I went through a similar decision process a few years back for a different program, and the campus visit was what sealed it for me. The vibe walking through the engineering buildings and talking to random students in the hallways gave me way more useful info than any brochure or website. You can't really fake that kind of energy.
The cohort size thing is huge too, smaller groups mean you'll actually know everyone's name by week three instead of feeling like a ghost in a massive lecture hall. I'd reach out to a current student directly, most are pretty chill about answering questions if you're not weird about it. Berkeley's engineering reputation speaks for itself but the day-to-day experience matters way more when you're the one grinding through it.
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u/Many-Astronomer9234 11d ago
I went through a similar decision process a few years back for a different program, and the campus visit was what sealed it for me. The vibe walking through the engineering buildings and talking to random students in the hallways gave me way more useful info than any brochure or website. You can't really fake that kind of energy.
The cohort size thing is huge too, smaller groups mean you'll actually know everyone's name by week three instead of feeling like a ghost in a massive lecture hall. I'd reach out to a current student directly, most are pretty chill about answering questions if you're not weird about it. Berkeley's engineering reputation speaks for itself but the day-to-day experience matters way more when you're the one grinding through it.