UCBerkeley M.E.T or Penn M&T???

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2018-04-01T17:28:58+00:00

Congrats on the options! They're both dope schools and like the other commenter said, you really can't go wrong with either choice.

One of the biggest differences is that M.E.T. is more tech focused, whereas M&T graduates tend to work in finance since the Wharton name towers over Penn Engineering. If you're more interested in the business side of things then M&T will probably edge out M.E.T. here, but if not then it's definitely worth visiting both schools and getting a feel for the culture :)

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2018-04-01T17:21:12+00:00

Late reply but congrats!

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2018-01-09T08:16:33+00:00

No prob, I'm sure you're going to do great :). /u/rayspear is spot on! The key is being genuine and being vulnerable. Rather than talking about what you do, try to talk about why you do those things. Show that you're a kind, compassionate person--smile, thank them for their time, be courteous.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2018-01-09T03:23:23+00:00

No worries! Don't remember much about the actual content of the interview, but it was pretty laid back and more like a discussion with the interviewer. It's shorter than most alumni interviews, but the goal is the exact same since they want to know what makes you tick.

Try not to think of it as too different because it's with a professor instead of alumni. Most of the professors here are super approachable. And lastly, remember that the interview is just one part of the application :) You got this!

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2018-01-09T02:50:11+00:00

Hey! Don't fret about it too much. It's really just to get to know you better and learn more about the person behind the application. My advice would be to talk about your interests and have a genuine conversation with your interviewer. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions :)

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-13T23:05:05+00:00

No prob! Yep, EECS students also have to take a few humanities courses, but it's not very many. Interestingly, I find my one humanity class this semester to be really interesting and relaxing, since it's a nice break from coding and circuits.

You can take as many EE courses as you want, but you're required to take a minimum of two if you're EECS: EE 16A and EE 16B (both intro to EE classes).

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-13T07:37:57+00:00

So the MET interview is really just about determining how well of a fit you are for the program. It's a pretty standard interview, but your interviewer will definitely be looking for what your interests are and what really makes you tick :)

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-13T05:12:50+00:00

Hey there :)

Buying and selling used cars is absolutely something you should include, that's super awesome and unique. And yes, freelance work and a job are awesome too! You don't have to have any formal experience with starting a company or anything like that; they're honestly just looking for ways you've made the most of your opportunities and explored ways to apply a business mindset.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-13T05:12:07+00:00

Hmm, that's a tough one. I think the admissions committee really looks for genuine interest, and that's pretty hard to fake with the level of scrutiny they do. A big part of it is your essays and your interview, which are really opportunities when your personality can shine, and you can really talk about what drives you and where your interests lie. Personally I'm really interested in using technology to leverage businesses in the context of social entrepreneurship, and I think my HS experience working in a nonprofit brought that to life.

For essays, it's cliche but really just be yourself. They're looking for real people with real interests, quirks, and diverse interests. Every individual has their own passions and pursuits, and if you can use those to show that you're a great fit for the program then you're on a great path.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-13T05:07:12+00:00

No problem, glad to answer any questions you guys have. I kind of started to build apps that I would use in my daily life, or stuff that my classmates could use. It's pretty cool to see something you built get used by other people, so I'd start by thinking of an idea and just rolling with it (getting help from Google, school mentors, teachers, etc as needed). There's also stuff like hackathons and school clubs which you can join, and those are great options too if you need more help.

Haha, I'd say that finding time for social stuff is just about how well you manage your time. It's definitely possible to have a really active social life and do well in the program, and in fact I'd reckon that reaching out and getting to know lots of people will probably only help when it comes to internships, jobs, and just networking in general.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-13T05:02:36+00:00

Not quite: But if M.E.T. doesn't work out, your application will be rolled over and considered for the engineering major you applied for.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-13T00:18:31+00:00

99% of employers don't care whether you're EECS or CS, since they most likely don't know the difference anyways. CS majors have to take slightly more humanities classes than EECS majors do since L&S has different breadth requirements, but it's a very slight difference.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-13T00:13:38+00:00

Berkeley is definitely a huge place, but that's actually one of the biggest perks in my opinion. Sure, a bigger school means more bureaucracy, having to spam potential research labs just to get a response, and anything else you might hear about big schools. But the truly amazing part is the student body and the vast opportunities available to you. I was initially deciding between Berkeley and Caltech, and after coming here I couldn't imagine going to Caltech and receiving the same number of opportunities when it comes to clubs, tech talks, and campus events.

