<p>“NYU accepting 30% excluding early decision.”</p>
<p>False. Last year, NYU’s acceptance rate was 28.6% INCLUDING early decision (RD was obviously lower). As far as Berkeley’s acceptance rate, keep in mind that with the UC common app. all thats required to apply to Berkeley is a simple check mark, so the app. number is a lot more than it would be if you had to apply to Berk. separately from the rest of the UCs (as is the case with private schools). </p>
<p><a href=“Undergraduate Admissions”>Undergraduate Admissions;
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<p>“So, you think that using SAT I as a measure of the quality of a student body is justifiable?”</p>
<p>Yes, why not? Every college in the country uses the SAT I to guage the quality of potential students, why can’t the same be used to guage the quality of a college’s own student body? As for your MIT/Caltech example, Caltech IS INDEED more selective than MIT; also a person admitted to both schools is more likely to choose Caltech. </p>
<p>“I find it very difficult for anyone to state that NYU has superior/more talented students than Berkeley at the undergraduate level”</p>
<p>Well thats your opinion, but NYU has a higher average SAT and more national merit scholars in last years entering class, take that for what its worth to you. This is to say nothing of all the CA community college transfers coming into Berkeley every semester. </p>
<p>Yes, I 100% agree with you that student body quality is not the only thing to consider when picking a college…far from it in fact (so many factors go into this, and its a subjective decision). However, student body quality is one undeniabley important factor. In college, you’ll learn as much from your classmates as from your professors (maybe even more). In addition to classes, these are people you’ll with which you’ll live in dorms, have late night discussions, and get intoxicated with. Your college classmates will also be your future colleagues and business/political connections. If you’re surrounded by better classmates, you’ll probably get a better education…so student body quality counts for something at the end of the day. </p>
<p>“And to jwblue, can you please provide some data that cites UCLA as being more selective than UCB?”</p>
<p>Listen–before attending prep. school and NYU back east, I grew up on the west coast, so I’m more than familiar with the UC system. There used to be a time when Berk. was the CLEAR flagship of the UC’s, and UCLA was its back up. Not so anymore, they actively compete now, and UCLA seems to have the upper hand in my opinion. The UC system as a whole is in decline (lots of funding problems and affirmative action issues), and relatively speaking, Berkeley seems to have done worse than UCLA. </p>
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<p>“UCLA recently surpassed UC Berkeley’s status as the most selective campus, with UCLA admitting only 15.5 percent compared to UC Berkeley’s 16.5 percent for fall 2004.”</p>
<p>Source:
<a href=“http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=31885[/url]”>http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=31885</a></p>