<p>I was recently admitted to UCB and UMinn in College of Chemistry and College of sciences and engineering respectively. I am so confused on which school to choose. Tuition at UCB is 34k a year while UMinn is 14k a year with scholarship. My general concerns are: the coldness of minnesota (Im an international student living in a tropical region), UC fiscal problems, and prestige. Please help me choose!</p>
<p>I don’t think UC fiscal issues should be a factor for you. It isn’t going to go broke in your 4 years. You have two great choices. I don’t know how you will decide, based on how significant that cost is to you. Overall Berkeley has better prestige, but in industry where you will be working it probably doesn’t really matter, with two strong programs. Others may have more insight.</p>
<p>As far as cold, I understand your concerns, I really hate the cold. But my daughter, from California, is in Wisconsin and never has complained about the cold AT ALL, EVER. So some people adapt better than others. I think it is a matter of dressing properly and having the right outerwear. She said they snowplow everything very efficiently and people just get around as usual. </p>
<p>If you can afford Berkeley, I would recommend it over Minnesota. Of course, I’m biased but I think Berkeley will provide a better college experience. </p>
<p>As far as academics for Chemical Engineering, both are equally strong.<br>
Berkeley’s ChemE program is in the smaller College of Chemistry which only has Chemistry, Chemical Biology and Chemical Engineering majors. It’s a smaller school within a large research university. Academics outside engineering will likely be stronger at Berkeley.</p>
<p>Regarding the fiscal problems, UC and especially Berkeley has turned the situation around quite a bit from 2008-2010. California voters passed Proposition 30 back in November 2012 which increased taxes to shore up funding for higher education. Berkeley in particular has increased private donations and just successfully completed a $3 billion fundraising campaign. Biggest issue now with funding is federal research grants being cut back due to austerity measures…however, this is a national problem and not just a UC issue. </p>
<p>Speaking as someone from a warmer climate who lived there for a few years, the issue with the winter in Minnesota is not the intensity of the cold, as it is easy to dress warmly enough. The problem is the length of the winter – 6 months, and that is no exaggeration. It is cold for 6 months and in the middle of that period are the darkest and dreariest days. Many people who had always lived in warm climates really had trouble adjusting to the length. After about 4 months, it can really start to wear on you.</p>