<p>Hey all,
I am having trouble deciding whether to go the U of M or Berkeley. Berkeley is reputed to have a very rigorous and stressful academic environment....but I do not know about U of M....How rigorous/stressful is it to do well in classes at the U (particularly in the Liberal Arts)???? If it were significantly less stressful I may consider it over Berkeley.</p>
<p>My friend who is in the program I would be going into at Berkeley said that it was "VERY HARD", which kind of jolted me a little...I enjoy working hard, but I'd like to avoid any extra stress from what I already put on myself (with my very high and compulsive standards)...would the U be a good place for me?</p>
<p>I’ve taken a number of 3xxx CLA (4 in Asian Languages and Literatures, 2 in History and 1 in both German [a literature class in translation] and American Studies) classes and most are rather easy. I’ve had a couple of professors who have been substantially harder than others though with respect to grading. In any case this isn’t too much work. This could conceiavbly be different in other departments though. However, if Berkeley and the U cost a similar amount I would strongly recommend going to Berkeley. If you’re paying OOS for Berkeley I would recommend the U though.</p>
<p>Depends on your major and work ethic. There are only a few courses at the U that will curve down, so stress is almost entirely a result of poor time management.</p>
<p>What kind of program are you looking at, what are your career goals, and where would you like to live and find jobs after you graduate? Those are things you should ask yourself too when deciding. If one school would significantly increase your chances of reaching your goals, don’t rule it out because you’re worried it might be difficult. If you do, you’ll likely wonder later on if you could have achieved more by taking the tougher route. It sounds like you have a good work ethic and would do well at either school. Best of luck making a decision.</p>
<p>I plan on going to grad school…would grad schools look higher upon graduating from Berkeley vs the U? What is my GPA is slightly lower at Berkeley and higher at the U? I also want to eventually settle in MN…would U be a better option? However the grad program at the U does not focus on what I want to study so I would have to go somewhere else for grad school.</p>
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You’re overthinking this. Any difference in difficulty between these two schools will be outweighed by the other differences.</p>
<p>Are there jobs for your field in MN?</p>
<p>Yes there are jobs for my field in MN, comparable to any other large city.</p>