University of California-Berkeley Top Questions

Political/social changes.

There are so many groups on campus for so many different things it is hard to rank what is popular and what isn't. There are several philanthropy, culture, sports, and business clubs. If you are into something chances are you can find a club on campus with likeminded people, and if it doesn't already exist, I encourage you to start your own. During football season school spirit is at its highest and on game days the whole city is blue and gold. Greek life is pretty big here, but there is no real hierarchy of greeks to non-greeks. I met my close friends in our dorm, the socializing generally revolves around all the delicious restaurants around Berkeley. Off campus I love shopping in San Francisco, checking out the Berkeley Art Museum, and lounging in Willard Park.

While the Greek community and athletic events (football particularly) seem to draw the biggest crowds (on game day there is a constant stream of blue-and-gold garbed spectators traveling from the downtown Berkeley BART station to Memorial Stadium), "popularity" is relative in that it depends on who you spend your time with. Because I am not involved in the Greek community, it is a quiet aspect of campus life for me, even though on weekends frat row and most of campus' south side (where the dorms are located) are a buzz of activity. It's like one big party some of the time. However, the later it gets, and the farther you get from Berkeley's south side, the quieter Berkeley grows. Still, there are all kinds of events, though, from Cal Performances, which features orchestral and theatrical works, to The Holloway Poetry Reading Series, to Story Hour, to Cal TV and Berkeley Art Museum fundraising parties, readings, exhibitions, and get-togethers.

Asian American Associan, Circle K, PBL, the list of clubs to join go on and on. walk on upper sproul and ull leave with a handful of flyers recruiting you to frats and clubs. there is no shortage here. dorms' social levels depend on the floor but most are pretty social and well bonded. people leave their doors open, its all fun. parties on weekends and sometimes even weekdays, but if youre not a drinker, dont worry theres still plenty to do. religious groups always have events, so if youre christian, join one of those and they will keep you entertained for most of the week for if not, hit up downtown berkeley, there are theaters, even ones that show indie movies, excellent restaurants, and much moree

You will not run out of things to do or ever be bored. There are clubs and organizations for everything. But some people are so focused on their studies, that they do not get out much and they may have trouble meeting others.

If you're premed be prepared to not have a social life.

There are plenty of student organizations and activities both on campus and nearby in the Bay Area. Being in a university with tens of thousands of students as well as next to a liberal metropolitan area gives you more options than you can probably explore in 4 years. But don't let that stop you.

My social life was limited primarily to hanging out with other grad students, but since I lived in the co-ops, I was "exposed" to lots of undergrad social events. I'd say living in a co-op is great if you want to have an opportunity to have people around almost all the time. There were always people hanging out--studying, watching t.v., talking over dinner, etc. Privacy is harder to come by, though. There are Greek houses on campus that do lots of socializing, as well as campus events. The weather is conducive to hanging out on the lawns and steps all around campus, so that's another place were people tend to hook up. There are also numerous eateries and coffee shops within walking distance (and there's a campus shuttle if you're not inclined to walk) where people meet up. My fellow grad students and I frequented some of the great Thai, Korean, and Indian restaurants in the neighborhood.

The most popular groups/organizations/clubs on campus are...um...I can't think of any. I guess the most popular team would be the football team. Yes, students in dorms often leave their doors open. Athletic events are popular, particularly among certain student communities, like those in the Greek system. There are tons of interesting lectures/films/musical events happening nightly at Berkeley, but many of these events are not that popular. Most of the events I went to (with the exception of musical events and the occasional big-name political commentator) had low student attendance, which was sad. The dating scene seemed to be pretty nonexistent. Most of the people I knew who were in relationships had met their significant other before coming to Berkeley or outside of school. The dating scene is simply a symptom of the larger awkward social climate at Berkeley; it often takes people a few drinks to interact with each other and be friendly. 2am on a Tuesday? I'm reading/working on a paper/writing a reading response. Some people party pretty frequently, while others not so much...it depends on the person. Like I said before, Berkeley is a "choose your own adventure" school, and if a person wants to party, the opportunities are there, mostly from Thursday night until Saturday night. Parties range from co-op themed parties and frat parties to your everyday (or "everynight"), red-cup-style house party. A Saturday night without drinking could be spent doing something in San Francisco, seeing a movie, going to a concert, going out to dinner, hanging out at home in your pajamas (and watching a $1 movie rental from Elephant Pharmacy), going to Yogurt Park, going to a party and not drinking, or, unfortunately studying.

Greek life is pretty popular, but i'm not a huge fan of it. Dorms are a great idea for the first year as it forces you to be social and make some really close friends right from the start. There are always concerts, free movies, and different kinds of shows on campus during the weekends that are either really cheap or free. Footballs games are also very fun, even when our team loses.