University of California Berkeley v. University of Maryland (honors)

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Well, I have a week left to decide where I will be spending the next four years of my life. I have narrowed it down to either University of Maryland College Park or University of California Berkeley. </p>

<p>Here are a couple stats:
--My major at both colleges would be engineering, specifically mechanical engineering.
--I live in-state for Maryland, so the total cost per year evens out to around $20,000 with a small engineering scholarship. Also, I am in the Honors Program at UMD.
--For Cal, my family and I will be paying approximately $55,000 per year.
--Two of my favorite hobbies are surfing and skiing. </p>

<p>--Money really isn't an issue, and my parents have told me not to base my decision off of the cost. </p>

<p>I visited Berkeley and returned today actually. I fell in love with the area, it supports my two hobbies almost better than any other area in the United States. I have been to Maryland three times in the past couple months, and I also really like the campus. I feel like the honors program will open up a lot more opportunities than just the college alone. </p>

<p>So here's the question. In the long-run, will I benefit more from graduating from the top (or #2 behind MIT) engineering school in the country: Berkeley, or will I be better off going to Maryland with honors? The areas are completely different and both have a lot to offer. Do you think there are more engineering opportunities around the Virginia/DC area or in the Silicon Valley/Bay Area? </p>

<p>Thanks alot CC!</p>

2

<p>From my experience, being in an “honors” program does very little for you.
I don’t think any employer cares if you are in that program, and neither does a grad. school. Its a waste of time. </p>

<p>Anyway, your question is, if you will benefit more by going to Berkeley. In my opinion, if you intend to work as engineer, it will make very little difference. Maybe none. However, it will be very fun to brag about having gone to Berkeley, for the rest of your life, I should think. The question is whether or not bragging rights is worth $140,000 + interest. And that is a question only you can answer.</p>