<p>I want to know if I'd fit in at a place like Berkeley. I basically want you guys to tell me what makes Berkeley so diverse and an intriguing place to spend 3-4 years learning since I always hear it's diverse, but when the stats come in, in terms of race, it isn't too diverse. </p>
<p>What sets it apart? How smart are the students? How many different nationalities? Is everyone poor/rich? </p>
<p>I know race isn't the only thing, which is why I want to know what is it that is making everyone scream DIVERSE! when they hear "Berkeley".</p>
<p>:) Thanks!</p>
<p>The vast majority of undergraduate students went to high school in California. In that sense, Berkeley is not diverse. </p>
<p>As far as rich/poor goes, for a school of its caliber, Berkeley actually skews a bit poor, because most of the rich people are sending their kids to expensive private schools.</p>
<p>When people say Berkeley is diverse, I think part of what they mean is that Berkeley accepts diversity. No matter how far out of the mainstream you may be, in one way or another, it's unlikely you would feel out-of-place at Berkeley. At least, you'd feel less out of place at Berkeley than you would anywhere else.</p>
<p>haha. theres tons of asians at uci, ucla, & ucsd too.</p>
<p>Leftist: Can you cite this info of yours?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Rough Asian breakdown
30% of the population is Chinese
2% Indian
2% Korean
1-2% Vietnamese
1-2% Japanese
2% Other Asian
[/quote]
</p>
<p>What are you smoking? The number have consistently been like this since 2000. </p>
<p>11.30.00</a> - Final enrollment figures for fall 2000 undergraduate and graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley</p>
<p>There are 3,735 students in the fall 2000 freshman class</p>
<p>Chinese 776
Korean 230
Vietnamese 151
Filipino 135</p>
<p>Berkeley's student body is like an amorphous solid.</p>
<p>Asia is a very big continent</p>
<p>Berkeley is diverse in the sense that you'll have someone to relate to in a crowd of 30,000+; there are just so many people. Yeah, racially, Berkeley is skewed heavily towards Asians and some whites, and Hispanics and African Americans do tend to stand out visually in a crowd. However, even as I walked down to my class today, I saw a student dressed in a nice business suit, this hippie with long hair (for a guy), and other average looking people. Berkeley's like a high school cafeteria with a lot more tables and cliques. Also, socioeconomically, I know a good mix of students who have million dollar houses and others who depend solely on loans just to pay for school.</p>
<p>At a culture show I attended last year, they said the number of Korean students and Vietnamese students currently at Berkeley are roughly 1000+ each. If that's the case, there's no way that they are 1-2%.</p>
<p><a href="https://osr2.berkeley.edu/Public/STUDENT.DATA/f07.eth.html%5B/url%5D">https://osr2.berkeley.edu/Public/STUDENT.DATA/f07.eth.html</a></p>
<p>This is from 2007
Entire undergraduate student body is 24636
Chinese 5195
Korean 1296
Indian 966
Vietnamese 844
Filipino 867</p>
<p>i agree with sparetire. it's diverse in the way where you'll definitely find somewhere to fit.</p>
<p>^ unless you're not asian ... seriously. Berkeley isn't what it used to be. There are some amazing people here. However, Berkeley has become a home to the socially awkward and grade grubbers. Berkeley has become lamer over the years too. If you come here, be ready to deal with the overly religious and the pseudo-protesters.</p>