<p>Caffeine, Like you, I treated Berkeley as a backup. I had gotten into Princeton, visited it and realized I did not like it as much as Berkeley. After attending Berkeley even for a month, I realized I made the right decision… it really is a great school, especially for the price you pay in comparison to some private schools. I liked how big it was and how there is a lot to see and do. You get world-renowned professors (downside: they’re busy with research) and a great campus. I sometimes dislike how difficult it is to get to know professors (I’m premed so I need good letters of rec!), I think the environment of Berkeley is a good change. I grew up in a suburb with virtually no homeless people whatsoever and had a car to get everywhere. I think it’s nice to experience this different environment.</p>
<p>The major changing is not hard at all if you applied to the College of Letters & Sciences because you go in undeclared anyway so you get to pick and choose what you like and then declare your major. However, some majors are capped, meaning they screen applicants, usually by GPA in coursework and such. The one exception is Haas where you need to do an application and then wait for an acceptance. I ended up choosing Molecular and Cell Biology because I liked the courses for the major.</p>