<p>Hi, I was wondering if anyone here could give me anymore information on the Geography dept. @ cal... how many students are in it, how competitive it is, admission %... </p>
<p>thanks a lot</p>
<p>are you asking about graduate admissions?</p>
<p>No, ug admissions.</p>
<p>I had a good friend who graduated in geo a few years ago, she really liked it. It's a pretty small dept, and very collegial, not too competitive. The grading is not too harsh by Berkeley standards.</p>
<p>One does not get admitted into the Geography major, but to the College of Letters & Sciences at Cal. I cannot give you a number as to how many students are declarled majors, though I wouldn't say Geography is the most popular major around.</p>
<p>I know that information doesn't help you much, but I wanted to contribute because I was in a similar situation as yourself. One of the reasons I chose Cal was that it is one of few very competitive colleges in the nation to offer a undergraduate major (and minor) in Geography. Even if I did not go on to study Geography, I could minor or, at the very least, take classes in the department. Perhaps the most useful information that I can give you is by directing you as to what you can expect at Cal. I would look at the faculty bios to see what the professors' research interests are, as a geographer in the Bay Area would have different research interests than one in Montana. Secondly, and in many ways mirroring the first point, look at the course catalog to see what is offered. As far as I can tell, the geography department at Cal is more inter-disciplinary that one would suspect. There is increasing interest in the studies of political and human geography. This is reflected in all of the above, as well as the major requirements for geography. If your interest in geography differs with the hopes of greater focus on environment, climate change, and other issues related to the natural terrain, there are other majors at Cal that are better suited for you.</p>
<p>As a prospective student, a useful exercise is to go to the department's webpage. Follow their links to the courses offered in the department. To complete the major, you must complete 8 upper-division courses in the department. Now, look through the entire courses and if you have a hard time finding course topics that really, truly intrigue you, then it's a good indication geopgraphy is not right for you. If, however, you find that you have a surplus of courses that appeal to your interests, then that's definitely a good sign.</p>
<p>Best of luck,
TTG</p>
<p>Wow, thanks a lot for the responses, I really appreciate it. I have checked out the professor profiles and the website, it is a big help. Thanks again for the advice.</p>