<p>I just got into CAL under EECS and into UCLA under EE.
The main thing thats turning me off from Cal right now is the intense workload put under the students.
Can anyone who is currently in EECS comment on how much work they tend to do a day or a week?</p>
<p>It depends on how well you understand the material. The intense workload pays off once you graduate.</p>
<p>The workload is definitely intense and pretty ****ing hard. I’m currently a grad student, and I graduated from UCLA two years ago with honors, and I can tell you that my GPA and academic grade right now in Cal aren’t that impressive. The materials are pretty hard and if you don’t pay attention, you may find yourself far behind in your class. If you are a hard worker, then go to Cal. If you want to be more relaxed and maybe have a party or two every week - then go to UCLA.</p>
<p>I’m only a freshman, so I can’t really comment on the upper division courses, but it hasn’t been that bad so far for my 1st year here. If you pace yourself and have a nice balance of technical and humanities classes (3:1 ratio or so), it definitely is doable. </p>
<p>I spend maybe an hour each per week for math/physics, reading and digesting the textbook. Then maybe an additional ~3 hours per week doing physics homework, ~1.5 hours per week for math and an hour or two for CS. Really, it’s very variable. If the material “clicks”, then you’ll cruise by. Then half an hour a day reading for my humanities class. I haven’t really had to pull all nighters, but I have slept at 5 am trying to finish essays (procrastination on my part). Like I said, if you spread out the work, it’s relatively painless. The key is to stay ahead and not fall behind, something I didn’t realize first semester. I basically kept up my study habits from high school, which obviously did not work out so well; Berkeley is another beast entirely. </p>
<p>Besides, I have a feeling UCLA EE isn’t going to be any easier.</p>
<p>EECS at Berkeley will be tough amounts of work for sure. The CS project courses can be beasts. CS 150 is legendary. However, honestly you should, regardless of how overworked you are, find time to relax. It’s the only way to keep a fresh head.</p>
<p>eecs is hella busy.</p>