<p>Hey guys. So I know Berkeley doesn't take a whole lot from out of state, and the vast majority of students (what is it, like 90+%?) are from California. But I like a lot of things about Berkeley, so I was wondering if anyone can comment on what it's like to be an out-of-stater. How would you feel if, as a native Californian, you looked at your roommate assignment and saw that she was from...oh, say...Charleston, South Carolina. ;) Would you freak? Would you even give a crap? Do you think it would be harder to make friends and feel at home, if I'm coming from so very far away? Any insight would be appreciated. :) Thanks.</p>
<p>I wouldnt care if my roomate was out of state. Some people actually think being out of state is good, because of the fact that it is really hard to get into cal if you dont live in california, so ppl assume that you are really smart.</p>
<p>yeah, it's more of a novelty, if anything. it certainly wouldn't be any harder to make friends. the issue of feeling at home will depend on the individual. i'm assuming charleston is pretty different than berkeley, as was my town. i really liked that fact and it has made my experience that much more interesting. of course the town of berkeley is going to be different from most people's hometown styles. but they will most likely know someone from their own town to relate to. i guess that's a slight difficulty, but the resulting independence you achieve is well worth it.</p>
<p>There isn't any kind of uber-exclusive "California club," as far as I know. At pretty much any school, it's possible to find your own niche socially... and if you don't and it's really hurting your actual schoolwork, then it's usually not impossible to transfer. Were I a UC student (I'm not, but I have a lot of experience with applying to UC's and having friends at them), I'd be more impressed than anything else if I found out someone was from South Carolina, seeing as it's a bit harder for an out-of-state student to get into the UC system.</p>
<p>I just found out that my roommate's from PA, and I think that's awesome =) It likely won't be any harder for you to make friends when you get to Berkeley; everyone else is pretty much starting over as well, open to new people and trying to make friends themselves. You don't have to worry about that aspect of Berkeley at all!</p>
<p>I applied OOS, and people think I'm smarter or something, which is ridiculous. Then they have trouble knowing where my city is located haha. (Someone thought I lived in SoCal when I told them my city name.) But yeah, people just have this weird impression that you're smarter because you're OOS, which in my case isn't necessarily true.</p>
<p>I personally think it would be better to have more students from out of state. It adds to the diversity. Just about all the people I know are either NorCal or SoCal people, and so we have certain things in common in that respect, but at the same time we have nothing interesting to tell each other about where we're from...because we're all from within 4 hours of each other.</p>
<p>Off the top of my head, I do know a Texan at Berkeley. She hasn't had trouble making friends. I think she did suffer some homesickeness, but nothing serious.</p>
<p>I'd be okay with more out of state students. </p>
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How would you feel if, as a native Californian, you looked at your roommate assignment and saw that she was from...oh, say...Charleston, South Carolina.
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<p>You wouldn't happen to be asking for a friend, would you? Hmmm . . . you're from Charleston, South Carolina. :confused:</p>
<p>I think it's somewhat of a novelty, and most people find it interesting. Some ask the "why'd you come here?" question, which I think is odd. My roommate was from the Northeast last semester, and my cousin lived on the east coast her whole life. Both were essentially indistinguishable from California kids. You'll be fine. :)</p>
<p>you're from charleston?
i really wouldn't care. :) but yeah it does make you seem smarter? haha.</p>
<p>Alice what school did you go to? im a rising senior at Wando in mt pleasant and im considering applying to Berkeley so it would be great to talk to someone from the lowcountry who actually goes there.</p>
<p>drab so true. #1 question - "so why'd you decide to come all the way to berkeley?"</p>
<p>If you don't find your niche early at Berkeley, you'll probably never find it IMHO.</p>
<p>Berkeley's student body is a lot like other student bodies at large public schools, don't let its numbers scare you. I think they might be worst than what you'll find at comparable schools in the south (UT-AUstin, UNC-Chapel Hill), because they'll be culturally liberal, highly individualistic Californians. In general, you can't really expect people to respect social mores and be as friendly as you would in the south.</p>
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In general, you can't really expect people to respect social mores and be as friendly as you would in the south.
