<p>out of University of Michigan, UC berkeley, or UVA, which one is the best public univeristy?</p>
<p>I would say UC Berekeley... Michigan is way overrated on this site.</p>
<p>Cal</p>
<p>But if you asked who had the best football team, Meeeeeeeechigan would win.</p>
<p>best bball team UCLA would win : ). Also in global prestige isn't Berkeley more recognized then U MICH?</p>
<p>UCB > UMIch > UVA</p>
<p>What do you want from a school? UVA has a culture that still puts a lot of emphasis on teaching undergrads. That's the Jeffersonian influence. It also has a very "thick" culture. People either love the place or hate it. I've found few who were lukewarm</p>
<p>Berkeley probably has the most accomplished faculty, but that probably matters most to grad students. Michigan is much like Berkeley in its focus on research.</p>
<p>another junk waving thread of berkeley people.</p>
<p>the obvious answer is "whichever one is in your state." if you're not from michigan, cali, or virginia, you most like arn't applying to all 3 - as they're all completely different.</p>
<p>keep these in mind,</p>
<p>berkeley and michigan are sporting ugrad populations 2x the size of UVa</p>
<p>berkeley and michigan are substantially more expensive, instate out of state than UVa</p>
<p>all three have near identical student faculty ratios</p>
<p>and the perception of each school is based on where you live in the US. for example - no one in jersey thinks cal or michigan are better than UVa, while i'm sure the opposite is the case in michigan or california.</p>
<p>if you're in the college of arts and sciences (which most are) at UVa, you have to graduate in 4 years.</p>
<p>Cal is gigantic...good luck having an undergraduate experience in that ocean.</p>
<p>I would say it depends on the major....all three are GREAT schools, but the differences between lie within the different schools/departments.</p>
<p>UC Berkeley.</p>
<p>Go Blue!!!!</p>
<p>I think that academicly, Berkeley is much better in sciences and Michigan is slightly better everywhere else (Top 5 in over 15 majors, top 10 in 75%, top 20 in all). I would say Cal=Michigan>>UVA. All these schools are very good. Also, the Cal student has a reputation for being a work-a-holic due to the massive homework load. Michigan also has great sports. UVA is a really good all-around school, but not a huge standout in many places.</p>
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which one is the best public univeristy?
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<p>If you are asking the rather academic question of which is the overall best university, grad and undergrad, across the board it would be Berkeley which is ranked at or very near the top in not just sciences and engineering but the humanities and social sciences as well. (Sorry, MattEisn, Michigan is not slightly better than everywhere else; look at the rankings broadly. Berkeley outranks Michigan in the vast majority of humanities and social science fields. In fact, with engineering and science in the mix, probably only Stanford rates across the board as well or better in terms of graduate departments since the Ivies tend not to have the strongest engineering).</p>
<p>But if you are talking about undergrad experience, the real question is a) what do you want? or alternatively b) who cares, since they are all good schools and it really depends on your tastes?</p>
<p>My impression is that UVA has a really good undergrad experience for those who want a semi-southern, semi-Ivy Leaguish kind of experience with a more conservative student body and a rural/suburban feel. Berkeley is in a beautiful spot in the Berkeley hills and down, but is in a town that has city problems; it's an urban university. Don't know about the milieu at Michigan, but the football games must be fantastic.</p>
<p>Other people can come after and supply numbers and the like to things like class sizes, etc.</p>
<p>Bed-Head I didn't read throughout your post, but from what I have seen and read Michigan as far as social sciences are concerned is usually ranked somewhere in the top 3 to 5 in the nation. There was even a study where it's social science program was ranked top 5 in the world. So as far as sciences I believe Berkeley is better, but I believe Michigan winds the social science battle. overall...though each has programs that it is superior in. I don't exactly agree with this attitude that Berkeley is some vastly superior organization to the University of Michigan. The only reason people really know about Berkeley over here is because in history we here about the students on their campuses during the Civil Rights and Vietnam war eras. As far as research most people in the Northeast don't know much about any of these three institutions, but those who are informed recognize Michigan and Berkeley as peers..though Berkeley is a more known name. As far as UVA is concerned...I like it's approach to undergrads as others have hit on, but it is indeed very different than the others. I went to a UVA information session last year it brought Northwestern(not Michigan), Rice and well I forgot the other school, but those were the schools it brought as it's peers. I think it was John Hopkins.</p>
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There was even a study where it's social science program was ranked top 5 in the world. So as far as sciences I believe Berkeley is better, but I believe Michigan winds the social science battle.
