Viromonkey

The people are very social. You walk around campus and you see many people walking together and talking or laughing. The campus is very beautiful and full of trees and grassy knolls. The city is, however, not that great but very unique. I love it and would not think of going anywhere else.

deranged_dragon

Who told you people here are anti-social? That's ridiculous.

caramlefloat

I agree with most people about the berkeley environment. I'm from SoCal and coming up to Berkeley was certainly a new change for me that took a while to get used to. I can't say that i love berkeley yet (i am still only a first year) but i think in time, i will come to like it more and more.

As for the competition, it's what you think of it. If you think to yourself that everyone is out to ruin everyone else's GPA, then no matter what someone says, then that'll still be what you'll think. For me, I only compete with myself. And i still think to myself that this is college after all, not high school. Everything academically is up two notches from how it was in high school; competition/pressure is inevitable.

And finally about the social life, I'll say, it's what efforts you go out to make friends. Only 5 people from my high school came to Cal, and i was only close to one of them. So my first month and a half (or so) i certainly felt very lonely. It wasn't easy to make new friends; every time i walked in class I'm sitting next to someone completely different, and possibly in another year. The advice for that? Join a club! i've decided to join a school club to "spice up" my otherwise non-existent social life. And it was a decision I'm glad I made.

aigoo1113

WOW, I LOVE BERKELEY. HOBOES ARE AWESOME. People in trees, and yeah some "non-decent" looking guys & girls, but as long as you look in the right places you'll find your "decent" looking people =)

asub

i am a freshman at cal, and all my life i have been someone that has invested heavily in my academic AND social life. although cliche- work hard, play hard defines me.

and if you are anything like me, you will def love berkeley.

academically, the name UC Berkeley, speaks for itself. worldwide, the name prestige of berkeley rivals harvard, stanford, princeton, mit, etc. we have great professors, and even if you end up with a bad one, chances are you can get yourself into a discussion section with a good GSI, who will make up all the difference. moreover, the people here are all brilliant and motivated, and all have so many interesting characteristics. in terms of competition, yes- berkeley is a tough school, no1 will deny that, however, i would not say its cut throat. i went to a very competitive high school, and berkeley has not been harder. i have never heard of sabotage, and in general i have found people very helpful. and lets not forget nearly every single major offered at cal is top 5 in the nation. there are VERY schools that can beat that.

socially, there is plenty to do at cal. if you are the party type, there are parties every thrusday, friday, and saturday. and yes we do have hot girls. we arent usc, but we have have plenty of smart, cute girls, that are not *****es. the greek scene is quite big here and is extremely fun, and not too hardcore. plus you have the whole bay area at your disposal. SF is less than 30 min away. last but not least, we have a great sports scene. there is a lot of school spirit, and multiple sports events every week. football and bball games are a blast.

anyways good luck!

88888888

for sure .

we0926

Hi

Well, in terms of education, it's an excellent school. Like someone said before me, even if you are a super easy major, you will have an excellent faculty. Some might be too busy and do not care about you. But some do actually care about their undergraduate students. And yes, you will get a social life. People are not extremely competitive as they are usually described to be.

Hm.. that's the good parts. And here goes the negatives.
Overall, after my years in Berkeley, despite some of the good things I've noticed about this campus, I came to a conclusion that I hate Berkely. You will smell LOTS of people smoking--tobacco or pots, and the telegraph avenue is always filthy. Nothing seems to be organized and there are bums everywhere!!!
I literally feel like I am aging faster because of Berkeley's filthy environment. Researchers found that if you are in more clean environment with lots of pine trees, your brain works faster and you age slowly. I feel so dirty here. Ugh.

hamburgler2

^ that's why you should live on north side ;]

we0926

wish i knew before i signed up for my apt contract. ugh.

bowtokrazy

Worse place ever!! Thank god I'm graduating out of this hell hole!!