<p>interesting thread. cal alum here. </p>
<p>to answer the original question, it’s not hard to graduate from berkeley. all it takes a 2.0. now, is it hard to graduate with a GOOD gpa? that depends on your major, how intelligent you are, and how hard you work. one person may graduate with a 4.0 in EECS with no sweat while another may graduate with a 2.7 in sociology despite a good effort (believe it or not, people like this do exist even at colleges like uc berkeley). </p>
<p>i admit that i was initially one of those aimless, passionless, and decidedly mediocre students who got into cal by luck. i majored in a social science and took easy cheesy classes my first few years at cal before i made a 180 change and started taking some bio/chem/physics courses for a health career (NOT premed, far from it). while i didnt get A’s in those classes (B = Best grade i could get), i got a greater feeling of satisfaction because i was giving it my all and the courses were forcing me to embrace challenge. at the same time, i do think cal can take its curving grades bullshyt too far, which means students who should have a good chance getting into grad school and doing well there have an uphill battle if one too many nasty curves screw them over (i am mostly talking about people who are going to grad school for math/technical & health professional fields). in that sense, i think a lot of cal students who didnt too well and cant get into grad schools (or schools of their choice) might have been better off going to a ‘lesser’ school that may have slightly easier grading and more opportunities. the school name can only get you so far. even if you dont want to acknowledge it, you’ll find that out eventually when you graduate. i know plenty of people who went to lesser-known schools with whatever reputations, but they still were able to succeed because they have connections, a good personality, and the smarts. going to cal won’t make you suddenly attain all those positive attributes. </p>
<p>would i still have gone to cal knowing what i do now? yes, i would have. despite its faults i still loved berkeley. the campus has a vibe you cant find anywhere else (and ive checked out stanford, most other UC’s, and some ivy leagues). GO BEARS!</p>