<p>I went to the Berkeley class schedule, and all of the lower division classes had a cap of less than 40 students, even biology (UCB</a> Online Schedule of Classes: Search Results)</p>
<p>What are the 800+ classes I keep hearing about?</p>
<p>You might be looking at the wrong place. DIS is for discussion sections which are taught by GSIs and are usually smaller. LEC is for lectures. For example, in the link you posted, the first lecture I found:</p>
<p>Course: BIOLOGY 1AL P 001 LEC
Limit:616 Enrolled:152 Waitlist:0 Avail Seats:464</p>
<p>The class limit is 616. There are already 152 people enrolled.</p>
<p>Damn. Is it hard to learn in such large classes?</p>
<p>For fall 2011:</p>
<p>[Chemistry</a> 1A](<a href=“http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=0&p_term=FL&p_deptname=--+Choose+a+Department+Name+--&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&p_course=1a&p_dept=chem&x=0]Chemistry”>http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=0&p_term=FL&p_deptname=--+Choose+a+Department+Name+--&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&p_course=1a&p_dept=chem&x=0): 3 lectures of 523 each</p>
<p>[Economics</a> 1](<a href=“http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=0&p_term=FL&p_deptname=--+Choose+a+Department+Name+--&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&p_course=1&p_dept=econ&x=0]Economics”>http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=0&p_term=FL&p_deptname=--+Choose+a+Department+Name+--&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&p_course=1&p_dept=econ&x=0): 1 lecture of 720</p>
<p>[Math</a> 1A](<a href=“http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=0&p_term=FL&p_deptname=--+Choose+a+Department+Name+--&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&p_course=1a&p_dept=math&x=0]Math”>http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=0&p_term=FL&p_deptname=--+Choose+a+Department+Name+--&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&p_course=1a&p_dept=math&x=0): 2 lectures of 400 each, 1 lecture of 225</p>
<p>[Math</a> 16A](<a href=“http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=0&p_term=FL&p_deptname=--+Choose+a+Department+Name+--&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&p_course=16a&p_dept=math&x=0]Math”>http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=0&p_term=FL&p_deptname=--+Choose+a+Department+Name+--&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&p_course=16a&p_dept=math&x=0): 1 lecture of 490, 1 lecture of 400</p>
<p>[Everything</a> in Wheeler Auditorium](<a href=“http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=0&p_term=FL&p_bldg=wheeler+aud&p_deptname=--+Choose+a+Department+Name+--&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&x=0]Everything”>http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=0&p_term=FL&p_bldg=wheeler+aud&p_deptname=--+Choose+a+Department+Name+--&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&x=0)</p>
<p>[Everything</a> in 1 Pimentel](<a href=“http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=0&p_term=FL&p_bldg=pimentel&p_deptname=--+Choose+a+Department+Name+--&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&x=0]Everything”>http://osoc.berkeley.edu/OSOC/osoc?y=0&p_term=FL&p_bldg=pimentel&p_deptname=--+Choose+a+Department+Name+--&p_classif=--+Choose+a+Course+Classification+--&p_presuf=--+Choose+a+Course+Prefix%2FSuffix+--&x=0)</p>
<p>Don’t forget 105 Stanley, 1 or 4 LeConte, 2050 VLSB, 10 Evans, 277 Cory, 105 North Gate, 155 Dwinelle, 320 Hertz, etc, etc.</p>
<p>Shadowzoid - most big classes are actually a pair of registrations - the lecture and the discussion. </p>
<p>Lecture is where the professor talks about the topic, it is basically a one-way communication as she/he goes through the important concepts and facts you should be understanding. Since these are talks not discussions, they are the large rooms with hundreds listening. </p>
<p>Discussion is a small room, very roughly 20 people, some have smaller capacity and some are a bit larger, but this kind of scale, where a grad student (GSI) runs the meetings. Here everyone can talk, work through examples, cover questions or particularly difficult to understand aspects of the material. </p>
<p>The professor who lectured has open office hours and it is really easy to get in and ask questions or talk further about the subject - a one on one meeting. It is surprising that with lectures having hundreds of students, that this would be true, but often the professors are having to cajole the class to get more students to come in and talk. It is busiest just before major exams, but even then you are very likely to get to talk to the prof. </p>
<p>Having the amazing faculty here, in a school where they give the lectures in undergrad classes, makes for interesting classes. You might be in a class with a professor who won a Nobel prize, or who is sharing with the class breakthroughs and discoveries they have just accomplished, but whether famous or not, shining a light on the hot new discoveries in the field, things that just happened in the prior week or two. It gives a sense of immediacy, as these events are in the moment, evolving, right at the cutting edge. This is not widely accepted long term concepts that you are learning as static facts, instead you really understand the questions, the alternative views, the downsides and counter evidence as well as the growing evidence supporting the prevailing view and the tantalizing hints of new theories, new proofs or previously unknown phenomena. Those are the magic moments that happen, to spice up the bulk of material you are learning, being the large legacy of already settled topics. </p>
<p>A professor might even generally be uninspiring, plodding through the basic material in an intro to physics course or a basic biology class or an introductory survey of a social science, but when they hit these “in the moment”, “cutting edge” moments, even they light up and you feel their love and passion for the subject and their sense of wonder and excitement for the new understanding. Visit any of them during office hours and ask about the current issues in their field - you get those moments on demand.</p>
<p>Is it easy to ask questions in lectures?</p>
<p>From experience, yes it’s pretty easy to ask questions, even in larger lectures. Just raise your hand and the prof will call on you. If the prof doesn’t see your hand in the air, just say something out loud like “Prof, I’ve a question” to attract their attention and they will answer your question.</p>