UC Berkeley sucks

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

<p>UC Berkeley makes you attend lectures and discussion sections. In these lectures, the professor just summarizes what's in the book. In the discussion sections, the graduate student instructor just summarizes what the profesor said during lecture.... wtf... why is Berkeley wasting my time.</p>

<p>All my classes at Berkeley number over 200 people. wtf.... The education quality at a CC is like 20x better. To combat this shitty classroom experienve, UC Berkeley forces you to waste an extra hour of your life by attending a second lecture, in a smaller classroom, with an inexperienced student instructor who doesn't know anything about teaching students... wtf...</p>

<p>The classes at berkeley are overrated. I've gone through the books of all my classes.... ez stuff... </p>

<p>Berkeley views transfer students as retards... I had a 4.0 at cc, I ttansferred as an econ major because I likes the subject. At Berkeley, transferring as an econ major means you're stuck in class with haas rejects and foreigners who cant speak english properly... They also make you take dumbed down econ courses with minimal math. By doing this, they hope to screw you over by giving you a worthless degree that doesnt mean shit. At the end of the day, you're left with no real skills for a job, and you owe Berkeley 40K+. Makes me wish I had applied to haas. </p>

<p>F Berkeley, they wont let me switch haas.</p>

<p>I asked Berkeley for on campus apartments, they put me in the units with all freshman. F that. I havent had proper sleep in forever because of the noise. I think Ive called the RA's multiple times, and they dont do shit. And to get out of these fking contracts or getting a transfer is sich a big hassle.... wtf berkeley....</p>

<p>Berkeley restaurants charge high prices and low food quality..... </p>

<p>I said that the transfers at berkeley were not smart, but most of the other kids attending this college are also stupid. They put in only like 5 hours a day into their studies, and then whine about how hard their classes are. Berkeley's criterias for undergraduate admissions must be really low. </p>

<p>The kids here at berkeley are dumber than the kids Ive met in hs and at cc</p>

<p>Zzzz I have more reasons but Im too sleepy
to write them all, and editing what I write to
make it sound cohesive is annoying on a
phone.</p>

<p>On the bright side, the people Ive met at berkeley have all been friendly and mature people, even though they may not be as smart.</p>

2

<p>Go to the student activities fair today and find clubs that interest you. The first week is frustrating and tiring for everyone. Very soon, the freshmen will settle down and start studying and your dorm life will get better.</p>

3

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<p><a href=“http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?p_term=FL&x=54&p_classif=U&p_deptname=--+Choose+a+Department+Name+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&y=5&p_dept=econ”>http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?p_term=FL&x=54&p_classif=U&p_deptname=--+Choose+a+Department+Name+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&y=5&p_dept=econ&lt;/a&gt; indicates that there may be space in Economics 101A, 101B, and C103, if you want economics with more math.</p>

4

<p>Get yourself some earplugs. They won’t block out all the noise, but it makes it easier to get to sleep. So, try that, and maybe you’ll be a little less cranky after some rest.</p>

<p>In my experience, CC teachers were generally not very good. There’s always a couple exceptions, but most ranged from really bad to good-ish. Every Berkeley professor I’ve had has been brilliant, and the GSIs are usually pretty good too. Most of my GSIs have been better than most of my CC teachers. Depending on the major/class, sections might be optional, so you could skip them if you really feel that way about it (find out the class policy first).</p>

<p>As for Haas, quite frankly you should have read the rules and applied to Haas, not Econ. It pretty clearly states that transfers accepted into another major cannot petition to change to Haas. <a href=“Admissions - Undergraduate Program - Berkeley Haas”>Admissions - Undergraduate Program - Berkeley Haas;
It’s your own fault that you’re in Econ. Well, technically not in Econ yet, but trying to declare it I assume. Students usually get more serious when you hit upper division courses.</p>

<p>If you don’t like your housing assignment, either find off-campus housing and get out of your housing contract, or apply to transfer. Martinez and Wada will both be mainly transfer students, and they’re apartments, no required meal plan, etc. I think transfers are also more likely to decide they don’t like campus housing and move out during the year, so apply for transfer now and hope for the best. Honestly it sucks that they put you in the units, but there’s simply not enough space in the apartments for everyone who wants a spot. Someone’s going to end up unhappy, in this case it was you, sorry.</p>

<p>And it is possible to get out of housing contracts. I had a nightmare roommate my first year (we were both transfers). She hated me, still not sure why. But she decided one day that she wanted out, and the next day she had her contract cancelled and her stuff was gone. I don’t know the details, there was probably a lot of screaming involved, but she was gone more or less as soon as she decided to leave. This was in the middle of Fall semester, they didn’t have a replacement until a month later. If you’re serious about cancelling your contract, go give the housing office hell. I mean, be polite if you do go that route, but being persistent is probably key. But try to get along with the current housing option first, the freshmen should settle down in a week or two, and other housing options tend to be noisy as well.</p>

