<p>GentlemenandScholar, perhaps you'd like to go visit the family of that girl that got shot, and tell them your quote that "The area around Cal is NOT ghetto". Or even better, maybe you can ask her family why she didn't just move away, and why was she hanging around Berkeley at all? Yeah, I'm sure that would go over real well. People get victimized by the crime around Berkeley, and your attitude to those victims seems to be 'who cares?'.</p>
<p>The area around Cal isn't ghetto. I stick by that. If you think its ghetto then you've never been to a ghetto. I'll gladly give you directions to a couple if you'd like to see them in person. Unfortunatly people are shot in nearly every corner of America, but you have to look at the bigger picture. Yes, there are dangers to living in a city, but how many murders have there been in Berkeley over the last year? BTW, real classy of you to exploit that poor girl and her family to try to suit your argument.</p>
<p>I love it when these two talk to one another. It's better than television.</p>
<p>Can I ask you a question sakky? Apparently you are now going to graduate school at MIT. At least that is what I have gathered from other posts on CC. You were obviously a good student at Cal, and I'm sure you were a good student right out of high school. May I ask why you chose Cal for your undergraduate education? I mean, aside from sub-par undergrad academics, crowded classes, graduate students teaching courses, and the crime ridden streets of Berkeley, what appealed to you?</p>
<p><3,</p>
<p>Izzie Bear</p>
<p>of course there is crime in Berkeley, and if anything that just means I will be careful where and when I walk around. When I was at Harvard for the SSP last year I was actually surprised at how much crime was there. We had a homeless person break into our dorm twice, and certainly Harvard Square is "eclectic". I always have thought that Stanford was rather boring in comparison to these two. Of course Berkeley is definitely a little more than just eclectic, but I haven't gotten to spend that much time there yet, but soon.</p>
<p>Oh, and sakky, don't bring that horrific story into the mix, there is much more going on there and it's still so sad ... <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic...&type=printable%5B/url%5D">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic...&type=printable</a></p>
<p>
[quote]
Can I ask you a question sakky? Apparently you are now going to graduate school at MIT. At least that is what I have gathered from other posts on CC. You were obviously a good student at Cal, and I'm sure you were a good student right out of high school. May I ask why you chose Cal for your undergraduate education? I mean, aside from sub-par undergrad academics, crowded classes, graduate students teaching courses, and the crime ridden streets of Berkeley, what appealed to you?</p>
<p><3,</p>
<p>Izzie Bear
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm not gonna answer for sakky, but for me:
cost. way way way cheaper than private school. it only cost me a total of $12000 per year, including room and board.
reputation. most people know what Berkeley is.
independence. the school is suited to those who do things by themselves. The teaching is still AVERAGE- the profs and grad students bring nothing special to the classroom. I was never awed one bit. I will not change my word choice on this matter.</p>
<p>But teaching aside, Cal was a unique experience.</p>
<p>Hm. Well, thank you for your opinion. May I ask what department you were in?</p>
<p><3,</p>
<p>Izzie Bear</p>
<p>MCB.</p>
<p>But of course, I had to take classes outside my major to satisfy graduation req's.</p>
<p>I understand that. Although I've heard many wonderful things about professors in certain departments at Cal. I have noticed that many past and present science students are less than impressed with their instructors. However, there are some that are, of course. It just kind of stumps me since Cal is so highly regarded in these departments. </p>
<p>Oh well, thanks for your insight. </p>
<p><3,</p>
<p>Izzie Bear</p>
<p>Well, I'll be sure to avoid Poetry for MCB majors. :)</p>
<p>...hahahahha</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If you look at the statistics, crime does exist. The crime statistics released by the UCPD at Berkeley clearly shows that problems do occur on campus and off-campus. Denying so is a full neglect of the evidence beforehand.</p>
<p>Wow, eiffel, I thougt that it was pretty obvious that I was being sarcastic, but I guess some people need it really spelled out. Do you really think that I'd sleep with my door open and my t.v. and wallet outside? BTW, I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.</p>
<p>Sarcasm is lost quickly on the internet when you can't hear the tone inflections.</p>
<p>i could tell GentlemanandScholar was being sarcastic.
