<p>I got into UCSD and UCB. My major will be engineering (most likely be mechanical engineering)
I saw the engineering ranking. UCB is ranked 3rd when UCD is 10th.
But I heard UCB's environment and neighborhood is not really good. The campus is really old, and it actually does not look good. A friend of mine who has been to UCB tells me that she does not want to go back there anymore. (she also gets accepted by UCB, but she chooses not to go in the end). Plus, it's pretty far from my home.
I drove down to UCSD last friday. I live at Los Angeles, so it only took me like 2 hours to get there. The campus and dorm are really beautiful, and I like it a lot. It is foresty, and the neighborhood is extremely nice. It is just really attractive.
In my point of view, I think environment and neighborhood does affect my concentration on education. I do underatand that UCB has a better reputation and a better engineering school than UCSD, but the campus of UCSD is just...too attractive. I did a little research on UCSD, and I can see that UCSD's engineering school is moving forward every year. It really has the potential to be ranked 8th or 7th in a few years.
So which college should I go? If UCSD, I can go back home every weekend, which will ease my finances also.
Any suggestons?</p>
<p>Sounds like you want to go to UCSD for a lot of reasons. If so, go to UCSD! Berkeley is academically superior, but if you really want to go to UCSD, the difference isn't great enough that you should force yourself to go to Berkeley.</p>
<p>The Berkeley campus is actually very nice, though. I think it is much much nicer than UCSD campus-wise. But it's a matter of personal taste, I guess.</p>
<p>You can be a very succesful engineer with a degree from either school, so pick whichever school "feels" right to you. You have visited UCSD, and I recommend you also visit Berekely before you decide. Your opinion of the campus and town may not agree with what you've "heard."</p>
<p>
[quote]
I drove down to UCSD last friday. I live at Los Angeles, so it only took me like 2 hours to get there.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>For a Friday evening commute that would be very nice indeed.</p>
<p>
[quote]
But I heard UCB's environment and neighborhood is not really good. The campus is really old, and it actually does not look good. A friend of mine who has been to UCB tells me that she does not want to go back there anymore. (she also gets accepted by UCB, but she chooses not to go in the end).
[/quote]
Go visit. Berkeley's campus is gorgeous. The southern surrounding city of Berkeley can be kinda gritty, but there is so much more for students to do. Engineering is building a new facility and it should be ready in 2009.</p>
<p>The city of Berkeley has much more going on. UCSD is boring.</p>
<p>Book a Southwest flight to Oakland for $49 one way. Take the Air BART bus to the BART station, get on a Richmond bound train and get off at Berkeley. Start heading east one block until you reach campus.</p>
<p>What fun is it going home every weekend? That's what makes UCSD boring. When you want to go home from Berkeley, you get a $100 round trip plane ticket. You're home in about the same total 3 hours that it would take you to drive up from San Diego.</p>
<p>Berkeley also has a much better reputation in engineering than UCSD ever will.</p>
<p>I would not dismiss Berkeley as a "really old" and ugly campus until you actually see it for yourself.</p>
<p>
[quote]
UCB is ranked 3rd when UC[S]D is 10th.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>2008 USNWR undergraduate Mechanical Engineering programs:</p>
<p>(At schools whose highest degree is a doctorate)
1 Massachusetts Inst. of Technology<br>
2 Stanford University (CA)
3 University of California–Berkeley <em>
4 University of Michigan–Ann Arbor *
5 U. of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign *
6 Georgia Institute of Technology *
7 Purdue Univ.–West Lafayette (IN)</em>
8 Cornell University (NY)
9 California Institute of Technology<br>
10 Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
11 University of Texas–Austin *
12 Pennsylvania State U.–University Park *
13 Princeton University (NJ)
14 Virginia Tech *
15 Texas A&M Univ.–College Station *
16 Univ. of Minnesota–Twin Cities *
17 Northwestern University (IL)
18 Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst. (NY)
19 Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison *
20 Johns Hopkins University (MD)
21 Ohio State University–Columbus *
22 Lehigh University (PA)
22 Michigan Technological University *
*22 Univ. of California–San Diego **
22 Univ. of California–Santa Barbara *</p>
<p>Best Engineering Schools (Ranked in 2008)</p>
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<p>Sort by Rank | Name<br>
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
