Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Berkeley is the best school of the Cal, UCLA, Vandy, WashU group.
The others I think are personal preference. I'd probably put Vandy 2nd, then UCLA, then WashU.

I would much rather go private than public unless perhaps in state.

Why? It isn't like Vandy and WashU are undergrad-first liberal arts colleges.

Berkeley is known for large classes, not just in intro classes but also in popular majors. It is also very competitive with grade deflation. Would pick any of the privates that you mentioned over Berkeley esp as oos resident.

I always laugh when posters just make shit up that is easily proven false by a quick Google search. The average GPA at Berkeley even for hard science majors is over a 3.5. That is hardly grade deflation.

https://pages.github.berkeley.edu/OPA/our-berkeley/gpa-by-major.html

I am so angry with Chicago’s drop out of the top 10

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you still go to a private if it confuses a lot of people with the name?
The University of Pennsylvania and University of Chicago are the ones that throw people off (people often think they are regular publics unless they are "in the know"). Questions about Penn's football team crack me up

Nobody that matters would be confused

If you wrote this comment, please take a few minute off and go look in the mirror

The bar is pretty low to not know the names of schools typically ranked among the top 10. Extremely low.

I'm sure many of the ranking-obsessed folks here use that list as a mantra when they meditate

I would assume anyone with a high school equivalent level of education is familiar with Penn and U of Chicago.

You live in DC area, so likely yes but outside urban/surburban pockets, you'd be surprised

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you still go to a private if it confuses a lot of people with the name?
The University of Pennsylvania and University of Chicago are the ones that throw people off (people often think they are regular publics unless they are "in the know"). Questions about Penn's football team crack me up

Nobody that matters would be confused

If you wrote this comment, please take a few minute off and go look in the mirror

The bar is pretty low to not know the names of schools typically ranked among the top 10. Extremely low.

I'm sure many of the ranking-obsessed folks here use that list as a mantra when they meditate

I would assume anyone with a high school equivalent level of education is familiar with Penn and U of Chicago.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you still go to a private if it confuses a lot of people with the name?
The University of Pennsylvania and University of Chicago are the ones that throw people off (people often think they are regular publics unless they are "in the know"). Questions about Penn's football team crack me up

Nobody that matters would be confused

If you wrote this comment, please take a few minute off and go look in the mirror

The bar is pretty low to not know the names of schools typically ranked among the top 10. Extremely low.

I'm sure many of the ranking-obsessed folks here use that list as a mantra when they meditate

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Berkeley is the best school of the Cal, UCLA, Vandy, WashU group.
The others I think are personal preference. I'd probably put Vandy 2nd, then UCLA, then WashU.

I would much rather go private than public unless perhaps in state.

Why? It isn't like Vandy and WashU are undergrad-first liberal arts colleges.

Berkeley is known for large classes, not just in intro classes but also in popular majors. It is also very competitive with grade deflation. Would pick any of the privates that you mentioned over Berkeley esp as oos resident.

I know a kid a couple of years ago who picked Berkeley over WashU. He is very much into research and likes the school. WashU is not less competitive by any means but for STEM subjects (except PreMed) it is not the same level as Berkeley.

They are very different schools in different locations so more an apples to orange comparison. One is a very large public school in the west and the other is a medium sized private in Midwest. It all depends on what you are looking for.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you still go to a private if it confuses a lot of people with the name?
The University of Pennsylvania and University of Chicago are the ones that throw people off (people often think they are regular publics unless they are "in the know"). Questions about Penn's football team crack me up

Nobody that matters would be confused

If you wrote this comment, please take a few minute off and go look in the mirror

The bar is pretty low to not know the names of schools typically ranked among the top 10. Extremely low.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you still go to a private if it confuses a lot of people with the name?
The University of Pennsylvania and University of Chicago are the ones that throw people off (people often think they are regular publics unless they are "in the know"). Questions about Penn's football team crack me up

Nobody that matters would be confused

People on DCUM think that everyone puts Penn and Chicago (and other very good schools) up with that Harvard, Yale, and Stanford group but this comment is a reminder that there are not that many schools that are really going to impress everyone with a name drop.
A high-end employer and grad school will clearly know but I wouldn't assume "anyone who matters" would.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you still go to a private if it confuses a lot of people with the name?
The University of Pennsylvania and University of Chicago are the ones that throw people off (people often think they are regular publics unless they are "in the know"). Questions about Penn's football team crack me up

Nobody that matters would be confused

If you wrote this comment, please take a few minute off and go look in the mirror

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Berkeley is the best school of the Cal, UCLA, Vandy, WashU group.
The others I think are personal preference. I'd probably put Vandy 2nd, then UCLA, then WashU.

I would much rather go private than public unless perhaps in state.

Why? It isn't like Vandy and WashU are undergrad-first liberal arts colleges.

Berkeley is known for large classes, not just in intro classes but also in popular majors. It is also very competitive with grade deflation. Would pick any of the privates that you mentioned over Berkeley esp as oos resident.

The exception would be that it is wise to go to Cal versus the others for any STEM major, except maybe bio sciences at Wash U.

Berkeley would easily be #1 in the group for CS or computer engineering. I know WashU has the best med school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Berkeley is the best school of the Cal, UCLA, Vandy, WashU group.
The others I think are personal preference. I'd probably put Vandy 2nd, then UCLA, then WashU.

I would much rather go private than public unless perhaps in state.

Why? It isn't like Vandy and WashU are undergrad-first liberal arts colleges.

Berkeley is known for large classes, not just in intro classes but also in popular majors. It is also very competitive with grade deflation. Would pick any of the privates that you mentioned over Berkeley esp as oos resident.

I know a kid a couple of years ago who picked Berkeley over WashU. He is very much into research and likes the school. WashU is not less competitive by any means but for STEM subjects (except PreMed) it is not the same level as Berkeley.

Anonymous wrote:Would you still go to a private if it confuses a lot of people with the name?
The University of Pennsylvania and University of Chicago are the ones that throw people off (people often think they are regular publics unless they are "in the know"). Questions about Penn's football team crack me up

Nobody that matters would be confused

The experience of a student at a wealthy private is typically very different from the experience at a large public with a limited budget.

Generally speaking, course availability and getting the classes you actually want each semester can be a big difference between the two.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Berkeley is the best school of the Cal, UCLA, Vandy, WashU group.
The others I think are personal preference. I'd probably put Vandy 2nd, then UCLA, then WashU.

I would much rather go private than public unless perhaps in state.

Why? It isn't like Vandy and WashU are undergrad-first liberal arts colleges.

Berkeley is known for large classes, not just in intro classes but also in popular majors. It is also very competitive with grade deflation. Would pick any of the privates that you mentioned over Berkeley esp as oos resident.

The exception would be that it is wise to go to Cal versus the others for any STEM major, except maybe bio sciences at Wash U.

Would you still go to a private if it confuses a lot of people with the name?
The University of Pennsylvania and University of Chicago are the ones that throw people off (people often think they are regular publics unless they are "in the know"). Questions about Penn's football team crack me up