<p>GoBlue, yes, I’m quite aware of our satellite campus’s athletic success. However, in recent years Cal has performed better than UCLA on a whole… as a Cal guy I hope Cal continues to improve, but I don’t expect the recent lackluster competition to continue. </p>
<p>I’ll say Michigan is a more spirited support group of its athletic teams than Cal…likely due to its long term athletic success in the major spectator sports.</p>
<p>The financial state of Berkeley is overstated. Basically, the UCs as a whole are desperately trying to get funding reinstated, and so all of them, including Berkeley, will caterwaul about the effects on the universities long-term, in order to scare both lawmakers and voters. It’s true that the system is being greatly affected, and funding does need to be reinstated. But Berkeley in particular is doing just fine - its operating budget is the same as it was before the cuts ($1.8 billion), it has a good sized endowment that they finally set up a separate company to manage, its huge alumni network has stepped up and donated, and its faculty are still winning big awards. The other UCs, except UCLA, have a lot more to worry about.</p>
<p>To be honest, these budget cuts are exactly what Berkeley needs - it’s been edging toward becoming “more private” for a long time, similar to UVA, and the budget cuts allow it to tell the state, “fine, we’re accepting more out-of-state students.” As a result, Berkeley’s median SAT has jumped quite high, about 2100 now. Consider the top private schools weren’t far ahead of that just 2-3 years ago.</p>
<p>Ann Arbor is a great college town, but it’s wrong to say that Berkeley isn’t. Some like to say that Davis, CA is the best college town because it revolves completely around UC Davis. But that’s not a good definition of a college town - it not only needs a strong presence of a college, but it needs to offer students tons of things to do. In that respect, Berkeley is hard to beat - it’s very culturally diverse, and you know that no matter the time of the year, you’ll be able to do things in Berkeley, because the weather is nearly always decent (though it does get chilly/rainy). Ann Arbor, on the other hand, will have quite a bit of snow. Since you’re from Canada, I think you might appreciate the Bay Area more. On that note, the Bay Area is infinitely more interesting than the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint area. You have easy access to the bay, to Oakland, to the ocean, to wine country, to various mountains. Not to mention Yosemite and Lake Tahoe are a drive away. Then there’s San Francisco, which puts Detroit to shame. SF is one of the most diverse places in the country, and it’s a short BART ride away from Berkeley. </p>
<p>If you’re interested in working in the tech industry, this is a no-brainer. Silicon Valley is nearby, and SF itself also has lots of tech companies (most recently Twitter). If you want to work in the auto industry, then it’s also a no-brainer - Michigan.</p>
<p>Both are great in EE, though the edge would go to Berkeley, which is perennially ranked in the top 3 for EE (with Stanford and MIT).</p>
<p>If national prestige is your concern, see this:</p>
<p>[Harvard</a> Number One University in Eyes of Public](<a href=“Harvard Number One University in Eyes of Public”>Harvard Number One University in Eyes of Public)</p>
<p>Berkeley and Michigan are comparable in national prestige, with Berkeley tied with ND and Princeton. Internationally, the two aren’t so comparable:</p>
<p>[Top</a> Universities by Reputation 2012](<a href=“http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-2012/reputation-rankings.html]Top”>World Reputation Rankings 2012 | Times Higher Education (THE))</p>
<p>EECS is one of the few disciplines for which, if you got into Stanford or MIT, it wouldn’t be so crazy to go to Berkeley, as it would for most other fields (you’d still be a little crazy, but not as crazy). That’s how good it is. And while both Michigan and Berkeley are at the top in a wide variety of fields, Berkeley definitely wins in breadth+depth of study, so you know that no matter what you change your major to, you’re going to be in a top-10 department with top faculty.</p>
<p>Cal won national championships back to back in mens and womens swimming and diving. Our rugby team continues to slaughter the competition…Cal excels in the less popular sports. </p>
<p>Hoping the recent facilities upgrades boost football performance…I want to see Cal in a Rose Bowl Game before I die…a lot of Cal fans do. ;)</p>
<p>That’s predicated on Berkeley beating Stanford. And we all know that won’t happen. :)</p>
<p>Cal, Cornell (potentially) and Michigan. All three are awesome in EECS. I would go for fit. You MUST visit the schools before choosing. Do not depend on people you do not know to tell you where to go. You are an individual and need to make the call on your own. If you cannot find 5 days in April to make the trip, you will regret it big time in the future.</p>
<p>phanta, a Bear can only dream rugby success like this can flow to football:
[Cal</a> Beats Cardinal, 109-0, to Keep Scrum Axe - The University of California Official Athletic Site](<a href=“http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-rugby/recaps/012812aaa.html]Cal”>http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-rugby/recaps/012812aaa.html)
:D</p>
<p>In the meantime, for the more meaningful sport:</p>
<p>[Winningest</a> College Football Programs - The 10 Winningest Programs in College Football History](<a href=“http://collegefootball.about.com/od/schools/a/schools-wins.htm]Winningest”>College Football)</p>
<p>rjkofnovi, you do realize that Michigan has a losing record in bowl games right?</p>
<p>“rjkofnovi, you do realize that Michigan has a losing record in bowl games right?”</p>
<p>Yes I do. 20-21. The closet game to Ann Arbor was about 1000 miles away. Michigan almost always is playing in a hostile stadium against a team that is much closer to the venue. </p>
<p>In the meantime: Michigan>Berkeley>Duke for football.</p>
<p>I’m guessing the Chinese Canadian kid aspiring to major in electrical engineering would not consider the schools’ football history as a deciding factor. But have at it.</p>
<p>Nevermind 
Wasn’t accepted at berkeley. Looks like I’m headed to Michigan!</p>
<p>
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<p>So does UCLA. We’re #2…in Quidditch</p>
<p>[Standings</a> | International Quidditch Association](<a href=“http://www.internationalquidditch.org/standings/]Standings”>http://www.internationalquidditch.org/standings/)</p>
<p>Seriously, i’ve seen our Quidditch team play, they’re damn good.</p>
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<p>This post brought to you by UCBPhantasmagoric :p</p>
<p>^ you’d still be crazy to go to Berkeley over Stanford. ;)</p>
<p>Thanks for the input by the way</p>
<p>^ Sorry to hear about your rejection, Canadakid. You’ll have a blast at Michigan.</p>