@Nhatrang My son had the same dilemma two years ago. His list narrowed to CMU, Penn and Cal. He had done CMU’s APEA the previous summer so had an idea of what it was like. Keep in mind that CMU is a bit more diverse with the College of Fine Arts, the kids are still smart but not like SCS, COE and MCS. (I say that will all the respect in the world). He ended up choosing Cal and hasn’t looked back, the diversity in the student body is actually a benefit, he says it adds texture to his life at Cal.
I should probably add that we are OOS.
Good discussions everyone. DS is facing a similar decision. He is admitted to L&S and indicated CS on the application but may lean toward bio. I get the points of academic rigors, expert professors, driven students and diverse community. But what concerns me is whether DS will have a balanced college experience and the time/energy/luxury to explore different academic areas and enjoy his time in college. My biggest fear is that he will be so compelled to focus on classes, GPA, research etc, and be stressed out and worried all the time. There are just too many stories about difficulty registering for classes, grade deflation, lousy living quarters and not being able to declare your major etc. How can a kid truly know if this is the right fit or not? What can we, as parents, do to help them figure it out, besides visiting campus, sitting in classes, talking to higher class-men from same high school?
I’m also OOS (TX) and over the weekend my parent and I had a very lengthy talk about attending Berkeley. The entire time, my parents encouraged me to think not of financial things, but what I thought was best. When I still couldn’t stop thinking about the money, my parents and I sat down and we mapped out our plan to tackle the money. Though it will leave my parents with quite a bit of loans, they would rather pay the money to ensure I have the best education possible than crush my dreams because of money. Though I’m still in the process of making my decision, my parents approval and support for me to go out and attend the school of my dreams is a huge relief since my parents would pay the extra money to allow me to be the person I want to be and allow me the freedom of my decision, not forcing me one way because of the money, leaving me thinking “what if” for the next four years of my undergrad. Thought this might be helpful for any parents!
Oh a different note, I just realized that I decided not to take my AP Bio exam, however I cannot locate anywhere on my application that I said I was going to take it. I can only find the AP tests I took last year, not what I will take this year. Does that mean I didn’t say I will take the test, or does it just not show? And if it means that I didn’t say I was going to take the test, could I somehow add tests on there as I’m taking three AP tests this year? I’ve been looking for a way to contact them, but I can’t find the right link.
Also what do I do if when I send in my AP tests, there’s an extra test score that I didn’t write on my application? I didn’t submit it since I wouldn’t get credit for it.
@OneAndOnlySJ It depends on where/what you are comparing to in term of balancing. My daughter believes that academically Cal would be less rigorous compared to JHU or CMU. Don’t get me wrong, Cal’s exams are ridiculous! I hated that aspect of Cal so much. But compared to JHU/CMU, the academic rigor is more there. She thinks she would have no social life at those schools, where at Cal, while it’s not easy by any stretch of imagination, she thinks that her social life would be a lot better at Cal.
As far as class registration and all the other perks (or lack of), Cal is Cal being a large underfunded public school, you are going to learn a lot of skill just for dealing with a lot of the logistics. No pain no gain right? lol. Private schools give you a more supportive environment in that aspect, I am sure.
And lousy living quarter? Well - they are 18, they should be able to deal with it. Prepare them that much better for the future. But if they hate it so much then maybe it’s not the right fit. Dorms are small everywhere, though. I wouldn’t say Cal is a lot worse off than other schools, but then i don’t know for sure.
@autumnspast Glad to hear your son picked Cal and happy with it. Another data point for the win. And I agree, the diversity in student body can be a positive thing as well.
@OneAndOnlySJ We are facing the same thing; in our case, Berkeley vs. UCLA vs. Michigan. Three great schools, but to be frank I am concerned about what I read re. Berkeley – my daughter is looking for an academically rigorous college experience but also a fun and social one. Not sure how 80+ hour work weeks and horrible (not to mention horribly expensive) housing helps her achieve that balance. For now, all we can do is visit for Campus Day.
My daughter has an interesting choice: Cal L&S, with the intention of applying to Haas Business Administration, or UC Irvine’s Campus Honors Program and the Merage School of Business. On the surface, it hardly seems like it should be a choice, with Cal being a much more prestigious campus and Haas having the best undergrad business program in the country.
We were really impressed with the Honors Program at Irvine, though. The Core curriculum builds an real sense of community among the CHP students, across their four years, and the research opportunities are exceptional, especially for undergrads. Plus the honors students have priority course selection and guaranteed housing for four years (all doubles, no triples or quads!). As the mom, I liked the idea that she’d have an built-in community right from the beginning, and wouldn’t have to fight tooth and nail for courses. The business school is quite up and coming and the program was a lot more competitive than I had realized, with only 275 spots for incoming freshman and transfers.
