Should I transfer?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>Hello college confidential,
Now before any of you jump on my case and say</p>

<p>"NO CAL IS A GREAT PLACE! WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO LEAVE? THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO! HOW MANY OTHER CAMPUSES HAVE DECENT TASTING BOBA? HAVE YOU TRIED GOING TO CLASS NAKED"</p>

<p>hear me out I'm not just another "Berkeley is not #1 at everything and it won't look good on my resume and I want to impress my parents and I have a 2500 on my SATs so I should clearly transfer".</p>

<p>Note: It's a bit long so if you want to go to the punchline just go to the section titled classes. Also if you can tell who I am based on my odd course load (or my inability to write coherently), keep it to yourself. I am posting anonymously for a reason.</p>

<p>Background:
I came to Cal (I'm currently a freshman) because... well I didn't get in anywhere better. I wasn't too bummed, I sort of expected to go to Cal. My GPA in HS was okay and I never found myself to be talented in the humanities. I had a bunch of friends there. They loved it and I loved visiting them so I expected my time there to be awesome as well. When I went to Cal, I found it a little difficult to make friends. My roommate and I get along okay but we never talk and while he's a nice guy and all, he wouldn't make a good friend. Eventually my social life became strong because I joined a club and now I have friends. I'm thinking of joining more after spring break to strengthen my social life. They're nice and I enjoy their company but I would say I get along much better with my high school friends. Cal’s atmosphere sort of bugs me. Cal even annoyed me before I arrived as a student. During my tour of Berkeley, the tour guide could not shut up about rankings and how Cal was right up behind Stanford and MIT. It almost sounded like they had an inferiority complex. I have met very few (although non-zero) students who are extremely motivated and successful, although admittedly I could be looking in the wrong places. I mention this because it was these students with whom I became friends in high school. Berkeley students seem more interested in protesting the current government pay than actually going out in the world and giving future Berkeley students a financially secure future. I was rather annoyed when I saw my friends unable to take their midterms because protesters pulled fire alarms during the middle of their exams. While this isn't representative of the entire student body and I know plenty of students who dislike the protesters, it sends me a bad message. The faculty too have a rather terrible policy. A professor told me that in his department the good professors were given to the largest classes and the worst to honors classes “to minimize the damage” As a student who was hoping to take honors classes and avoid the large classes, I was extremely disappointed. Below is a summary of my coursework, the primary reason I have been questioning my place at this world renowned university.</p>

<p>Classes:</p>

<p>This is the real reason why I'm not so happy at cal. I love a challenge, especially in math/science/CS/EE. I was hoping that the legendary Berkeley EECS department and Berkeley’s math/physics, notorious for its deflation, would give me this challenge. So far I have not been so impressed.</p>

<p>Semester 1:
This semester was pretty normal, I just signed up for a hard load and destroyed it.</p>

<p>Math H110: A (second highest grade in the class midterm 1, although my petition for a regrade was denied on grounds that my first midterm was already ridiculously high and that my professor's time was better spent teaching. On a further note the professor through out this midterm and ended up grading the entire class exclusively on the performance on the final)
Physics H7A: A+ (highest grade in the class midterm 1, 59/60 median was a 30 something)
CS61A : A
CS61C: A
CS195: P</p>

<p>After thoughts: For a course load that people claimed to be so hard, I didn’t think it was too bad. Math required some amount of studying, but nothing obscene.</p>

<p>Semester 2 (in progress):</p>

<p>Semester 2 is more interesting. I originally enrolled in EE20N, the standard intro class for signals to systems. However it was quite boring and I wanted something a bit more exciting. I decided to skip 20 and go right for EE120, the standard upper div signals and systems class.</p>

<p>EE120:
Midterm 1: 98/100 (highest grade in the class, median was 64.5). </p>

<p>Math 104:
Midterm 1 38/40 or “A” (note median grade was a D which was somewhere between 10-20/40)</p>

<p>Physics H7B:
Midterm 1: A (80/100, median was 58/100)</p>

<p>French R1A:
Paper 1: 82/100 (assuming no curve this is a B-). This is a weak point, I know</p>

<p>Research (CS):
It’s um.. going. I hope to get more done during Spring break.</p>

<p>Current thoughts:</p>

<p>Seriously Berkeley, what the heck. I skip your intro class, join an upper division class 3 weeks late as a freshman and I still get the highest grade on the midterm. Math and Physics were also not difficult either. Yes I spend time studying, no I don’t spend an inordinate amount of time studying.</p>

<p>That being said, here’s my thoughts.</p>

<p>I want a school where I really have to work to get a 4.0 technical GPA. I’m not talking 5 hours of studying before an exam, I’m talking 15-20. I also want a school where my peers are just as motivated and capable as I am. I want a school where I am in awe of every single one of my peers, because right now I’m in awe of about 2.</p>

<p>I understand that I could be a bit arrogant here, but these are my honest thoughts. </p>

<p>So, is it me or is it Berkeley?
Should I transfer?
If so, where to (let's talk personality and ignore "my chances")?</p>

