<p>Hey there,
Seeing as decisions for berkeley come out tmr, I would like some opinions on what school would be better for me. I have already been accepted for electrical engineering at Umich (ann arbor of course). Although I applied for electrical engineering, I'm not entirely sure if I will continue in that path so I would prefer going to a very well rounded school. I am also thinking of getting an mba later on. Since I am from Canada, the price does not matter much to me. Also, I'm not sure where I want to work, so it would be good to have a degree that is respected all over the US and Canada.</p>
<p>I've heard some rumors about the financial state of Berkeley... When I talked to my parents about this, they assured me that since Berkeley is so famous, they will be okay. Can i depend on their reputation? Also, my parents are a little bit worried about the environment in berkeley (mainly the hippies and druggies). Is this a valid worry?</p>
<p>Just incase, heres a list of some other schools that I have applied to if you have any schools you think i should be considering:
Wisconsin madison - accepted
purdue - accepted
uiuc - accepted (I'm not sure I will like the farm environment which is why i chose UMich over UIUC)
UCSD - accepted
Cornell - decision also comes out tomorrow
Carnegie mellon - unknown (I've heard its a bit depressing though, so I'm not sure I would go here. Is that true?)</p>
<p>Thanks for any advice you can offer :)</p>
<p>Michigan! The only bad thing about the school is supposedly the weather, but since you’re from Canada you’re used to the cold. Michigan has an amazing college town and solid sports teams, which Cal doesn’t have.</p>
<p>Good Canadian universities like University of Toronto and McGill University are not under consideration?</p>
<p>Berkeley EECS is one of the top programs in the world. If you get in, and can afford it, it’s well worth the cost. Budget cuts haven’t affected the quality (especially for EECS)…they have mainly impacted tuition, which are already high for OOS/internationals so there is not much more room for increase vs. in-state student tuition. EECS students don’t interact much with druggies and hippies…you’ll be sequestered in Cory and Soda halls studying. :)</p>
<p>Berkeley is a college town with solid sports teams (We usually do better in the Directors Cup than Michigan 
). Football will be played in a newly renovated Memorial Stadium starting this September.</p>
<p>I have been accepted to McGill, and I know that it is a great school, but my parents (who both studied in the US) think that the experience in the states would be great for me. My dad actually went to Michigan himself for his MBA.</p>
<p>Berkeley, California and Ann Arbor, Michigan are likely to be somewhat different, analogous to how different places in Canada may be somewhat different. Ann Arbor is about 80 km from Canada.</p>
<p>You just can’t beat Ann Arbor for the total collegiate experience.</p>
<p>You can always count on good ol’ rjkofnovi to chime in on how great Ann Arbor is. Berkeley has much better weather and is the clear frontrunner for your field of study Electrical Engineering and basically every other area of Engineering. Cal is the best public school in the country.</p>
<p>can someone recommend the best procedure for appealing a waitlist decision by UC Santa Barbara I indicated that I would be a psch major but maybe should change major do i call and set up an appt in person with an admissions person at the school or just send a letter please help and respond if you have any ideas UCSB is my first choice and I can give them an unqualified committment</p>
<p>^^^^and you can count on annoying goldenboy8784 to recommend any comparable school over Michigan. I do agree that Cal is the best public school in the country academicaly. It certainly blows away many private schools, like Duke, in engineering as well.</p>
<p>The only thing I disagree with UCBChemEGrad is this:
Michigan was in the top five of the Directors Cup 10 times (top ten 14 times) out of the past 18 years. I don’t see UCB anywhere on the list. Now if he was thinking he went to UCLA, he would be right.</p>
<p>To the OP: If you like ECE and are interested in working in the silicon valley, go to Berkeley; otherwise choose on fit.</p>
<p>If you want a big change in culture experiences (more Asians), go to Berkeley.</p>
<p>If the OP is from the Toronto area, it is THE most multicultural city in the world.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be able to visit any of the campuses. In your opinions, what types of people fit into the two schools?
I’m more of a shy and awkward person at first, so it’s a bit harder for me to make friends. Once I get to know someone though, I open up to them. I probably won’t be much of a party-er and at the moment, I don’t really care much for sports, although my Dad says that will change once I go down there. I’m not one of those super tryhard kids who studies all day, and I tend to be a bit of a procrastinator, but I get the job done. Knowing that about me, do you think you might be able to imagine where I would fit in?
If not, that’s ok. I’m sure I’ll eventually find my crowd no matter where I go</p>
<p>Also, to compaq, I come from Vancouver and go to school in Richmond. The school I go to is mostly Chinese already. I’m also Chinese by the way</p>
<p>
I’m not sure where you’re getting your info but Cal has 6 top 10 finishes and 1 top 5 finish (this past year in 2012). Michigan’s athletic program used to be better but it has fallen off over time and Cal has performed better than the Wolverines in the past 2 years.</p>
<p>[NACDA</a> Directors’ Cup - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Director’s_Cup]NACDA”>NACDA Directors' Cup - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>^^^Who cares about second place? Stanford wins it every year. Stanford is by far and away the very best private school that combines academics and athletics. No other private school even comes close.</p>
<p>I stand corrected. Cal has 8 top ten finishes. The post was intended for UCBChEGrad 'cause I know how much he likes UCLA. This is one area where UCLA clearly excels.</p>
<p>IMO, the Director’s cup doesn’t really mean anything. From my perception, students care about the big time spectator sports and not really the others. Who really cares about track or gymnastics or most of the other sports besides the people on the team?
If you compare the spectator sports:
Football: Michigan > Cal
Basketball: Michigan > Cal
Hockey: Michigan
Lacrosse: Uh, neither?
Baseball/Soccer: no idea but I’d assume Cal
Pretty clearly Michigan wins.</p>
<p>I see. So if you want California experiences, Berkeley is a perfect town. And if you are thinking of settling down in Silicon Valley, come to Berkeley
But Ann Arbor is a golden college town. I think you should to to Michigan if you want a change</p>
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<p>Since the OP is from Vancouver, that won’t be too different on the Berkeley campus, or some cities like San Francisco. The area will have more Mexicans and better Mexican food than Vancouver, though.</p>