<p>My daughter and I visited Berkeley last summer and she loved it. But I worry about things I've heard about huge class sizes and difficulty making friends. She's and a language person and will probably major in English or Spanish. She'd also like to write for the Daily Cal. What have you heard about class sizes/making friends?</p>
<p>fiskelove, I graduated from Berkeley ('73) and my daughter is currently a junior there. Yes, there are a lot of big classes, although class size does get smaller as you become an upper-division student and start taking more classes in your major. Most large classes are broken into sections taught by "GSIs"--graduated student instructors. My daughter has really enjoyed those and has learned a lot from her GSIs, some of whom have actually tutored her in difficult math, chemistry, or physics classes. There are also very small seminar-type classes--probably moreso in a major like English. If your daughter is the type of person who needs lots of personal attention and does not have an assertive personality--i.e., doesn't feel comfortable going up to professors after class or during office hours and asking questions--then Berkeley may not be for her. Students who do well at Berkeley are those who are not afraid to seek out and go after what they want. There are a huge number of resources there, but they don't come to you; you must be assertive and confident enough to look for them.</p>
<p>As for friends, my daughter has had NO trouble making friends whatsoever, and she was somewhat shy and very studious in high school. Like at any other school, the place where most kids meet their core group of friends is in the dorm (or in some cases, frat/sorority). There are zillions of clubs and casual sports teams, etc.--many opportunities to make friends outside the dorm too.</p>
<p>I think the bottom line for your daughter is the gut feel she has/had when visiting Berkeley. If she loved it, chances are she WILL love it. My daughter applied to and was accepted by 6 UC campuses, and Berkeley wasn't high on her list initially. But after she went to an overnight stay program in the dorms, she called me the next day--much to my delight as an alumnus!--and told me Berkeley was it. She hasn't regretted that decision. Good luck!</p>
<p>fiskelove, </p>
<p>If your daughter wants a really "intimate" experience, majoring in Spanish would be a great option. From the little interaction I've had with them, I've gotten the impression Spanish majors are generally an animated and friendly bunch. The Spanish professors are nice, approachable, and numerous relative to the number of students in Spanish. But beware of English, where classes are famously tough and people notoriously post-modern. Along with Spanish, German and French are also "good" departments.</p>
<p>the important thing is not being shy, i've noticed that more introverted/shy people tend to not seem to find their social niche, but more animated, loud, outgoing people find friends easy, that's the way it's been for me.</p>
<p>Hi! I'm a freshman and planning on studying comparative literature (English and Spanish), and possibly doubling in history (if I ever finish the paper I'm working on right now...sigh). Anyway, the English prereq I'm taking right now has about 150 kids in it, and the professor is one of the funniest, smartest, most knowledgeable teachers I've ever had. He's writing a book about Shakespeare and is an excellent lecturer. I'm taking intermediate Spanish; the class (and just about every other class) has less than 20 kids. I'm taking a fascinating seminar about language and politics in southern Africa with a world-renowned linguistics professor who has worked with Noam Chomsky and teaches Swahili -- 20 kids. And as an aspiring journalist, I write for the Daily Cal! It's an excellent, excellent publication; the students I work with pour their hearts and souls into it, with the editors working upwards of 60 hours a week. Your daughter will be covering one of the world's best universities in one of the nation's most interesting cities -- what better journalism experience could you ask for?</p>
<p>Point is, I love Berkeley. I initially was scared about all those big scary lectures, too -- I'm quite shy -- but my independent streak has emerged and I've become more social, outgoing, and engaged. Join clubs, introduce yourself to people in class, talk to people in the dorms -- it's the same shtick no matter where you end up.</p>
<p>I'm so glad to hear of your positive experiences at Berkeley! Your classes sound great! Did you have a hard time getting into the ones you wanted? How big is your Spanish class? Also, how did you start writing for the Daily Cal? How have your made most of your friends? Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>fiskelove, most students tend to find their niche they live in the dorms the first year.</p>
<p>berkeley has many big classes and i tend to make friends in the discussion sections and not the lecture.</p>
<p>if your daughter decides to major in spanish there will be many small classes. i quick scan at the class sizes from the schedule of classes shows that nearly all upper division courses have less than 30 students.</p>
<p>generally classes for many majors are very small if they are not one of the "traditional" majors such as business, economics or (integrative) biology or MCB (similar to biochemistry).</p>
<p>Big Classes means more people to meet! Obviously its a little hard to meet them at first, but thats what discussion sections (15-20 students) help with. Plus, the dorms, dining commons, clubs, groups, and so many other ways will help with making friends. I have a friend who is one of they most shy people i know and she has met SO many people.</p>
<p>Cal is a place where absolutely anybody can fit in and flourish. I hope this helps with her decision!</p>
<p>GO BEARS!</p>
<p>My son is a freshman at ucb and I believe his bio lab has 7 students. His discussion sections have around 15. I was pleasantly surprised!</p>