Score 100 2007-2008 Out-of-state tuition$ 34,750 2007 Total graduate engineering enrollment2,636 Distance Enter your zip<br>
2 Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Score 98 2007-2008 Out-of-state tuition$ 37,110 2007 Total graduate engineering enrollment3,229 Distance Enter your zip<br>
3 University of California--Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
Score 89 2007-2008 Out-of-state tuition$ 14,998 2007 Total graduate engineering enrollment1,780 Distance Enter your zip<br>
4 Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA
Score 86 2007-2008 Out-of-state tuition$ 22,188 2007 Total graduate engineering enrollment4,303 Distance Enter your zip<br>
5 University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, IL
Score 83 2007-2008 Out-of-state tuition$ 24,644 2007 Total graduate engineering enrollment2,479 Distance Enter your zip<br>
6 California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
Score 81 2007-2008 Out-of-state tuition$ 29,940 2007 Total graduate engineering enrollment536 Distance Enter your zip<br>
7 Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
Score 79 2007-2008 Out-of-state tuition$ 34,000 2007 Total graduate engineering enrollment1,698 Distance Enter your zip<br>
8 University of Southern California (Viterbi)
Los Angeles, CA
Score 77 2007-2008 Out-of-state tuition$ 22,734 2007 Total graduate engineering enrollment3,945 Distance Enter your zip<br>
9 Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
Score 75 2007-2008 Out-of-state tuition$ 32,800 2007 Total graduate engineering enrollment1,378 Distance Enter your zip<br>
9 University of Michigan--Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI
Score 75 2007-2008 Out-of-state tuition$ 33,372 2007 Total graduate engineering enrollment2,416 Distance Enter your zip<br>
11 University of California--San Diego (Jacobs)
La Jolla, CA
Score 72 2007-2008 Out-of-state tuition$ 14,694 2007 Total graduate engineering enrollment1,213 Distance Enter your zip<br>
11 University of Texas--Austin (Cockrell)
Austin, TX
Score 72 2007-2008 Out-of-state tuition$ 11,748 2007 Total graduate engineering enrollment2,100 Distance Enter your zip</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is Berkeley is on the semester system, while UCSD is on the quarter system.</p>
<p>I personally like the pace of the semester system, since it allows you more time to absorb the material. Also, the semester system is more forgiving if you have to skip a class for some reason. Some other advantages to the semester system are fewer times needed to prepare for exams and buy books. You'll also get a nice month-long break during the holidays after your finals are over, unlike the two-week break mid-term on the quarter system.</p>
<p>aveng, those rankings are for general engineering graduate schools.</p>
<p>The undergrad rankings, I posted are still the most current ones.</p>
<p>2008 USNWR
Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs
(At schools whose highest degree is a doctorate)
Rank/School Peer Assessment Score (5.0 = highest)</p>
<ol>
<li> Massachusetts Inst. of Technology 4.9 </li>
<li> Stanford University (CA) 4.7
2. University of California–Berkeley * 4.7 </li>
<li> California Institute of Technology 4.6 </li>
<li> Georgia Institute of Technology * 4.5 </li>
<li> U. of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign * 4.5 </li>
<li> Cornell University (NY) 4.4 </li>
<li> University of Michigan–Ann Arbor * 4.4 </li>
<li> Carnegie Mellon University (PA) 4.2 </li>
<li> Purdue Univ.–West Lafayette (IN)* 4.2 </li>
<li> University of Texas–Austin * 4.2 </li>
<li> Princeton University (NJ) 4.1 </li>
<li> Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison * 4.0 </li>
<li> Johns Hopkins University (MD) 3.9 </li>
<li> Northwestern University (IL) 3.9 </li>
<li> Virginia Tech * 3.9 </li>
<li> Pennsylvania State U.–University Park * 3.8 </li>
<li> Rice University (TX) 3.8 </li>
<li> Texas A&M Univ.–College Station * 3.8 </li>
<li> Columbia University (NY) 3.7 </li>
<li> Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst. (NY) 3.7 </li>
<li> Univ. of California–Los Angeles * 3.7 </li>
<li> Univ. of Minnesota–Twin Cities * 3.7 </li>
<li> University of Washington * 3.7 </li>
<li> Duke University (NC) 3.6 </li>
<li> Ohio State University–Columbus * 3.6
25. Univ. of California–San Diego * 3.6 </li>
<li> Univ. of Maryland–College Park * 3.6 </li>
<li> North Carolina State U.–Raleigh * 3.5 </li>
<li> University of Florida * 3.5</li>
</ol>
<p>Let's not overstate the importance of rankings. If you get an engineering degree from UCSD, you can get a job, you can go to grad school if you want. It is not a limitation to happy a fruitful life as an engineer. </p>
<p>It's no secret that Berkeley is "better", but UCSD is certainly very good, good enough to go to, if that is what you really want.</p>
<p>Thanks for the clarification, UCBChemEGrad.</p>