University of California-Berkeley

I've enjoyed my time at UC Berkeley a lot. I met tons of great people there and was able to engage in multiple things that I was passionate about. The academics are challenging enough that study groups are a must, but good enough to make someone feel confident in what they're doing. The community is welcoming and you're sure to find people to hang out with.

The University of California, Berkeley was my top choice when considering obtaining my undergraduate education outside of Mexico. After two years as a student here, it remains at the top. When I first started applying, I conducted extensive research on the school and even visited the campus before confirming my enrollment. I was captivated by the environment fostered by the students, which encourages one to be cultured, knowledgeable, and politically outspoken—a student involved in the "real" world from an early age. Furthermore, the school boasts a glowing reputation for its faculty. I actually wrote my application essay about one of the professors, expressing my excitement to learn from him as he is a pioneer in his field. The intellectual dynamism at UC Berkeley is ever-present, as the curriculum is constantly revised due to ongoing discoveries and innovations on campus. Graduates and faculty members of UC Berkeley have achieved distinguished accolades in their fields, attained incredible positions of leadership, and have made significant impacts on the world. I wanted, and still aspire, to be a part of this vibrant community. What no one really reveals about this experience is the vast transition from high school to a prestigious institution like UC Berkeley. In high school, I was among the top students with the highest GPA, an extensive list of extracurriculars, and the ambition to gain acceptance to one of the world's leading universities. At UC Berkeley, everyone is equally ambitious and intelligent, striving to be the best. This can be daunting because, although I prioritize my academics, I have other passions that don’t necessarily contribute to my resume. I consider myself very extroverted and enjoy going out with friends, hiking on weekends, traveling, and training for marathons. While some of my classmates spend Fridays in the library studying, I often prefer having dinner with friends. The beauty of UC Berkeley is its grand campus, where you can find others who share your passions. While you cultivate these connections, the university still expects you to excel academically, no matter your interests or routines. I wholeheartedly value my experience at UC Berkeley for what it offers and for the life I have formed to which I have created incredible memories. Any college experience is what the student makes of it, and studying at UC Berkeley provides the essential foundation to create the best memories of your undergraduate years.

UC Berkeley is an energetic hub of intellectual engagement, campus involvement, student leadership, community service, and fun things to do. The area is dominated by the college. It is an extremely stimulating environment and professors are always there to help. I love it here.

It is a breeding ground for problem-solvers of various kinds. I feel intellectually stimulated when surrounded by my peers, and the professors are just old children with how excited they are to satiate our curiosities. The passion bleeds out from the school, coating the walls of our wisdom. It was enough to make a directionless kid change their life course, and it is more than enough for me.

Berkeley is a great school, full of intelligent people to have conversations with, talented faculty to gain research experience and to learn from, and incredible opportunities. Being situated near Silicon Valley, it's an absolutely amazing place to learn as a CS Major, also being the #1 Public School in the country.

I visited UC Berkeley over the summer and it's a very nice school. There are a lot of local businesses around the area, so you get to support a lot of small businesses. There were also a lot of cultural restaurants in the area which allowed people to try different foods from all over the world. It's a nice place to walk around, especially during the warmer months.

To preface my review, I'm a second semester freshman, so definitely take this review with a grain of salt. On the academic front, the classes have been shockingly easy so far, but I haven't taken many "weed out" classes. Also know my math class last semester had 750 people in my section alone (750 in the other section too), so don't expect a lot of individual attention. I've found the students to not be as intellectual as you'd expect at similarly-tiered institutions (like NYU, Duke, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Michigan, etc.), and a lot of students (perhaps just the ones I've found myself interacting with) are involved in the sorority/fraternity scene. Despite it being Berkeley, there's still severe hazing, cocaine, etc. occurring in that network, so beware. Despite the academic and social negatives, the dorms are quite nice, the food is good, and the weather is beautiful almost 24/7. There's also more resources at this school than just about anywhere else in the country, given how big and socially progressive it is, so just about anyone can succeed here if they're committed to asking for help.

