<p>Prettier in the shallowest possible way.</p>
<p>dragoon, go look at the area surrounding Yale or Columbia - this is certainly not exclusive to Berkeley.</p>
<p>Stanford looked pretty dull and drab to me, more like a holiday resort with condos than a university. I guess the Spanish architecture didn’t sit well with me.</p>
<p>Less demanding than a community college? Perhaps it’s your “major.”</p>
<p>And yes, I’m being sarcastically arrogant.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, I’ve just got to say, I’m not delusional enough to say that Berks is better than an Ivy or Stanford - if you get accepted there, go there. Also, I’m pretty sure this was a ■■■■■ thread.</p>
<p>i go to your so-called prestigious east coast school. i’m sitting here right now in my tiny dorm listening to cop cars and massive construction happening. i live in one of the worst cities back here and pay 42k (i have huge FA) for the privilege. i’ve had some great professors, i’ve had some TA’s that were undergrads, i’ve met some great people, and i’ve met the most absurdly pretentious people on earth. long story short i’m transferring to cal. take my spot here, you sound like you would fit right in.</p>
<p>Stanford is a holiday resort? Man, I wish I got into there.</p>
<p>^lol. Just lol.</p>
<p>Depending on the person and major, Berkeley is arguably better than half of the Ivies.</p>
<p>I’m just gonna leave this here
[CAL</a> FOOTBALL - Student Athlete High Performance Center - YouTube](<a href=“CAL FOOTBALL - Student Athlete High Performance Center - YouTube”>CAL FOOTBALL - Student Athlete High Performance Center - YouTube)</p>
<p>^How is that relevant to this? Most, if not all the people on here will never set foot in the SAHPC. Are you on the football team Flobot??</p>
<p>Off topic but I think the SAHPC is going to be open for public tours sometime in the fall. It’s also being used by 13 teams total, so not just football.</p>
<p>lol what’s wrong with a university looking like a resort when it also offers the academics that stanford does?</p>
<p>Flobot posts demonstrates how Berkeley squanders money…</p>
<p>Yeah I didn’t feel like reading through all these hater/lover posts about Berkeley (my brain is out of commission from finals)… but I just wanted to offer my perspective.</p>
<p>I’m also a transfer (just finished Junior year) MCB major 
Classes here aren’t much more difficult than community college - a lot less busy work - but the students tend to be smarter obviously so you have to study to stay on top of the curve. Initially, many students didn’t necessarily seem “cool” and at first I felt like I’d never fit in with the people here. Perhaps I was being stuck up? Regardless, I bided my time and hoped that I’d learn to love Berkeley. </p>
<p>It took me a bit longer to really find my place, but once I stopped complaining about all the things that are wrong about Berkeley (homeless/dirty/rundown/etc) and started involving myself in things on campus, making friends, and exploring the area, I realized that there is no other place that could have been comparable to my experience here. A lot of the time, my experiences suck… like it taking a half hour to walk home drunk in the middle of the night in the rain or realizing that there’s just not enough hours in the day to do all the things I need to. But other times they are amazing… like randomly exploring San Francisco, meeting people from absolutely everywhere who ALL have incredible life stories, interacting with phenomenal professors…</p>
<p>…I guess that’s the thing about Berkeley, it’s an experience! If you’re willing to give in to that and realize that this is just a stepping stone in your life, then it’s SO much easier to enjoy your time here. Though I do think that social investment is absolutely key in being happy here, especially as a transfer. Whichever school people choose, it’s going to be the right decision. No matter where they go, they find their place… but sometimes it’s fun to just pick someplace that’s random and different from what you’re comfortable with. In the end, we’re all kind of here for academics right? </p>
<p>Am I glad I chose Berkeley? Sure. Could I imagine spending more than a few years here? Nah. </p>
<p>Idk, I officially can’t think anymore. The world is immense; don’t limit yourself to too many standards :)</p>
<p>Comparing Berkeley to Ivies is like comparing apple to oranges.</p>
<p>Berkeley is a huge research-led university and is hugely a departmental community. The college of engineering, for instance, is a school in itself and fosters a community almost exclusive from other departments.</p>
<p>The Simpson SAHPC post by Flobot helped address the decaying facilities argument. Berkeley is renewing its infrastructure.</p>
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<p>Let me fix that for you: The Berkeley vs. Stanford thing boils down to the Big Public University vs. Small Private Junior University. :D</p>
<p>RML’s post 76 is spot on! “The Berkeley experience” is just not something easily defined, because the place is large, and what part of campus you spend most of your time on largely colors your view.</p>