<p>I appreciate any comments as long as there is some evidence of thought behind them (which seems to be lacking from many replies on college confidential).</p>

2

<p>I feel like the general mediocre quality of the students make the professors lower their standards.</p>

<p>Berkeley is not a hard school. My advice for you is to just stick around, get a beast gpa, graduate early/ get multiple degrees, get to know some of the brilliant faculty here, and just take more units.</p>

<p>I managed an A+ on my 104 midterm by restating premises, conclusions, and theorems from the book >< I definitely find my understanding of analysis lacking and I can easily find tons of problems that would take me significant effort to solve. What’s my plan for sophomore year? Take like 24 units a semester and complete a math degree . . . after that, probably grad classes or another degree.</p>

<p>Don’t let the school limit your ambitions.</p>

3

<p>Give it one more semester/year. In this trial period, show your transcript to the department and insist on taking graduate classes. Also, the unit limit is NOT a limit - people exceed it all the time. 25, 29, 30 units, it’s all happened before. Take eight courses at once to challenge yourself. Finish your undergrad degree quickly and then move on, using your grad courses and research to propel you further :)</p>

<p>Why am I advocating grad courses so much? Because graduate education >>> undergrad education here at Berkeley. Plus the graduate students here are really at the top of their fields, and it’s these people you can be in awe of.</p>

4

<p>“Cal even annoyed me before I arrived as a student.”
I think you already had your mind set on not liking Berkeley even if you came, so maybe that’s part of the reason. Most people don’t really care about putting the effort in to something they don’t like but if u want to make it better for you, just put in the effort. Change whatever isn’t working. I think you should trying changing a little bit and see if it works out for you. If not, then consider transferring but give it a shot. When i first came, I didnt like it either and i had some of the same opinions. but now I’m starting to like it more because I am finding my “real” friends and not the ones that ditch me or whatever.</p>

5

<p>Cal is not for everyone, but there are definitely plenty of opportunities out there. If Cal did annoy you before you showed up, why bother coming here? I had bad feelings going in, and I should have listened to my gut, but eventually it grew on me. A lot of people are going to convince themselves that they are happy regardless of their situation. I find these people are often the most unhappy and insecure, now that I am well into my adult life. I gripe plenty and most of the time, secure people will agree or realize I’m right, or better yet offer me information I didn’t see or was ignorant of previously. But I also make time to find the good in things. </p>

<p>Of course, there is also the Tang Center. If the feelings are stemming from a sense of hopelessness and despair, it might be depression or even bipolar. If that’s the case, I’d recommend at least talking to someone who might give a fresh perspective. This was my problem, the trouble though is young people very rarely stay on their medicine and the minute they feel better, they stop taking it or they mix it with alcohol and that starts a very vicious cycle. I know I did a lot of damage to myself and others with my ‘episodes’, and I regret not taking them more seriously. So if this is the case, I always highly recommend seeking help. Mental/personal health issues and timidity were my big underminers. </p>

<p>However, you sound like a fairly well adjusted kid, and I always advocate giving the school a full year. If it still feels awkward or like a wrong fit, I’d transfer, even if its too a lesser school. Undergrad doesn’t really matter anymore, it’s all about the graduate studies from what I understand. If you are at all familiar with Matt Groening and Futurama, you’ll probably pick up on the joke I’m referencing. Which is why I’m going back eventually to Grad School. If Cal is easy, knuckle under, get that beast GPA, get research experience, and approach your professors. </p>

<p>You might also consider joining the Greek System or a Co-Op, they’re great fun and it’s not all boozing, wenching, and drugs. You just need to find the House or Co-Op that fits your personality. Was one of the better decisions I made at Cal.</p>

6

<h2>“it’s lonely at the top”</h2>

<p>you could do what 187 does and take all grad classes, lol.</p>

<p>before i can give a recommendation of where to go, i have to ask (you don’t have to answer on the forum, but you should ask yourself seriously), what do you want to do in life? ie what career, what research opportunities, what network do you want to have, what standard of living are you aiming for, where do you want to live, do you have any other outstanding goals?</p>

<p>there’s nothing wrong with a 4.0 in a degree others see as highly rigorous. if you value a 3.7 at an even more rigorous institution than a 4.0 in berkeley math, then that’s up to you. but you should consider how this all factors into your life plans down the road. if you’re chasing this fantasy of competing with all the best mathematicians in the world, why dont you just enter competitions? and if you’re not satisfied then, how much more disappointment will you meet OUTSIDE of college, where the average intelligence/motivation is significantly lower. at some points you need to stop worrying about other things, take up the torch of being pro, and go do your own thing.</p>

7

<p>Take grad classes/graduate early and go to grad school. Clearly undergrad material is too easy for you so take it to another level.</p>

8

<p>Earn a stellar GPA, complete your degree/s at Cal, and try to challenge yourself as much as possible even if it doesn’t seem like it. I’m a transfer student and my dream school is Cal. I would have loved to be in your position as a college freshmen. But each person is different. Good luck :)</p>