<p>I am a Professor, have a long-standing organization aiding students in their college prep-work and application process, and am a former columnist writing to educate parents for their children’s educational success. I write in bullets for easier reading and navigation:</p>
<p>OVERVIEW: Northwestern & UC’s
- PRESTIGE & ALUMNI NETWORK: Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism is extremely prestigious. It is not just one of the best, but has consistently been ranked #1 and has also produced 38 Pullitzer Prize laureates. The benefit of attending Northwestern would not only be access to the Medill alumni, but all of the Northwestern alumni base, which includes their undergraduate bases (they have numerous schools, such as Weinberg for Arts & Sciences, McCormick for engineering, Bienen for music, etc) and their remarkable graduate bases (Kellogg #1 in Marketing, the law school, etc). Further, as an undergraduate, you may enroll in and participate in various certificate programs, such as the International Marketing Communications program, which many journalism majors take, the Kellogg certificate program, which many econ majors take, etc.</p>
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<li><p>GENERAL EXPERIENCE: I do have students who I have enrolled at Northwestern, and their experiences have been generally positive. One student is a graduate of the Medill school (graduated #2 in 2012, good boy!) and has gone on to enroll at the law school immediately out of undergraduate school, which for their law school is rare. The other majored in history and psychology, she is also enrolling in law school. On a side note, since you are interested in econ, in Northwestern’s Weinberg School of Arts and Sciences roughly 50% of their incoming classes are econ majors (likely attracted by Kellogg). As for Greek life, roughly 30-40% of the entire Northwestern University (they have many individual schools) are involved in Greek life.</p></li>
<li><p>TRANSFERRING CREDITS: In my experience in enrolling and transferring credits for my students, it was very easy at Northwestern. The standards vary per AP exam; they accept only 5’s on some, but 4’s on others. I believe on a few, they even accept 3’s. At NU, 1 class = 1 credit; they do not do credit hours, which is simple for students indoctrinated into the system. 1 AP credit = 1 class. You need 45 credits to graduate. Two of my students graduated in 2012. My student who graduated from Medill in 2012 transferred 12 AP credits in, which lightened his course load. He could have graduated as a junior, but opted not to. My other student transferred in 11 AP credits, and also could have graduated as a junior, but opted not to. They both then proceeded to take very small class loads their final year (registering as part-time students and receiving half tuition), and focusing on gaining real work experience. Their less strenuous course load enabled them to intern year-long with journals and bulge-bracket banks, respectively. If money is a concern, and you have a high number of transferable AP credits, this could be an aspect to consider not only tuition-wise but also opportunity-wise.</p></li>
<li><p>DOUBLING IN MAJORS: Northwestern, like University of Chicago and Stanford, is on the quarter system. This means you take an average of 12 classes a year (4 classes/quarter, though some students take 5 or 6/some quarters and others take 3/quarters). If you are enrolled in 1-2 classes, you pay half tuition. If you take 3-5 classes, you pay full tuition. Because of this system, at all 3 schools, it is the norm to have a double major or at least a major and a minor. It is relatively easier due to the quarter system/higher number of classes taken to do so. It is not rare for students to have a triple major. If money were not a concern at all, given your list + interest in journalism and econ, I’d recommend most highly qualified students to attend Medill.</p></li>
<li><p>On the other hand, I have even more students enrolled at UC’s (due to slightly less stringent admissions criteria, preference for California weather, etc). Their experiences have also been generally very positive as well, even though the class size is significantly larger. I have more students accepted into UC-Berkeley and the others than Northwestern, which has become even more popular and rigorous with its application process in the very recent years.</p></li>
<li><p>As for weather, the weather in California is much more mild and tolerable than in Evanston. The Chicago winters can be frigid, and can take up roughly half the year. If one detests cold weather, take note that half your time in Evanston will be cold—though only for 4 years.</p></li>
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<p>RECOGNITION/PRESTIGE/OPPORTUNITY FOR JOBS:
- Overall, amongst educated circles, both Berkeley and Northwestern will both be considered good undergraduate schools, with precedence more often given to the latter. This precedence will be even more heightened in the field of Journalism–not because Berkeley’s journalism program is weak; this is not true at all, but rather because Northwestern’s program is so strong.</p>
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<li> It should be noted that Northwestern is not as networked/marketed in street culture in the west coast as it is in the midwest or east coast. However, this does not mean it will affect your chances for jobs at all. If you seek to apply for a professional job, your employer will certainly know of Northwestern as well as Berkeley and where they stand in terms of prestige both in general and in that field. Therefore, I would not consider it accurate when some say “Berkeley has a better network,” or “Berkeley has a better reputation,” or “Berkeley is more prestigious.” Ask yourself in response to these remarks–to whom is Berkeley a better network, having a better reputation, or more prestigious? Think in terms of your employer.</li>
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<p>What I mean to say is, for example if you are an aspiring attorney whose goal is to receive the best education + job placement post-graduation and money is no object, should you attend Berkeley or Northwestern? The answer is likely Berkeley. If you are an aspiring businessman or marketer, the answer is likely Northwestern Kellogg. If you are an aspiring doctor, the answer is neither; rather, likely UCLA. This is an important way to frame part of your “better fit” assessment. Numerous times, I have west coast students and parents alike approaching me with very “street/popular culture” and incorrect visions of certain schools, and I see it over and over again for midwestern schools, such as Northwestern and University of Chicago.</p>
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<li> Alumni-base should also be part of that assessment. In terms of an alumni-base, no one would be able to properly say either have a “weak” one. When personally evaluating which is the “right” or better one for you, you should try and consider their overall prestige–not just the Journalism/Communications school, etc–because your access will be to the entire alumni base, not just a part. Further, you should also strive to discover the answer to this question: how helpful is the alumni base? A strong alumni base can do little if it’s known to be unhelpful (note- Harvard Business School certainly has a reputation for being amongst the best business schools, but their alumni base is not known to be ‘as helpful.’ This could be attributed to various factors, such as population size or general nature, etc).<br></li>
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<p>ULTIMATE PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION:
- That being said—if finance is a serious concern for you, I would recommend Berkeley over Northwestern. Certain students have parents willing to shell out whatever for their child’s dream undergraduate and graduate school education, but this is not a luxury available to all. If you will have to take on personal loans and seriously plan to become a journalist as opposed to, say, a successful attorney who will practice in Big Law, or a doctor in a successful private practice etc., I would advise to take on less loans than more. While one is relatively better known/more prestigious in journalism and econ, the other is also a solid and good school. You will receive a good education regardless.</p>
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<li> In repeat, if money is no object and your goal is to attain the best education/alumni network/double-majoring opportunities/smaller class sizes/more 1-1 access to Professors in office hours, I would recommend Northwestern. BUT if money/large personal loans are involved and you have those same interests, I would recommend Berkeley.</li>
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<p>Hope this was helpful and informative, though I do realize I spoke less specifically/in detail about the UC’s. Anyone can feel free to message me with more questions.</p>