The academics at UC Berkeley live up to their expectations - rigorous, but you are surrounded by like-minded, accomplished students, faculty, and culture. The campus is a tourist destination and typically busy, where you can find people protesting, practicing choir or acapella, playing games or sports, and studying or hanging out on the greens. The food in the dining halls and surrounding restaurants/eateries are diverse. There is something to eat for everyone, including vegan-friendly options. The housing, parking accessibility, and campus safety need more awareness to be improved upon. The homeless of Berkeley regularly come on to campus and vandalize property or bother students, including myself. UC Berkeley has a program called Bear Walk, where a student or faculty associated with the school will accompany and walk you up to certain hours of the night. I did not always feel safe at night and usually required a group or someone to walk with me. The housing dorms and facilities are old and typically broken down or not working. There are some newer residential dorms, but many students, including myself, felt we could have performed better in class and been able to study if the other old dorms were updated since elevators were always broken down, and the dorm rooms and study rooms in on-campus housing were run-down and needed better lighting to be able to see and study at night.

I am very motivated to be in such a rigorous campus. To be able to thrive with others who intend to achieve bright futures is what we are all about. In Berkeley you can network, and find the connections that will help stabalize your future socially and financially.

UC Berkeley is a beautiful scene near San Francisco and Alameda. I will be studying Cognitive Science and seek to double major with Computer Science. I know lots of people claim that the class sizes are very large, making many have to attend office hours. However I am excited to enter the world of UC Berkeley.

My perspective is probably a bit skewed, but I have really lost a lot of respect for the university in my time here. From online biochemistry labs during COVID, to receiving zero feedback on a semester's worth of work due to a graduate student strike, to plain old poor teaching in both effort and ability. I never realized before attending that the professors are only here to research while they are forced to teach as compensation for their lab or office or research spaces and resources. The same is true for the graduate students who actually carry the bulk of the weight and grade most of the work. I couldn't believe someone who was just in my class one year ago is now in the position of teaching me and determining my grade. Not a real school for those who wish to learn from the faculty, but instead more of a disguised effort to fundraise for the graduate research programs.

If you come from out-of-state or international, tuition and fees are expensive. It is also challenging to find housing here. Unless you're rich or get tons of scholarships, you will have student loans or have to work really hard. As the school is at the center of the city, you frequently see people who are houseless on campus or near the area. During the nighttime, you should be careful and be with a buddy to be safe. But there are a lot of clubs and organizations here. So, you can meet so many students and find your community. Berkeley is also accepting of transfer students, so don't be worried cause they're nice about it and you're not the only one.

Overall, I think that UC Berkeley is a very good school. It suffers many of the problems of other large campuses and urban environments (stress, some crime, over-competitive environment), but it is a school with many diverse opinions and many opportunities to thrive. I believe that anybody can go to this school and truly find a kind group of people.

Berkeley, like any other school, carries its flaws on its sleeve. A sporadic campus, an intense academic atmosphere, a possibly overwhelming number of students ... all of which valid complaints almost unanimously agreed upon by the student body. What this unique university makes up for in its queerness, is well, its queerness! I come from a small, rural town where I had to repress nearly every unique aspect of myself. Being gay, Filipino, and feminine doesn't necessarily align with the football-straight-man identity I was expected to fulfill. I grew up in fear of individuality, in repression of everything I now have grown to love about myself. Upon coming to Berkeley, its absolute mayhem of conflicting personalities, beliefs, subcultures, and any other categorical term you can conceive made it possible to dump any plan of "fitting in" in the trash. There is simply no need to assimilate, to be yourself in Berkeley is what brought you to the school in the first place. I have never felt so welcomed, so accepted, and so free in my life. I wake up each morning, breathing in the chilly bay area mist, and set out into the expansive and historic campus, wearing a full face of makeup and an insane outfit, only to receive absolutely zero weird looks or stares. You can scream and shout, you can breakdance in front of Sather Gate, you can even scale the Campanile like King Kong ... and I can guarantee, no student, professor, or passerby will think twice. Whatever frightening story you've heard of Berkeley's academic culture or political instability, you'll soon realize is drastically overshadowed by the beautiful goulash of individuals from across the globe, all coexisting and supporting a single community of intelligent, driven students willing to change the world for the better. I love this school more than words, and I know whoever's reading this will love it too. Go Bears!!

UC Berkeley is a really good school for those who are highly independent and know how to navigate through the college's resources. Unfortunately, most freshmen entering college are lost and seek guidance. Berkeley, while it has a lot of resources, doesn't do a good job in providing them to you. You have to go out and get it.