<p>Also, it’s the first week of class. There’s only so much you can study. Students will get more serious soon, they’ll start studying, they’ll party less, your classes will get harder. At least, by the time the first round of midterms hit, they’ll realize they need to be studying. I lived with a bunch of Econ majors last year, they were always studying, worried about declaring, and working hard on their assignments. So, not everyone is a total slacker.</p>

<p>Anyways, take a chill pill, find some earplugs, get some sleep. It’ll get better. :)</p>

5

<p>I do agree that there are way too many students who don’t study enough and later complain how difficult UC Berkeley is.</p>

<p>However, I promise you that there are Econ majors who are neither Haas rejects nor foreigners who can’t speak English. I personally know a number of people who also double-major in math because they’re smart and motivated to do so and look for challenges. They’re there because they want to do Econ, not Haas or other majors.</p>

<p>At least I never looked down upon transfer students. Just do your work and ace the exams and no one else would be looking down on you either.</p>

<p>And don’t be surprised to if you continue to interact with undergrads who don’t seem to be motivated enough or studying enough. This can be said for just about any colleges out there. At least during summer in Berkeley, there are people walking around campus taking summer classes and doing research, but even that becomes extremely rare for other universities. </p>

<p>If you want to be with people who are motivated and have discipline, then grad school is what you’re looking at.</p>

6

<p>@SentinelBear‌ </p>

<p>If you really don’t like Berkeley, as in every day is dreading for you and miserable, consider switching out. although Berkeley is a great school, it’s not always for everyone, and you should be happy with your college.</p>

7

<p>Well…econ graduate here, not all the econ professors/GSIs are amazing at teaching, but there are a couple who are good. You just need to ask around and do your research on good econ professors. Also I suggest you take Haas classes, and do other things. The fact that you think you can’t get a job with a econ degree is rather…narrow. A lot of econ majors graduate and make decent $$$. I graduated in Econ in May, and I have a job and it definitely makes more than 50k. Hah, I got the same job in the same company as a lot of Haas people. You definitely need to get out of your funk of going from CC to Berkeley and adjusting or you are going to have a miserable time at Berkeley. The fact you think that a lot of Berkeley students are dumb means you are hanging with the wrong people as well</p>

<p>College life is what you make of it.Go meet other transfers, or join extracurricular activities. If you think Berkeley is easy, good; then get a high gpa, participate in internships and clubs. Go find some econ research with a professor. Go find your niche; school just started, and it’s going to be harder to get into one the longer you wait. You also seem to be looking at things black and white. You DO realize you can skip lectures if you think they don’t do anything for you? I skipped a few, and I didn’t think “OMG BERKELEY SUCKS”. That’s real life. Berkeley is not going to hold your hand, and in real life, things don’t always go the way you want it to. And you do realize you’re only taking dumbed down econ classes with minimal math because you chose the wrong classes? Econ 101A, 101B, 141…you definitely did not do your research because there are a whole bunch of classes with math. </p>

8

<p>I can pretty much guarantee that, with your attitude, you will hit some of the upper division Econ classes and have your head handed to you. Suddenly, students are complaining to their GSI’s, “But I ALWAYS get A’s.”</p>

9

<p>Note to UCBAlumnus: re some of the Econ courses, apparently there is a broad variation re how intensive the Math is for the same Econ class, e.g., Econ 100B, depending upon whom is teaching it, i.e., some teach calculus-based, others not. I find this odd, I would expect a fairly uniform approach, but apparently it happens.</p>

10

<p>Transfer down the road to Davis. It is a HUGE campus.</p>

11

<p>@TheDad it’s true that the same econ class may have different amounts of math since the instructors have their own teaching style, but there are certain classes that have two types: one is more math intensive than the other. If a student is trying to choose a math intensive econ class, then they would choose Econ 101A over 100A for example. Econ 100A and Econ 101A have the same topic, and either one fulfills the same requirement, but Econ 101A is for those who want the math background. It wouldn’t really make sense for someone to take Econ 100A, and then complain that they aren’t being challenged enough. </p>

12

<p>Total, yes, I know that 101 is more math intensive than 100. I just think it odd that even within a given class there’s such a wide variance in the amount of math required, individual teaching style notwithstanding. But then I’m easily bemused.</p>

