quasi coral
Schools: Berkeley Engineering Math & Stats vs Dartmouth vs Carnegie Mellon ECE
Intended major: Computer engineering
Whatever job that makes me the most money is what i want, probs quant
EFC: 90k
Berkeley: (75k COA)
Pros:
Their EECS is insane
Nice weather and location
its in silicon valley
Cons:
Crime rates
huge classes
all the downsides of public school
grade deflation
i will have to transfer into EECS from engineering math/stats (both in CoE)
CMU (90k COA)
Pros:
Private school
Smaller classes
more specializeed
im in directly for ECE
highly ranked for engineering
Cons:
lowest ranked overall on usnews (#22 vs #20 berk and #12 dartmouth)
very rigorous and nerdy
weather
lowest prestige of all
Dartmouth (COA 90k but can go down to 40k if i get aid)
Pros:
Private school
Smallest classes
Prestige, ivy league
I can choose whatever major I want
highest overall ranking
Cons:
worst engineering program (i'll get a BA in "engineering studies" then study 1 more year and get a BE in comp eng)
weather
bit of drinking culture and i don't drink or like to party that much
plush willow
Happy to answer any Dartmouth questions. I'm wary of Cal since things are so overcrowded there.
quasi coral
yep, Cal is way too big
im actually hurting over dartmouth and carnegie tho i genuinely love both schools
been thinking all weekend and 0 progress made
plush willow
yeah, that is tougher
I think you've got a good assessment. No wrong option, but its a matter of how mcuh you want to totally focus
Dartmouth would give some more opportunity to explore, take other stuff
CMU is a bit more all in
obviously Pittsburgh vs HAnover too
quasi coral
yeah exactly
i think my main issue is the job prospect, thats my #1 priority
if im getting the same opprotunities with an eng sci degree from dart and a comp eng degree from cmu, then really im all for dartmouth
plush willow
i would imagine pretty similar
plush willow
yeah, might be hard to parse it out too deeply, but I can say that I don't know of any of my friensd who have really suffered for profesional opportunities
quasi coral
in the long run im trying to go to grad school, mba etc
do u think dartmouth would be a good pipeline to other top ranked grad schools (harv, stanford, mit)
or does it not matter which school i go to for UG
plush willow
it doesn't matter a ton, my wife did her MBA at Dartmouth and there were people from every kind of school imaginable with her
quasi coral
hmm alright
i feel like berk is p much out of the picture
LORs from cmu or dart will be stellar
just the benefits of small class sizes i guess
atomic belfry
I recommend either Berkeley or CMU since they’re known for having strong engineering programs!
At the end of the day, scarcity exists, unis have limited resources, etc.
And both Berkeley and CMU have the reputation of being strong
Engineering schools
Deciding between the two might be tough for you idk
I’d recommend CMU only because it’s smaller so you’ll definitely have an easier time networking with influential faculty who can in turn connect you with employers
But you can’t go wrong either way! If the sunny Bay Area and easy access to the beach is your thing, go to Berkeley!
plush willow
Cal is strapped tight. They just had to cut a ton of spots, things are stretched the max, classes are big
atomic belfry
I agree
I myself am probably not going to cal for that reason
I think CMU is best if this person is looking at the strength of the engineering program alone
Really his only pros for Dartmouth are prestige and overall ranking
Which seldom matter to employers
plush willow
and flexibility
atomic belfry
Or at least don’t matter as much compared to the strength of the program
atomic belfry
and flexibility
True
plush willow
dartmouth engineers don't suffer professionally
atomic belfry
They definitely don’t
But I’d argue that the outcome is marginally better at CMU
And with no real substantial pros for Dartmouth
For this person
plush willow
fair, but marginal enough that I don't think it is a significant factor
atomic belfry
CMU might be the way to go
plush willow
totally
atomic belfry
fair, but marginal enough that I don't think it is a significant factor
Right but it’s not like there’s a pro to offset this
plush willow
but i don't think professional outcomes is the deciding metric
atomic belfry
Like if he genuinely loved Dartmouth’s small size and intimacy
Or new hamas hire
*hampshire
Or something like that
To offset the advantages of a CMU engineering degree and the CMU network
Then I’d say go Dartmouth
But if it’s pretty much just ranking and prestige (and maybe flexibility) then I think this person would be happier at CMU, taking advantage of the opportunities it provides
And the internship opportunities in Pittsburgh and stuff
thorn sundial
CMU might be the way to go
I agree w u, my mentor goes to CMU and she already has work lined up w the government for BME so the centralized network is def worth it for CMU
but ultimately up to u location wise, they’re all great schools but different vibes to all of them
quasi coral
hmm yeah im not really sure atp
i like everything abt the schools
not really tilted one way or the other
gonna be a long deliberation 😔
atomic belfry
gonna be a long deliberation 😔
Also ik we were shitting on Berkeley up there
But do remember
It is Berkeley
In terms of worldwide prestige, if that’s what your looking for, Berkeley is often said in the same breadth as schools like HYPSM
The same can’t be said for these other two institutions simply because the name brand isn’t quite at that level
Also def cracked at engineering
I’d say weigh your options