<p>@ifleur UC Berkeley is a great school! In fact it’s on part with Harvard for both math and psychology. Not every student can get into their top choice college, but wherever they end up committing to usually becomes their top choice in the end. Especially if he was already released from the waitlist, that means he cannot get into Harvard unless he applies as a transfer student there. Instead of thinking of how another college can fit him better, he should see how he can make the most of Berkeley. All these schools are amazing and really the difference between a school like Berkeley and Harvard is what someone makes of it. Best of luck to your son, I feel he will be enjoying Berkeley a lot this next year! Harvard would have missed out.</p>
<p>Thanks for the encouragement @laila111! I appreciate it and will pass this on to my son. </p>
<p>I think it’s hard for him to give up the idea of living in a dorm called Wigglesworth or Pennypacker though. Cal has creatively named some of its dorms Unit 1, Unit 2 and Unit 3. </p>
<p>two weeks ago i was offered admission off of the wait-list, and had until tomorrow (monday) to decide.
in the end i have chosen to decline the offer, opting to attend a school i have since fallen in love with!
i just wanted to write this post because hopefully this now means another spot has opened up!
happy summer! </p>
<p>@ifleur Your son will love Berkeley; college decisions shouldn’t be based off dorm names. The Berkeley community is possibly more lively than Harvard’s. He’ll even be able to attend some amazing concerts (if that’s something which interests him). A few of my Berkeley friends mentioned they had tickets to see John Legend and Lorde who often come to perform at Berkeley’s Greek theatre. Lots of great events set up for Berkeley students to enjoy.</p>
<p>@glovesNlace Congrats! That’s awesome to hear! Were you offered admission into the class of 2018 or 2019? </p>
<p>Congrats @glovesNlace!
Who was your regional admissions officer btw? Also, have international students too already started getting calls?</p>
<p>hey guys! like @glovesNlace i was offered admission off the waitlist (for the class of 2018, mind you, not the z-list) a couple weeks ago but ultimately opted not to attend 
so perhaps yet another spot’s been opened! </p>
<p>@moderndayratpack Congrats! where have you opted to attend instead? </p>
<p>@glovesNlace @moderndayratpack Congrats!!</p>
<p>@lfleur I’m sure your son will love Berkeley! He just needs some time.
I have some friends there and even though it was not their first choice now they just can’t imagine it any other way.</p>
<p>@laila111 Aww thank you so much! :)</p>
<p>And I’m headed to the University of Chicago, couldn’t be happier <3</p>
<p>@moderndayratpack Such a wonderful school; so happy for you!</p>
<p>Lfleur,</p>
<p>Sorry your son did not have a good intro to Berkeley. Hopefully, he’ll open up to it. It can be work to get into classes. It can take more than four years to graduate with a double major. Some of the class sizes can be big. It can be easy to get lost there. The care of undergrads - the personal touch, the easy access - can be lacking. All of that is true. But the student population is amazing. Really amazing. In a lot of cases, there is student bonding over how difficult it can sometimes be. But there is the excitement, challenge and craziness of going to a major public university. If he takes the time to meet with his profs, he’ll find that they, too, will make the time for him. </p>
<p>It’s not Harvard. It’s not private. It’s not an easy place. It’s Berkeley. It’s unique. And it can be, and has been, a gateway to wonderful experiences.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about your son’s experiences. But it would be interesting to know and consider the differences between great public universities and great private universities. The differences are many. I’m not saying one is better than the other. And in your son’s case, I respect that he would prefer Harvard to Berkeley. But I’d encourage him to at least be aware of the role public universities play, and to embrace that and be open to it. (Social mobility is a key.) </p>
<p>As to the dorm names… those are the names of the clusters (Unit 1, 2, 3). The actual dorm buildings are named for professors. Like Slotman Hall. Slotman was a great history professor who retired in the 90s. Not a donor. Not a rich guy. A history professor. </p>
<p>Noon concerts at Morrison Hall. Lunchtime poetry readings in the Morrison Reading Room. Redwood groves and oak groves in the middle of campus. Good weather. Great professors. Brilliant student colleagues. There’s a lot to like.</p>
<p>Wow, @father2018, @laila111 and @nbreakdown, I’ve read your posts to my son. You’ve helped a lot. Thanks @father2018 for your info regarding the dorms. Shows that my son’s and my knowledge of Cal is at present just scratching the surface and somewhat misinformed. </p>
<p>Someday I’ll come back and post how my son’s year has gone (even though the 2018 Harvard wait will be long over by then). I’ll bet that as you predict, my son will have grown to love Cal. Thanks for taking the time to encourage us!!</p>
<p>ok, now its really making me crazy…don’t you think they should have some more answers this week?</p>
<p>A friend of mine just got off the wait list an hour ago… so maybe more answers will be received this week!</p>
<p>wow that’s awesome! I wonder when they’ll be sending out the next wave of rejections</p>
<p>@thedirigeur was your friend z-listed or given a spot in the class of 2018? </p>
<p>would be interested to know the same thing z list or reg admission from waitlist…maybe we should know this week? does anyone know if we have a cut off date like by end of june or early july will they tell us something?</p>
<p>I did call the Admissions Office last week and all they said was they plan to have all decisions completed and informed by the end of this month - the 30th, at max :/</p>
<p>thank you that’s very helpful…i’ll let you know if we hear anything…</p>