<p>Thanks for your responses. It really helps to get input from current students.
Berkeley’s reputation is #1 state school, laid back and liberal atmosphere with a great education. The picture we have in our minds and probably many others who are ot from CA and not visited this Univ is a beautiful campus in great surroundings. Berkeley does not seem to be as happy a place as I expected.
You definitely made it crucial for us to visit. (I went to Michigan State way back when, sight unseen, and it totally met or exceeded any expectations I had. Great school, people, campus, town, everything). In the case of Berkeley I’ve learned that reputation is not everything. Guess we’ll be coming out very soon.
Sadly there’s not much money given to OOS even with his grades,etc. so we’ll see how it plays out. It will be my sons choice in the end. I’ll check back on this site often to get any updates.
For those there, like the two of you, congrats, you are certain to be successful and do great things with your lives.</p>
<p>Berkeley had never had a “laid back” reputation for me. In fact, if I wanted an easy four years I would have gone to UCSC or UCSB, the systems reputed laid back party schools. UCSC and UCSB do have beautiful campuses in great surroundings.</p>
<p>If you are from the mid west and like the surroundings at Michigan State, the City of Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco will take you some getting used to. So, I feel your first impression of the area will be very disappointing. But, I would not want to live anywhere else after being in the area for a few years.</p>
<p>ev700:
Laid Back as in “attitude” and personality, not in easy laid back classes.
This is the New York generalization of Berkeley and what comes to mind which obviously is not how it really is out there. Sounds like a high stress kind of place in several arenas.</p>
<p>***H??? crazed, believe me this California!!! don’t be fooled by some people in this board!! it’s a tolerant, accepting, loving place, you can’t get much more laid back, especially in the humanities or the social sciences.
you gotta visit, plain and simple.</p>
<p>Like everything else at Cal from the supposed ‘fluff’ majors all the way up the the legendary and sometimes dreaded EECS and other hard core science majors, we have to departments in almost every field. When we are not #1, we are top 3. I’m not sure where Math ranks, but from what I’ve heard it’s pretty high and reasonably competitive. It’s a lot of theoretical stuff and you have to study real hard, otherwise you’ll flounder.</p>
<p>anyone know why the college of environmental design (and all of its majors) are never in the rankings? just not as good as other programs nationally? </p>
<p>that goes for grad and undergrad… i never find anything related to architecture in cal’s rankings…</p>
<p>A lot of people call anything with studies or on the softer edge of the sciences and humanities a ‘fluff’ major – essentially something where you pretty much have to go to Grad or Professional School afterwards if you want a decent job, unless you are exceedingly lucky. I don’t believe in that. I say take whatever interests you and makes you happy.</p>
<p>People are confusing maturity with independent. I went to UCSF Medical School 82-86 and found that the students from Cal where rude…they “hiss” when they disagreed in class, they were disrespectful if your point of view was different, they knew nothing about how the real private world functioned nor how to deal with people different than themselves. They really thought the world revolved around them…naracissistic mentality (spelling not my subject that is why doctors scribble) . They were independent, but I don’t think they were very mature nor ready to come into the real world where they would have to answere to their superiors in a private industry.
Students from other private “handheld schools” were friendlier and functioned much better with patients and attending physicians.
one persons opinion</p>
<p>Learning how to deal with people different from myself is one of the most important things I’ve learned at Cal. I was very close-minded in many respects when I came to Cal, and I had been very sheltered from the real world by my private high school. Cal really opened my eyes.</p>
<p>Cal students don’t know how to deal with people different than themselves? That seems odd.</p>
<p>I’ve certainly met an array of people. From students who are so incredibly nice to students who would lie and cheat others to get what they want.</p>
<p>When and where can i get my cal 1 card? i am an incoming freshman going to senior weekend so i was wondering if i could get it then, though it seems early. im just curious</p>
<p>you can get your cal 1 card when you go to your Cal-So overnight trip. If you don’t go to that, then you get it when the semester begins, during welcome week. I don’t think you can get it before then.</p>
<p>aberam: are you confusing the “hiss” sound you hear with the tradition of cal students “hissing” at any mention of Stanford? I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed students being rude as to disagree with ideas by hissing. Hissing at Stanford, yes.</p>