@andrewtdx2 It’s cool that you are honest. I am an Asian American and have my own prejudices. But I think I am smart enough to not let it affect me in being fair towards everyone.
A few recent articles in the Daily Cal of what to expect at UCB.
Grades: http://projects.dailycal.org/grades/
Housing: http://www.dailycal.org/2017/03/03/follow-freshmen-throughout-years-uc-berkeley/
Big University: http://www.dailycal.org/2017/01/30/struggles-going-huge-university/
I’ve met a lot of diverse people. I also learned that it is okay sometimes to fail (as long as you tried your hardest and as long as it isn’t a class! O.O), but what I learned is when I did “fail”, it wasn’t because I actually failed, I just didn’t do what completely worked the first time, I dusted myself off, and got up and tried again. The major thing you will learn at Berkeley, never give up! If there was a degree in Perseverence and Determination, I think every student here would recieve it.
A lot of people come here after being coddled and handed As and being told how wonderful and individual they are; their entire lives and don’t know what failure, individuality, and excellence really is, and as soon as they get a C+ in a class, or meet someone who doesn’t like/agree with them, and/or can’t get their new hobby right away, they freak out and hate Cal. It’s all psychological.
It is hard, and life can be pretty gloomy sometimes, but you will come out of it stronger and more ready to handle the world than many of your peers at comparable universities. The point is to enjoy yourself while you are there, don’t let people push you around, and forget your old conceptions of the world, else you’ll become a bitter, jaded old man like me. Come in with a blank-slate, Tabula Rosa, because no preconceptions or advice can totally prepare you for the wonderful experience at your feet. Pick it up, and go with it. Don’t look back when the going gets tough, because after your first year – it gets way easier. Most people who leave Cal, leave after their first year. The next weeder is kids who plain fail out, which are relatively rare, but shockingly common for such a high quality university.
If you can make it through your second year; (which is cake after year one, trust me!) you are pretty much golden and have gone through an academic, psychological, and social crucible unrivalled in the world. Use this time to develop all of your aspects, not just your resume. If you spend all your time in the library, you will sorely regret it.
Cal is challenging, but it is no where as difficult or impossible as everyone says it is. You just need to find a balance and keep your eye on the prize. But don’t sell your soul to do it.
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You learn more from dealing with failure and figuring out how to move on than from never ending successes. We often say in our house that college is the “unreal reality” - it is a bridge between the immaturity of high school and the adult world. It’s the time and place where you learn many things unrelated to class content: how to live away from home; how to live with strangers; how to navigate a classroom/campus/administration/geographical area; how to advocate for yourself; how to make decisions when the mom-and-dad check and balance isn’t there looking over your shoulder. The process is accelerated at some schools more than others: Cal is one of those schools.
My sophomore D - an introvert from a public HS - has learned so much about herself and impressed us with her decision-making skills and resourcefulness. Yes, it’s difficult at times. Yes, she gets frustrated/sad/scared/stressed. But she’s a tough cookie who knows how to work hard and is willing to do it to reach her academic goals. She’s got friends, clubs, research, and done so much more socially than she ever did in high school. And, over and over, she affirms she’s in the right place for her.
I just got in for bio and I am terrified.
@ironweasal I’m a bio major. It’s going fine. I’m honestly pretty relaxed, cause of all of the life control that I get from being in college. Biology in college is basically AP Biology. Chemistry is basically AP Chemistry. All of the stuff that you learned in high school helps. All you have to do is be in the upper 60% of the class and you’re fine. I have heard that Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry are hard. The test averages are about 50% in all of the classes, but that means nothing. It’s all about the curve. A 70% is an A+. You only need a C average to declare Biology. GPA doesn’t matter. Only internships and research that you get in college will get you a job. If you still can’t deal with biology, switch to anything else. You’re not actually declared until the end of sophomore year. Don’t be terrified unless you’re an EECS major.
Can you be more specific about what you are terrified of?
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@Runners Don’t take the full load allowed as a freshman. It’ll burn you out too fast. You don’t want to graduate in 2 years and lose this great life experience.
But yeah, sure, I know someone who’s taking 18 units, and she seems fine. I’m taking 16 units and getting over 8 hours of sleep.
It’s not about your homework skills, it’s about your scheduling skills. You can sleep 3 hours a night or 9 hours a night depending on you. You can skip doing any studying because most homework isn’t required. If you’re going to somehow join an insane number of clubs or internships in college, it might make life more difficult but you can make it work, or get stuck in your old habits.
Relax. Pretend it’s 9th grade. You have a full four years before you have to apply to anything again.
I’m going in for PubHealth (capped major), not as tough as Chem or Bio, but I’m still nervous for gpa… i see people mentioning “gpa deflation” when it comes to ucb 
Lol it’s just kids drinking here in berkeley.