University of California-Berkeley Top Questions

The big picture is that Berkeley is big, so pretty much anything you want is here. This also means that anything you don't want is also here, but the beauty of the campus (which happens to include the beautiful campus itself) is that it's so big and diverse that avoiding the tools and angling your way towards the people that are cool is not too difficult an affair. The town doesn't stay out too late, and BART closes at 12:30 (which is a downright shame) but it's never hard to find a happening abode or party with which to meet people. If parties aren't your thing (as they are often overflowing with tools) there are tons of other things to do, especially in SF.

Because I've just effectively moved out of Berkeley, two things come to mind: local bookstores, and local food. This would be places like University Press Books, Moe's and the Berkeley farmers' market. I would say that I'm proud to have gone to Cal; I feel that my degree will be worth something on the job market, but more important than that, I think I've gotten the most out of my degree.

When I was debating whether or not to attend Berkeley, I was eventually swayed in the right direction based on location. Berkeley is located in the city of Berkeley which is in the east bay, which in turn is just a 20-30 minute train ride(BART) to San Francisco. I love the bay area. It's so beautiful and peaceful. City life and nature are integrated very nicely. When you live in the Bay area you feel apart of a community; it's a nice feeling. As for the university itself, it's difficult to describe as black or white. Berkeley is very large with more than 30,000 students. This being said, one can find whatever it is that he/she is seeking. I know people who never do work and party all the time. Oppositely, there are many people who study all the time. There are the frats/sororities, cooperative student housing, student clubs, etc. Whatever your heart desires. But if I had to average everything together, I would definitely say that Berkeley is an academic university. People work hard here, and I think that is part of what one should expect from their college experience, at least in part. Since the school is so large there is no babying, and you can sometimes feel like a number in terms of the bureaucracy. People do fail out of school as there are no safety nets and grade inflation is set at a minimum. There are good things though about a school of this size. It is pretty easy to take advantage of the system. Rules aren't always enforced. For example, I've taken about five classes without taking the prerequisites, and I've substituted three courses for things I felt were more alligned with my ambitions. I guess I got away with a lot of these things because of being in a smaller college, chemistry. If you are planning on entering into the school of Letters and Science, which most of you are, be prepared for fight up stream with the masses.

The best thing about Berkeley is its commitment to academic rigor. One thing I'd change is all the construction going on (I can't properly walk to class.) The school size is just right. I spend most of my time on campus in class or the library. The town of Berkeley is split: south and north. South side is more a college town: loud, drunk frat boys on Thursday and Saturday nights. North side is a suburb: you'll see women walking their babies to the grocery store. There's definitely a lot of school pride at Cal. One of the most frequent student complaints is that the walk to campus always seems uphill, which is somewhat true: the campus is built on an incline.

The best thing about Berkeley is the acceptance that you receive for whatever you do. You are free here, so do whatever you want. Even the hated groups, like the NRA and ROTC have their own little corners. Just don't get too lost, because there is very little guidance or structure for a person who had not settled on a lifestyle before coming here. Berkeley, despite being a block in total area, is also huge culturally. It is the epitome of a college town, with a big city nearby. Everything is convenient and the second you leave, you miss it. If I could change Berkeley, I would make the administration actually pay attention to student needs. When something goes wrong with your paperwork, you are on your own to fight the whole campus. I will always remember the day I got an F because of a filing error that never got fixed. Caveat emptor, I guess. Controversies on campus-forget about them, they are a dime a dozen and usually no one cares after a week. Nothing will surprise you after going here. I guess the biggest occurrence on our campus...besides some suicides, were the environmentalists who lived in the trees of an oak grove that was being removed to make room for an athletic training center. Strangely, when Berkeley started making nukes again, no one cared.

I love that Berkeley is a college town yet at the same time it is diverse enough to have the cute pockets of the city to escape college life. The local food, shopping, and nightlife that's available in a college town is unique to Berkeley. I love that Berkeley is a massive school! The options that are available to each student are virtually limitless. The prestige of the school is great. UC Berkeley (Cal/University of California/Berkeley/etc.) sounds great to sports fans, cultural aficionados, and people of the market place. I spend most of my times studying/relaxing in the surrounding cafes or at dance practices on campus. I don't hear to much about the administration yet am surrounded by students/faculty/staff that are content. That must be a good sign; no/little negative attention. Of course there are the Oak people, the people protesting against British Petroleum, and some campus workers wanting higher pay/benefits that hold demonstrations around campus. But the fact that people rally to Berkeley to exercise their voices is a great thing! It informs the berkeley population of the issues that are out there. One of the best things about a big school is the school pride in sports and achievement! It's always great to see the alumni in their cal gear roaming around campus with their families all decked out in blue and gold.

