<p>I have been accepted into both schools of engineering. What do you guys think?</p>
<p>Berkeley has AWESOME engineering and the city life to make studying bearable. The food is spectacular. San Francisco is spectacular.</p>
<p>Bears all the wayyyy ;]</p>
<p>if you’re paying full, or anything close to full at wustl, it’s probably better to go with Cal. But it’s all personal preference. WashU’s engineering is definitely weaker, but here you’ll definitely get smaller classes, more attention, and your school/state won’t be in a massive debt.</p>
<p>See the similar thread of “UNC vs Wash U”. I feel that most of the posts on that thread are relevant to this thread.</p>
<p>Regarding quality of programs… Berkeley’s overall Engineering program might be better-regarded. Look at which individual major you want, though. WUSTL’s BME program is ranked #10 while Berkeley is #12. Which is more or less of a wash — so if you want to do BME, you’ll need to examine other factors (location, size, greek life, individual attention, double majors, availability of research, etc) to make your decision.</p>
<p>I’m of the belief that when you start looking at top-tier schools (and I do include Berkeley and Michigan in this), you’re not going to get much different of quality of education at the undergrad level. The curriculums are so standardized between so many majors (especially engineering). I mean, how many ways can you learn Differential Equations or Physics or Mechanics, etc? </p>
<p>For graduate school, I think your decision should certainly include rankings to a large degree. But, for undergrad specific disciplines, I really don’t think you’re going to notice a material difference.</p>
<p>Visit both places and see what type of environment you like more, and what type of environment you’ll be happiest at for 4 years. </p>
<p>For what it’s worth, for my senior friends in Engineering and are going into grad school, a bunch are getting accepted to Berkeley, Stanford, Michigan, Northwestern, etc. If you do well at any undergrad school, you’ll be going to many great grad schools.</p>
<p>Back in the day I was also accepted into UC Berkeley (for Molecular and Cellular Biology). </p>
<p>I looked at 1. Research opportunities for undergrads (WashU has more); 2. Cost (Berkeley was cheaper but my parents noted they would be supportive of wherever I decide to attend); 3. Happiness of the undergrads (living standards such as dorms- I really did not like the Berkeley dorms since they felt cramped; food- WashU wins by a long run); 4. Professors - I felt like I would get more interaction at WashU with professors and this has been true. 5. Prestige of my prospective major - I was thinking about doing both bio research and premed, and I believed WashU is one of the best schools for these fields; 6. Cultural environment</p>
<p>I think Berkeley is more well known for engineering overall, but you are talking about biomedical engineering. I don’t think there’s much of a difference in quality or prestige between UCB and WashU’s BME program. Both are tops in the country. Both the Bay Area and St. Louis are hotspots for biomedical research, so if you’re worried about employment opportunities don’t be. </p>
<p>You should talk with your parents about cost. That could be a major factor. If cost is not a factor, look at where YOU will strive most as a student. You could go to any school, any name, but it’s what you make of the undergrad experience there that will make you look good to grad schools.</p>