<p>Hey everyone,</p>
<p>I have a pretty decent chance of getting into Cal, it seems, but some of the rumors I've heard have me second guessing whether or not I'd be happy there. I've heard that people at Cal are cold, cut throat, and that everyone just studies 24/7. How true are these rumors, exactly? I'm a pretty laid back person, and I'd prefer a school where people are friendly and intelligent, but also have lives. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>It really depends on your major … also how efficiently you can get your work done and what grades you are okay with.</p>
<p>My most super social kid was a forestry major and played on the Ultimate Team. His friends were warm, generous, fun and funny. They played and studied equally hard. He graduated from high school not having to study much for his high grades. Freshman year at Cal was a major adjustment but he finally learned to study. The camaraderie of the team and the closeness of the forestry department made all the difference. He was VERY happy all four years there and met lifelong friends.</p>
<p>honestly you do study a lot but i think that’s ultimately beneficial for you in the long run. You learn how you study best and you work really hard and are generally better off than those college students that never have that failure that drives them forward and those times where you HAVE to study to make it. It’s not easy, but its worth it. And i guess in some majors it might be cutthroat but I don’t think thats the norm. Almost everyone i’ve met is super nice and helpful. I’ve run into some people that don’t necessarily want to help you but there are more of the former than the latter.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies, everyone! I guess I should have added that I’m a Philosophy major. I’ve heard Philosophy is pretty challenging at Berkeley, but I would expect no less at such a prestigious school. I’m up for a challenge, and have no problem putting in the time to study. However, I also want to have a life. A balance between work/fun is really what I’m after.</p>
<p>If your a philosophy major, you should not worry about people being cold or mean. Honestly i have taken tow philosophy classes and the students in there were the warmest and kindest I have met so far on campus.</p>
<p>However, upper division MCB classes and some of the lower division science classes like Bio 1A have people that will talk to you, but won’t be interested in friendly activities outside the classroom. Just my experience though</p>
<p>There is quite a lot of camaraderie in Engineering and CS. The Biology major is the worst. Philosophy is in between.</p>
<p>Come visit Cal and see for yourself.</p>
<p>This goes for all schools you are applying to. There is no better way to learn about the school than to manually visit and walk around and even go to some philosophy classes.</p>
<p>don’t come here.</p>
<p>I would agree with UpMagic. Come visit! Berkeley is a huge school and full of all kinds of people. Berkeley has a reputation for tough and competitive grading policies, but it’s not like the whole student body is constantly studying or trying to sabotage each other. Almost everyone I’ve talked to likes it here.</p>