Buuuuutttttttt, Cal :). My daughter has always been a self-starter and extremely self-motivated. I’ve never even SEEN her school work since she was in fifth grade, let alone been asked to help her. So I think she’d do fine.
We’re going to Cal Day to help her make a final decision. We live in Ventura County, CA, so it’s not a huge difference in travel from Berkeley or Irvine, if you take LA traffic into consideration!
The 80+ hour a week article that I posted last month is probably a bit of an exaggeration. For sure I can see 80+ for a couple of weeks prior to midterms and prior to Finals. But not the other weeks. I had a long talk about with my kid about this the other day. Beginning of the school year maybe 35-40. The rest of the year maybe 40-60 hours a week. 24 of those hours are already accounted for in the form of classtime.
I think he was way more stressed in 12th grade HS since he was taking 6 APs, college classes, working and doing college apps. At Berkeley he can relieve his stress a half-block away at the RSF. No household chores, no cooking, and no work. At least for this year.
We will be going to Cal Day as well to get another feel of the community and resources on campus. But why do all UCs have the big welcome party on the same day?! Would have loved to visit SB and Irvine too.
Anyway, DS has visited a few times already, including summer program living in the dorm, sitting in one of those infamously large CS classes (1000+ enrollments) and an overnight stay with a current freshman as a Regents candidate. I think these visits made a big impression on him and he is excited to have the opportunity to be a Cal bear. But I am sure he doesn’t look forward to 80-hour weeks. He is most likely unaware of the grinding yet.
I have a friend whose son is finishing sophomore year in EECS. Typical smart high-achieving kid in high school, self-driven etc. He now has a 3.3 GPA. Good thing that he is already in his major. And his roommate, who is OOS and a Regents scholar, is in L&S and not able to declare CS major due to below 3.5 GPA. This is pretty brutal and probably not what they had in mind coming in. I don’t know if it gets better later in upper division classes.
@ProfessorPlum168 in one of your earlier posts, you mentioned a neighbor’s kid is also a Regents scholar but had to quit after a year. What happened? And where did he go? Hope the kid is doing well at another college.
@OneAndOnlySJ my next door neighbor (actually our back yards touch so technically not next door, not sure what you call that) is still alive and well at Berkeley. He’s one of those very mature kids that became a TA for CS 70 in his second year. Not sure why he moved out from Bowles. Maybe he was offered subsidized housing elsewhere by CS for being a TA.
As mentioned before, 80+ is a max for a couple of weeks for the most part. If you plan smartly and mix in technicals with non-technical classes, mix in a couple of P/NPs and it’s not that bad at all.
@OneAndOnlySJ Unless you want to go to grad school, GPA matters very little to find your first job. After your first job, it doesn’t matter at all.
Mine will go to grad school, so I worry a little about the grade deflation issue. She has to keep above 3.5 GPA at the minimum to have a shot at good grad schools. She is going to Cal with wide eyes opened about all the potential problems as well as rewards. It’s scary but exciting at the same time!
Yesterday April fool joke, I casually told her I will go to Berkeley for a PhD while she is there, that this is my dream all along, the kid almost had a heart attack 
@Nhatrang that’s really a good one, I might steal that one from you for next year lol. My kid is way taller than me though so I doubt if anyone would notice the resemblance haha.
@Nhatrang pretty good April Fool’s. I wouldn’t be able to use the same since I’ve gone to grad school across the bay already.
Agreed that GPA means very little after getting a job. But the competition for internships and that very first job interview is more fierce these days. I worked at various high tech companies. A resume with GPA less than 3.5 won’t even reach my desk for screening. I certainly wasn’t aware of grade deflation at Cal and simply assumed they are all high achievers and should have high GPAs too. Not sure if I am the minority.
For most high high paying jobs (which I think your kids will go after once graduating from Cal), their GPA will play a great role. From my hiring experience, colleges play a part, but not huge in candidate selections. A resume with 3.3 Cal GPA will weigh the same as someone with 3.8 GPA at SCU as long as they have similar degrees. And a good chance the kid from SCU will have some type of co-op experience while in college that is relevant to the position. My line of work is finance/accounting for what it’s worth.
I want to go to law school after my undergrad. Is it easier to continue in berkeley and apply as an undegrad there or apply out to other schools? Do they know about Berkeley’s grade deflation?
guys I hear a lot about students at Berkeley having depression… I also hear that the atmosphere is extremely competitive. What advice is there for incoming freshmen?
Now when you got into UC Berkeley…what is the next step?
what is the next step? Follow the acceptance letter instructions.