<p>Although I’m not feeling the sensationalist approach of Rabban’s post, I can see the ‘conscience’ point about Berkeley. In studying for the APUSH exam / subject test (which is tomorrow and I’m cramming for it, hahaha), I’ve seen multiple sources–textbooks, review books–glorify Berkeley for the beginning of the Free Speech Movement, asserting that it brought forth an accumulation of past tension over civil rights (women’s, blacks’, etc.), spanning as far back as the Imperialist stage of America (Spanish-American War and the like) to the Seneca Falls Convention beginning the women’s movement to the Progressive Era’s intentional ignorance to blacks’ problems. In this sense, the FSM did encompass America’s conscience.</p>
<p>You might also look at the Washington Monthly’s ranking of colleges, placing Berkeley second as one of the country’s centers of social mobility, research, and service. Though then, of course, you’d see that MIT is ranked number one. =p</p>
<p>One might also find publics to be more “in tune” with the nation’s conscience, as they are, ideally, for the people, not the elite, who are usually associated with the expensive private schools.</p>
<p>At any rate, many top schools now reflect the nation’s conscience.</p>
<p>“You might also look at the Washington Monthly’s ranking of colleges, placing Berkeley second as one of the country’s centers of social mobility, research, and service. Though then, of course, you’d see that MIT is ranked number one. =p”</p>
<p>yeah, and stanford was seventh…</p>
<p>out of about 250 that they ranked.
yep, berkeley sure is leagues and leagues above in terms of social mobility too</p>
<p>Well, actually, that depends. L&S CS to art history is easy, I agree. But EECS to art history? Not so much. Such a switch would mean switching colleges, from the CoE to L&S. Such a switch is not guaranteed. L&S generally only approves people who have a 3.0+ GPA. Believe me, there are * plenty * of Berkeley engineering students who have nowhere near a 3.0
GPA.</p>
<p>“Please note: Grade Point Average is also a significant consideration for admission to the College. Students who meet all other criteria and have a 3.0 or higher GPA are more likely to be approved.”</p>
<p>The result is the infamous Berkeley “engineering major trap” in which if you’re doing poorly in one engineering major, you can’t get out because nobody wants to take you. The other colleges don’t want to take you. The other engineering majors also don’t want to take you. So you’re stuck in a major that you don’t like and are not doing well in. I’ve known people who were caught in this trap, and they eventually flunked out. Contrast that with Stanford where if you’re an engineering student who is doing poorly and wants to switch out, you just do it. Nobody is going to stop you.</p>
<p>Personally, I think this is one of the easiest problems for Berkeley to fix. You have some students in L&S who are trying to switch into engineering and who are doing decently (i.e. passing their engineering prereqs), but can’t get into engineering. On the other hand, you also have some engineering students who are doing poorly and desperately want to switch to L&S, but L&S won’t take them. Why can’t Berkeley just let those people swap places? Why is that such a problem? By letting them swap, both students are better off. With the current situation, both students lose, as both of them are stuck in majors that they don’t really want.</p>
<p>Ive recently been accepted to Cal as a junior transfer student to the college of L&S. I applied as a psy major ,however, I want to transfer into the College of Natural Resources to become a nutrition major. Everyone is telling me different things…some say that once I get to the university I will be able to do it…others say absolutely not. L&S is more impacted than NR so wouldnt it be easier to transfer into it Should I declare the psy major my first semester and then try to transfer out…I still have to take 3 pre-reqs for the nutrition major. what I should do?</p>
<p>Well, it’s not really my job, now is it? After all, I am not a student. If a Berkeley student wants to take my ideas and run with them, more power to them.</p>
<p>this is a very interesting topic, considering i’m workin on a project for cs61b(at cal) right now and it’s hard++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++!!!</p>
<p>if u can write a quadtree flawlessly then you’re good for berkeley i suppose</p>
<p>Everyone in this thread is referring to the L&S version of computer science as “dumbed down” vs. the EECS route. I’m not so sure this is true. From what I’ve read, the required computer science courses in both majors are identical, and it’s only the courses outside of computer science that are different. While this makes the L&S version easier, since engineering classes and the like aren’t required, I think calling it “dumbed down” isn’t very accurate. If you’re saying it’s a more “dumbed down” engineering program, then I agree. But as a computer science program, I see no reason to call it “dumbed down.”</p>
<p>I’m taking CS L&S because I do not think I like EE courses. But, I realllly like Computer Science.
僕EEが好きじゃないと思うからL＆Sでコンピュータサイエンスをする。けど、コンピュータサイエンスがとても好きよ。</p>