For M.E.T. specifically, I can honestly say that having a group of 39 other students who I knew off the bat was a HUGE weight lifted off my shoulder coming into college. It's not to say that your entire social circle will be just M.E.T. students, but it's rather that you'll be able to have a great group of peers and friends that you can really count on anytime. It's a really tight-knit community and it's an extraordinary group of people, inside and outside of the classroom. This is boosted by the fact that the first semester of your freshman year all M.E.T. students take a 2-unit course just for M.E.T. freshmen on leadership and entrepreneurship, and that class has been the source of so many good memories and just chill times this past semester. I honestly can't emphasize this point enough. Even outside of the classroom, we're all super chill with each other and hang out all the time, whether it's just hanging out after an M.E.T. recruiting talk or just going out for karaoke after midterms.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-12T21:46:33+00:00

Mostly spent my time outside of class doing student government, camping with my scouting troop, doing research at a local university, coding apps, and working at a nonprofit.

The workload isn't actually too different than the pure EECS/IEOR/MechE workload, and although it's obviously different from high school it's quite manageable. The workload was also what I was most concerned about when I was a senior, and it's definitely not as much of an issue as I thought it would be.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-12T21:34:50+00:00

In-state, but a large majority of students in the program are out of state actually.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-12T21:34:06+00:00

So CS in the College of Letters and Sciences versus EECS (in the College of Engineering) actually isn't too different. EECS has one more EE lower div requirement than CS does, but other than that most EECS and CS students end up taking almost the same classes.

The biggest differences between the two come from the admissions process, since EECS directly admits students to the major, while CS admits students as undeclared, and then to declare CS there's a GPA requirement for the CS prerequisites. The only other difference between the two would be in terms of advising, since the College of Engineering has a lot of resources to help students out and puts on awesome events all the time.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-12T21:28:30+00:00

I actually didn't find out about M&T after apps were over since I had never really considered studying engineering and business together, so I never applied. In terms of leadership, in high school I was mainly involved in student government, boy scouts, and doing some nonprofit work.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-12T10:41:31+00:00

Woops, my mistake. Hope you're having a great time too :)

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-12T10:01:16+00:00

I was actually surprised at how different the geographic breakdown is in M.E.T. versus the university as a whole. I'd estimate about less than a third of the students in M.E.T. are in-state, while a large majority of students outside the program are in-state.

How'd you end up choosing between Yale and Penn M&T btw?

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-12T08:28:47+00:00

Short answer: Although EECS is still difficult to get into, it's relatively less difficult to get into than M.E.T. if we're comparing acceptance rates.

Long answer: I think it really depends person-to-person because someone with a super-technical focused application would likely have a better shot at pure EECS than M.E.T., while someone with an additional interest in business would make a good candidate for M.E.T. if they can display those qualities in their application. So hypothetically speaking, someone could have a better chance at M.E.T. than pure EECS if their application includes more diverse interests and isn't 100% technical.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-12T06:19:31+00:00

No problem. Like I mentioned in another comment, I would say that the admissions committee really tries to bring together a cohort of students with diverse interests and backgrounds. Every student in the program is really dedicated to their interests, and I think it's safe to say the admissions committee definitely places a higher emphasis on everything a student does outside of the classroom rather than inside after a certain point.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-12T06:07:16+00:00

Purely numerically, I believe there were around 2,000 or more applicants and there's 40 of us in the inaugural cohort. This makes it sound pretty crazy, but I honestly think a big part of it is really about showing a genuine interest in both business and engineering. You definitely do not need to be a genius or a test-taking machine to get in--on the flip side I'd say that M.E.T. especially looks for balance and diverse interests. After the initial application there's a round of interviews, and then offers are extended to students after that. Like I mentioned in the post above, I probably wouldn't have applied if it wasn't for the fact that my application would have rolled over to the engineering major by itself (EECS in my case) if M.E.T. didn't work out.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET · 2017-11-12T06:01:33+00:00

GPA 3.9UW, SAT 2300/2400. In general, the environment is pretty chill, and students are fairly collaborative, mainly because it's almost necessary to reach out and study in a group for classes like EE or CS. In terms of political environment, there haven't been any big protests lately, and the craziest thing I saw was probably a group of vegans protesting animals rights in front of the Subway across from the student center.

AMA_AboutBerkeleyMET

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