Ask a disgruntled Cal student (transfer) anything!

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>I am a spring transfer, I have a lot of issues with Cal. I like a lot of what Cal has... beautiful campus, great people, unparalleled learning; but I have some major problems with cal.</p>

<p>problem 1- curves.
problem 2- gsi's grading tests (having to fight professors on points sucks)
problem 3- scheduling is weak.
problem 4- SAFETY (car window smashed first week here, also yelled at by strapped gangsterish people at a gas station, harassed by hobo's 2 or 3 times a day)
problem 5- freakishly liberal in all of my classes (I am more liberal leaning too rofl)
there are more problems. I am probably going to UCLA (already accepted) in the fall, if anyone else is having that debate I would be more than happy to shed some light on your issues.</p>

<p>let me know if you have questions :D
(fin aid, dsp, co ops, driving in berkeley, etc...)</p>

<p>I have more positives, but I have a lot more negatives. also before you say "he couldn't hack it there" I'm looking at 2 A's and a B+. I have also had no problem making friends in all of my classes.</p>

<p>Going to bed, been up way too late studying for a ridiculous stats final (rofl) I will reply to questions tomorrow.</p>

2

<p>hey! I’m sorry to hear that actually…but thanks for answering some questions :smiley:
what’s your major?
where were you parked when that window got smashed? (lawl)
where are you living?
is it really possible to transfer to UCLA after already transferring to berkberk?
have you made any good friends?
i know driving in Berkeley is actually a very horrendous experience. (drove around there yesterday). what did you use your car for?
finally, what do you mean by “scheduling is weak”? like did you not get a good telebears appt time thing?</p>

3

<p>hey! I’m sorry to hear that actually…but thanks for answering some questions
what’s your major?
-applied math / econ</p>

<p>where were you parked when that window got smashed? (lawl) </p>

<p>-North Berkeley inside my apartments garage, but be weary of all of hearst. When I walked down that street one day I saw the remains of atleast 10 different smashed windows.</p>

<p>where are you living? </p>

<p>-North Berkeley Apartment Complex in a residential area (considered safe)</p>

<p>is it really possible to transfer to UCLA after already transferring to berkberk?</p>

<p>-Yes, I did it.</p>

<p>have you made any good friends?</p>

<p>-Yes, and all 3 of them are trying to talk me out of leaving Cal. Friends help, but it doesn’t help you cope with the nonsense you deal with everyday in class.</p>

<p>i know driving in Berkeley is actually a very horrendous experience. (drove around there yesterday). what did you use your car for?</p>

<p>-I use my car for driving to Cal, and for driving to SF, and for driving home…etc.
driving here is a nightmare for the first 2 weeks, until you get use to it. After that it is ok. The pedestrians are mildly ■■■■■■■■, they have the right of way and (girls in particular) will walk out across the street without even looking up! I have to slam my brakes at least once per week to avoid a potential manslaughter charge lol. Adjusting to driving here takes some time, you just need to learn the streets that flow for cars better.</p>

<p>finally, what do you mean by “scheduling is weak”? like did you not get a good telebears appt time thing?</p>

<ul>
<li>I had a great appointment time, scheduling just sucks. Most classes (upper divs) are only offered in one lecture time slot, so this semester I couldn’t take an econ class I really needed, and next semester I can’t take a math class I realllllllllllllly need; without having to sacrifice another class that I really need. So my major is falling apart and looking like an Econ only major, which is of little use to me. There is also this annoying issue where they only offer classes once a year or one semester out of 4; so all of these classes I was excited about taking up here I am not even going to get to take lol.</li>
</ul>

<p>As a side note, all of my finals are at night (like 6pm or later)- another example of scheduling crap. It’s been empirically proven that the mind is more fresh in the morning, so I am stuck adjusting my sleep schedule to some insanely late hour. Ugh.</p>

<p>You forgot the most important complaint of mine, curves. If you are like me you probably finished at the top of your class almost always at CC. At Cal without a major overhaul to your studying that will mean 60-70th percentile; which depending on the teacher equates to a B-/B. For a lot of Econ, Stats, Math, Premed classes, Compsci, etc. this will attack your GPA ruthlessly. If you can’t maintain a perfect gpa, good bye grad school. Also goodbye finance jobs worth getting, and if you really blow it <3.0, goodbye major.</p>

4

<p>I’m starting at Cal this fall as a cc transfer. I was deciding between UCLA and Cal too and I chose Cal just bc I’m sick of SD and ready for someplace new. I’m looking on craigslist to get some idea of where the cheaper-but-not-ghetto neighborhoods are. Just from reading these boards it seems like commute is a huge and expensive pain so are there any areas off campus you might recommend that I won’t have to worry about my car getting broken into or paying an exorbitant amount of rent?</p>

<p>Also, you said that the people are freakishly liberal. I’m a pretty conservative Republican and I’m in the extreme minority in SoCal as it is so I’m wondering if it will be harder to make friends up there or if profs/gsi’s/classmates won’t respect my opinion bc of bias. Any thoughts?</p>

