<p>So long story short I got into UC Berkeley along with all of the other UCs except for UCLA. I’m a very independent guy who can get things done on his own. I don’t need anyone to hold my hand. I made another thread about a couple of other schools, but I’m going to reiterate my two main goals for college: 1) Have fun 2)Get a great GPA. In that order. I am an Instrument rated Private Pilot on track to a career as a pilot in the Air Force after college. I consider my self relatively intelligent (relatively), however I’m not into most academics. I hear As are much harder to get at Cal, and Uncle Sam isn’t going to care where I go when he’s considering me for a pilot slot, he’s going to be looking at my GPA. Social Life, Dating Scene, free time, parties, and an interesting but not too difficult course load are the things I’d like to see in a college (wouldn’t we all?). The issue is, I’ve heard that these are the things that are totally lacking at Berkeley. I’ve heard the people at Berkeley are shut ins who study all day due to the intensely overwhelming workload, and that the “social life” consists of a few people smoking and drinking their lives away inside of their dorm. I’ve also heard that the dating scene and the girls are beyond horrible (reason #3 why I’m not going to an aeronautical university, reason #1 being cost and reason #2 being uselessness of an aeronautical degree as a pilot). The only thing I think I could appreciate at Berkeley is the ability to have an intelligent philosophical or political discussion, which I absolutely love to do.</p>
<p>My main question to those of you who have attended or are attending Cal is, are these rumors true? Is Cal more for the intellectual who prefers to study all day rather than have a social life? Would Cal be a good choice for me, considering it’s the most prestigious university I’ve been accepted to? Or, assuming these rumors have some truth to them, should I stay away?</p>
<p>EDIT: In terms of majors, I’m going to be Poli Sci or something with a lot of history and politics and very little math and science.</p>
<p>College is what you make it. You can most likely find people that interest you at a school as big as UCB. However, if you are looking for an abundance of those types of people and easy A’s, don’t go to Berkeley.</p>
<p>I’m not expecting easy As anywhere. College is college. All I’m saying is that an unusual level of difficulty in obtaining a decent GPA will only hinder my career, while prestige won’t help it.</p>
<p>If you are wondering about the average GPA of various schools, look at [url=<a href=“http://www.gradeinflation.com%5DNational”>http://www.gradeinflation.com]National</a> Trends in Grade Inflation, American Colleges and Universities<a href=“at%20the%20bottom%20are%20various%20schools’%20data”>/url</a>.</p>
<p>Assuming you’ve got an AFROTC scholarship, you are absolutely correct that one of the primary metrics for determining who gets UPT is … GPA. The GPA can be from Idaho St, or Berkeley, in Engineering, or in “undergraduae studies”, or some other football halfback’s major, without normalizing, without adjusting.</p>
<p>If your #1 goal is to rank highly within AFROTC so that you can self determine your path, then do NOT go to Berkeley.</p>
<p>If however, your #1 goal is a rigorous education, with the risk of lower grades and not getting UPT, and not commissioning as an Officer, then yeah, Berkeley is fine.</p>
<p>You probably already know that the AF has been particularly ruthless this past year in culling down the herd at both the Academy, and in AFROTC, so aspiring pilot beware.</p>
<p>DunninLA:</p>
<p>Thanks for the help. I realize that I’ll have a better shot in the AF if I don’t go to berkeley because of the higher GPA, but I also realize I won’t be flying forever, and I’m plan on eventually going to grad school. Did you happen to either attend Berkeley or serve in the AF?</p>
<p>Future fighter pilot: Berkeley is a big place and you’ll find every type…most are hard working and smart. I’d suggest taking a trip to Cal this spring if you haven’t visited. Inside and outside your political science classes you’ll definitely find intellectual debates…with friends, dorm mates, class mates, etc.</p>
<p>I’d definitely visit and then decide.</p>
<p>If you wanted “fun, sun and chicks” and maximum gpa, you should have applied to SB. But of the three that you have to choose from, Davis > Cal > SD.</p>
<p>I’ve heard the people at Berkeley are shut ins who study all day due to the intensely overwhelming workload,</p>
<p>This might be closer to Caltech. Berkeley is what you want it to be, and some people push themselves, others relax, others strike a balance.</p>
<p>bluebayou:</p>
<p>I actually did apply and get into SB. But the impression I get at SB is a little extreme in terms of parties. I’m not that kind of guy. I’m looking for a college that strikes the perfect balance between studying and partying. SB is a little too far on the party side, and I made this thread to determine if Berkeley is a little too far on the study side.</p>
<p>Anyway I’m actually going on a road trip with some fellow admits to visit Berkeley in two days, so I’ll let you know how that goes.</p>
<p>If you want a high gpa, Eggman, you are gonna study hard wherever you go. Sure, SB specializes in parties (always a Top 10 on the Playboy review), but while everyone is partying, you could be back re-reading Thoreau or Kant to ace the test. And it has more sun (and beaches) than Cal.</p>