So I got into Berkeley’s EECS program early this year and I was really pumped to possibly go there for college, but some of the stories on here scare me. There are numerous discussions dedicated solely to ward people away. It seems like everybody either hates it, or is smart enough to get through it. Are there any stories of EECS people truly enjoying their undergrad experience with Berkeley?
Warnings for myself:
I’m from Ohio so I’d be going super far away from home
I’m mainly interested in CS and not EE, so I may hate EE classes
I may have just gotten in because I’m a girl and not of high enough caliber
I tend to procrastinate (which I’m trying to fix)
I’m a little shy until I get to know someone so I don’t know if I’d make fast friends
Although, I do plan on working very hard, I still want to look back on undergrad as the best years of my life. Any thoughts from current EECS students?
0a. Congratulations. Being admitted to UCB EECS is no small feat. You can pat yourself in the back, if you haven’t done so.
0b. People at UCB EECS, particularly people in ad. com., want you to be successful. If they hadn’t thought you were not qualified, they wouldn’t have admitted you. Relax.
0c. I’m not sure where you heard/read “numerous discussions dedicated solely to ward people away.” If you do, take it with a grain of salt. Each person is different. I think most people enjoy their experience and UCB, just don’t talk about it if not asked. My D really enjoys her time there. The worst complaint I often hear from her was the food served at a meeting being not tasty
I don't have any advice/idea here. My house is about 1 hr from UCB. My D stays near campus, coming home every other weekend on average.
Same as my D. She took just the required EE classes (only EE20 and EE40 I think) and enjoyed them. In EE40, her group was one of the few chosen to demonstrate the final project in front of the class.
I don't think so. You can't do anything about it anyway.
You need to fix it. The classes at UCB move very fast. In particular for CS classes, you need time to absorb the (new) concepts. If you procrastinate, they will become overwhelming.
I wouldn't worry about "making fast friends." But you need to be assertive and take initiative. It is a big school. Help is always available (and you'll need lots of it), but you need to look for it.
My background (that is, if it matters): CS degree, out of school working as EE for 15 years, then back to CS for 16 years now. My D was an EECS undergrad at UCB, and now in the CS PhD program there. She was admitted to PhD program at several top schools, but likes UCB so much and stays there.
@ucbalumnus Yes I’m one of the few lucky enough to not worry about costs. I’m definitely improving on my procrastination. The thing is I always do hw/projects early. I have ADD and memory problems so studying early results in me forgetting a lot. But that’s mainly for straight memorization type classes.
@Pentaprism thanks for your response! I’m definitely improving on the procrastination part. If you are curious as to why I do that, I have it in my response to ucbalumnus. In classes like Cs, math, etc I don’t anticipate procrastinating because I’ve taken multiple college classes at Carnegie Mellon university over the summer and I was very good at getting my work done especially in the programming classes.
Overall I’m not afraid of hard work. That’s not the issue. I want to know if people through the hard work are having a lot of fun and loving their experience. Not like a partying experience type thing. I don’t really party. But just a general fun time.
Hard work might not get you straight A’s every semester, but it’s almost always enough for at least 3.0 GPA which is what matters. Berkeley wouldn’t have accepted you if it didn’t think you were a high caliber.
The coursework can be bit daunting but I don’t think it’s any easier for other places especially for CS. One thing I know there will be other somewhat shy folks who also can’t make fast friends, but they might be just the kind of folks you’ll find each other to get through. I believe at least the majority of EECS are focused on CS, so you won’t be alone on that either.
Overall, the only thing I would be worried is #1 as Berkeley isn’t quite a school that doesn’t win many football games in a somewhat vacant stadium with too many people apathetic about football. And of course, being far from home, but that’s something you have to decide for yourself.
I posted this in another discussion about the same thing. I’m ME but took the intro CS classes. (CS and EECS, if you want it to be this way, can be almost identical at Berkeley). CS classes, especially the intro classes at Berkeley, can be a lot of fun. They are a lot of work(probably the most work you’ll ever have done up to that point, but the majority of students consider it rewarding and worth their time at the end.) The CS/EECS community is very strong, and most students I know are involved in the community and have social lives outside of class–there are of course people who spend their lives coding, but it doesn’t have to be that way if you don’t want it to. I’m biased, but I really think Berkeley has one of the best EE/CS programs in the country, so come here if you can!
Contrary to popular belief, Berkeley is not like some intense academic hell, it’s just a school, and most students do just fine . And most of my friends are EECS or CS, and although I know some who are as you describe, it’s really all up to you about what you want to prioritize and how you want to spend your time. You don’t need to spend 100% of your time on classes in order to do well, and most students don’t.
Oh, also because of the rigor the students undertake at Berkeley, and the proximity to a TON of companies, you definitely don’t need to do super well–you don’t need As, people do fine w B’s and B+s–to score jobs and internships. Skills and whether or not you’re able to actually do stuff are way more important, so another reason why people don’t need to be so stressed about school. This is unfortunately only really true for EECS and CS, but that’s what you’re asking about xD.
