UC Berkeley Vs. Northwestern

Hello,

I’m having a hard time deciding between UC Berkeley and Northwestern University. I am planning on studying engineering, specifically mechanical and am from Washington State. I really am just looking for what other people’s experience with these schools has looked like and how they feel the programs vary. I understand that UC Berkeley is “ranked” higher, however, I am not complete sure what that ranking entails. Some factors that I am considering include:

  • Location (Why I eliminated Cornell)
  • Accessibility to professors and research
  • Social Life (Not related to partying, but more so activities and recreational offerings on campus)
  • Diversity in Education/Ability to explore and meet new people out of my major (Something I like about Northwestern and why I eliminated CalTech)
  • Ability to supplement education with hands-on projects (I really liked the project teams at Cornell)

I would love to know if there are any neat programs that are unique to each school. For example, I am somewhat familiar with Northwestern’s Engineering First program.

Also, it could be worth noting that I was selected as a Murphy Scholar at Northwestern

Thank,
aagallard