<p>Europe had lots of discounts for students… ID required. Museums, some restaurants, subways, even hotels. Even the Heinekin factory! It was worth taking.</p>
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<p>what should I expect going into Cal’s EECS, provided that I have absolutely no experience whatsoever in the field of engineering (plus I suck at physics)? What exactly is the retention rate for Cal’s EECS</p>
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<p>No aelles, these students hissed when they disagreed with the professor like a bunch of snakes. Or if the professor was an old guy who would call woman…girls…out comes the hissing. They were rude and not tolerant of other views. Calstudent86 experience is different than mine…The hypocrisy I found was that the only acceptable point of view was the liberal and political correct…otherwise they didn’t even want to listen. Sometimes, I thought they were they closed minded since I was willing to listen to them and not vice versa. It may be different today…we are talking 1982-86.</p>
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Thats pretty depressing. I thought that in college, one can finally escape the bindings of cliques and be able to get to know a lot of people really well. I didn’t think it would be the same in the way that most of “friends” are really acquaintances.</p>
<p>AznN3rd, that’s just reality. It takes time to sustain a true friendship, and if you have more than a few, it’s just too much time for most people.</p>
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<p>Exactly. I wouild say my ‘circle’ has grown to 16 since I wrote the original post. It takes time to form those friendships and there is an inner circle within my circle, but that is because I am in a fraternity. </p>
<p>Same thing happened when I was in Germany last year. I had like 4 close friends, and about a dozen more people that were considered buddies. There is a certain critical mass of good friends one could concievably have in certain situations simply because of time constraints and cultural/personal/social issues.</p>
<p>Don’t feel distraught. Even ONE true friend is ALL you need.</p>
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<p>I guess I was being naive, but I used to think that if you are living with people for an entire year, then it would be inevitable that you would be close to everyone living on your floor.</p>
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<p>I’m jumping in this conversation late, but I thought I’d just add:</p>
<p>AznN3rd, from my experience, no, that isn’t always the case. In fact, a lot of the people I know aren’t totally close with their entire floor. There are so many people living on one floor, with so many different personalities, it’s hard for everyone to be really all that close. Everyone on my floor is really nice but we’re also really different. I can only say that I’m really close with 1 person on the floor, and good friends with maybe 3 more.</p>
<p>Thanks for the many informative posts. You all are very helpful people. I am a rising senior and will be applying to Cal this Fall (or so I thought prior to coming to this thread haha). Academically, I believe I am Cal material, though no where near the geniuses it has, and if I improve my SAT’s I think I have a pretty decent chance at acceptance. </p>
<p>So the general outlook of Berkeley, depending on the individual, is that it can be challenging and stressful in terms of academics, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically; but overall it is a worthwhile experience? I was really looking forward to the atmosphere there due to prior conceptions of college-life as a more fun, social, and less dramatic experience than that of high school; the best years of one’s life, as I’ve heard. But after reading around in this thread, particularly the first one from OP (thanks a lot Andrew haha jk), it seems that my assumptions are misguided and illusioned. I didn’t know that Cal had a reputation of pot-smokers and alcoholic extremists (although the radical movements is a lasting rep of Cal) and although I know that this does not apply to all of Cal as a whole, this perception stands in stark contrast with my sister’s experiences at UCI. One would think that with all the brilliance Cal accepts, few would be druggies. After reading previous insightful posts, it does not seem too extreme as to refer to Berkeley as a seemingly rough, unfriendly, and harsh atmosphere.</p>
<p>Despite this impression, I still maintain that Cal is an ideal environment in many ways fostered by previous rebuttals of its overall pleasant experience. Although I always imagined that life after High School would be more accepting, less dramatic, and roomies would most definitely get along with each other, I guess this is rarely the case in practical life. Therefore, Berkeley will still be my top choice due to its reputation, academics, large campus, and location, of which is all appealing to me.</p>
<p>(sorry I tend to ramble on a lot!)</p>
<p>But I would also like to ask for help from you sage Berkeley students. I am considering pursuing a business degree at Haas as its prestige as a top-notch undergrad business school is attractive (one of the reasons I want to go to Berkeley).
- Andrew, I know you had previous experiences with this, but is that school really that difficult to get into? Is it that competitive? Sad to say, I am a pretty competitive person (healthy competition though) but I am still in fear of the magnitude of the Haas program and the brilliance of its students.
- Are decent grades hard to attain due to grading curves such as USC’s battle against grade inflation? And any particular classes that should worry me?