<p>Thanks so much for your input!</p>

5

<p>OMG you’re scaring me a bit there.</p>

6

<p>Safe areas to live? No matter where you are in Berkeley, if you leave something in your car it is a BAD idea(people here think it is normal to get a window smashed if you leave something in your car rofl). I am from socal too, I use to leave my backpack in my car ALL the time. I did it once here and my window got smashed for it. North Berkeley tends to be more residential (less crowded better for car owners) but South Berkeley is where all the frats and most students are. There is also a lot more crime in South Berkeley. If you own a car I recommend North Berkeley. If you look at a Map, North of University Ave. East of Sacramento Ave. , are almost all good areas. If you look at south Berkeley I am not as clear on the borders but stay East of Shattuck and North of Dwight and you can’t go wrong. The further south you go the closer to Oakland you get. The closer to Oakland you get the closer you get to gun violence and random people yelling at you (you laugh at this, but I have been threatened on more than one occasion… granted I am white)
Here is a rough map I just put together, I think most Berkeley students will agree with me here:
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Yellow = Safe to live, mostly safe at night.
Lines = Avoid living here, Avoid here late at night.
Circled = People’s park Lot’s of hobos and highschool students that like to cause trouble. Be careful.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t share that you are conservative, just smile and nod. Some professors get way too political in their lectures so as a conservative I could see that annoying you. If you share your views with them its a 50/50, they either respect your view and want to debate it with you, or hate you. I error on the side of caution.
As far as classmates go, I avoid politics all together. That’s personal preference though. I have made 1-2 friends per class and formed study groups / homework groups and that’s that.</p>

<p>There is rent control all over Berkeley, I have a rent controlled 1 bedroom apartment with parking for $1100/month, it’s a bit small but I am ok with it. South Berkeley will be more expensive for 1br’s… like ~1300/m + $2000 SD. There is a great website for finding places to live I just can’t think of it right now, I’ll post it later if it comes to me(it combines all of the different search engines for apartment listings on to a map so you can click on them and shows br #'s etc). Maybe someone else will interject. Studios are insanely expensive because they assume you are going to share it with someone. they go for 900-1300/m.</p>

<p>And don’t let me get you down on Cal, it’s a great school. I am just not a competitive student. I don’t feel like I should have to study stupidly easy material 6 hours a day so that I can get a perfect score versus the class average of 90% so that I stay 2SD’s above average. Take for instance my easiest class this semester- a stats class, it has become my hardest class, ONLY because of the curve. </p>

<p>Crap, there went 25 minutes I should have been using to study stats :P</p>

7

<p>deanza, if you are an active studier/text reader you will maintain B’s easily. Getting A-'s is also pretty doable. Solid A’s will require a lot of extra effort for curved classes though.</p>

<p>2 of my friends that transferred up to Cal with me at the same time both don’t have a single A this semester. Both of the A’s I am looking at are like ~93’s so I have to ace my finals to keep them (soooo much studying.)</p>

<p>What I hate about Berkeley the most aside from curved classes is my security. I don’t really feel safe outside at night alone, and I like to jog at night :(.</p>

8

<p>Lol thanks so much, especially for the map! Yeah I live in the serious barrio in east San Diego and I’ve never had a problem leaving stuff I my car. I guess I’ll just have to be more aware of my surroundings when I get up there. </p>

<p>And yeah, sometimes class discussions turn political and I try to avoid it but it’s kind of annoying when teachers and students just say things expecting that EVERYONE in the room will naturally agree with their liberal, so when I say anything that suggests a bit of right-leaning, I just get eyerolls. I think you’ve probably got the right idea by staying out of it altogether. Thanks again and good luck studying!</p>

9

<p>@ BPKid: Are you in Stats 21? I was reviewing some of the material for that class, and judging by the final study guide, it seems pretty rough. If not, which stats class are you in? Stats is probably one of if not my best subject, so I was considering taking Stats 21 or the Upper Div public health stats course next semester.</p>

<p>Btw I second what you’re saying about getting flat A’s. I have 2 A’s and a B, but both A’s are like 93-94%. Granted, psych classes don’t have curves though.</p>

10

<p>stat 20 with Ibser, the material in the book can be learned with one read through. By comparison to linear alg/ diff eqn it’s amazingly easy.</p>

<p>Granted, Ibser has a way of making the questions very difficult the first time around, because he asks the questions in a way that isn’t presented in the book. Once he has shown you a question or two via a quiz it is very easy. [I say this but on the midterm I was &lt;70th percentile, and I’ve only gone &gt;80percentile on one quiz]</p>

<p>The econ class I am taking by contrast I have to read the chapters each two or three times before I can really solve the problems at the end of the chapter.</p>

<p>Long story short, avoid the 20 series if possible- it is meant to weed people out of a few different majors. It has caused me to lose so much time that I could have spent learning math and economics, that it just infuriates me. If you have to take one of the 20’s expect a curve of 20% A’s, 30% B’s, 40% C’s, 10% D’s/F’s. You can assume half of those A’s will be freakishly smart people and the other half will be the pre-med/haas students. :stuck_out_tongue:
Yeah I have one A- @ 92% and one A @ 93%, which means if I get a low to mid B on the final I’ll get a B+, sooooo much studying.</p>

