Karen
It has a very liberal atmosphere. Students here seem much more passionate about social issues compared to other schools. I visited a few schools on their open house days, and Cal had a bigger display of groups that were concerned with racism, politics, and other issues. In the past months, I witnessed the passion. Students marched in protest of the UC tuition hikes and the Ferguson decision, and debates flared in our Facebook group. Most people are open to different ideas, and we are committed to fighting for justice.
Nicole
Berkeley fosters more liberalism and freedom than other schools do. There's also a much larger sense of community, real-world knowledge, and pride in our own knowledge than others.
Cassandra
It is very diverse!
Marissa
Berkeley provides a unique balance of high academics and great social experiences, something I feel other schools lack. Most of the time I feel like there is more of a focus on either the academic or social aspect of college, but at Berkeley that is not the case. It is the number one pulbic university in the nation and a degree from Cal carries a lot of weight in the professional world, yet it also provides plenty of opportunity to make new friends and expand socially, both of which in my opinion are essential to having a complete college experince.
Crystal
It is a college town, the school is beautiful and has a great accepting and engaging atmosphere.
Vikas
My school is very diverse with people of many ethnicities, backgrounds, and interests. This school is very liberal and supports all types of people. Berkeley is also a prestigious university to attend as professors that teach are sometimes Nobel laureates and very knowledgeable in their fields. This school is also relatively near my home.
Bahareh
University of California at Berkeley offers a wide range of educational, athletic, and social experiences. It places a great deal of emphasis on research which is my ultimate goal in my profession as an electrical engineer. Compare to other universities it supports the most excellent educational programs, competes for and win research funding, and has successful cutting –edge research projects for undergraduate students to help them prepare for a successful graduate program.
Krista
UC Berkeley offers lectures given by world renowned researchers and incredible professors in the top of their respective fields. We have designated parking spots on campus for Nobel Laureates. The prestige of the people on campus that my peers and I interact with everyday still astounds me. Research opportunities are constantly presenting themselves and there is always something interesting happening on campus. The academics are incredible, but Cal offers more than that. The people, the experiences, and the lessons you will learn are priceless. There truly is no other school that compares.
eric
The school has a smaller campus feel but it is not too small. The school is located ten minutes from downtown Atlanta. I enjoy the location of the school because I am very familiar with this area.
Amberly
The academic and social atmosphere at Cal is completely unique. The student body at Cal is diverse, with students from every walk of life. All of the students I have met are sincerely kind, willing to go out of their way to help a directionally challenged freshman lost on campus. Teachers are engaging and care about students whether it is a class in a huge lecture hall with hundreds of people or a small discussion group of 10 students. Cal has taught me new ways to look at the world, with passionate and amazing faculty and students. Go Bears!
Haleemah
You know you're in u.c. berkeley when: you see a random person standing on the side of the word reading religous text, a sign claiming the end of the world is near, a political organization protesting a situation or the library is full during the first week of class. If there's one thing to take away from campus, it's that there's something for everyone and you will be exposed to more kinds of people than you knew existed.
Sandy
Berkeley supported and inspired me to make work about modern-day child sex trafficking and spreading awareness and promoting action. While in my last year at Cal, I will be leading a team in creating their own meaningful art projects. As the leader, I will be challenging the members to use unconventional methods in portraying their thoughts and to explore content they care about because I strongly believe a person needs to be passionate about their work in order to send a genuine and influential message across to an audience. This opportunity wasn'y available at the other colleges.
Sarah
At my school, everyone is different. There is no "typical Berkeley kid" except that ALL Berkeley kids study a lot. What's unique here is that everyone fits in.
Logan
The flavor of life in and around Berkeley as well as the energy and spirit are unmatched anywhere else. It is consistently considered one of the best, if not the best public university in the world, and it is home to some of the worlds greatest minds as evidenced by the Nobel laureate parking all around campus!
Kelly
It has good academics and social atmostphere. Diversity!
Kai
U.C. Berkeley is set apart from the other schools that I considered due to its deep diversity academically, socially, and intellectually. The list of the programs of study is almost twice, if not three times the list of other schools with majors ranging from Peace and Conflict Studies to Nuclear Engineering. This wide array of academia attracts many students from around the nation and world, creating a mini-scale world in a campus no larger than 7,000 acres. This atmosphere breeds intellect like no other, igniting debate, ingenuity, and creativity at the highest level.
Yvonne
Compared to other schools, I found UC-Berkeley to be a unique school because of its commitment to student expression. At none of the other nine schools to which I applied did I feel that political activism would be stressed as much as it is here. I love that at Cal, we are all free to voice our opinions about vital matters. And not only are we free to do so, we are encouraged to. This activism for activism is what ultimately made me realize that Cal was the school for me.
Alex
Berkeley has a liberal culture that always is pinned upon progress. This year, the students were given the opportunity to have three specific genes tested in hopes of raising awareness about personalized medicine. The Berkeley student culture is often the first to implement new ideas and push the envelope on what is accepted.