UMich vs. UC Berkeley?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
1

<p>I live in NY so all OOS tuition rates apply.
I've visited UCB campus and it was okay. Nice campus although didn't give me such a GREAT vibe. Haven't visited UMich at all and won't be able to before I have to commit to a college.</p>

<p>Possible majors I'm considering:
Computer Science*
Economics*
Appled math
Statistics
Engineering**</p>

<p>Schools I'm in:
UCB - College of Letters & Science
UMich - Literature, Science and Arts</p>

<p><em>"Capped" major at Berkeley, but also better than UMich's programs for these majors.
*</em>Easier to transfer into engineering school at UMich, but again, I've heard Berkeley's is better</p>

<p>Also, I'm in the honors program at UMich, if that changes anything.</p>

<p>Pros/cons of each college? Suggestions about which one I should go?
Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Personally, I’d go with UCB since they’re in the bay area, better weather, plus higher ranked in all of those majors you’re considering, however, Michigan is still within the top 15 of all of those subjects. </p>

<p>But from what I’ve heard UCB is almost a deadzone in terms of social life, at least what Iv’e heard from engineering </p>

<p>At Michigan LSA, you’re free to major in Computer Science and Economics without any difficulty. And transferring to COE is not a hassle.</p>

<p>Did you get a decent amount of aid from each school? Michigan’s financial aid system is sometimes weird since I know people who attended here from Pennsylvania where it was cheaper than in-state Penn State</p>

3

<p>With the exception of CS, and that is assuming solkiz is intent on living in the Bay area and working in Silicon Valley when he is done with college, I do not think Cal offers any advantage over Michigan. In fact, Michigan’s flexible and non-restricted path to any major other than Ross makes it a safer option for the OP, who is still uncertain as to his major. </p>

<p>Cal obviously rules the West Coast, but in the East Coast, Michigan is just as potent. If cost is not an issue, I would recommend the OP continue researching Cal and Michigan and choose the university/campus/town he thinks he would be happier at.</p>

4

<p>I’m at Cal now, but I was deciding between Michigan and Cal when I was choosing a college. I would honestly choose Michigan now if I could go back and change my decision. I visited Michigan several times and it seems way more social and fun. I think the fact that Berkeley is ranked higher than Michigan is overrated. Michigan will provide you with a great undergraduate education just as Berkeley will too.</p>

5

<p>If you are looking forward to a good balance between academic rigor and college/campus life, then Michigan will be a better choice.</p>

6

<p>Don’t let the rankings fool you solkiz. Berkeley is a fantastic school, but then again so is Michigan. The main differences between the two universitues, IMHO, are the towns they are located in and the overall school spirit. That is where I feel Michigan has a decided edge over Berkeley for the undergraduate student.</p>

7

<p>Thanks everyone for the feedback!
Although I was leaning towards UCB for its academics, I’m wobdering whether I’d be happier at UofM just because the courseload might be easier
/better GPA inflation, for a similar academic prestige. Is that a good reason to choose Umich? Even though I’ve never visited?</p>

8

<p>Michigan is not known for grade inflation. Please don’t be fooled into thinking that U-M is going to be a cakewalk compared to other top schools. You should stop basing this most important decision strictly on academics. As has been stated multiple times, there isn’t that much of a difference. FIT, FIT, FIT in your case. Go to where you think you’d be happiest.</p>

9

<p>solkiz, Cal and Michigan are academic equals. There is no reason to think that choosing Cal over Michigan is the right thing to do for academic purposes. Do not over-think this. There is no difference academically. That is why they are ranked within 8 or 9 spots of each other overall and in any field of study out of 3,000 universities. Even universities ranked within 20 spots of each other are identical in terms of quality.</p>

<p>You should be evaluating the respective campus environments and your preferred college experience. As all those who have been giving you advice have been saying, go for fit. Cal and Michigan are similar in many ways, so you will not exactly love one and hate the other, but there are subtle differences that should make one of the two schools a better option for you.</p>

10

<p>Michigan has a strong reputation in all of the fields that you listed. I remember when I was deciding to come here, someone told me that this school is “remedial.” Rankings can lie. I can tell you from experience that some of the engineering classes–math and econ included–have very brutal curves. Some classes set the average to a B-/C+.</p>

<p>If both schools are comparable in cost, please consider visiting both schools so you can see which seems like a better fit. For starters, it seems that Michigan has the benefit of relative proximity compared to Berkeley. </p>

<p>One note: Engineering is a college. Not a major.</p>

11

<p>Also note: Lots of Michigan CS students end up on the West Coast. Cisco (San Jose) likes hiring Michigan students, as well as other smaller companies. (Google, Apple, and Facebook are a bit more selective but people do get in) I believe Michigan is in the Top 3 schools at Microsoft.</p>