- Andrew again, you mention that from what you’ve heard after getting into Haas it gets easier. Can you elaborate?
- Also, why does Haas require Calculus (maybe to expand one’s learning?) and is it really necessary to a future business career? My top level of math is precal hnrs as I opted to go to AP stats next year, which I believe would help me more for financing, accounting, and/or management.
- Is it possible to take a few courses at a community college to fulfill transferable college creds and would this count on one’s gpa? I am thinking of doing this the summer after senior graduation.
- Is the acceptance rate of 50% considered harsh and competitive? Again, I know that these students are the world’s top brilliant minds, and as such I am beginning to grow weary. If I cannot make it to Haas in the two years, I might have to switch majors and that would prolong my education.</p>
<p>These questions go out to anyone who has had experiences or know of people with the said experience, and I would really appreciate help as I am at crossroads with my future. Thank you in advance. This forum has been really great for prospective students.</p>
<p>BTW, I hope I do not come off as whiny as this is genuine fear of the curriculum :).</p>
<p>knguyen: Woah, you’ve left me with a major mouthful.</p>
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<li>It is hard to get into Haas, but from what I understand it got a lot easier to get in from when I got in here. They admit about 50% of the applicants from what I understand. Though by the time this happened I was already contentedly declared and going on my merry way.</li>
<li>It’s not hard to get ‘good’ grades (B-range) at Cal. Go to class and do the minimum amount of studying and you’ll be gold if you want Bs. If you want As, be prepared to work a little bit harder, though I think doing the A work is worth it because you get a certain level of enlightenment and experience from it that can’t be matched elsewhere.</li>
<li>From what I’ve heard that the Haas classes are mostly networking and building your core skills and getting a good grade is not overly challenging. Ask a real Haas major though – I don’t really know from first hand experience.</li>
<li>Calculus is pretty useful in a lot of areas, and I’ll admit, even though I’m not great at it, I enjoy doing it because there is a certain amount of satisfaction that comes from fumbling through a complicated problem. Calculus is particularly useful for modelling and economic predictions if you are going into investment banking or a more theoretical area of business. </li>
<li>I don’t see why not.</li>
<li>50%? It was 20% when I first arrived. It’s not terrible from what I understand now, and don’t worry about taking 4.5 to 5 years to get through. I did.</li>
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<p>Cal has its aspects of unfriendliness and harsh atmosphere, but like I said it is a great crucible for defining yourself and discovering what you really want out of life. Take it in stride and treat it like camp and I’m sure you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Thanks for spending time to answer my questions. After reading that, I am now less intimidated by the Monster that is Berkeley haha. I think Berkeley is the way to go now because it is the only school in CA with a great Business Undergrad program without losing prestige. If only UCLA would still have an undergrad program…I also heard that beginning in 2008 UCI is also offering undergrad business, but it is still developing. </p>
<p>Hopefully my experience in college will be joyful. Wish me luck-both getting into and then surviving :). I also wish everyone here luck in their ventures. Have fun.</p>
<p>knguyen, cal is anything you want it to be, i suggest visiting.</p>
<p>on your fear of drinkers and tokers, look man, every college in america has a substantial population of people who smoke pot and drink.</p>
<p>millions of normal, intelligent, caring citizens smoke marijuana responsibly, i’m proud to say i’m one of them and I go to one of the greatest universities in the world.</p>
<p>drinking @ college is everywhere, cal is no exception, and while there’s a share of irresponsibility, there’s also people who can handle themselves and party responsibly.</p>
<p>it’s all about your choices and the effort you give to loving your experience.
