I actually posted this in the UC General forum, and every reply there said to go to UCSD. Does anyone have any support or disagreement with this view? I am just wondering if there is even any reason for me to go to Berkeley.
I have narrowed down my college choice between two schools: UC Berkeley (no regents or financial aid) versus the Jacobs Engineering Scholarship at UCSD. I am an in-state student majoring in Computer Science at both schools.
At UCSD, I received a full ride: The Jacobs Engineering Scholarship is awarded to the top 0.3% of the incoming freshmen engineering class at UCSD (about 50 students). Jacobs Scholars receive the Regent’s Scholarship and all the perks associated with it (priority registration for classes, automatic research in the first quarter, and graduate level borrowing privileges at all UCSD libraries). The scholarship is a full ride that covers tuition, housing, and all other miscellaneous fees. Jacobs Scholars can switch among all engineering majors at will (immune from the impaction rule). Jacobs Scholars must remain in engineering and maintain a 3.5 GPA. Jacobs Scholars are often given preference for research in labs, and the network of Jacobs Scholars provides opportunities for scholars to help each other with internships and job opportunities.
At Berkeley, the CS program is the best in the world. I got into the College of L&S and intend to declare CS. I am aware that Cal carries a prestige that UCSD does not have (yet). However, do the benefits of being a Jacobs Scholar at UCSD outweigh the prestige of Cal? I will be visiting both campuses. Additionally, my family can afford paying for Cal - but is it really worth it? I have heard that CS is not a field in which the prestige of the school carries too much weight - is this true?
Did someone already tell you a 3.5 GPA in engineering can be difficult to maintain? Better are the scholarships that require 3.0. Find out what they have in place if you drop below that. Do you have a semesters chance to get it back up there or whatever systems they have in place.
@Rdtsmith I spoke with current Jacobs Scholars and they said that the 3.5 is not too difficult to maintain. They do have a bit of leniency if you do drop below 3.5 and give you a couple of quarters to catch up.
UCSD is really good for CS. Frankly, virtually no employers will care about the difference between Cal and UCSD.
The only reason to go to Cal (not an insignificant one) is if you think there is any possibility of not being able to maintain a 3.5 (which would not be easy in Engineering).
It’s not hard to maintain 3.5 and above but you have to work your butt off. It’s not as easy, but more nurturing than Cal. But to give you an example, a kid from the same high school as my daughter turned down ucsd regents and went to Cal for EECs, she has not being able to keep a 3.5 at Cal. And judging from her linkedin profile, she had no significant internship, mostly school base. While my daughter at UCSD has been able to maintain very good GPA( I believe she pulled straight As last quarter) and already has landed a summer internship as a sophomore.
But I shouldn’t post here anymore as I did promise my kid not to steer any more kids to her school per her request. She doesn’t want it to be too crowded.
@drgoogle thanks for that example. Yeah, I definitely think that excelling and networking at UCSD would look much better than being an average student at Cal.
@PurpleTitan and @simba9 thanks for your opinions too. I also believe UCSD would be better if I am planning to go to grad school in the future.
Looks like the unanimous consensus is UCSD over Cal.
@ucbalumnus I receive no financial aid at Berkeley. The net price would be about ~$140,000.
The net price of UCSD would be ~$8,000 cheaper with Regents, so ~$132,000. However, the other Jacobs Scholars I have spoken to have said that no one has lost the scholarship yet due to low grades.
Definitely UCSD. Cal is nice and all, but there is no way to justify (in my mind, anyhow) paying all that money for a school that does not seem to value you as much as UCSD. Plus, that Jacobs scholarship? Sounds like a dream come true.
It’s like deciding between a cat who ignores you, and a dog who’s day is made when he/she sees you. Which one would you choose?
(Btw, not a cat person, as you can see. Sorry to all cat lovers :P)
So we have some possible scenarios, assuming a yearly GPA check for renewal (is it yearly or quarterly?). Assumption is that the highest risk of a low GPA is in frosh year, due to adjustment to college and the general tendency of students to get higher GPAs in later years.
3.50-4.00 GPA, so UCSD is $140,000 cheaper.
3.00-3.49 GPA after frosh year, lose Jacobs, keep Regents' at UCSD, so UCSD is $46,000 cheaper.
2.00-2.99 GPA after frosh year, lose Jacobs and Regents' at UCSD, so UCSD is $35,000 cheaper (but a 2.0-3.0 GPA would make getting into Berkeley L&S CS a problem).
0.00-1.99 GPA after frosh year, academic probation or dismissal, but at least UCSD cost nothing, so $35,000 cheaper.
I.e. all possible cases would save a substantial amount of money at UCSD.
@NotYetEngineer great analogy haha, yeah I’d much rather go to a school that puts effort into recruiting me
@ucbalumnus I believe the GPA check would be quarterly…but i have to confirm that. Thanks for the analysis haha! I do surely hope that it doesn’t come to the point where I lose the scholarship due to poor grades.