<p>I do laugh at the OP’s concern about math; in some of the upper division classes, the question is not how well you can crank the math but how well you can understand the underlying concepts and apply them correctly. Again, teaching styles vary and with some their exams emphasize cranking the math, i.e., they test how well you can take the test, and others emphasize “do you get how this works?” The latter might frustrate the OP, who seems to conflate math-cranking ability with “being smart.”</p>

13

<p>Whoa, slow down there, Berkeley is NOT wasting your time. I agree that some discussion sections are completely pointless (hence all the ditching), but many of the GSIs are actually very knowledgable and are more than willing to help! I’m sorry if you are having an unpleasant experience with the GSIs/professors so far, but things will get better. You need to cut yourself a bit of slack, after all it’s first semester here and everything is very overwhelming. </p>

<p>I have not taken CC classes so I cannot argue/support your point. I’ve heard mixed reviews about the quality of CC education. There is a correlation between smaller classes and better quality education, but that does mean fewer students = a better learning experience. Yes Berkeley lectures are huge, but you will need to learn how to adapt and be flexible. After all, you are studying a highly coveted public institution and there are bound to be disadvantages. </p>

<p>Econ is not the “Haas-rejects major.” That is stupid and anyone who wants to perpetuate that stereotype might be better attending school elsewhere. Econ itself is a tough major and it is impacted here, which means that there is a minimum GPA needed to declare. I know plenty of Econ majors who have been offered jobs in their senior year so I think you are over-dramatizing your situation.</p>

<p>I’m sad to hear that you are having an unpleasant experience thus far, but I promise, your outlook on Berkeley will change! I don’t know what your expectations were, but this school isn’t easy. There are many days when I wonder why I chose to sacrifice sleep/social life/other commitments so I can maintain a decent GPA. At the end of the day, I’m immensely grateful to have been offered admission here. Berkeley has always been my dream university and I couldn’t be more happier here.</p>

<p>I hope that you will come to find Berkeley as lovable as I have. </p>

14

<p>Econ definitely isn’t for Haas rejects. Econ students have significantly stronger quant skills by the end.</p>

15

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<p>Wouldn’t that depend on whether the economics majors took the high-math versions of the courses (101A, 101B, 141 instead of 100A, 100B, 140) and math-heavy electives (C103, 104, 138)?</p>

16

<p>I’m thinking of the Econ majors going on to graduate school in Econ. At the MBA vs. PhD level, the gulf becomes very pronounced. </p>

17

<p>As a Cal student, I find this thread pretty funny.
OP, you wrote this thread when you weren’t even a week in school, as a new transfer, who didn’t received his first grade on any quiz/exam. You have no idea how hard it will be during the road and judging your professor or GSI after a week in school is pretty lame.</p>

<p>Many upper dev classes don’t have 200 people, not even 100 (at least in the science departments: MCB/Nutri Sci).
You can break your dorm contract when Spring semester would come over, I think the fee is $100 and there is no hassle at all since new students are coming over during that time.</p>

<p>UCB doesn’t make you to attend any lectures, so be clear with whatever you’re saying. Lectures are 100% optional. Discussion sections usually give you points for attending (1-10% of you total grade, depends on the class).
Anyway, why do you care that you have 200 people with you in lecture? how does it affect your education?</p>

<p>It looks like you came to Cal thinking you’re the greatest and smartest since you have 4.0 in CC. With this attitude you will be alone during your journey here, and I can assure you that it will make you even more miserable than whatever you’re right now. Put you ego down and try to be open to new ideas, and more importantly, to new people. You will be surprised to find here high quality people that even have many things in common with you. But if you’ll continue with the smartass attitude, your best friends will be your books, and even then your GPA wouldn’t be 4.0 since your mental status will bring you down eventually.</p>

<p>Hope that now, a month into school, you changed you mind a little bit.
GL.</p>

18

<p>UC Berkeley doesn’t suck but the entire UC system has been badly affected by the state’s economic problems. Budget cuts have savaged financial aid. There are fewer courses being offered and fewer sections. I know of students who couldn’t graduate on time because they could get into all their required courses. The reality is that for poorer students, private universities with good financial aid can be much cheaper than UC (i.e. Claremont, Stanford, USC). Don’t blame the universities, blame voters and the legislature.</p>

19

<p>Math/Econ major here. My math classes are pretty small with pretty young but motivated professors. I’ve had amazing econ classes with very reputable professors to the tune of David Card, David Romer, and Emmanuel Saez. I would recommend taking more quantitative econ classes, as most Haas rejects will avoid them. Econ without background in either math or stats is basically a liberal art. </p>

20

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<p>Economics, math, and statistics are all liberal arts.</p>

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<p>Probably due to poor planning on their part (e.g. not wanting to take the 8am section), since UC four year graduation rates have been on an upward trend over the past decade or few despite the state defunding.</p>