BenH
The only thing you can say about Berkeley categorically is that it's students are diverse. The only person who will not fit in is the person who demands a homogeneous social environment.
Zoe
There is a huge variety of students who attend Berkeley from every background possible.
Robin
Feeling out of place at Berkeley can take a conscious effort. It's just too big for cliques to develop against one another. They usually develop out of their own right, and and discrimination seems more personal here, than group oriented.
Even though Athletes tend to eat together, and music-oriented people (euphemism for hipsters) tend to follow the same trend, there is little genuine animosity between "groups" and that notion deconstructs itself slowly over the four years. My experience with fraternity brothers and athletes and music junkies and "gender explorers" in the classroom and on campus has been overwhelmingly positive. Once you leave the dorms, you have to CHOOSE to interact with the kinds of people that don't fit your ideal friend group. People will leave you alone, and if you met them outside of their scene, there would probably be respect, and maybe even kindness.
Maureen
It is pretty hard to feel out of place in Berkeley. It's a little like a buffet table; there is something for everyone. People come from many different backgrounds, which is part of the reason Berkeley is so diverse in attitude. Honestly, I was surprised when I came to Berkeley and was described as "a white girl." I guess I had never heard that distinction before, coming from a town with a mostly white population. I was surprised and a little offended when people of other backgrounds felt that my opinion was not valid because I am "white." I'm not even really sure what that is supposed to mean.
There is a lot of different kinds of student interaction. Most people find a core group of friends, but then making friends in classes, joining clubs, or having jobs, introduces students to other types of students. That at least, has been my experience. The majority of students are from California, and because Berkeley is a public school and therefore less expensive, most students I have met have come from a middle to lower class background. Students are liberal, but that does not mean they are always politically aware. However, because of the upcoming elections, it has been clearer how students feel about politics. Among my own friends there has even occurred heated debates over who is voting for Clinton or Obama.