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<p>Choosing a college based on how difficult it is to get in is stupid. I hope you’re kidding. If you need the ego boost, you can tell yourself that you got into a hard to get into school, but at the end of the day, choosing 4 years of study at a place based on that ego boost is pitiful, and in this case very misguided.</p>
<p>Someone who is Caltech-caliber will get a TON out of Berkeley. For anyone considering engineering seriously, most likely it should be between Berkeley and Caltech. These two are immensely different colleges. Folks turning down Caltech, Harvey Mudd, Columbia to come here for engineering or something technical is just not uncommon. </p>
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<p>The student body at Caltech is undoubtedly more talented in a majority of areas. However, one must remember that most students at Berkeley are VASTLY underprepared to enjoy its fruits. If you consider yourself a real intellectual, you can get a ton out of Berkeley. If you aren’t a real intellectual, you will probably start crying like a baby if you try to make it through Caltech. </p>
<p>Points to consider: Caltech is a school with a lot of general maths and science requirements, as in their core. Berkeley’s requirements are largely easy, BS-able things, so students can more easily just focus on their majors early on, if they are so inclined. Berkeley is incredibly lax about what you do with your time, and its faculty are easily on par with Caltech’s and more numerous, plus their departments can be bigger and thus be a better place to sample. </p>
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<p>This is not a valid distinction. The graduate program and undergraduate program are only different for those who have little serious interest in pursuing graduate studies later. Chances are, someone seriously considering Caltech very well may (look at Caltech’s percentage of undergrads going on to get a PhD – very high), and thus could benefit from the education at Berkeley a lot. And again, we’re talking EE – lots of incredible people here for that stuff. By the time one is a junior and has trained well in the basics, if interested in graduate studies, one should very likely start doing something with the faculty, and this gives a chance to get to really be in touch with the brilliant guys here. It’s the wrong attitude to say you can’t do anything at all before you get to graduate school. It’s very advisable to communicate with the titans early rather than late, because the experience is not just like going to classes – it gets one reflective early, and chances are will lead to a much more mature perspective entering graduate school.</p>