Your opinion on UC Berkeley

[bruno123]

<p>I think UC Berkeley is one of the top 5 universities ** in the world **. I don’t understand why it is so underrated in American college rankings like USN&WR.</p>

[Techie1988]

<p>International prestige of a university is based primarily on its research discoveries in the sciences and technology. (That is what the rest of the world admire.) This is why a school like Berkeley is so highly regarded. A non-research, liberal arts college has little recognition on the international stage, no matter how selective its admission process is.</p>

<p>In the U.S. it is easy to be shortsighted and be brainwashed by the media (e.g. USNWR), who tend to pander to the rich and powerful. Thus the private schools are favored. Coupled that with the general indifference of math and science by the masses, and the country has a skewed view of what prestige is. Unfortunately, the U.S. population tend to admire the wealthy, the powerful, the beautiful and charismatic, not academic or scientific achievements per se.</p>

[GoWorld]

<p>

Basically, anybody making a judgment that comes down that one is better or worse is wrong. Anyone not realizing there are some very fundamentally different ways that large, public, research universities approach undergraduates versus other schools is a moron. There are pros and cons of both models and students who thrive at one may not thrive at the other. Luckily there are enough top schools that have very different models that students in the US can choose between them and be equally prepared for success post-graduation.

Amen.</p>

<p>

n the U.S. it is easy to be shortsighted and be brainwashed by the media (e.g. USNWR), who tend to pander to the rich and powerful. Thus the private schools are favored. Coupled that with the general indifference of math and science by the masses, and the country has a skewed view of what prestige is. Unfortunately, the U.S. population tend to admire the wealthy, the powerful, the beautiful and charismatic, not academic or scientific achievements per se.

Agreed.</p>

[RML]

<p>

I think UC Berkeley is one of the top 5 universities in the world . I don’t understand why it is so underrated in American college rankings like USN&WR.

</p>

<p>I share the same sentiments. It should be a solid top 8 in the world, along with Harvard, Cambridge, Stanford, Oxford, Yale, Princeton and MIT. But after looking at the USNWR criteria, I’ve learned that the ranking is basically a ranking based on college desirability, which some people say, is just about college convenience. </p>

<p>

International prestige of a university is based primarily on its research discoveries in the sciences and technology. (That is what the rest of the world admire.) This is why a school like Berkeley is so highly regarded. A non-research, liberal arts college has little recognition on the international stage, no matter how selective its admission process is.

I don’t exactly agree. Yale isn’t quite up to par with Berkeley, Stanford, MIT and Caltech when it comes to research, specifically on scientific research and discoveries yet it’s a very well-regarded, highly respected school. The London School of Economics (LSE) is a globally famous school yet it’s only a social science school. Imperial College London is basically a science and engineering school and has many more nobel associated with it than with LSE, yet it’s not as well-known and prestigious as LSE.</p>

[RML]

<p>

Yet nowhere have you ever conceded any of the very real disadvantages that Berkeley has. You’re very good at being “even” about other places, but really don’t turn that critical eye to the problems that exist at your beloved Cal.

</p>

<p>I think that’s unfair. I’ve never claimed Cal would be a very desirable place to attend undergrad. In fact, I’ve stated many times in my previous posts that places like Dartmouth or Brown are more convenient than Cal for undergrad especially for liberal arts programs. I’ve long admitted that Cal’s strengths are not its undergrad prestige because those things are measured different from what I have in mind. But just because Cal may seem overcrowded to you wouldn’t make it a great school. </p>

<p>

It’s not a matter of being redundant-- it’s not acknowledged or mentioned by your team of supporters and it really should be, alongside your redundant message that no one gives a crap because you still have a strong research faculty.

</p>

<p>Oh, come on. Do you expect Cal supporters to highlight Cal’s weakest area? Would you, as a Brown supporter, argue about top-notched research works when you know Brown is lousy when it comes to research when it’s compared to research powerhouse schools like Berkeley, Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Caltech and the like? </p>

<p>Look, I’ve summarized this already. In my summary, it was clearly mentioned that Cal isn’t in HYSPM’s caliber for undergrad. But so are the rest of the schools in America. But as a whole, Berkeley is world famous and highly respected, more so than schools like Brown or Dartmouth.</p>