What is great about berkeley?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
21

<p>If you applied to Swarthmore, perhaps you visited there. It's small, lovely, intimate, not very "sporty"--and noted for the vicious backbiting usually seen only at faculty dinner parties in John Fowles novels. The quintessential Swat t-shirt says "Anywhere else it would have been an A......really." </p>

<p>Are you a contemplative, bookish English major who loathes athletics, intends to publish poetry or esoteric novels, doesn't mind lengthy cross-country flights in cramped tourist class, and will probably end up living on the East Coast? Then you should go to Swat. Do you love infinite variety, the ability to major in ANYTHING, confusion as a source of energy, West Coast temperate weather, and screaming your head off at a football game? Then go to Berkeley. </p>

<p>They're both terrific schools, but different. If price is not an issue, choose the one that suits your personality. And then switch in sophomore year if doesn't work out. (Due to the size difference, it will probably be easier to switch from Swat to Cal than the other way around.)</p>

22

<p>Horrible party scene... *** are you even at Cal?</p>

<p>There are plenty of parties here and if you think they suck obviously you don't know many parties to begin with.</p>

23

<p>I'm guessing that if the Swarthmore/Berkeley comparison has even come up, Swarthmore is very good, but I haven't really heard of Swarthmore. Berkeley is very well known (especially internationally, where people think it's as good as Harvard), but if you're applying to grad school, then what matters is what the grad school thinks of the college (how good it actually is academically), not what regular common folk on the street know.</p>

<p>(btw, i'm going to Berkeley)</p>