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<p>Well, that's a pretty ridiculous statement. "Social mores" change from group to group. Berkeley might not have the same social mores as Montgomery, but it certainly does have its social mores.</p>
<p>Social mores don't change at Berkeley, the just become more lax.</p>
<p>What social mores at Berkeley are there? The simplest one I can think of is that the campus is rampantly libertarian because most people don't really pay attention or care about one another. You can't expect simple things like have friends say hi to you like they would in the South or people to respect your personal privacy or space as they would if they had grown up in a disciplined environment or shared a similar upbringing.</p>
<p>It is this point that Californians often have a point of contention with me, but one I stand by. The Berkeley experience is akin to the experience you might find in another big city where nobody knows each other, but if you are from middle America, there will be some culture shock.</p>
<p>So you want people to say hi to you AND respect your personal privacy? Perhaps you're sending potential friends or aquaintances mixed messages.</p>
<p>ShiboingBoing, it seems like dobby is saying social mores change from group to group, that they are relative. You said that at Berkeley they don't change, but become more lax. That implies that social mores are not relative, but fixed. Maybe you mean to say that The accepted traditional customs and usages of a particular social group, Berkeley, is like what the standard you are using is like, probably what you're used to, but more lax. Does it make sense to say "they become more lax" if that's what is traditional of Berkeley, or without mentioning some point of reference? (No).</p>
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You can't expect simple things like have friends say hi to you like they would in the South or people to respect your personal privacy or space as they would if they had grown up in a disciplined environment or shared a similar upbringing.
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<p>I would question how much these people are your friends, or wonder why they don't want to say hi to you. Have you ever thought that perhaps they didn't see you, or perhaps were trying to avoid you for some reason? How likely is it that you had a similar upbringing to your roommates at Berkeley? Similar, sure, but there are a lot of people from many different cultures, from devout religious folks of all faiths, traditional people (both immigrants and internationals) from various countries such as China, people from all over America, Californians from all different backgrounds. It's likely that other people you meet will not have identical upbringings and values, so you have to communicate with them.</p>
<p>ShiboingBoing, who argues that people coming from very different environments might have culture shock when in Berkeley? Of course they might. For instance, you're one living example. I think people would agree with this. They might disagree that Berkeley is like any other big city (as it isn't really a big city, or like many other big cities I know about), but they might say it's akin to it. But if Berkeley is so akin to other big cities, will people coming from big cities in middle America have culture shock?</p>
<p>Its not that complicated for you Californians is it?</p>
<p>If you know someone you should say hi to them and be courteous.</p>
<p>If you are rooming with someone you might know very well, you should ask before doing things that might be construed as invading their personal space. Playing loud music, inviting your friends over, etc.</p>
<p>I thought it was common sense before I came to California, but I've learned to take nothing for granted since then.</p>
<p>Yeah, your roommate is a really good proxy of the manners of the entirety of California. You still haven't been south of Santa Barbara within California, have you? Have you been north of the Bay Area either?</p>
<p>Perhaps you had an innability to communicate with your roommates. If so, the siutation was probably largely your fault. Perhaps he or they had an inanability to understand you- if so, I'm sorry, but there were steps you could have taken, and your reasoning process, which equates all of Californian's as having some identical set of manners, is ridiculous.</p>
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If you know someone you should say hi to them and be courteous.
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<p>Yes, but I would ammend that to "If you know someone and like/respect them, you should say hi to them and be courteous." </p>
<p>Sometimes the most courteous thing you can do when you see someone you don't like or respect is to say nothing.</p>
<p>And your experiences somehow are more fit than mine to generalize with? I just gave examples. I've been an officer in 2-3 different clubs (no, not by election so get your knocks in there), and roomed with 5 different people and had over 50 housemates. The same trend kept repeating itself over and over and over.</p>
<p>I lived in Southern California briefly as a kid and I have a few relatives dispersed throughout california. The same trend applies; californians tend to be more indifividualistic and anti-establishment. This is nothing concrete but its proven by state politics and anecdotally.</p>
<p>I can communicate just fine thank you or else I wouldn't have gotten into the law schools I did or have my share of friends outside of the school. I have been no stranger to confrontation since coming to California and will have more than my share of it in my future career as well.</p>
<p>Mom>>> Sometimes the most courteous thing you can do when you produce mediocre children who major in useless subjects is to not reproduce. Especially in a state like California.</p>