USC vs Northwestern vs Berkeley
tabh23
0 replies3 threadsRegistered User New Member
I have recently been admitted to Northwestern, Berkeley, and USC for Mechanical Engineering. While I feel like in Northwestern in USC I would have a better balance between social life and academics, I know that Berkeley has a better engineering program and could probably open more doors for me since I would like to seek a job in the West Coast after I graduate. I've heard that Berkeley is depressing, is that true? What would you all suggest?
14 replies
Replies to: USC vs Northwestern vs Berkeley
But you have a great problem to have, all of those schools are incredible, you really can't make a wrong choice, good luck!
Also that collaborative/competitive question.
Of the people in the dining hall at this point, 15 say it's competitive, 5 say collaborative. The rest of the about 40 say both.
They're all agreed it's not depressing, except during dead week and sometimes in the rain.
I think the “depression” thing came from one or two posters who posted that they are depressed for whatever reason, but it stands to reason that at any academically challenging school, you’re going to have students like that. Personally, I would be more depressed for example if I were at a rural school with nowhere to go or being holed up in a dorm for days on end because it was too cold to go outside.
I agree with you. I actually have an undergrad engineering degree from Berkeley and was a PhD engineering student at Northwestern (but dropped out after 2.5 yrs to pursue a different career). It's interesting how your analysis of two schools coincide with my experience, even after 25+ years later. I loved my Berkeley engineering experience but it's not for most. It was super competitive and cut throat. My GPA got hit big time as result (I think it was only 3 2), but I was super successful at research and co-authored a few publications as an undergrad. But, I bugged my research professor initially for a whole year before he even let me in his lab. (You have to relentless about it.) I mainly studied to get good grades (and still got only 3.2 at the end), not for the sake of learning because of serious grade deflation at Berkeley. At Northwestern, as a TA, I saw how undergrads work and study together because it was not a cut throat environment because there was no serious grade deflation. Basically, you got at least B if you tried hard (at least in upper division classes I TAed.) I thought it was much more intellectually positive environment for engineering students at NU vs Cal. Bottom line, I encouraged my DS to apply to NU engineering for 2023 class (he got a accepted!), but I prevented him from applying to Cal.
You should go to the school that offers the best fit. A Berkeley undergrad degree isn't going to open more doors than a degree from the other schools.
https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/2074436-some-colleges-have-grade-distribution-information-available-by-course.html has links to grade distribution information at various colleges. UCB grade distributions are not "insanely low", and http://www.gradeinflation.com/Ucberkeley.html indicates that there has been some grade inflation over the years, just like at many other colleges listed at the bottom of http://www.gradeinflation.com/ .
Departments prioritize enrollment for students who most need the course (e.g. students in the major, or undeclared frosh/soph students for lower level courses in L&S subjects), and the multiphase scheduling system allows all students to register for part of their schedule first (so that students can get their most important courses first before other students looking for out-of-major electives fill them up).
As an example, my kid just finished a midterm where 40% was in the B+ category and 50% was an A. There’s an entire class that’s grateful for that curve. He hasn’t seen a class yet with any grade deflation, and hasn’t seen any class where students try and sabotage someone else. Yes, Berkeley classes can be insanely hard and students do often put in crazy hours before midterms and finals. Yet my kid still has time every night to play pickup basketball and play intramural football on weekends and he like all L&S freshmen CS wannabes is fighting for dear life to declare.