Just because Berkeley is test optional it doesn’t mean it’s a lottery, they still select the top students because they’ll look at AP exams, dual enrollment, grades, extracurriculars, which are all correlated with SAT scores. I am a CA resident and while it’s too early I’d definitely think carefully between Berkeley vs Ivy if my kid got in. I already have more than the ivy tuition covered in a 529 account, so it’s not only the cost but also top students here take dual enrollment classes worth one year of college credits, so that opens the opportunity to get a BS and master degree in four years. I’d pass Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, and Yale in favor of Berkeley or UCLA any time. Nobody here cares about UVA. |
Cornell has the best engineering among ivies. |
Not sure if you can the difference between test optional and test blind. |
Meant test blind, the point still stands. |
Sorry but you're not going to win that one. I'm not sure what your criteria is but UCB though a miserable environment is far stronger in engineering than Dartmouth or Brown. If you want to fall back on instructional quality top SLACs are better than Ivies or UCB for STEM outside of Engineering/CS. Ivies just aren't all that. |
This is just dumb and completely wrong. But, SJSU grads rule CS hiring. Just as strong and hardworking without entitlement. |
Similar to those who actually delude themselves into believing that HYP is better than 20 other schools with almost identical student bodies. |
I'm in the bay area and got my Masters at UCB. If you made that choice you'd be making the wrong choice, undergrad life at UCB isn't a great choice if you have better options. And, there are alot of better options including many outside of the Ivies. |
Yeah, but that's a pretty big point. Berkeley won't even look at a 1600 or 36. At least with the test optional schools, there's an opportunity for smart kids to distinguish themselves by submitting scores. I think somewhere during Covid and BLM and all that noise, the UCs really embraced that colleges' primary purpose should be social mobility. And that changes things. There is a lot of mediocrity at Berkeley and admissions feels very random today. And the fact that you can use APs to graduate from Berkeley in a soft major in a couple of years further diminishes the experience and the brand. I don't think HYP are great either for undergrad, but for different reasons. Fortunately, there are more than four schools in America, and people can make their choices. |
Do you have a specific advice or criticism or you’re just here to say Berkeley sucks? |
I agree test blind is wrong, but that doesn’t mean Berkeley is all of a sudden a lottery of undeserving students. I bet the students chosen in the test blind process have high standardized scores even if not considered. Also, a test score is just a data point, not the absolute best method to select students. It didn’t change dramatically the student profile. |
A very important data point without which the admissions process will get very close to randomness. |
Some schools have been operating without taking sat scores for decades. You’re way overselling it. |
This is a state university, it's primary mission is to serve its in-state residents. Whether or not it's primary purpose is to enhance social mobility, the primary purpose of a state university is not, and shall never be, selecting elites. Ivies and other top private universities can have that mission, but we don't expect a state university to act like a private elite. A public school should emphasize on accessibility, not selectivity or ranking. |
That’s why they aren’t considered top schools |