<p>Ha… Yeah, I had no clue about what banks were near by and everyone was really nice about getting me up to speed. It was a big help.</p>
<p>just don’t go to BOA on the corner of telegraph and durant late at night…</p>
<p>I was thinking Wells Fargo???</p>
<p>Lolz back to the OP…I’ve really enjoyed my past year at Cal, despite having several discouraging slumps, because it’s a place where you really have to stand on your own two feet. If you don’t, you’ll quickly lose your grip on your college life, so it really pushes the maturity out of you. You realize that it’s up to you to make a name for yourself, to beg, borrow, take, and conquer what you need, and to tap into the vast pool of resources before you. My best friend goes to Harvard and he has advisors and counselors up the a**. That’s nice and cushy but I like not having things handed to me. It can be rough, but after a semester you look back and realize how much you’ve grown because of it. </p>
<p>Not everyone feels the same way obviously. Dunno, just my two cents.</p>
<p>I think you made a fairly big mistake of picking Cal over UCLA. I really hate it here and can’t wait to get out of this s hithole of a place. I am miserable every day and feel that I would have been much happier at a better school than this.</p>
<p>I guess my role is to point out the hypocrisy of the student body and faculty and encourage people to push for reform while exorcising my various demons as well. I think a lot could be done by reforming the school and a lot of it does have to do with the city of Berkeley, but also the people we elect to state government. Cal is getting looted from the inside out and its really affecting student quality of life. I mean, we consistently get rated as dorms like dungeons and “Is it Food?” by the princeton review. These are two essentials to living that are already in the tank, and compound that with weak on-campus student entertainment and such, no wonder students aren’t happy and feeling isolated. Furthermore, Cal really has no right to be as brutal or harsh as it is anymore. The school simply is not that great anymore. It’s pretty much a glorified state school that is riding on its fading reputation. Most of the professors who were considered great in the 50s, 60s, and 70s and even into the 80s are getting senile and out of touch. (Litwack is a favorite of mine, he was supposed to be great, but since his stroke I’ve heard he’s becoming a doddering loon.) Or, the professors are young but indoctrinated into the “system” so to speak. Cal really is not what it could be or was anymore.</p>
<p>Also, enforcing a more mature student body rather than a bunch of cutthroat drones from the top of the classes of California high schools (and unless its a well regarded private, that’s not saying much anymore either…) who are so insecure and cocky they alienate everyone they come across whether passively or aggressively – would be awesome as well. I’m very much in favor of having non-violent communication (Basically get over this non-confrontational bullcrap and get some real socializing done with affirmative dialogue rather than brow beating people and calling them losers, creepers, etc.) and “how to deal with people who are struggling socially/physically/mentally/etc.” type seminars and come down VERY hard on kids who act like bullies in the dorms. And I hate to say this, but many of us are, including myself. If you mistreat someone because they are different, even if you don’t actively harass them or make them feel bad, but you contribute to their isolation, alienation, and lonliness or treat them differently because they are different or others do so, then yes, you are a bully. Though that’s more a pipe dream than any realistic expectation. Though I really encourage people to read the book “Non-violent Communication: A language of life” by Marshall Rosenberg. It’s really quite good and gives you a different perspective. Empathy rather than shame, I suppose is the basic tenet.</p>
<p>^^ tl;dr</p>
<p>too much, just too much</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Aw :)</p>
<p>It’s nice having a mom to look out for us…</p>
<p>i like ur sn : ] i should be “mathgirl” lol jk</p>
<p>**** bullying. Screw elitism.</p>
<p>or his sn should be mamasboy98 :)</p>
<p>i kid…cuz seriously if i had a son id like him to be a mama’s boy one day…</p>
<p>:|</p>
<p>Berry and janethedoe - I must be dumb today, but didn’t get either of your remarks [both of which seem to reference my name] … well I kind of get berry’s, assuming she likes math.</p>
<p>haha I can’t help it. You have no idea how many “kids” (over 20) over the years have requested a seat at my kitchen table for advice… It’s just the way I am. 
I’ll try and stay out of things, but every once in a while, I may pop by…</p>
<p>haha well it’s actually plain and simple. Nothing negative intended. You’re right…I love math that’s why i think it’s a great name.</p>
<p>That’s as good a reason as any :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>hence the sn.</p>
<p>there i broke it down for you. ;)</p>
<p>lol</p>
<p>If your choice was between UCLA and CAL, you made the right choice in my opinion. I LOVED my time at CAL. My friends loved their time at CAL. And from a professional perspective (jobs, resume, etc.), Cal is held in higher esteem. Trust me on this one. I’ve been in the professional workforce long enough to know this is true.</p>
<p>But hey, you may be the suburban type. You may not like the urban environment. If you want tons of starbucks around and an olive garden, you may have liked UCLA more (from an environment perspective). But if you like an urban atmosphere (and no, UCLA is not what I consider urban…Greenwich Village/NYU is urban), you will love Cal.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t really consider Berkeley urban. UCLA is suburban but the city is so close by. </p>
<p>Anyway, the career part you mentioned is crucial for me. I mean, UCB apprantely is notorious for grade deflation. I am a science major too. So, from your experience how does GPA and Berkeley degree play a role in employment?</p>
<p>Jane - makes more sense now, thanks :)</p>
<p>In answer to the career question…</p>
<p>Well, I don’t know about grade deflation per se, but yeah…getting good grades in the sciences is difficult at Cal. But I’m not sure if its much easier at UCLA. Its pretty competitive at both places from what I can tell. But a science degree from CAL is held in higher regard professionally. I’ve got alot of friends who came out of engineering or a science (bio, chem, etc) who had mediocre grades (B average…a C here and there) who had no problems finding jobs. The recruiters who are looking for science backgrounds know the reputation of Cal. They know its a grind. They know students are judged on a curve against some of the top international students in the world (who, it seems, have been doing calculus from birth). And they learn from experience with working with Cal grads that they are a very talented bunch.</p>
<p>Now, have I done a comprehensive study to find this out? No. But I’ve been in the professional sector for a while now. I have talked to enough of my peers from different schools to know what they think. I have talked to supervisors. I have talked to my own firm’s HR department. I’ve talked to my other friends, both from UCLA and Cal. And the impression I get is clear. All things being equal, Cal students are more “valued.” There’s definitely a prestige factor there. Does that mean my UCLA buddies are dim-witted idiots? Of course not. They are just as a smart. But that’s not how employers work. They are into perception just like the rest of the world. When they bid for a job, or when they are trying to land a client, they pitch their “team” along with their bios. And yeah, they want to say so and so has a degree in such and such from Berkeley.</p>