<p>I was lucky enough to spend the summer (at an internship) in the Bay Area sophomore year, but I didn’t like the lifestyle there.</p>

12

<p>This may seem a bit backhanded, but, you could potentially commit to both, visit Michigan, and then decide. You’d lose a few hundred bucks… but I think it may be worthwhile to visit Michigan. You may fall in love with it, you may decide that Berkeley is the better option. I’m not really sure of the drawbacks to this option, but just food for thought.</p>

13

<p>Thanks everyone for the replies!
@Pat1120, do you mean double depositing at the two schools? I’ve been trying to find virtual tours and stuff, but I know that’s not nearly as good as visiting for real. Losing the hundred bucks or so shouldn’t be a problem if it buys me time to visit Michigan, but could I potentially have my decision rescinded from either school if I’m caught?</p>

14

<p>UCB has an academic edge over UMich. Unless you’re paying instate tuition, going to the Honors college or are receiving more financial aid I’d pick UCB</p>

15

<p>^^^The OP has already indicated that he/she has been admitted to the honors program at Michigan. Michigan has the academic edge over a lot of schools rated higher than it at USNWR, so that isn’t always the most important factor when selecting a college. It’s not like your comparing Cal with some run of the mill state controlled school in this country. Michigan is also a world class institution and bests Berkeley in quite a few academic areas. Very few universities can say that, public or private.</p>

16

<p>[Student</a> Focus: Internships in Computer Science - YouTube](<a href=“Student Focus: Internships in Computer Science - YouTube”>Student Focus: Internships in Computer Science - YouTube)
^Video of undergradate seniors who have done Michigan CS-LSA.
I’ve been to each of their discussion sections for my EECS 183 first semester.</p>

<p>Microsoft, Google, Boomberg-LP, and Yelp aren’t bad companies to work for.</p>

17

<p>I really appreciate all the feedback on this thread, thanks to everyone who posted!
Also, a bit off track, I know both schools are public and therefore not “handholding”, aka you’re basically on your own. However, which one is generally more helpful in advising and guiding their students throughout college?</p>

18

<p>And I ask this because although I know it’s good for me to learn to be independent, I still might need just a little guidance to get me on my way there lol.</p>

19

<p>If I recall, UC Berkeley surpasses UMich in all of those majors. It is generally accepted as the #1 public university in America and overall ahead in UMich in academics. In fact, UC Berkeley is one of the top 5 schools in the world in international rankings. It’s definitely worth going there considering that you are paying the same amount of money. Berkeley and UMich are pretty similar (tough academics, college town, ect.) but things at Berkeley seem more academically intense and the location is more gritty. Still. Not only do you have the better location and geography (being next to Silicon Valley and all), but Berkeley has a lot of credibility with tech companies, finance/consulting firms, grad schools, ect.</p>

20

<p>TheBanker, in any ranking, Cal will usually be ranked #1 or #2 among public universities while Michigan will be ranked between #1 and #4. According to the main three international rankings (ARWU, QS and Times), Cal is ranked 4, 22, and 9 respectively while Michigan is ranked 22, 17 and 20 respectively. The difference is hardly worth nothing as there are literally over 5,000 universities around the world. </p>

<p>[Academic</a> Ranking of World Universities - 2012| Top 500 universities | Shanghai Ranking - 2012 | World University Ranking - 2012](<a href=“http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2012.html]Academic”>http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2012.html)</p>

<p>[QS</a> World University Rankings - 2012 | Top Universities](<a href=“http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2012]QS”>QS World University Rankings 2012: Top Global Universities | Top Universities)</p>

<p>[World</a> University Rankings 2012-2013 - Times Higher Education](<a href=“http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2012-13/world-ranking]World”>World University Rankings 2013-14 | Times Higher Education (THE))</p>

<p>I agree that Cal is slightly stronger than Michigan academically, but the difference is not noteworthy. Among US universities, Cal is generally regarded as the #1 public university while Michigan is usually regarded as the #2 or #3 public university. Overall, Cal is usually regarded as being one of the top 10 and Michigan one of the top 20. Either way, those are two elite universities, and if choosing between them, academic ratings will not be a determining factor. </p>

<p>“Not only do you have the better location and geography (being next to Silicon Valley and all), but Berkeley has a lot of credibility with tech companies, finance/consulting firms, grad schools, etc.”</p>

<p>While I agree that the Bay area is a great location, it is not for everybody. The OP has indicated that he wishes to return to the NE when he is done with college. As far as the NE is concerned, Cal will not offer an advantage over Michigan. In fact, as far as Finance and Consulting firms are concerned, Michigan actually trumps Cal just as Cal trumps Michigan for Tech jobs. In all these cases, the two universities are very highly respected, but each has its niche.</p>