University of California-Berkeley Top Questions

emily is a junior and part of a group called shape designed to prevent abuse against women. she is also a transfer stud

she is a freshman, and in the coop scene/ choosing cal over davis and about picking a co-op for living sophomore year

Most are very determined and always willing to learn more. A lot of students go to office hours to get help if they do not understand something. They are persistent with their work and are constantly studying. Most are pretty friendly but there are also those really competitve students who have to have everything their way and willing to do anything to get that grade they want.

Racial, religious, and ethnic groups seem to be somewhat segregated at Berkeley. I think this, in part, comes from Berkeley being such a large place. Most students try to find some sort of community while there, and for many, the community they find is one based on a common ethnic/religious/racial/cultural background. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much contact between many of the student groups. People find their niche and stay there, it seems. Most students wear something casual to class - whether it's a sweatshirt and jeans or full-on hipster costume with skinny pants, strategically messy hair, and a striped shirt. Beyond those that look like they raided the nearby Urban Outfitters, there is usually at least one person in every class who takes it up a notch. This was especially true in Art History classes, in which there were always a few girls (usually members of sororities) who wore extremely put-together outfits and carried a purse in lieu of a backpack. Most Berkeley students are from California. It was exciting to meet someone from out-of-state, even, dare I say it, a little exotic. I'd say a middle-class financial background is probably most prevalent - with an upper-middle class background being more common within the Greek system (and probably among certain majors). There are also many students from lower-income backgrounds and those who work their way through college. Berkeley is a diverse place, and this diversity definitely applies to socioeconomics, though with rising tuition costs, it will probably be more difficult for many students to attend Berkeley. Students tend to be politically aware, but as I said before, not necessarily very politically active. Berkeley is known to be a hotbed of activism, and disappointingly, it does not seem to be anymore. There are definitely a few active groups who support a particular issue or cause, but they often have few members, and those members are often the members of the other active student groups (as my cousin said, the same guy who heads the Socialist student group is also the president of the Stop the War Coalition and about five other clubs). The majority of the student body seems politically apathetic - generally leftist, but uninvolved in political activities on campus. When my friends and I talked about our future earning-power, we generally agreed we'd be making pennies and/or unemployed. I imagine Business students do talk about their eventual earning power and that that discussion includes some talk about "six-figures".

One word: Diverse. We have people from all over, from all different walks of life, and with varied interests. This means that you can meet people from all over the country, and the world, and get to know what life is like outside your own "bubble". More importantly, there are groups for just about anything, so its not hard to find some place to fit in.

as a mexican american student, i sometimes feel as if i am outnumbered in a campus primarily filled with asians. sometimes it feels that since they have more people, they have more groups, and therefore they get more funding. Berkeley is not well rounded when it comes to race or ethnicity. and most racial groups stick together.

The campus may be fairly diverse, but my major is not. The male to female ratio in EECS is as high as one would expect, so it's important to branch out into other departments to meet different people. Again, you can find whatever type of person you want to hang out with, if you look.

Students are generally drones. Though it is predominantly people of color populated, much of that population unfortunately suffers from internalized racism, particularly those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. Many students are liberal-minded but they fail to see past "pro-choice" and pro"poor-people stances. They generally do not see the systemic failures and structural oppression that they themselves perpetuate.

NEEDS TO BE MORE DIVERSE! More people of color need to be given the change here. The use of SAT scores are not an accurate form of measuring who can succeed at a school like UC Berkeley especially when many students are not able to attend private schools or more economically privileged public grade schools.

Most students are very casual in their style of dress and appearance. Being from Southern California i found there was a clear distinction between the atmosphere up in the bay then where I grew up... it is very relaxed here. People seem less interested in what other people are wearing in the bay. I think there is less pressure to "look good" and impress, which was a nice change. Most students are politically aware and very involved in student groups and issues. It can be quite intimidating how driven and determined some students are, even if they are not involved in social issues like say my roommate who was a Business major...they can be very involved in their education and active in extracurricular activities that pertain to their area of study like internships, professional fraternities, jobs, etc. Many people are very aware of where they are, where they want to go and how they are going to do it (and they certainly do a lot to get there!!)