i believe that good sarcasm doesnt have 'give-away' tone inflections.</p>
<p>If anything, the line "life is 100 percent safe" in GentlemanandScholar's post made it obvious that that whole post was filled with sarcasm.</p>
<p>Hahahahaha...we've started going off on sarcasm. Reading back, the last two lines do have a sense of melodrama in them. :)</p>
<p>"The teaching is still AVERAGE- the profs and grad students bring nothing special to the classroom."</p>
<p>Curious, what do you mean by "bringing something special to the classroom"?</p>
<p>I'm guessing that the "nothing special" that the teachers bring to the classroom is years of experience in their field, Phds from the best schools in the world, scholarly oppinions that are looked at by students around the world, prize winning research/books, and genius level IQs.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm not gonna answer for sakky, but for me:
cost. way way way cheaper than private school. it only cost me a total of $12000 per year, including room and board.
reputation. most people know what Berkeley is.
independence. the school is suited to those who do things by themselves. The teaching is still AVERAGE- the profs and grad students bring nothing special to the classroom. I was never awed one bit. I will not change my word choice on this matter.</p>
<p>But teaching aside, Cal was a unique experience.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Exactly. If you go to Cal and live at home, you just pay about $7000 (not considering books, etc). And 4 years ago, you just pay $3500. Quite impressive.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Can I ask you a question sakky? Apparently you are now going to graduate school at MIT. At least that is what I have gathered from other posts on CC. You were obviously a good student at Cal, and I'm sure you were a good student right out of high school. May I ask why you chose Cal for your undergraduate education? I mean, aside from sub-par undergrad academics, crowded classes, graduate students teaching courses, and the crime ridden streets of Berkeley, what appealed to you?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I am not going to answer questions about my biography here publicly on CC. Like I said, if you want to know more about my backgroudd, my PM and email are open. </p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm not gonna answer for sakky, but for me:
cost. way way way cheaper than private school. it only cost me a total of $12000 per year, including room and board.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The ironic thing is that for many people, private schools can actually be CHEAPER than Berkeley, even if you're a California resident. Much of that has to do with the extremely aggressive financial aid provided by the privates. I know 2 people, both California residents, who got into Harvard and Berkeley, and found out that it was actually cheaper to go to Harvard, once financial aid was factored in. I will always remember the jocular words of one of them, that he said he wanted to go to Berkeley, but couldn't afford it, so he had 'no choice' but to go to Harvard. He was obviously joking, because he probably would have gone to Harvard anyway, but it does serve to illustrate the point that Berkeley is not always the bargain that it is made out to be.</p>
<p>Not only that, but let's consider the aspect of merit scholarships. I see you guys talking about paying low prices to go to Berkeley. Well, consider my brother. He got what's called a President's scholarship to go to Caltech, that paid for not only tuition, room+board, but also gave him a stipend. So basically, not only did he not have to pay a dime to go to Caltech, he actually MADE money by going to Caltech. You guys tell me what's a better financial deal - going to Berkeley and having to pay money, or going to Caltech and having Caltech pay you? </p>
<p>The bottom line is this. What do I think of Berkeley? Simple. I think the graduate programs are great. Even I would agree that the undergraduate program is pretty good (not great, but pretty good). But it could be a lot better. Berkeley definitely has a vast array of resources and a wide breadth of classes you can take advantage of. And if you happen to be highly independent and aggressive to the point of being pushy, you can get yourself a top education. These are Berkeley's strengths. I have never disputed this. However, what Berkeley is weak at is in providing a personal touch and in catering to those people who would thrive in a more personable environment. The bottom line is that it takes a certain personality to thrive at Berkeley. It's certainly not a school for everybody. Some people will do very well at Berkeley. But I have seen others who don't thrive in the Berkeley environment and should have gone elsewhere.</p>