Hi!
I was just wondering, does anyone know what it’s like going to UC Berkeley? Would you have a ‘traditional’ college experience?
Define “‘traditional’ college experience.”
I have a student there. It’s huge. You have to be your own advocate unless you are in a niche group like a recruited athlete. The Greek system is big in the social scene. There are lots of opportunities, but you have to seek them out. Big classes too! Hope you’re not scared easily…you have to have the appetite for a place like this. Still, it’s a fun environment, and the town of Berkeley is Cambridge-esque, much like the surrounds of Harvard.
@preppedparent Sounds awesome! Thanks 
The Greek system is far less important overall at Berkeley than at Northwestern and Dartmouth and other places too numerous to mention, unless that is the “social scene” you want to be a part of. Cal is indeed a big place with big classes, but 1000s of kids have managed to survive and thrive. I think Berkeley is anything but Cambridge-esque but I’ll admit I’m prejudiced against the traffic and cars back there, and there is a definite similarity in the way the town and gown blend seamlessly together. Where one ends and the other begins is often hard to tell (and often an issue in local politics, but we won’t go there).
@AboutTheSame But it’s possible to join fraternities? @preppedparent Are you in a fraternity?
Thanks!
Oh yes. They exist. There are lots of them. All I meant was that the Greek system at Berkeley is not the overwhelming presence that it is, for example, at Dartmouth where something like 60% of the students or more belong to a fraternity or a sorority. And you would find a greater percentage of kids at Berkeley who would not be caught inside a Greek house.