<p>I was recently accepted to Cal and it was a both shocking and pleasant surprise. Coming from Connecticut, I had never even heard of Berkeley until I entered the college process. I only ended up applying because I wanted to apply to UCLA and saw Cal was ranked high and could easily be applied to with just an additional check on the UC application. Kinda feel guilty about getting in, but that's what having one big UC app is all about, I guess. Right now, I am 99% sure that I will be attending another school because it has always been my dream school, but perhaps it has been my dream school only because I know nothing about Berkeley. </p>
<p>I was wondering if you guys could tell me about the school. I've never even been to California before. It could be that I'm sheltered, but I don't think Berkeley has such a prominent reputation in the East coast. Every time I say I've been accepted, everyone always asks me if I'm musical (in reference to the Berklee College of Music here on the East coast). So what's its reputation like on the West coast? I've heard that Berkeley is the way to go if I want to land a job on the West coast, but I do not know if I do -- so I am hesitant to go to a school that does not have a reputation that will get me the jobs I want in New York, for instance.</p>
<p>How does its reputation compare to Stanford/UCLA/USC? What is the school spirit like and how does it compare to that of a Big 10 school? How competitive is it (for a business major)? How cut throat is getting into Haas? What are the people like? Are all freshmen in triples? One of my biggest concerns is actually the diversity (or lack thereof). I have heard that it is overwhelmingly asian to a point that non-asians feel kind of out of place. Also, the fact that Haas is only 2 years and there's no guarantee that I will get into it seems like a negative</p>
<p>So basically it would be great if you could enlighten me with ANY basic information that pretty much everyone in California knows about Berkeley. What are the classic pros/cons? Thanks so much for the help! </p>
<p>Ok! I am not a student (yet, still deciding) but growing up in the West Coast I can tell you a couple of things. Berkeley is famous, very famous. Usually people aim for Stanford then get rejected and end up at Berkeley. If you have a degree from Berkeley we west coasters are VERY impressed. The reputation of HAAS is great. Don’t know much about it though.</p>
<p>Cal’s sports teams are not as good as those at other major public schools like UCLA and Michigan but the games are still a lot of fun. I have been to a football game and the student section was not quiet once. The undergraduate business school has a really good reputation. It’s number 2 overall (only Wharton is ranked higher) and in the top ten in every category (once again US News Rankings). Basically, the two year program is similar to the one you get at other public schools like Wisconsin and UVa. It’s more that you may feel out of place if you are not white or Asian but I know that the UC system is really trying to work on its diversity and is actively working to recruit students from minority groups. </p>
<p>It is really close to San Francisco which is an awesome city and musicians love to preform both in the city and in Berkeley. There is a really awesome amphitheater. The weather is pretty great too. It’s not as warm as LA (Northern California gets cold and rainy) but there are seasons so you kinda get both Socal weather in the spring and fall and a real winter season in the winter. I think the food is pretty good on campus and it is amazing off campus. I don’t know much about the dorms except that my friend who is a freshman now lives in a double on a co-ed floor. She has a pretty nice room. It isn’t that big but it works. </p>
<p>Check out college prowler. They have pretty good info and there are student reviews. </p>
<p>Funny I grew up in LA and thought the same about Ivy schools. Don’t understand why East Coast ppl are so obsessed about Ivy League, because where I grew up we seem to only revere Harvard, and I only heard about Princeton from Prince of Bel Air. </p>
<p>CA high school students want to get into #1 Stanford, #2 berkeley/UCLA/Cal Tech/USC, then UCSD. More preference for Berkeley than other #2 schools.</p>
<p>Berkeley academics is really strong. Top 3 in engineering for decades, and across the board top 10 in almost everything: law, business, sciences, etc. Its faculty are still winning Nobel Prizes. 2 elements on the periodic table are discovered at Berkeley: Berkeleyium, Californium.
If ranking is purely by academics, Berkeley should beat many Ivys and private schools easily. I think it’s dragged down to 20th place because its admission rate is higher than those private schools. But for world class faculty, Berkeley wins hands down against many of those privates.</p>