TestMagic Forums - View Single Post - The UC's or Embry-Riddle?

moomber123 · 04-22-2008, 07:20 AM

I am also quite familiar with UC. I agree with macroeconomicus that top UCs would give you a solid undergraduate education. But I also agree that UC education is indeed overrated in the sense that the graduate programs' reputation tend to diffuse to the entire school, but if you look at the graduate students in top programs at Cal, you'd find mostly other elite schools (MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Yale, etc) than UC's own graduates. Carrying a Berkeley undergrad degree sometimes seems to impress people a lot, but I would argue the strength of top UCs is at its graduate research.

This is generally true for good research, public land grant schools. You tend to find their graduate students much better prepared and much brighter than their undergrad students. But it is no accident, either. Those schools are public for a reason, and as public research schools, they have a dual responsibilities of research and education. I think it's a good combo to expose "commoners" to academic research so if they so choose to advance their education further, they have the benefits of being close and exposed to great graduate programs to at least have a better understanding.

Private schools, on the other hand, at least for the top private schools, have huge prestige associated with it. Except the "my daddy is the senator" admissions, they tend to attract the most elite students. The students tend to come from top socio-economic families. MIT/Caltech stand out as the exception of the "elite" impression. And their undergrads are arguably as strong as their grads.

I would suggest a broad exposure at the undergrad level. Whether the reputation is overrated or not, having a broad undergrad experience buys you options. Who knows, perhaps few years down the road, aeronautic engineering won't seem so great to you? I don't recall Berkeley having an aeronautic engineering program specifically. It might be an option under mechanical engineering. But I seem to remember UCLA has a major for you. Another suggestion is Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Its reputation is nowhere near as good as top UCs, especially when you get out of California. But its reputation in engineering is solid in California. In fact, the more practical orientation of Cal Poly makes its graduates more desirable in job market than even Berkeley grads. I've come to know a few Cal Poly CS gradutes who find better paying entry-level jobs than my friends from Berkeley CS. In particular, I know Cal Poly has a very good aeronautic engineering program. It's a Cal State school, so admissions is not going to be as hard, and the cost is probably less than half of UC.

I am not sure if you are familiar with the legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan who designed the first successful civilian space craft in recent years. He is a Cal Poly grad. Look him up at wikipedia and you might find relevant info about Cal Poly's program of interest to you. I am also not sure if you are interested into spacecraft, but I know Cal Poly used to have a "pico satellite" program in which undergrads have the opportunity to construct micro-scale, but fully functional satellites, which are actually launched into space. How cool is that! You won't find similar opportunity even at famous engineering schools like Berkeley. But the drawback is that Cal Poly is not research/theory oriented, so if you eventually want to get into academic research, you are at a disadvantage. But it doesn't sound like you are into that. By the way, the guy I know from Cal Poly building satellite is also in air force ROTC. Perhaps you can check out their program as well.

04-22-2008, 07:20 AM	#6 (permalink)
moomber123 Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 25	I am also quite familiar with UC. I agree with macroeconomicus that top UCs would give you a solid undergraduate education. But I also agree that UC education is indeed overrated in the sense that the graduate programs' reputation tend to diffuse to the entire school, but if you look at the graduate students in top programs at Cal, you'd find mostly other elite schools (MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Yale, etc) than UC's own graduates. Carrying a Berkeley undergrad degree sometimes seems to impress people a lot, but I would argue the strength of top UCs is at its graduate research. This is generally true for good research, public land grant schools. You tend to find their graduate students much better prepared and much brighter than their undergrad students. But it is no accident, either. Those schools are public for a reason, and as public research schools, they have a dual responsibilities of research and education. I think it's a good combo to expose "commoners" to academic research so if they so choose to advance their education further, they have the benefits of being close and exposed to great graduate programs to at least have a better understanding. Private schools, on the other hand, at least for the top private schools, have huge prestige associated with it. Except the "my daddy is the senator" admissions, they tend to attract the most elite students. The students tend to come from top socio-economic families. MIT/Caltech stand out as the exception of the "elite" impression. And their undergrads are arguably as strong as their grads. I would suggest a broad exposure at the undergrad level. Whether the reputation is overrated or not, having a broad undergrad experience buys you options. Who knows, perhaps few years down the road, aeronautic engineering won't seem so great to you? I don't recall Berkeley having an aeronautic engineering program specifically. It might be an option under mechanical engineering. But I seem to remember UCLA has a major for you. Another suggestion is Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Its reputation is nowhere near as good as top UCs, especially when you get out of California. But its reputation in engineering is solid in California. In fact, the more practical orientation of Cal Poly makes its graduates more desirable in job market than even Berkeley grads. I've come to know a few Cal Poly CS gradutes who find better paying entry-level jobs than my friends from Berkeley CS. In particular, I know Cal Poly has a very good aeronautic engineering program. It's a Cal State school, so admissions is not going to be as hard, and the cost is probably less than half of UC. I am not sure if you are familiar with the legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan who designed the first successful civilian space craft in recent years. He is a Cal Poly grad. Look him up at wikipedia and you might find relevant info about Cal Poly's program of interest to you. I am also not sure if you are interested into spacecraft, but I know Cal Poly used to have a "pico satellite" program in which undergrads have the opportunity to construct micro-scale, but fully functional satellites, which are actually launched into space. How cool is that! You won't find similar opportunity even at famous engineering schools like Berkeley. But the drawback is that Cal Poly is not research/theory oriented, so if you eventually want to get into academic research, you are at a disadvantage. But it doesn't sound like you are into that. By the way, the guy I know from Cal Poly building satellite is also in air force ROTC. Perhaps you can check out their program as well.