<p>@KeelyMK
What I find annoying is when every student in class accepts the professor’s political leanings as 100% truth, and then in section says his exact opinion over again as part of their answer because they think his political leaning is the CORRECT choice. People are just so easy to manipulate in a classroom setting.</p>

11

<p>The first 3 problems can be found on every campus. Problems 2 and 3 especially.</p>

12

<p>2) yeah that’s true.</p>

<p>3) UCLA has quarters, Cal has semesters. That means for every 2 semesters you have to schedule a class at Cal you have 3 quarters at UCLA. So logically the probability of getting the classes you want goes up with increased opportunities to schedule said class.</p>

<p>:P</p>

<p>edit:</p>

<p>on problem 1 are you familiar with UCLA’s classes? do they have entire departments curved or do you know how it works?</p>

<p>I ask because I’m curious, that sounds kind or rude when I read it to myself.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

13

<p>One of the reasons I’m choosing UCLA over Berkeley is safety.</p>

14

<p>I’m not too worried about safety; I’ll probably sell my car before I move up there, I’m a recreational target shooter (thus proficient with my shooting skills, but obviously I don’t have my firearms everywhere) and I carry a knife (thankfully thats still legal on campus). But I can diffuse most situations and get along with almost anyone, so I think it’ll be fine. </p>

<p>The grading curve concerns me, but I guess I’ll just have to see how it works when I get up there. As far as keeping my politics to myself (libertarian) I’m quite used to that at my CC, so no problem there. Plus I can easily write what the prof wants to hear in papers and whatnot, so I’ll just try and manipulate the system that way.</p>

15

<p>the safety thing has more to do with someone pulling a gun on you for your backpack/wallet at night. during the day there isn’t too much to worry about.</p>

<p>there’s a website that shows all of the crimes and where they occured, I wouldn’t recommend you look at it (it scared the crap out of me lol) but google it if you are curious. muggings = daily ****.</p>

16

<p>Is safety really that much of a problem in Berkeley? The fact that you’re leaving Berkeley partly because you’re concerned about safety is really worrisome to me, BPkid. </p>

<p>I like taking walks and jogging, often after it gets dark. I currently live in a very safe area and NEVER have to worry about my safety. The closest I get to being harassed on the streets here is being told I’m a pretty girl by elderly men… </p>

<p>Are the hobos and other “crazies” not generally harmless?</p>

17

<p>idk, I feel like you’re blowing the crime out of proportion. Yes there are a lot of hobos in Berkeley, yes it’s dirty and grungy, yes crime DOES happen. But it’s not like you’re living in East Oakland or East Palo Alto or East Side San Jose. You just need to be more careful. DON’T leave anything in your car – that’s asking for someone to break into it. You shouldn’t be walking alone in ANY city late at night in the dark – they have BearWalk for that or make sure you’re with friends.</p>

18

<p>Buy a nice, small folding knife, and a little 2.5oz container of Fox labs pepper spray (check ebay). Everyone should always have some means of defending themselves, since crime can happen anywhere. You have car insurance based on the same principle: better to be prepared, and never need it, than need it and not have it. Or learn karate, but against an armed assailant I’d rather have a weapon of some type.</p>

19

<p>I’ve actually been sprayed with pepper spray when my friend threw her keys down on the table in front of me and the lock was off. I wanted to die… seriously recommended if you’re really worried lol. Though I really don’t think Berkeley is much different than any other city, maybe some people grew up a little bit more sheltered than others. I live in Orange County and a lot of people don’t realize that it’s not all rich people in mini-mansions. Half of it is super ghetto. I’ve had people get shot in the park behind my house (with about a hundred homeless people that sleep on the playground), a car blown up on my street, a prisoner ran into my house to hide from police helicopters. This was just in the last two years and all of this happened right next to Disneyland :slight_smile: Safety is all about learning how to be street smart and not putting yourself in a situation that could be sketchy.</p>

20

<p>LOL @ all the safety stuff. I lived in South Central (yes THE South Central) Los Angeles for the first 17 years of my life. Im not unfamiliar with those types of areas…</p>

<p>Anyway… Math and Econ huh? Awesome, that’s what I plan on doing too.</p>

<p>1.) How hard are upper div math and econ classes? I love math and usually beast even the hardest exams but **** like analysis and linear algebra scares the crap out of me.</p>

<p>2.) Hows discrete math?</p>

<p>3.) I gotta take linear algebra & differential equations if/when I get up there in the fall. How bad is it ? Consider the fact that im taking Econ 100a, Stats 20, and one other class along with it.</p>

<p>4.) How hard is it to balance the two majors?</p>

<p>5.) For finance, what made you choose the math route as opposed to stats?</p>

<p>6.) How are the employment prospects at Berk (and as you probably guessed… finance) ? How hard would it be to land that dream summer internship/full time position with a top firm? (eg Goldman, Citi, UBS, etc)</p>

<p>7.) Lastly, do the Hass students hog up all the good jobs (Listed above)?</p>

<p>Thanks for taking the time out to answer questions.</p>