<p>Any UCB students from the southeast? I wanted to look at going to there for a change from the southeast, but alot of these posts make it sound exactly the same as schools in my area.</p>
<p>Various student-athlete have gotten into Cal with GPAâs well under 3.9. Although Cal is a very academic based school, you donât have to have a 3.9 to get into. Athletics always help you out.</p>
<p>As much as I want to refute mariagoestocal, he is right. </p>
<p>Cal has a wonderful social life, and it is a fit for any intelligent, hard-working, pro-active scholar who wants a holistic college experience. But to get the grades needed for med school or an internship at the top companies, it will be incredibly tough. And if you want a college life like what is seen in the movies at the same time, forget Cal.</p>
<p>I have never met anyone who was able to get above 3.8 and do much else aside from studying. Youâll be competing against some very motivated and intelligent classmates. </p>
<p>Meeting the challenge, I gave up everything to build a good C.V. The reward was an internship at a top company, but I canât deny feeling regret about not experiencing four years of what is supposed to be the best part of my life. </p>
<p>I took a few classes at other UCs, and they were much easier. People were friendlier, and the class was even more fun.</p>
<p>To put a different perspective on this: Berkeley will not ruin your life. It is VERY possible to have a healthy social life yet maintain a high GPA, whatever your major may be. Now, Iâm not refuting everything that mariagoestocal has said: Berkeley is a very competitive school with very difficult classes. Professors are there to do research and teach; theyâre not there to make sure you get into grad schools or land good jobs. If you do not pass their expectations, they will not hesitate to fail you. At Berkeley, you really have to EARN each grade you receive. Just because you think itâs enough to merit an A might not actually be the case, and sometimes you just need to learn to live with that. </p>
<p>At the same time though, itâs very possible to have a high GPA and still have a social life. I have a very healthy social life and spend over half my time with friends, organizing events and parties, and having a good time. I wonât say what my GPA is exactly, but itâs definitely higher than a 3.8. (point to bubbles for sale though; my social life is definitely NOT what is seen in moviesâŠ)</p>
<p>To those of you who are thinking about going to a smaller, âeasierâ college just for the GPA, think about whether that will really increase your chances of getting what you really want in life. If the answer is yes, I wish you the best of luck. If the answer is a maybe/no, I would go with Berkeley - there are so many opportunities here that no small, âeasierâ college could afford to provide for their students. Itâs hard, it will test everything you have, but you will learn more than you could ever imagine at Berkeley, and you can get good grades in the process. The trick is to not do it for the grade: you actually have to LOVE what you do to do well in it. One of the reasons why people do not get the grades they want is because they choose classes that arenât a good fit for them. My average coursework is about 200-300 pages of reading per night and about 6-8 papers a week, not to mention all the midterms and projects for my technical classes. If I didnât love what I was doing, then Iâd go insane. But I do love it, and I do it well, which is why I can finish all of my work on time and still have room in my schedule for going out with friends and socializing. </p>
<p>As a last note; grad schools know how hard Berkeley is, and they all know that any high GPA at Berkeley is VERY well-earned. They take this into account for grad school applications, which means that they will weight a lower (within reason) Berkeley GPA higher than a mid/high GPA from elsewhere (even at Ivy Leagues!). The point is, as important GPAs are to the meaning of life (or so it would seem to most students), itâs not the point at Berkeley. Learning and becoming a better, well-rounded person is the point (at least, the point that Iâve taken from my experience thus far at Cal). And if you can maximize that benefit and walk away from Cal having achieved that point, you WILL get to where you want to go.</p>
1 Like
<p>this info has been incredibly helpful.
does anyone have info on what the sociology major here is like?
