<p>for instance, at the CSU near me, people stay on campus a lot and do go downtown much, although the town is small. they aren't extremely wealthy or rich, and most people are into agricultural type of work. </p>
<p>people tend to keep to themselves and aren't very friendly in class. classes are about 30-40 people. </p>
<p>expand on berkeley?</p>
<p>you need to visit berkeley yourself (I presume you got in? only if you’re accepted, then it’s worth it to visit colleges), since a lot of this is very subjective and depends on which circles you are in.</p>
<p>For me, the people at berkeley are really diverse–so you’ve got both the campus squatters and the people who really go out and enjoy what Berkeley has to offer (especially the food…omg). People vary in socioeconomic standing, styles, ethnicities, etc. You’ve got nerds, fobsters, hippies, alternatives, athletes, preppys, drunkards, geniuses, everyone. I know people whose families are strapped for cash, and I know others who have the world open to them. It’s difficult to set in stone a stereotypical Berkeleyan. </p>
<p>And, NO, Berkeley is no longer a giant hippie town. The hippies grew up, got stable jobs, became conservative, had babies, and sent their children to Cal as moderates and conservatives. Most of the protesters you will see on Sproul about anti war and whatnot (the protests that are non-education related) involve Berkeley residents, not students. There is still a liberal sentiment, but only a little more liberal than the average college town.</p>
<p>My socal friends tell me that Berkeley people are in general much nicer and less rude than socal people though, if that’s any help. Probably because the Bay Area doesn’t have a major port city, unlike SoCal and Los Angeles (San Francisco actually is not a major port with a chock-load of importing businesses. With respect to the West Coast, Seattle and Los Angeles are the big ports.)</p>
<p>and it really depends on which circles you’re in. For example, I stick with the chemistry circles, which tend to be tightly knit and friendly b/c well, the classes kinda force us to work together rather than compete against one another.</p>
<p>atmosphere is laid back and liberal. you can be whatever you want and no one will blink an eye. ex. dress up like a giant pikachu and you’ll only get a few stares. you do have to be very proactive about meeting people, this isn’t high school where you know the get to know the same people for 4 years. </p>
<p>it’s a very diverse campus in terms of backgrounds, but you’ll see a lot of asians.</p>
<p>^^^^ but just to add on, the asians tend to clump together, so it’s very easy to avoid. I’m asian but dislike hanging out with asians, and I’ve found it incredibly easy to do so far at Cal.</p>