<p>hi im applying this year to study mechanical engineering in america and dont know whether to apply early decision to cornell, cause im scared that the michigan and berkeley are better and will provided me with a better education.
please advise</p>
<p>Those three schools are all within the same “tier” for caliber of engineering program, so don’t worry about the differences in academics. However, what you should be thinking about is the differences in environment, student body, etc because these three schools are very different in this regard. You just have to figure out what set of circumstances is best for you individually.</p>
<p>You’re an international student? If so, can your family afford the $50K+ cost of these schools per year? If they can’t, then forget about Michigan and Berkeley because they do not offer financial aid to international students. If you can afford the $50K-$60K/year without aid, then you should worry more about getting in than about relatively minor quality differences between these 3 schools.</p>
<p>They’re all great. I don’t think that people understand that academic talent in the US extends very deep.</p>
<p>Your bigger concern should be getting in and paying the money needed.</p>
<p>im an american citizen living in south africa. im just worried if i apply to cornell(through early decision) and get accepted, and also get accepted to berkeley and michigan, will i miss out on possible academic opportunities that those schools could’ve offered. also, how good are uc san diego, carnegie mellon, and usc in mechanical engineering? im possibly thinking about applying there too.
thanks for the help</p>
<p>That’s a stupid thing to worry about, frankly.</p>
<p>All of the schools you named are great engineering schools (with USC a little behind). You still don’t seem to understand just how deep the academic talent (and opportunities) in the US are.</p>
<p>Again, you should worry more about being able to afford these schools and getting in.</p>
<p>BTW, more Americans would likely choose Cornell than UMich or Cal for engineering even though I think their engineering schools are equally great, for what it’s worth.</p>
<p>Haha okay thanks for advice</p>
<p>You seem to be assuming that you will get in because you are a citizen. It is very competitive. It is also very expensive. You need to assume that you will be paying something. Scholarships for these schools are generally limited to state residents.<br>
At the UCs, as an OOS student , you will be paying full fees if you get in.</p>
<p>“BTW, more Americans would likely choose Cornell than UMich or Cal for engineering even though I think their engineering schools are equally great, for what it’s worth.”</p>
<p>Most Americans have absolutely no idea where Cornell is located. </p>
<p>@rjkofnovi: Of the Americans applying to top engineering schools, I should say.</p>
<p>Cornell, Cal and Michigan are all excellent overall and in Engineering.</p>
<p>But they are all expensive.</p>
<p>Slightly less expensive and still very strong in Engineering are the following:</p>
<p>UW-Madison
University of Illinois
University of Minnesota
Purdue University
Georgia Tech </p>
<p>They are all top-20 in Eng (and in many other programs…) and will cost less than the three you mentioned. </p>
<p>I would say that UIUC, GTech, and Purdue (and maybe Wisconsin) are just as strong as Cal/UMich/Cornell in engineering. UIUC in CS as well.</p>
<p>Also, cost depends on fin aid. None of the state schools (except UMich, maybe) would give good fin aid to internationals. However, Minnesota has a Gold Global Excellence scholarship that allows internationals to pay in-state tuition if they can get it.</p>
<p>^^
Op is not considered an international student. See: <a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/is-american-abroad-an-international-applicant.htm”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/is-american-abroad-an-international-applicant.htm</a></p>
<p>If you have significant doubts about applying ED to a particular college then apply RD, and choose from among the colleges that have accepted you.</p>
<p>OOS. Almost the same thing. Minnesota has the Gold Nation and Purdue has some OOS scholarships as well.</p>
<p>If the OP needs fin aid, though, most publics would not make much sense.</p>
<p>There is always something that you give up to move forward and pick something. You buy one tv with one feature and you can’t have the features of the others you didn’t pick. You take the left fork in the road and you miss that view from the right. Such is life. You don’t sound sure on your school so don’t apply ED, see? it is that simple. Wait and compare and think about it in the mean time. Seriously ‘scared.’?? Boo hoo. You are always going to miss some opportunity to take others. You are putting too much importance on the colleges.
It is likely not going to make a huge difference.</p>
<p>As a US citizen living outside the US, you may find financial aid limited at state universities (check their net price calculators). Private universities may be better for financial aid (check their net price calculators), although some state universities (e.g. Minnesota, Stony Brook, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, Cal Poly) have somewhat lower out-of-state prices than many other schools with well-regarded engineering schools.</p>
<p>If you have high enough stats to have a realistic chance for admission to engineering at the schools you named, you may also get large merit scholarships at some other schools:
<a href=“http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/”>http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/</a>
<a href=“Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - #50 by BobWallace - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - #50 by BobWallace - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums;
<p>“Most Americans have absolutely no idea where Cornell is located.”</p>
<p>People on this site get ticked off way too easily about their school…nobody was disparaging Michigan in that earlier comment. I’m sure the cross-admit numbers speak for themselves. BUT this isn’t a discussion about either one, this is a discussion about the merits of several institutions well-known for their engineering programs, so I digress. (but really, Cornell and Berkeley are a <em>little</em> better in this regard…sorry 
)</p>
<p>OP, you haven’t provided us with any stats, and even if they’re stellar I don’t think you’re certain to get into any of these programs because they’re all so selective. It doesn’t seem like you want to attend Cornell all that badly, so I’d suggest applying EA to Michigan or MIT instead because an early decision acceptance is binding. You’ll also want to apply to a couple of safeties just in case things don’t work out.</p>
<p>Best of luck! </p>
<p>“People on this site get ticked off way too easily about their school…nobody was disparaging Michigan in that earlier comment. I’m sure the cross-admit numbers speak for themselves. BUT this isn’t a discussion about either one, this is a discussion about the merits of several institutions well-known for their engineering programs, so I digress. (but really, Cornell and Berkeley are a <em>little</em> better in this regard…sorry )”</p>
<p>Sorry to tick you off, but Cornell is NOT better known for engineering than Michigan. I will agree that Cal is a little better. Actually, Michigan is a little better than Cornell for engineering…so</p>
<p>“It doesn’t seem like you want to attend Cornell all that badly…”</p>
<p>My point exactly.</p>
<p>Guys, seriously. They’re equally great (throw in UIUC, GTech, UT-Austin, Columbia, UPenn, Princeton, CMU, Purdue, UCSD, UCLA, UW-Madison, and Northwestern while you’re at it).</p>