Choice between UC Berkeley and Johns Hopkins

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interestingly, it's JH that has always had a reputation for being cut-throat--as in, students destroying library texts in order to put their pre-med classmates at a disadvantage when studying for exams and applying to med school.

Cal has one of the best CS programs in the country. Why not be confident in one's ability to succeed in it? Plus, better weather and more socioeconomic diversity.

I can't believe it's true in JHU, more likely a joke.

For CS, no question is Cal, beats all Ivies. But, be prepare for huge class size, some are more than a thousand, yes, it's true.

[Anonymous]

I went to grad school at Hopkins and lived near Homewood for 6 years. Hopkins is perfectly safe if you're smart and aren't using or dealing drugs. The violent crime is 99.9% within the drug community. Petty theft is common. If you leave something of value visible in your car, it will likely be broken into and stolen. In 6 years i probably replaced 3 car windows and one door lock. I was also young and not always careful (i.e. i left things in view in my rush to get to class, etc).

The limitations of Baltimore are more that it's a small, grimy city with a lot of blight and poverty. But it does haves some very good restaurants, MLB, NFL, a world-renowned symphony, one or two good theaters for plays, a few concert venues where most artists will come when touring, easy access to a major airport. But it's not super cosmopolitan. That said, it was more than enough to have a high quality of life in my 20s. I always had something to do, I met my husband and a great group of friends and I grew to really love the culture and the people.

[Anonymous]

UCB grad here. It’s a big school. Requires a lot of initiative. I loved it. My sibling went and transferred out after a year. It wasn’t a good fit for him. Is your kid resourceful? I would vote UCB but if your kid is not ready for the vastness where you can get lost then maybe not.

[Anonymous]

OP - did your child decide on a school? Which one is it?!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to grad school at Hopkins and lived near Homewood for 6 years. Hopkins is perfectly safe if you're smart and aren't using or dealing drugs. The violent crime is 99.9% within the drug community. Petty theft is common. If you leave something of value visible in your car, it will likely be broken into and stolen. In 6 years i probably replaced 3 car windows and one door lock. I was also young and not always careful (i.e. i left things in view in my rush to get to class, etc).

The limitations of Baltimore are more that it's a small, grimy city with a lot of blight and poverty. But it does haves some very good restaurants, MLB, NFL, a world-renowned symphony, one or two good theaters for plays, a few concert venues where most artists will come when touring, easy access to a major airport. But it's not super cosmopolitan. That said, it was more than enough to have a high quality of life in my 20s. I always had something to do, I met my husband and a great group of friends and I grew to really love the culture and the people.

I went to Hopkins undergrad and have lived in Baltimore city (2.5 miles from campus) for 20 years and never had my car broken into.

[Anonymous]

Good luck OP. Would pick Hopkins here for more nurturing and grade inflated environment (average college gpa is a 3.8)

[Anonymous]

Tough choice. The challenge with UCB is the public aspect. It's a public university meaning resources will be tighter, etc. But brand name and proximity to SV are golden.

Visited Hopkins recently. Amazing school also. Closeness to NYC/PHILLY/Boston, sports, concerts, Europe. Private university and that means a lot. Definitely researched focused. Kid would have peers extremely research focused and intellectual. Don't discount proximity to NYC and other East Coast markets with tech. Could be less competition.

Tough choice. Both great choices for different reasons.

[Anonymous]

Easiest choice ever. Go to Cal! Seriously, the opportunities blow almost any other university out of the water, even the student-run clubs are highly competitive and build important products. Hopkins is fine, but it is not that great for compute science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Easiest choice ever. Go to Cal! Seriously, the opportunities blow almost any other university out of the water, even the student-run clubs are highly competitive and build important products. Hopkins is fine, but it is not that great for compute science.

Hopkins CS is amazing. Especially for job placement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Easiest choice ever. Go to Cal! Seriously, the opportunities blow almost any other university out of the water, even the student-run clubs are highly competitive and build important products. Hopkins is fine, but it is not that great for compute science.

Hopkins CS is amazing. Especially for job placement.

Compared to Berkeley? You have to be off your rocker