[daba]

Actually engineering at Cal is always ranked in the top 10 for all engineering programs (Mech E? IEOR? Civil? Hello??) and its graduate engineering program is always cycling in the top 3. See: http://www.coe.berkeley.edu/newsroom...s_archive.html . And as for prestige, coming to Berkeley and just riding on the name without putting in the effort is almost as bad as not going to college. The fame of a college just allows you to access better education (if you want it) and better faculty, but not for everyone.

As for dedication I don't see why you're making it sound like you're forced to do labs and study and whatnot. Depending on where you are in your education engineering should have either been a good fit for you or not. I.e. this stuff should come naturally to you.

And Azure if you have doubts coming here, I think the choice is obvious if other schools are offering you financial aid.

 

[DrizzitT]

Its not a matter of natural/not natural but rather a matter of time. I'm pretty sure you would agree that starting problem sets the night before is a bad idea. Lab is more of an example that overnight labs will happen regardless where you go.

And those stats only count universities, not all colleges. Not saying Berkeley isn't a great school but you are missing a large subset of competition.

and...
UCSD #3 for bio med eng
USCD #3 for agri eng
pretty sure UCLA/UCSD will also be in top 10/20 of most engineering courses. I'm not bashing Berk, but yeah, go where you want to go. UCSD/LA/B have great programs. I chose my school over berk against the wishes of my parents...

 

[scompton]

I went to RPI. My study habits were not existent. High school was easy enough to just cruise. The stress ended up being too much for me. For the first 3 semesters, I ended up doing 1 or 2 all nighters every week. I ended up getting sick every semester. My 4th semester, my roommate and I decided we where going to do what every we could to stay caught up. We studied 6-8 hours a day. About 6 weeks into the semester we went to a concert and to a bar afterwards (this was in the 70's when the drinking age was 18 and the bars in NY stayed open until 4). I couldn't get caught up again and had to start doing all nighters. I didn't make it though the semester. I just go too burnt out.

About 20 people from my high school went to Virgina Tech. They didn't have to go though the same stuff.

Engineering is not easy no matter what school you go to. But at some schools, its ridiculously hard,. You also don't want to put yourself in a hole of debt. I never got my degree and had to start out with a very low paying job. It took 8 years to get caught up in my career to where I would have been had I gone to VA Tech.

I don't know much about the UC schools since I live on the east coast, but I know none of them are bad. You'll be much much better off graduating with a better GPA at a slightly less prestigious school, than with a mediocre GPA at a prestigious school. I know this from watching new graduates getting hired over a 27 year career.

 

[pne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrizzitT /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm pretty sure you would agree that starting problem sets the night before is a bad idea.

shutup...i honestly thought I could get it finished tonight ok??

 

[DrizzitT]

Heh, so did I...

That idea changed quickly though...

 

[Konig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure /img/forum/go_quote.gif Based on what I've read and heard, I don't think I'm serious enough to make it at Berkeley (at least not with good grades). I'm not even really that smart/adept at hardcore math/science (I'm like only 4th or 5th in my AP Calculus and Physics classes, and I got mediocre 740s on my SAT II Bio and Math exams), and my work ethic is sub-par (I'm a procrastinator). Combining these two with Berkeley EECS seems like suicide to me. I like a challenge, but I dislike being challenged way beyond my abilities (of course, I haven't experienced an actual EECS-related CHALLENGE to be able to gauge whether or not I could survive; every challenge I've faced with regard to school has been in subjects I'm not too interested in, like history or English). I've tried to explain this to my father as well, but he either says nothing or just repeats that UCSD/UCLA are too far away. I'll never know for sure unless I actually take the classes, but I've never considered myself HARDCORE smart/adept (and if I'm even questioning whether I can handle Berkeley or not, maybe that means I can't). Do you know in what ways EECS is supposed to be difficult? Learning the material from the teacher? Understanding the concepts well enough to know what to do in labs? Mid-terms/finals? Harsh curves?

I disagree. I have probably a million friends and a billion friend's friends who got out of berkerly engineering alive. They said its brutal but if u get admitted chances are u are going to graduate. I heard EECS is brutal in the way that you need passion on top of discipline to master it. The problem sets they give you have very very steep learning curves. They teach you things in very little pieces and you have to string them together into a big picture. A close friend whos working in IBM now told me he did a few projects in his dreams. He solved the problem and woke up with a cold sweat, went back to his laptop to make the necessary alterations.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Congrats on getting into UCB! I really figured you'd make it, based on the information you'd posted in other threads. I'm sure your visits will help a lot to decide where you'll be the most happy, they certainly did for me.

 

[mateo05]

Congrats on UCB! I was going to apply there but then I missed the deadline cuz I = stoopid.

A couple of thoughts:

Work on your study habits now. In high school I cruised- valedictorian, 1600 SAT, blah blah blah. I'm now just coming off of academic probation at NU, after I nailed a glorious 2.1 last spring. Big difference. It's so easy to slack, not go to lecture, think you can BS your way through tests, depend on the curve, etc. etc. etc. and before you know it you're way in over your head. It's taken me more than a year and a risk of losing my college admission to beat into my head how to have a work ethic. If you start now it will be worlds easier.

Another thought on that- once you get working, the work doesn't feel so bad. Yes, you study a lot, but you adjust, it becomes routine, and its really not so torturous. At least, that's the way it was for me.

As for colleges, seriously consider stuff outside of academics. I applied to Stanford early action, wanted it so badly, got deferred to regular admission (combination of East Coast white boy syndrome and an essay edited to the point of overkill), then got rejected. It turned out to be one of the single best things ever to happen to me. Yes, Northwestern is good, but its not super-rarefied in the rankings like Stanford and UCB are. But the campus, location, type of people here, etc. combine to make it the perfect environment for me. Even before considering the whole broaden your horizons/have good experiences for your own development thing, you have to enjoy where you are in order to do well academically.

So, start a steady work ethic now, find a place you'll enjoy, and good luck!

Oh, also, do you have any idea what you want to do in EECS? Excellent choice of major, BTW

 

[rb67]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mateo05 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Work on your study habits now. In high school I cruised- valedictorian, 1600 SAT, blah blah blah. I'm now just coming off of academic probation at NU, after I nailed a glorious 2.1 last spring. Big difference. It's so easy to slack, not go to lecture, think you can BS your way through tests, depend on the curve, etc. etc. etc. and before you know it you're way in over your head. It's taken me more than a year and a risk of losing my college admission to beat into my head how to have a work ethic. If you start now it will be worlds easier.

That's ME (kinda)! I was #3 in my class, great SAT's, 5's on all science and math AP's possible. I barely studied in high school, deriving anything that people would have written down on a cheat sheet.

Went in with 15 credits... After 3 semesters I had a 2.75 from the same method of thinking as mateo's. I kicked myself in the butt 4th semester and I'm back up to 3.1. Totally regret it..

Listen to mateo05's advice, it's good.

 

[Harricanes]

Harvard just posted their application v. admission percent. It was 9%.

Quite frankly if you are not TOTL, getting into Berkeley is improbable. I know your parents think you will be in the 9% but the odds are against it.

It is not hard at all to borrow all the $$ to go to college at all, so whatever your parents want you to do you really don't have to.

The minute you start college, your parents will have no control over your life whatsoever. You decide where to live and work, in the Summers, and when you graduate. You also get to decide when and if you visit your parents.

It's hard for parents to let go. They really have a hard time with it and it isn't because they hate you.

The days when you lived at home is just about over and that is something parents really don't want to face, ever, but they do and it is an important bridge for you and them.