University of California-Berkeley Top Questions

There are two primary stereotypes of a UC Berkeley student. 1. The Hippie Stoner: Because of our history in the 60's, when you say "I go to Berkeley", many people think you are an active protester, smoke pot all day, and only eat tree bark. 2. The Over-Achiever: This type of student has virtually no social life and keeps their nose in a book, so they can become a Doctor/Lawyer/I-Banker. Both stereotypes are partially true. Most of the students on campus lean to the left politically and every semester someone is protesting something. However, the largest group on campus is the Berkeley College Republicans, so there is some diversity of opinion, and while there is the occasional protest, most are small and most students tend to avoid them. Because Berkeley is academically rigorous, it also attracts the "Over-Achiever" but most people maintain a social life while earning "A"'s. We don't spend our Saturday nights in the library and spend just as much time talking about funny cat videos as we do talking about Schrodinger's Cat.

The stereotype that I had of Berkeley students previously to attending school here was of hyper-liberal and very intellectually driven individuals. As it turns out, the hyper-liberal students tend to be less intellectually and more emotionally driven as they get caught up in the current of political activism. The intellectually driven students are often quiet, somewhat introverted, and low-key. The political extremist "hippie" image of the 60's and 70's has been reduced to representation through the more liberal faculty and the aging burnouts that roam the streets, homeless and befuddled.

The stereotype that I had of Berkeley students previously to attending school here was of hyper-liberal and very intellectually driven individuals. Since then, I've encountered many other stereotypes of students that are probably more accurate than the one I had. The hyper-liberal students tend to be less intellectually and more emotionally driven as they get caught up in the current of political activism. The intellectually driven students are often quiet, somewhat introverted, and low-key.There are a lot of Asian students, many of which speak surprisingly little conversant English. Walking around on campus it seems like most of the students are Asian. The political extremist "hippie" image of the 60's and 70's has been reduced to representation through the more liberal faculty and the aging burnouts that roam the streets, homeless and befuddled.

yes, but students here party a lot more than you would think. and no, berkeley really is not a school filled with the socially awkward. visit schools like davis and you'll find more of those. at berkeley, we study hard and then we party hard

Partially true.

There are definitely tree-sitters, potheads, and stressed out students. However, those stereotypes do not even begin to properly describe the Cal population. Perhaps one of the best things about Cal, is that the people who come end up discovering that they're not so special anymore. They may have been the best and brightest wherever they were before, but now they may be average or dull compared to other people. So, people take up bag piping, archery, or take to wearing only purple. Thus, people become a lot more accepting of eachother's differences, because they understand how important it is to be different.

Liberal? Sure, plenty of that. Hippies? Not really in style these days among our generation, but I still spot a couple every once in a while. Marching in protest a la 1960s Free Speech Movement (for which UC Berkeley is probably most known for)? A far cry. UC Berkeley today is full of students who, while liberal, as would be expected of 20 year olds living in California, are as professional about living their college lives as any other college in the nation.

Yes and no. There are some extremely liberal people, but they exist largely on the fringes. Most students are pretty apathetic and often politically moderate, but sometimes care about, and become advocates for, one specific issue. There are a lot of intelligent people at Berkeley and quite a few nerds. Intelligence, however, does not always translate into social intelligence.

There are some supersmart students who can answer every question in class. But most students are normal, just like me, never consider myself very smart. Some exams are tough, but are reasonable if you know the right way to study. Some (most) exams are just not too hard, not too easy. It is very competitive at UC Berkeley. You have to study hard and study smart to excel.

This stereotype is pretty true. There is always something crazy going on (protests, demonstrations, strikes, walkouts, random yelling).

Insane people are very much in the minority. Liberals and environmentalists are prominent but rarely come with the irrationality that people claim them to have.

I think Berkeley got its name for its radical nature during the free speech movement, but it has died down now. even on campus tours one of the first things guides tell parents is not to worry because the school is no longer as radical as it used to be. I am only a first year but in this year alone i have witnessed multiple protesters who take a place in a tree for long periods of time. Yes Berkeley students get high, but so do the students at the other universities, there are just more eyes on us because of the schools history. there are many smart people here though. at least one of the stereotypes is true.

generally yes

Majority of students definitely make time to have a social life outside of classes. However, I do feel that the university needs to be more diverse and make a better effort to outreach to underprivileged high schools.

I would say that most stereotypes are not accurate. The issue of diversity is one that I find most intriguing... because although I do feel that Berkeley may exhibit a more "diverse" population than say, UCSB where you see a sea of blonde hair- girls in jean skirts wearing uggs and guys without shirts carrying their surfboards, minorities are still highly underrepresented and Asians make up about half the population...which is about the same as basically all the other UC's. So perhaps it is that diversity is pursued at Cal more than in other institutions and there are more outlets for this diversity to flourish. While there are students who are clearly at an intellectual level beyond most other people in that age group, I found that most of the time you could also find people right in the middle of the spectrum who may not be as "intellectual" but have so much to offer in regards to personal life experiences and personality. Not all Cal students are geniuses... to be honest I've run into people who I thought.. hmmm, interesting they come here because they arent all there it seems. You dont have to be a genius to come here, i think that is where the diversity comes in. Cal appreciates students for more than one typical intellectual backround and i think this is most apparent in its transfer student population. Some of the most intelligent people i have ran into are transfer re-entry students who seem to come in with a different perspective which can be quite refreshing. And no, not all professors are marxist-loving socialists. While there are clearly marxist sympathizers on the faculty it is not something that you can always expect. I think for me, most professors have been more of center, with a couple on the far right, and a couple on the far left. The good things is, professors usually welcome a challenge. While there may not be a ton of hippies on campus i think that students who are looking to be politically aware and active come here because of the reputation of free speech and protest, and this fraction of the population who is very passionate often is magnetized by the media and the general public and are the perceived "tree huggers." But there is more to Berkeley than that.

To some extent. UC Berkeley is academically challenging but there are many resources and clubs that warm the campus up and help me feel supported here.

The students are hella competitive, and the girls are fine, as long as you like Asian.

there are a lot of free thinkers and liberals, as well as many intelligent people but I also think Berkeley students know how to balance their lives very well

somewhat

There is definitely a liberal atmosphere and people are usually welcome to all ideas. Students protest and have booths on Sproul Plaza every weekday. There are homeless people on the streets and in People's Park which is very unfortunate. Even though Berkeley has its share of atheists, there are plenty of campus Christian fellowships, the number which surprised me because I did not think there will be. Students can be competitive, especially for ranked courses like Undergraduate Business Admin 10. However, for the other classes I have taken, people are generally open and helpful. If you get a good TA/GSI, all the better. There are many highly intelligent students who can rattle off formulas and facts but also many others who have interesting talents and skills, such as Rubik's cubing, surfing, etc.