get into than berkeley. don't know if it's different in other states</p>
<p>yea, thanks cuz michigan love big urban schools and their student population is ginormous(in the 25,000 range i think)</p>
<p>berkeley is 32,000</p>
<p>UMich is definitely easier to get into due to relative demographics (of HS seniors) in that state -- Calif is growing exponentially, whereas Michigan is not.</p>
<p>Berkeley is probably one of the best places in the nation and the world for science and engineering. Plus its psychology department is pretty good too. Frankly, I think Berkeley should be in the top 15 now and the top 5 if it became private and gave no preference to in-state students.</p>
<p>The only places better in the sciences and engineering are maybe MIT, Caltech, Harvard and Princeton (for sciences only), but not that much better in terms of research, faculty, and facilities - and of course Stanford :). Sorry to say this, but the quality of students at those schools is much better at the undergrad level. Berkeley at the undergrad level is much more close to UVa in terms of student body. Michigan's overall student body, although good, is probably lower - because it is such a large school.</p>
<p>How can you say quality is reduced because of size? Berkeley is huge, and you think it's solid. Well, I agree, and I think Michigan is pretty solid too, although slightly less so. Size isn't the issue here. Both schools are filled with many solid students. Yes, the quality of the average student at the schools you name is better, but it isn't a size issue.</p>
<p>How can you say quality is reduced because of size? Berkeley is huge, and you think it's solid. Well, I agree, and I think Michigan is pretty solid too, although slightly less so. Size isn't the issue here. Both schools are filled with many solid students. Yes, the quality of the average student at the schools you name is better, but it isn't a size issue.</p>
<p>Berkeley and Michigan are very similar insitutions. </p>
<p>Berkeley has a slight edge in engineering. Michigan has the slight edge in Psychology. Either way, you can't go wrong with either school in either field. They both have top 10 programs in both fields, and realistically there isn't a significant different between top 10 programs in any field.</p>
<p>Berkeley is slightly more difficult to get into due to the reason bluebayou stated. However, you'll need similar stats to get into either school. The difference is if you're a qualified student, you'll have a better chance at Michigan accepting you while Berkeley can be a crapshoot because of the number of applications they receive.</p>
<p>For the record, in terms of student body quality, last years USNews selectivity ranking (don't know this years) the top publics fell like this</p>
<ol>
<li>Berkeley</li>
<li>UCLA</li>
<li>Michigan</li>
</ol>
<p>Virginia was in the low-mid 20's I believe... I'd have to dig it up but you get the idea.</p>
<p>
[quote]
berkely is tough, lots of competitive students, U MICH is more easier
[/quote]
</p>
<p>More easier huh? :)</p>
<p>This is also false... the competitive nature of the student body is VERY similar.</p>
<p>sorry, forget about the comment I made about size. I have no facts like Kazz, but at least my perception is that Berkeley and UVa have similar student bodies and UMich, again although good, is slightly lower. </p>
<p>Kazz, could you verify those stats? How does US News rank selectivity?</p>
<p>the weather and average student stats at virginia and berkeley may be similar, but michigan and berkeley probably have more in common in terms of environment (20,000+ students, strong engineering, liberal).</p>
<p>Hmm, I don't know about Ann Arbor, but I wonder how much it is like Berkeley, or if there is a near San Francisco or Oakland equivalent to U Mich. The environments probably have similarities, but are they THAT similar?</p>
<p>I've visited Ann Arbor (which is very close to Detroit) and lived in the Bay Area before. I've never lived in Ann Arbor or near Berkeley, but there definitely is a difference in East Coast and West Coast culture. I think, in terms of perception, Berkeley is very well known in the sciences / engineering and liberal arts - probably not so much in business and law, even though they have top notch schools. Virginia is known for its undergrad and law and business schools and certain liberal arts graduate schools. Michigan is primarily known for its graduate programs, not so much undergrad, which are good in engineering/science, law, and business.</p>