besides rankings and being “top school for x y z program”
whenever i ask that seems to be the main answer… but i don’t know /why/ it’s a top program or why it’s so good or high in rankings. what makes it different from ucla and ucsd? (besides the location, which i think is superior at the latter schools)
and if i ask current students i feel i always get a biased answer because at any school one will try to take pride in it and be satisfied with where they are (which is great, it’s not a bad thing at all!) but i wonder if there have been negative experiences?
ive done research on their website and i honestly don’t see much of a difference with other top UC’s like ucla and ucsd.
people say the quality is better, but what does that mean? how does the education differ besides being “better”? do they teach differently or have private seminars like in oxbridge? same goes for when they say the faculty is better. what does that mean? do undergrads get to experience that at all? im just having trouble getting any specifics on anything.
its the closest you will get to be universally recognized as smart to going to a private school. There are a relatively large amount of nobel loriates, programs are taught by the best and brightest of each field, its a world class research university (in that the government, companies, and others spend millions to do research there). Basically, you get the amenities of a well known private school like Stanford, Harvard, etc but a little less for cheap. Its also really difficult, because of the high amount of rigor. If you look at academic peer rank, which is the rank other universities give it, it is almost equal to Stanford (UCB has a 4.7/5 where as Stanford has a 4.8/5). Basically, its seperate from ucla, ucsd, and others simply because of the quality difference and credibility difference. If you go to UCB, you can get an interview anywhere, and the same cannot be said for UCLA or UCSD.
Some wildcard factors that in some people’s eyes make it better are the location (bay area is great for employment) and its great athletics for being such an academic school
as the above poster said, the faculty have all done ground-breaking research in your fields (they have separate parking spaces for nobel laureates!!) and the research quality is amazing. they have top-10 programs in fields from engineering (like, every kind of engineering too) to english and business.
aside from that, however, what I think makes it amazing is the diversity of thought. when I went to visit–I’m an incoming freshman–everyone I met came from very different backgrounds and they were all interested in a lot of different fields. perhaps it’s slightly less ethnically diverse than Ivies, but it is more economically diverse for sure.
another thing that made me really like berkeley was the fact that it would be possible for me to triple minor and major in an engineering field, something I think is amazing. a lot of the people I met there were /super/ passionate about what they were studying. also, I think the fact that it’s in the middle of a city makes a big difference. all the other UCs, even UCLA and UCSD, are in relatively “posh” areas. berkeley is not that way. the urban feel makes it feel more… real, in a way?
there’s also a lot of activism at berkeley! not just political activism, which is what it’s known for, but community activism and stuff. because it is in the middle of a city, there are a lot of opportunities to get involved. there’s sort of a mindset of getting things /done/ and not just waiting around. people there are committed to make a difference, which shows in the actions they take. everything about berkeley is vibrant.
in my opinion, what makes berkeley so great is the fact that diversity is celebrated, whether of thought or of skin color or of religion. it is, in my opinion, comparable to top schools because it has a history of that, a history of making a difference, something that is reflected in everything the people there do, from professors to students.
@scarletwitchx wow thank you for your response, it really helps add insight! i like that they want to get things done, it’s something i really admire in people.
what are your thoughts on depression on campus? a few friends of mine that have gone say they got really stressed out and it’s a lot of work (all nighters, drinking red bulls to stay awake). it just doesn’t seem healthy to me and am a bit concerned about that. is that generally the culture there? i noticed their memes are all about depression/anxiety too and i feel there’s always some truth to the things a society jokes about.
Intense professors, intense students. You can’t say every class is filled with all-intense students, but there will be someone who will drive up to the highest standard.
Here are my couple of views on ‘better quality’:
- Huge variety of courses - just about any academic (and non-academic) areas of your interest will have relevant class or seminar about it. For non-academic interests, there is another separate list of decal classes (http://www.decal.org/).
- Little to no restriction on what courses you can enroll - no one ‘micromanages’ your course selection which is great for who are self-driven and proactive to find courses outside of the major, which ties to the above post that you can have as many minors as you want.
