UC Berkeley EECS (regents) vs Harvard

[hard shell]

lowk that’s pretty hard I can see why you’re confused bc like how does one just pass up harvard 😭 but I think berkeley might be worth it if you can appeal/negotiate to get COA down a bit since the network is so wide there and CS is just so strong too at berkeley

But if you can get Harvard down for COA ik you’d be able to take MIT classes as well at harvard which idk if it’s that helpful but ik they do have programs like that, also if cost is a factor I’d prob go harvard over berkeley but otherwise probably berkeley

[south sorrel]

Damn, this is a pretty difficult decision

I will say one thing; there isn't a company on Earth that'll turn your resume away just because you went to Harvard instead of Berkeley

And Harvard also offers you tons of resources and special attention

And there's far less people to compete with over resources

Furthermore, Cali's just super expensive at this point, and the tech scene in Boston's also amazing if you wanna get paid

So personally I'd say take Harvard

It's also the cheaper choice

[forest sky]

Harvard, but I’m biased

Salaries for Berkeley are a bit inflated because of its location near Silicon Valley/California. Harvard CS starting salaries are like 165k
source: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov

If you’re interested in quant at all, harvard name slams Berkeley

I think cs at Harvard is actually p good and you have cross reg at mit which is goated (note: i haven’t actually stepped foot on campus yet so I can’t verify these claims)

also, harvard made an entirely new huge engineering building and (i think) they hired 10 new cs profs
source: a senior at Harvard

@broken stirrup

https://seas.harvard.edu/about-us/visit-us/allston/science-engineering-complex

Also, I’d suspect harvard grad placements are great as well—it’s harvard

Harvard’s name will also be more well-known internationally if you go back home anytime lmao

[broken stirrup]

yh i have talked to my friends at harvard about this, we can take classes at mit

[forest sky]

Ask current students in Harvard community hub

also you’re saving 11k on Harvard which is already good

I didn’t even see that part

[pliant agate]

if harvard is cheaper i would go harvard

[forest sky]

Ain’t no way everyone in Berkely subreddit telling him harvard as well 💀

Well, what can I say

Harvard solos your favorite uni

[tiny yew]

I mean, when Harvard is somehow cheaper... 💀

[sturdy bough]

Harvard is cheaper, Harvard in a heartbeat

I have a really close friend who absolutely shills for berkeley. He did Berkeley L&S CS with regents for undergrad and a masters at harvard.

for undergrad, his recommendation is 1000% to go to harvard. there's less crowding and you get way more personal attention from faculty and the college itself.

if it helps alleviate some of your doubts about harvard:

1. CS program not that great
   for undergrad it's practically not distinguishable. our grad catalog is nearly as good and there's cross registration at MIT to fill gaps.

2. Salaries after graduation not as high as Berkeley
   I think this is not true and I think it's been addressed above.

3. Unsure if Harvard has good cs/engineering placements at grad school
   it's phenomenal. I'm a senior at harvard and pretty much everyone pursuing grad school is going to one of their top choices.

4. Don’t know how employers look at Harvard cs/engineers
   at career fairs we get less silicon valley startups compared to berkeley but more finance firms. all the big companies recruit at both. also, little known fact, harvard and MIT also share career fairs, so if you want more typical startups you can go to MIT for that too. In general, I think there's small CS prestige difference (in favor of berkeley) and it's not something that I think is big enough to swing the decision by any stretch. Harvard overall prestige carries a bit here.

5. Elitism
   This is kinda real but I don't notice it at all anymore

(I am of course biased but) in my mind this is a very easy decision

I'm very happy to answer any questions you have about Harvard and specifically CS! (I'm actually employed by the CS dept to answer questions for current students lol)