or English/creative writing.</p>
<p>Not to change the topic, but if anyone here has any insight I would truly appreciate it.</p>
<p>I was accepted into the University of California at Berkeley, but was accepted into the College of Natural Recourses, not the College of Letters and Science (the college I believed I was applying into). Upon reviewing my application I found that you do not apply to specific colleges, but specific majors. I applied to Microbial Biology, and I cannot remember my exact reasoning, but I thought that was tantamount to Molecular Biology. Well, they are not the same thing, and the worst part is that Microbial Biology is in the College of Natural Recourses not the College of Letters and Science. </p>
<p>From my interpretation, the College of Natural Recourses deals mostly with agriculture and plants, which is fine except that I am really only concerned in medical applications of science. I fear that a medical school might not have as much respect for the College of Natural Recourses (CNR) as they would for the College of Letters and Sciences. I did some searches on their websites, and after a semester in the CNR I would apply to transfer colleges, but is it okay to bank on that process working? Another concern I have is that if I applied to the correct major, Molecular Biology, I would not have been accepted.</p>
<p>Am I screwed, or is there someone I could talk to? Is it recommended to go into the wrong College at Berkeley and hope to transfer to another College?</p>
<p>I highly doubt the University of California at Berkley will be forgiving, but its worth a shot I suppose. Have heard of any mix-ups similar to this?</p>
<p>Hello,</p>
<p>Iâm currently deciding between Berkeley and UCI, and obviously, Berkeley is the more prestigious school, but Iâm worried about going there.</p>
<p>How competitive is everyone? I donât do well in competitive environments, it honestly only lowers (my already low) self-esteem and motivation. I know a big aspect of college is having self-motivation and being proactive, but I just donât want to feel like the âdumbâ student.</p>
<p>@allistar34</p>
<p>You can probably see the answer to your question if you refer to this comment:</p>
<p>03-30-2012, 12:21 AM #305
mariagoestocal
Junior Member</p>
<p>Iâm sure if you go back to comment #305, you will find what you are looking for.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It really depends on your major. If you are pre-med or pre-Hass, listen to what other people are saying. It heard itâs very competitive. If you are neither (and wontâ take these classes) I think there is no need to be scared. I was an Engineer major (EECS) and did not experience any kind of competition. All my peers were extremely helpful, formed study groups, and worked together. Yes, some classes are curved, so there certainly is some competition going on under the hood, but people are in no way hostile to each other. Another factor may be which kind of âcrowdâ you hang out with.</p>
<p>little worried about the notion of being placed in waiting for âcoursesâ in EECS. On what basis allotment of courses are done by CoE??</p>
<p>berkeleyparent, the current CS enrollment rules can be found here: [Getting</a> Into CS Classes | EECS at UC Berkeley](<a href=âhttp://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Policies/enrollment.shtml]Gettingâ>Getting Into Computer Science Classes - Google Docs)</p>
<p>Basically if you sign up for CS classes during Phase 1 you shouldnât have an issue, if you sign up during Phase 2 you still may be okay. The professors try really hard to let as many people as they can into the classes, sometimes it doesnât work out, but theyâll add as many people as they can manage.</p>
<p>How does one pursue interest in Piano while there. Are there any clubs, how easy is it to get into these clubs? </p>
<p>EECS international Fall 2013.</p>
<p>Would a neurobiology major be respected at cal, or would a B.S. in that field be belittled by the engineers or physicists as too âsoftâ?</p>
<p>Neurobio is hard as ****. Donât get freaked out by someone else trying to belittle you for studying what you love. The only people who get crap are the social science majors who complain about a 3.5 GPA.</p>
<p>Neurology is one of the five disciplines in the MCB major. It is one of the hardest majors in L&S. In my observation, most people who intend to major in it when they come to Cal donât follow through because of the difficulty of the pre-reqs. No one will look down on such a degree. </p>
<p>It is very easy to get into the music clubs, or join most clubs for that matter.</p>
<p>Do you have any advice on transfer students from a community college?</p>
<p>Yes, be prepared to be overwhelmed! haha</p>
<p>Buddhist monks in crocs roaming Telegraph</p>
<p>@berkeleyparent</p>
<p>I am a current berkeley student and a former competitive pianist. (Iâve won international awards in piano). I came to Cal basically as an undecided major, and thought of doubling or minoring in music.</p>
<p>Just for the hell of it, I âtried outâ for the piano scholarship, not having played piano for a couple months due to summer travels. Surprisingly, I got it; a semesterâs worth of piano scholarship to receive weekly 2 hr lessons from a professional pianist. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, I turned it down as I had way too much going on my first semester, with academics, extracurriculars, and adjusting into college. I tested out the waters of the music department (which is FANTASTIC, btw). I skipped into music 51; loved the class, but decided that a music major or minor wasnât for me.</p>
<p>Currently I am an engineering student. Unfortunately I donât get to play piano much. But if a student was interested in pursuing a future in piano or music (and that person was pretty good at it to start), Berkeley has the resources to do so. The music department is tiny and underfunded but it has the power and resources to make successful music students. The faculty there is amazing, btw.</p>
<p>Just a heads up: a lot of ppl in Berkeley are musically inclined, which isnât surprising. A great thing is that musically inclined people getting together tends to help remedy peopleâs cravings for music.</p>
<p>@berkeleyparent another thing: as far as i know there are no âpiano clubsâ but there are plenty of music opportunities (i.e. UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, Jazz, LOTS of choirs, etc)</p>