I’d say it can be bit stressful sometimes because not every course will be to your liking but you still gotta study hard. This can be addressed by having good study groups and motivate each other, but it can take some time to realize this, and those who try to solo themselves can easily fall into depression.
I would say it is one of the more difficult ways to get through undergrad, but you certainly graduate knowing how to think.
@UpMagic wow decals are insane! so many classes! is it harder at other schools to register for any courses you want? it was the same way at my community college where you just register for what you know you need and want, but im not sure if i should expect that at other UC’s as well.
Particularly for private schools, I expect there will be true academic advisors who will have regular meetings with each students for selecting courses each semester. It is great for those who could use some guidance and 2nd opinion, and definitely great for those who are struggling but afraid to seek help. Berkeley has these resources too, but it strictly relies on proactively reaching out which could be the tipping point for a number of people… My guess is you can still take any courses you want at other schools, but the fact that there is someone looking over it will likely drive the students to ‘stick w/ their major’.
I think what matters is what you want to get out of your undergrad education, and location. If you have strong mind to go to grad school, then I strongly recommend Berkeley. But if you want to get a job and start earning, then I think UCB often goes overkill w/ serious delving into theory and proofs even though it may not have much significance in ‘day-to-day work’.
As for location, if you would like to stay in the Bay Area, then Berkeley is certainly the way to go - there is an undeniable advantage to find a job near the school with extensive alumni network and established reputation.
@scarletwitchx Hey! You decided on Cal! Fantastic! I remember you were deciding between Cornell, Vandy, and Cal so its cool you chose the local school. I was a regents as well if you remember.
Also for @otoribashi I think there is more academic backgrounds than at Stanford or an ivy league. As someone who has already spent 3 summers at Stanford and 2 actually taking classes from faculty (granted this is not the fall or spring semesters where I would see ALL the students) I found generally the students were part of one of three groups:
- Super smart and had a choice between Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, etc. and as such either acted arrogant or did not want to associate with you. Granted I was still in high-school so this may have had an effect
- Clearly was someone admissions wanted but is not able to handle the environment. These are usually insane URMs or First-gens who had 30 ACTs and meh grades. I saw a decent amount of these people and realized people struggle more at Stanford than you would think. Thats why they have such high grade inflation
- A mix of 1 and 2, so decently smart but had some edge to get them in. Honestly, they acted the same as Cal people and did not seem any smarter, they just played the game right.
These groups at Cal are far more blended and it feels much more natural. My bro, who is currently a junior, says he really has not met a dumb person on campus, however of the crazy smart people he has met he says they are all passionate and easy to get a long with. Unlike Stanford, Cal has no sense of elitism, and this is reflected in the student body. IDK what your situation is or if you are considering other colleges, but if you want to feel superior do not come to Cal. Why else do you think the campus actually cherishes its homeless population to extent and promotes social change. Cal is a place where problems are challenged and encouraged to be brought up. Stanford has just been squeegeed clean so no problems exist, when they clearly do.
The reason why I mentioned this and Stanford in specific is that Cal is often compared to Stanford and is said to be in second place, but in my opinion they are really equal. There is an article (I wish I had the link still) of someone who transferred from Cal to Stanford, and rated them equals. They thought Stanford would be miles better, but in reality its just a myth. Yes, you get more hands-on help over there, but it just leaves you babied and unable to be productive yourself, except for the top grads who are going to be productive anyway. There is a reason why Forbes puts Cal as the number 1 recruited school in the Bay Area over Stanford, its cause we can actually do a job and not expect everything handed to us. Im sorry if this is a lot of info, but as a local I have to educate people.
Also, side note, but everyone compares Cal to the likes of Stanford as its main rival, and in terms of cross-admits 51% chose Cal over Cornell and 54% chose Cal over Northwestern. If that does not speak volumes idk what does.
Cal is full of smart, creative, less-than-perfect people. D liked it over UCLA because she said it felt more diverse. Whether that is true or not, it felt more “real” to her. She just finished her freshman year and is “so glad I picked this school - it’s so interesting”.
BTW it’s referred to as “Stanfurd”.