University of California-Berkeley Top Questions

Half are lazy, half are nerds, and everyone has a passion to learn more than what they know already.

Students here tend to be extremely liberal/left in their ideology. An extremely large proportion of the Berkeley population is LGBT. 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the campus population comes from ethnic minorities. The ethical doctrine of cultural relativism is generally held in high-esteem. Students at this school are typically study/workaholics and very political. Those coming from Judeo-Christian backgrounds are typically seen as "oppressors."

Take a walk through Sproul Plaza on any weekday, and you'll find a club that caters to every demographic. Among these groups: Conservatives at Cal, Ski Club, New Christian Fellowship, Alpha Rho Chi (a co-ed fraternity for architecture students), Tikvah - Students for Israel, Queer Straight Alliance, Foresight Pre-Optometry Club, Unicycle Basketball Club, Hermanos Unidos (a Latino, all-male social group), Dance Marathon (an event whose proceeds benefit the fight against pediatric AIDS), and Cal Ballroom (a dance club). Most students are politically aware, but political alliances vary greatly. Many are from California, and a fairly large proportion are international students. Because Berkeley is academically prestigious, most students are competitive, highly motivated, and very ambitious Monday through Friday, but you won't have to look very far to find a good time when you're unwinding over the weekend! Come Monday morning, you'd better be ready to head back to the grindstone.

My classmates at the University of California, Berkeley, were determined to improve their social and political environments, determined to consider challenging concepts on a profound level, determined to discover themselves, and determined to make the world a more inclusive and loving place.

Berkeley students are definitely diverse. Though racial minorities are underrepresented (like in most schools), they are definitely present. Since Berkeley's a public school, we tend to get more people from the lower end of the socio-economic scale than other schools. There's an active LGBT community - we're generally ranked in the top 10 schools for LGBT students, due to a supportive community and many student groups. Though there are multiple religious and conservative student groups on campus, it's by and large a pretty secular and liberal bubble. Vocal conservative or fundamentalist students are likely to feel somewhat out of place among the general campus community. Most people are from California, and there's a large international community as well. People from other states within the US seem to be the minority, though I don't know if that's actually true. It's hard to classify how people generally interact, just because there are so many. Everything's pretty chill, so most people just wear jeans or sweats to class - although you'll always see a handful of people dressed to impress. There's a significant number of women who wear head coverings or men in yarmulkes. I even knew a guy who wore a handmade chainmail shirt everyday. Berkeley gets all types.

Berkeley is incredibly diverse. As a public school, several programs are offered to generate inclusiveness of many groups of students. The school is LGBT and ADA friendly, and is racially diverse as well. Although some groups of students do band together because of their identity, most groups of students on campus are diverse in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation, political views and socioeconomic background.

My classmates are interactive, thoughtful, eloquent, and engaging.

Students at this school are very diverse and very welcoming. There are plenty of groups on campus and if you find you don't fit in with one group, just try again with another one. There are plenty of activities available on campus that students can get involved in to expand the their network or make new friends.

Diverse people are very amicable in general. Pretty much anyone is ready and willing to talk to you. Those who have very conservative values would feel out of place, because of the feel of the crowd and the views that many hold in common. There are, however, places for conservatives to congregate and share their beliefs. Business students proliferate with suits while campus casual abides elsewhere. It all depends on what image you are trying to show. Students are from all over the world. What really makes this campus is the range of people you can interact with. Just yesterday, I met a water polo from Montenegro -- never would have imagined meeting someone like that. I cannot stress enough that this is a left-wing school.

DIVERSITY. The only word I can think of to characterize the entire Berkeley student body is "smart". Everyone at Berkeley is smart, talented, and has so much to offer. Other than that, the students are all so different and come from all walks of life. I have seen every type of religion, economical status, political stance, race, stereotype, etc. There is truly something for everyone here at Cal. If you're smart enough to get in, then you will definitely find your place here. There are so many clubs and organizations to get involved in its crazy. Every day these clubs sit out on our main walk way tabling and flying, trying to get people to join their group. There are endless opportunities and ways to get involved in whatever it is that you are interested in. And if you can't find what you're looking for, you can always start your own club!! And surely, there will be many more people who will join you. No need to worry about fitting in here. Berkeley is a cultural place, where everyone is accepted. Politically active/aware?? YESSS! People are always protesting in Berkeley. Instead of snow days, we have strike days. Sometimes classes are cancelled because there is a strike.