University of California-Berkeley Top Questions

i think a lot of people are actually competitive and do study a lot compared to other colleges. and people are more open about their sexuality because i feel like the environment in berkeley offers a very free-ing and open place to voice many opinions and respect that

To a certain extent, I believe that there are people who exemplify all stereotypes. However, that number of people is extremely small. It's unfair to judge the entire student body based on a few noticeable patterns. Sure, there are hippies and Asians and smart kids, but Berkeley contains a surprising number of conservative students, as well as students from other ethnic backgrounds and students who don't exceed academically.

Probably. Though not as much as they used to be.

more or less. there are some liberal asians and some conservative white people though.

I think most of the students at Berkeley tend to be apathetic about politics or lean to the left, but there are also many conservative students and organizations. And, as to B, there are many intelligent people here, but they're more likely to be graduate students than undergrads. I'm constantly shocked at the level of ignorance of many of my classmates, it is appalling.

Some students are workaholics but not all. Yeah, the student population here is pretty ugly overall, but there are attractive students too. The stereotype about all Berkeley students being liberal is probably the most misleading. I would say that although there are few conservative students here, most of the student body is pretty apathetic politically.

1. Uber-Leftists this is truer of the faculty than the students. Sure, berkeley has its fair share of naked protests against sweatshops and semi-naked tree dwellers decrying de-forestation on campus, but Sproul Plaza is populated by way more Asian Christian associations than progressive political movements. Also, lest ye forget, berkeley is home to Haas, one of the top business school in the country, and the only green those kids care about is the kind with famous dead guys' faces on it. So don't be surprised to find bush jokes in your bio lectures, and Nader campaign posters in your sociology professor's office, but rest assured, the kids are alright. 2. uber-competitive Berkeley is definitely an academically competitive school, but that being said, your experience will really depend on your major. If you study something useful, like a hard science, or business, you will be stressed out for 4 years, get used to it. If you pick a bullshit social science major like i did, things aren't so bad. Having studied both at UCSB and UCB i can tell you that Berkeley social science classes were not noticeably more challenging than those at the infamous "party school" in Santa Barbara. However, at Berkeley you have the advantage of being misled by big name professors, and so if i were you i would pick one early on and hold on for dear life so that by the end of 4 years you will have a minor celebrity writing your letter of recommendation for whatever institution you choose to attend after you realize a BA in a social science is worth about as much as your 1st grade report card, regardless of whether its from Berkeley or chico state. 3. uber-asian this is absolutely true, but why do you care? what are you, some kind of racist?

A lot of people like to get involved, and the extreme ones do stand out, but there are a lot of people who are just chilling with friends and studying at school. I would say that there is a slight overall feeling of trying to do things for the good of society and "changing the world," but whatever you are, at Cal, it's cool. :)

This is mostly true. There are overwhelming amounts of Asians on this campus. Not everyone is intensely studious, though most Asians are. From what I've encountered, out-of-state students are the most intelligent, transfer students work the hardest, and Californians (who make up most of the campus) are mediocre.

Yes.

Well, the Bay Area is generally a fairly liberal place, but it is also really diverse. Berkeley has its fair share of stoners and bleeding hearts, but it also has a number of conservative students who come for the oustanding acedemic programs and post-graduation job prospects. The acedemic atmosphere is just as diverse. Although certain majors can be really difficult (EECS, MCB, etc.), I didn't encounter much difficulty as a History major. Same deal with the student body. Some will blow your mind with their intellegence and the ease with which they accomplish things. Others seem to be in a constant battle to keep their head above water...or have just stopped trying.

Some are, yes, but usually not completely. -Many of the students are very smart, but I have encountered my fair share of people who are not. Sadly, many of these, in my experience, have been athletes who did not get into to this school based on intelligence. Based on the performances of others (and myself) there are times when I ask myself "How did I get in here?" times when I ask "How did they get in here?" and times when I think I could have gone somewhere better. All in all, however, the students at Berkeley are very hard working and smart. It is not as easy to get an A on a test or paper as it was in high school! -While a large part of the student population is Asian, there are people of all sorts of races and backgrounds, and no one person is the same. I feel lucky that I have been exposed to all different kinds of people. It is easy to lump people together into groups, but I have found that everyone brings their own, unique experience regardless of ethnicity or nationality. -I don't think Berkeley students are any more radical or liberal than a lot of large universities. I think that the history of activism on behalf of students (I am thinking of the Free Speech Movement and Vietnam war protests in particular), along with activism on the part of Berkeley residents (not so much students) is why this stereotype lives on. With some exceptions, I usually find that people are just like me-- liberally minded, yes, but not to an extreme. I also know a fair share of conservative people, who I am glad to call my friends. -As for there not being very many attractive students, I have to say that this one might have some validity. If you visit a private school in Southern California, you are bound to see more physically "attractive" people. However, I have found that that is not a very important factor in determining the worth of a person. Besides, in my experience I have noticed that the theory of a negative correlation between attractiveness and intelligence is actually true, but I would rather be surrounded by smart, average-looking people, than not-so-smart beautiful people.

