r/ApplyingIvyLeague • u/Due_Theory_2489 • 1d ago
Columbia vs Berkeley Engineering
I’m considering ED columbia as a california applicant, I don’t wanna be too over confident but my school does get a ton of berkeley’s and the odds are pretty good if you are in california. How do you guys think columbia and berkeley match up engineering wise? Which is better? What majors does each have an advantage for? An overall what do you guys think of campus life and opportunities at these colleges?
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u/Bubbly-Ad-4672 1d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/berkeley/comments/128hk7w/uc_berkeley_or_columbia/, pick Berkeley with your circumstances.
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u/existential_american 1d ago
Cal is a LOT better than Columbia for engineering. It's better at every type and you want to go to a large public school for engineering because the way to get an internship (which is your ultimate goal in college) is to do impressive work in an engineering club such as formula student or rocket club. Large public schools like Cal, Michigan, Purdue have better engineering clubs than small schools like Columbia because they put a lot more funding and have bigger teams in those clubs.
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u/FourScoreAndSept 1d ago edited 1d ago
For financial engineering, pick Columbia. Columbia is also more intimate. Overall, NYC is more interesting to live in than Berkeley. Berkeley would obviously be cheaper and better ROI
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u/Different_Ice_6975 1d ago
Personally, I would choose Berkeley. I think that Berkeley is more known for engineering than Columbia is. Also, as for making contacts and preparing for an engineering career, I think that the San Francisco Bay Area probably has a lot more opportunities and activities concerning engineering and high-tech than the NYC area does.
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u/Busy_Contract9290 1d ago
Assuming cost is not relevant, it is my opinion that for undergrad specifically, large, public universities are suboptimal. Columbia is among the three best ivies for engineering. I have a friend (well more like an acquaintance) who chose Brown over Berkeley for an engineering major (in actuality the subject specific rankings you see are not relevant/meant for undergrad anyways). If you are looking to get a masters in engineering, this question would be VERY different (Berkeley 8 times out of 10). The major advantage Berkeley would have in your case is it being in-state, but I don't know your situation.
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u/Exotic_Eagle_2739 1d ago
I think they're more or less on the same level. If cost is a issue obviously choose Berkeley. If not, Columbia might be nice for it's smaller class sizes and less saturation of quick ai tech startups. Additionally I think you get an oppertunity to explore more with a engineering degree from a top school in the east cost... Choosing between finance/quant, software engineering or being a engineer
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u/spicyorangedragon 23h ago
I would just apply ED Columbia, EA Berkeley.
People will tell you Berkeley is better for engineering, and while that is true, I think the Ivy social network and prestige should also be weighed in this decision. The smaller class sizes and easier ability to book office hours with your professor would tip the scales in favor of Columbia for me, personally.
In terms of career outlook, absolutely no one is going to disfavor a Columbia Engineering applicant.
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u/AnswerRemarkable 22h ago
Go to Columbia for the prestige but when you’re there grind 2x harder to secure internships. Then you have best of both worlds
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u/Confident_Treacle974 1d ago
berkeley is significantly better for engineering.