<p>I think a lot of people are very happy here, but it really depends who it is. An important thing is that not being one of the best students here after having been one of the best students before is something to reckon with, and what’s worse, one doesn’t even have the prestige of, say, a Harvard undergraduate degree to feel good about at the end.</p>
<p>I don’t know about fakeness. I think that’s found almost everywhere. </p>
<p>Definitely, this is a school where you have to find a niche and/or a nice circle of people you feel good about. It’s a big place, and generalizing that it’s all good or bad is of course bound to fail.</p>
<p>Bottom line is there are a lot of happy and a lot of unhappy people. I don’t think all of the unhappiness of these people is unique to going to Berkeley though.</p>
<p>A place with fairly nice weather and food choices is not the worst place to be if you’re depressed. </p>
<p>Obviously, at any school with good academics, you’ll run into competitive sharks. There are also plenty who aren’t like that. Go figure.</p>
<p>If I go to Cal, I reckon nothing will really change. My high school has already prepared me for all the grade deflation I could handle. As with fake people, I’m already accustomed to them.</p>
<p>This thread is a misrepresentation of the majority of students, IMHO.
I know a lot of people who are having the time of their lives here at Cal. The major reason, after reading this thread, that contributes to people resenting Berkeley is the high standard of academics. It is definitely a place that attracts smart people in general so it’s only fair that everyone cannot be at the top of their respective classes. Being the overachievers from high school, which is generally the case for most admits, this can hit really hard and lead to a dampening of the ‘expected’ college experience.
Personally, I count this as one of the many strengths that Berkeley has. No matter how smart you are, you’ll still have to work and keep at it, to be the star that you were in high school. This place keeps you under no illusions about your degree of smartness and though I may be in a minority, I prefer it this way. It keeps pushing my limits.
I certainly didn’t expect college to be only fun and games where I could stomp through with straight A’s with very little effort on my part. I expected the intellectually stimulating environment that Berkeley offers and love it because of that. But then again, I’m an EECS major so I can’t really scale up my argument for other majors if they think otherwise.</p>
<p>well… most of the people who are having the time of their lives at berkeley probably already found their perfect niche group. (I highly encourage people to do this, whether it be from class, or greek life, or social club, EXPLORE during your freshman year and try to find that perfect group that fits with your personality and behavior)</p>
<p>however for the other people who have not, there’s definitely limits to how fun berkeley can be really…</p>
<p>you pull a random berkeley student from a crowd (maybe at sproul or something)
ask them what they’re gonna do over the weekend and it’s like</p>
<p>70% -> oh i have to study for midterm or catch back up on readings
15% -> gonna go back home to san jose(or wherever the **** is 1-2 hours away from here lmao) and chill!
10% -> gonna volunteer or research the **** out of myself for haas/internship =)))))))
5% -> IMA PARTY MY ASS OFF AND **** UP MY LIVER AS MUCH AS I CAN, U SHOULD TOO</p>
<p>Now I’m not saying that Berkeley students are inherently boring or their only known way of hanging out over the weekend is having group study session…
It’s because the school itself is so academically challenging and cut-throat that it forces you to just ride the berkeley bandwagon and go with the flow like everyone else. (Note: This does not apply to communications major or some other ******** majors that’s what rich people take :P)</p>
<p>Well… unless your content with ur 2.0 GPA or something</p>
<p>TLDR: Berkeley is the right school for you if you love/can handle challenging yourself to greater heights and also take pleasure in having that academic stick drilling up your butt constantly(even while you’re sleeping)</p>
<p>Well…I’m hating life right now because I had a UGBA paper due today…and a mod test tomorrow…and haven’t done the reading yet…and am running off a combined 10 ish hours of sleep for the week…but next week will be a completely different story 8D</p>
<p>Honestly, I’ve found people’s “happiness” just varies based on when you ask them…and people here tend to be procrastinating on something…(like I’m only on here when I’m feeling completely screwed haha)</p>
<p>“wait, people who enjoy studying or spend their time studying/reading are boring?”</p>
<p>*** people actually ENJOY studying and not do it just because they need to?
O_o that’s some crazy ass **** right there whoa…</p>
<p>oh wait, we go to uc berkeley hahaha this is pretty possible my bad</p>
<p>anyways, ignoring my obnoxious monologue let me answer your question with purely my opinion.</p>
<p>no people who study/like to study are not boring but when that’s the only thing they do in their lives other than eating,****ting, and brushing teeth----- i personally don’t find them as particularly fascinating individuals.</p>
<p>I personally don’t believe you can generalize this. It depends on the person and their experience. Plus, ‘happy’ people are probably not going to spend their time on a forum discussing whether or not they go to a happy school, so I would take this thread with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>You state that his generalization is illogical, then proceed to state your own illogical generalization as if it were valid.</p>
<p>This forum is for helping others, and as far as I can tell, that is usually what people do here. Sure, some like to hang out and there are “regulars” on the site, but this place exists primarily to help people.</p>
<p>hmm, Berkeley sounds like a huge pressure cooker, ready to implode. UCLA and UCSD seem like much happier places. at least on CC, there aren’t any negative threads full of stressed out students whining and complaining about their school</p>
<p>I’ve never really understood why Berkeley (apparently) has a reputation for being super competitive, because I’ve never felt that…at all (I’ll be a junior this fall).</p>
<p>Berkeley is my favorite place in the world. It’s exactly what I wanted in a university - a nice blend of stellar academics and fun, “traditional big university” traditions. For me, I’m studying what I love and doing very well. I’ll be studying abroad next year. I have two jobs, one of which is a dream job, and the other of which is in a lab directly related to my major. I’m also continuing to pursue music through one of the largest student organizations on campus. I love San Francisco (big reason why I chose Cal over schools like UChicago, Penn, and Yale) and I love the Bay Area - I hang out in the city with my friends all the time, go to a lot of concerts, explore, etc. I really feel I’ve been making the most of my time here at Cal, both educationally and socially.</p>
<p>I can’t speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself, and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been here at Berkeley. I’m MORE than satisfied with my decision to come here over what many would probably consider to be “better” schools (according to who, I say!). My friends and I all love Cal. Now I’m sure if you ask someone pulling an all-nighter in Soda Hall if they love Cal, their answer may be a bit more cautious…but I do think claiming that the majority of students here are happy is not too far-fetched a generalization to make. Cal is a great place, and a great school. I’m sad that my time here is almost halfway done!</p>
<p>I’m a high school senior who will apply as a Biochemistry major. I visited UCLA, but not Berkeley yet. I have high-functioning autism and LD. I am confused what school to choose after you people keep dissing UCB. </p>