good luck man</p>
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<p>This is all relative. For some people it’s the opposite: during high school they have friends whom they have known since elementary school, and they have trouble meeting close friends once they get into college, especially in their first year.</p>
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<p>I don’t think Berkeley has a reputation of pot smokers nor alcoholics, but that colleges in general have a reputation of pot smokers and alcoholics. In fact I think the two are less prevalent at Berkeley than at other colleges. Only 10% of the student body is involved in Greek life, a much lower pencentage than many schools.</p>
<p>I don’t think Berkeley is harsh or unfriendly in general. The students here are very friendly if you talk to them, although it will be hard to make close friends at first, that’s just the nature of the beast. The school is so large that sometimes it may come off as impersonal, but you just have to seek things out. By that I mean going to professors’ office hours, for instance.</p>
<p>I think the best thing to do is to not go to college with high expectations. I believe it is an experience that, once you finish, you may look back and say “those were some good times”, but if you go into it with the mindset that they’ll be the best four years of your life, you probably won’t end up happy.</p>
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<li><p>Getting into Haas does get competitive. I hear some people tell me they can’t stand it and other people tell me that it’s really quite easy to get into Haas, so I don’t know what to make of it. I don’t think Haas is filled with “brilliant” students. Rather, I think many of them are hard-working, but also have a driven personality, and are in general, pretty social people. Oh, and some of them tend to be a little arrogant, earning them the name “h*******s”. But don’t worry about it. Not getting in is okay, it’s not the end of the world. Most students just go in with the mindset that “I’ll try, and if I don’t get in, I’ll just major in something else.”</p></li>
<li><p>Grades really, really varies by class and professor. If you pick and choose the right classes, getting high grades isn’t very hard. Berkeley is actually getting pretty grade inflated except among certain parts (engineering, for example). If you’re aiming for Haas, one class you should watch out for is UGBA10. It’s THE weeder for pre-haas students and everyone has to take it.</p></li>
<li><p>What I keep hearing is, although it’s competitive to get INTO Haas, once you get in the classes do get easier. This is because, Haas doesn’t have enough space for all the students that want to study business, which is why you have to apply and only a certain number get in, but once you are in, they’re not trying to weed you anymore, so the grading gets easier.</p></li>
<li><p>I believe it only requires 1 semester of calculus and it’s really not that bad. First of all, if you’re Berkeley-caliber, I think you should at least learn a bit of basic calculus. That’s just my opinion but I think it’s just one of those things that, if you want to be an educated person, should really know. Anyway it’s probably required for those who want to study accounting or threories of economics or other areas of business that require more math.</p></li>
<li><p>You can take classes at a CC but they won’t count towards your GPA.</p></li>
<li><p>The acceptance rate is actually 60%, and it won’t prolong your education to do another major. Just plan for it and it’s quite easy to fulfill all the prereqs for Haas and say, economics, such that if you don’t get into Haas you can go for economics. By the way, economics is also capped, meaning you have to apply.</p></li>
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<p>^^^^i think pot is way more accepted than drinking, at least among the non-asian population, i’d say like…40+% of that group toke up at least a few times a month, and over 80% have toked, or do toke every once and a while, or are very tolerant of those who toke.
but don’t trip on it, it’s all what you make of it. nor-cal in general is accepting of grass…it’s a counter-culture center, despite the increase in business students and asians it’s still got that counter-cultural finesse that those of us love.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice guys. I will keep that it mind: not to go to college with high expectations haha. I had high expectations for the SAT and the results disappointed me for days!</p>
<p>how are the biatches?</p>
<p>^^ I’m sick of this question being asked time and time again, and I will answer it the way I always do.</p>
<p>There are a lot of girls at Cal that fall into the “average” and “pretty” categories who are very nice, intelligent, and wonderful young women. If you seek hot women in scads, look elsewhere. Let me suggest ASU or USC. There are hot girls at Cal, but they are few and far between.</p>
<p>Hmmm, now I kind of wish I saw this before I applied to Cal. More specifically the RED POUND NEXT TO PUBLIC HEALTH.</p>
<p>JEEZ. Why in the world is that an impacted major!?!? I ACTUALLY WANT TO GO INTO PUBLIC HEALTH. So is public health an impacted major because a lot of ppl see that as a blow off major? So does this mean I have an even lesser chance of getting into Cal since this major has a red pound sign next to it? (I’m OOS btw)</p>
<p>It doesn’t hurt your chances of getting into Berkeley. But once you get in, it would be harder for you to declare that major as opposed to another major. But don’t worry about it right now. After you get all your acceptances, look them over and then decide which college is best for you.</p>
<p>Used to be different, but that’s one change I’ve been happy to see. Qualified candidates can still get in alternative majors or as undeclareds, even if their majors are full or impacted. When I applied, as I understood it, applying for an impacted major, even if you had a non-impacted second or wanted undeclared as your fallback was pretty much a death sentence if you weren’t basically overqualified. Lots of things have changed since I made the original post. I probably should get around to rewriting this post looking back at it from an alum’s perspective. This post is nearly three years old now and many things in my world view and experiences have changed my mind on a great many things. That’s one of the pearls of age and education, you can look back and realize where you wrong, unfair, or misguided. :)</p>