It is not until you step on campus during a school day and walk into a lecture hall full of students as diverse and as large as the ones here at Berkeley, do you realize that Berkeley is a lot more than the stereotypes make it out to be. As with any school, although the Berkeley student body has its extremities, a large majority of us fall in between these categories. I wouldn?t say that the stereotypes about Berkeley are inaccurate, but that these stereotypes only barely scrape the surface of what Berkeley truly is. Berkeley is much more than the hippies and the activists of the sixties; it is a continuously progressing forefront of technological, social, and political change.

Yes! Very!

If by "dorks" you mean "smart people", sure, I'd say the average person here is fairly intelligent. Then again, for there to be an average, there's always the upper half and the lower half. Also, and most importantly, it all depends on what you mean by "smart".

I was surprised at how many people didn't fit the stereotypes when I came here. Honestly, I was disappointed, because I wanted more liberal-well-read types, but I quickly learned to ignore the nutty sports fans and the sleazy frat boys and without too much work found tons of the kinds of people I wanted to. The studious Asian stereotype is true in full force, but there are also plenty of people whom look like the studious type but are actually major screw ups. You never know.

These do not seem to be real. I think it's pretty silly to blame any circumstances ("There just aren't any cute guys/girls at this school") when it is dumb to do so.

By visiting UC Berkeley, one is almost guaranteed to see some activism. Case in Point: There are people living in the oak trees, protecting the trees from Football Stadium upgrades. There is a man who stands at the front of campus, sarcastically shouting his happiness with George Bush Women for Palestine come to campus and speak often. Students dish out issues of the Cal Patriot, a conservative political news magazine. etc. Given these examples, it seems that the stories are true, that Berkeley is still very political. From my perspective, this is somewhat of a misleading statement. It's true that Berkeley is political, but mainly the city of Berkeley. The student body is more or less apathetic. If you'd prefer to go to a school more reminiscent of the good-ol-days (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/calhistory/60s.html), I'd recommend going to a smaller liberal-arts college, or making lots of money and purchasing a house in the Berkeley hills. Continuing on... 2a. There are indeed a lot of asians, but this isn't really a bad thing. Typically, I am the minority in my computer science classes, but this doesn't really bother me. I guess the one bad thing I can say isn't directly attributed to the large Asian population. The diversity at Berkeley is lacking. The student body can be broken up into asians, Caucasians, others, where this "others" is very very small. The African American and Hispanic population is vastly underrepresented, and this is something of miss from my high school days. Much of the time I find myself wishing I could meet a wider variety of people, perhaps practice my spanish. 2b. Not everyone is a genius at Cal, this is definitely not a requirement. So if you're worried that you won't be able to compete with the college kids, just realize that everyone has the same sentiments. It is true though that students work really hard and there is a definite competitive edge**. **In computer science I find a mutual kindred respect of one's fellow student. People are very friendly and helpful. The same can not be said about other fields like Chemistry.

Yes and no. Lots of students in Berkeley are smart; lots of them are also dumb and manage to fall through the cracks of the admissions process. There are a surprising number of Christian fellowships on campus, and several of them are affiliated with no particular church or denomination, which, one could argue, is dangerous. What's unique about many of the Christians here, though, is that the campus really tests your faith: you fight or die. Many of the professors will outright ridicule the Bible and religion in general. A lot of student groups push for pluralism or universalism. Many of your classmates don't give two cents about the meaning of life. It's definitely hard, but it just makes you stronger. Hippies are a minority (unless you count the shirtless people who play frisbie on Memorial Glade).

Co opers tend to be more like that. Only a minority of them.