Hello, I’m currently comparing offers between these two schools (which I believe are my top options). I’d really appreciate if any of you guys could help me!
Net price per year at each college, after applying scholarships and financial aid grants.
Obviously I’m out of state so at Berkeley I will not qualify for any need based aid. I do live in a state that borders california but not sure if that does anything. I need to talk to Rice but based on what they’ve said on their website I qualify for 50% off tuition need based but it’s not guaranteed.
Desired major and post graduation goals (including if pre-med, pre-law, etc.).
Double major in or a major & minor in electrical engineering/computer science and neuroscience. I will most likely continue to grad school.
Really would appreciate any advice I can get; thanks!!
Oh and also, for Berkeley, I was admitted to their College of Letters and Sciences, NOT their College of Engineering cause I applied for neuroscience. I heard that it’s very hard to transfer into the engineering majors, if I’m correct. So that’s obviously a negative for Berkeley.
It sounds like you’re saying that Berkeley would cost more and wouldn’t get you the major you want? And you’d be missing out on the quality of life improvements that Rice has over Berkeley? I don’t quite get why Berkeley is still in the running?
It does not appear to be possible to change into EECS at Berkeley. Change of college - Berkeley Engineering
Can you afford UCB anyway? Being from a neighboring state does not help at UCB.
If you are considering a pre-professional track, go to the school where you will be able to get the classes you need and where you will be the most successful.
Rice is smaller, nicer, cheaper - and you won’t have ridiculous large classes.
I’m sold there.
Oh, and then Rice will allow you to study what you want - and Berkeley will not.
So why would Berkeley even be in the consideration set?
Presitge doesn’t earn you a living - and you want to earn one as an engineer. So if you have a top two and it doesn’t sound like you do, it shouldn’t include UCB - just because you got in.
So in this case, the only answer is Rice - your #2 should be a school that admitted you for engineering, not UCB.
Rice. It’s smaller and cheaper. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s nicer! I personally like the East Bay environs more than Houston! And Berkeley has more trees and character. But for you, Rice sounds like the better choice.
At Rice, you dont have to worry about the homeless surrounding campus. When we were researching colleges for D24, that was an issue for us, as parents.
Has Berekely addressed that?
Berkely also seems to have housing issues for their students.
There’s much less homeless south of campus with People’s Park being converted to housing. There’s still homeless in downtown. My daughter says she minds her own business and they theirs and so far she has been fine. Travel in groups and not by yourself at night. There’s so many students milling about, for the most part the town seems fairly safe. But one cannot be unaware of their surroundings. She enjoys the school.
As for housing, there’s only one year that’s “guaranteed.” There are numerous privately owned apartments, some new and other old and run down. You just need to be on top of finding housing by the end of the first semester or beginning of the second semester the prior school year. But they are available but can be pricey.
Although there are some homeless and a lack of student housing at Berkeley, I wouldn’t say it’s not as nice as Rice. It has character!
But considering what the OP has indicated, Rice sounds like the better choice.
Has Rice not given you your financial aid info yet? I thought that came with acceptances (though I could be wrong).
I agree with the others that I don’t think it’s worth a lot more money to go to UCB, unless you can afford it and you strongly prefer the school. I also would be very concerned about the fact that you can’t major in what you want there.
I have a Rice grad and changing majors is a breeze (except to architecture and music). My D had friends that changed major multiple times - one switched from english to engineering. You’re not accepted into a particular major and you have a year or two before you have to declare. But even once you declare you can change by filling out a form (though you still have to meet the graduation requirements of any major you change into).
Have you visited both schools? I would say they are quite different environments. Rice is in the middle of a large city, but in a very nice residential part of town (and across the street from the worlds largest medical center). When you are on campus you do not feel like you are in a city at all. But it’s a lot smaller and less sterotypically college-townish than Berkeley. Rice has the residental college system and students often live on campus for 3 (or sometimes more) years. Off campus housing is less expensive in Houston than in Berkeley. I am familiar with both areas and like them both, but they are very different and will provide different experiences.