the campus is huge, which is great for curling up under a shady tree with some friends or a book. the campus is big enough, it's just that it still isn't big enough for the student body. berkeley gets different reactions, depending where you go, but it almost always generates a kind of respect. i used to live in a co-op 3 blocks from school so i would usually go home between breaks and have friends stop by too if they were out of class, or just lay around on the grass together. salads at intermezzo and record browsing at amoeba were pretty standard. the biggest events i can remember associated with berkeley are when 1) the chateau got shut down, 2) a bunch of kids from cloyne got rushed to the hospital for eating too many weed cookies, and 3) when the identity of a former page (a berkeley student) who was molested by a closeted congressman was publicly revealed. it's easy to get sucked into thinking that the city revolves around the university, but there's lots else to berkeley and the rest of the east bay that makes it cozy and charming. there is a lot of school pride, shown in different ways by different kinds of people.

Wow, that's a lot of questions. UC Berkeley is a great school. If you can't get something great out of UC Berkeley, you're probably not trying that hard. Its size and lack of coddling require a bit of effort to find good professors, do the activities you want, not get charged unjustly by campus accounts receivable, etc. Most people put in the effort. My biggest complaint with berkeley the bureaucracy, and the lack of funding for humanities (as opposed to science), but i've probably forgotten most of that stuff now.

I would say one of the best things about UC Berkeley is that there is always something to do, and some way to be involved. Because the school is located in such a urban area, there is a plethora of things to see, do and experience. Plus the people here are great, so you're always in good company. Also, there are limitless opportunities to participate/get involves in causes, groups, research, clubs, etc. Whatever you want, you can find it here if you look hard enough. If i could change anything about Berkeley, it would probably be the size of some of the classes, as well as the difficulty one can have trying to get into the classes they want. Because it is a well-attended public university, classes have to be very large to accomodate everyone. This can lead to very anonymous, impersonal settings. Another problem I've faced (particularly because I'm a Psychology major) is trying to get into the classes I want. It seems like there is a never-ending priority list that I'm never at the top of, and waiting lists for classes can be up to 100 people long. It's just frustrating to not get the classes you want, or to not be sure of your schedule until the second or third week of class. I guess that what it boils down to is that in some ways, the university is too big. When I tell people I go to UC Berkeley most of the time they seem impressed. I get the "wow you must be smart" reaction a lot. I'm proud to tell people where I go to school. I spend most of my time on campus either near the Moffitt (the undergraduate library), Sproul, or in the Psychology building. Berkeley is definitely a "college town" although not all the residents seem to have caught on to that. In general, I dislike UC Berkeley Administration. They seem very disconnected from the students. I have had some excellent experiences with a few administration members, but for the most part they are slow to respond, and can even be quite rude. Bureaucracy just sucks in general. I would say there is a good amount of school pride at Berkeley. You definitely see people with their Berkeley gear all the time, and we tend to dislike our rival, Stanford. I think the amount of pride you see really depends what group of people you spend time with. One experience I'll always remember is living in the dorms my freshman year. It was a great experience, and I met some of my best friends there. Even though there wasn't a lot of privacy, it was cramped, and the food sucked, I think every undergraduate needs to experience the dorms. I loved it! The most frequent student complaints tend to revolve around the difficulty of classes and certain subjects. I common saying is "Berkeley: Where Your Best Just Isn't Good Enough," and I think in a lot of cases there's some truth to that. Another common complaint revolves around the type of students you encounter in classes. There's the kid you always gets up on his soapbox, and askes the professor a million questions. Everyone hates that kid, but he doesn't seem to understand that no one is that impressed by him. There's one in every class.

Before I came to Berkeley, I didn't know who I was. I didn't even want to come to Cal. Four years later, I have been shaped by this place like no other experience in my life. I don't know now if I am Berkeley, or Berkeley is me. Sounds cheesy, but as I am about to graduate I very much like I owe Cal for what it has made me. Berkeley, on a sunny day (which is usually all of spring semester), is the most glorious sight. Students are littered across the various grassy areas of campus, sitting in groups, as the bustle of classes beginning or ending flows around them. Sitting on campus gives this feeling of happiness and belonging I cannot describe. I have school pride because my experience here has been wonderful and exactly what I would want out of college. Yet, I have only been to one sporting event in four years. That part of campus life, which is very popular, doesn't really appeal to me. I love Berkeley because of the people I met here. This place attracted people who are smart, interesting, and unique.