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<p>This is probably a stupid conversation, but I helped start it so I am in.</p>
<p>Berkeley consistently outranks Michigan in Economics, switches off in Political Science, and in things like Sociology and Psychology has traditionally as good or better. Look up the rankings.</p>
<p>Look, the last time overall graduate programs were ranked as some kind of whole by the National Research Council, Berkeley ranked number 1 in the nation with the most departments ranked in the top 10 across the board. (Stanford was number 2). It's not a slight to Michigan to say it's broadly about as good as Berkeley in Social Sciences...but it's not better. They only do this ranking something like every ten or 15 years, so it will undoubtedly change next time it comes out, but there you go.</p>
<p>Generally speaking Berkeley is more known not just for cultural reasons, but for ones related to academic prestige -- like several few Nobel prizes it has won in Social Sciences (Economics).</p>
<p>Look, I am on record saying it doesn't matter as an undergrad.</p>
<p>SPEAKING AS A PERSON WHO LIVED IN HONG KONG AND JAPAN, I have to say that michigan is a much bigger name here in asia than UCB, probably becoz of its huge alum base. This is pretty surprising to many people considering the fact that UCB is like 50% asian</p>
<p>Yeah this convo is kind of redundant and repetitious. How about we leave it as their all really good schools and anyone applying to them wondering where they rank amongst other schools is applying for all the wrong reasons.</p>
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SPEAKING AS A PERSON WHO LIVED IN HONG KONG AND JAPAN, I have to say that michigan is a much bigger name here in asia than UCB, probably becoz of its huge alum base. This is pretty surprising to many people considering the fact that UCB is like 50% asian
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<p>Not my experience at all -- and I lived in Asia for several years. Were you talking about at Michigan alumni events? ; ) You'll remember among other things that the Chancellor of Berkeley for awhile was a Chinese gentleman from Taiwan. This did a lot to boost visibility of Berkeley in the Chinese speaking world. Indonesia was run for awhile by what was known as the Berkeley mafia, etc., etc., etc.</p>
<p>But on the other hand, I didn't go around Asia asking if Berkeley was more famous than Michigan. Maybe I am unaware....</p>
<p>Berkeley is definetly not better in most social sciences. </p>
<p>Michigan's psych major is 2nd in the nation behind Stanford. Cal is 9th. </p>
<p>They have the number one philosophy program (I wonder why you failed to mention that?)</p>
<p>Sociology: UofM-3rd, Cal-2nd</p>
<p>Political Science: Michigan-3, Cal-8 (usually closer)</p>
<p>Michigan is ranked 5th in engineering, UC Berkeley 3rd.</p>
<p>The Business programs are both top 3, switching off evenly in most categories between the two and Wharton</p>
<p>Do your research</p>
<p>i was born in hong kong and lived their for 12 years, then lived in japan for 3 years...so i think i know better, thank you for the doubt</p>
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Berkeley is definetly not better in most social sciences.
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<p>I didn't say better: I said about as good. And broadly speaking, that's true:
Economics: Berkeley Poli Sci: Michigan (but switches off) Sociology: Berkeley (but very close) Psychology (very close -- I don't know where Matt Eisn gets his numbers)</p>
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i was born in hong kong and lived their for 12 years, then lived in japan for 3 years...so i think i know better, thank you for the doubt
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<p>As I said I didn't walk around asking people which school was better when I lived in Asia for 3 years, but Berkeley's ties to Asia have generally been much stronger than Michigan's historically, culturally, academically, and part of this is owing to its position on the pacific rim -- and not the least since Asians make up a huge plurality at Berkeley, as you noted. But since you surveyed folks, I guess you have the upper hand.</p>
<p>Enough: Stupid conversation. I am sorry I was involved.....</p>