University of California-Berkeley Top Questions

Someone who knows what they want to do, who is motivated and prepared to spend the majority of their time outside of class doing homework, studying, or somehow researching. Someone who loves school and is excited about what they prospective career will be.

Any type of person can attend UC Berkeley because it is a very liberal school. It is the home of the free speech movement so everybody their is usually respectful of others opinions and backgrounds. It does not matter where you come from, if you go to Cal, you will find your special place on campus.

Anyone who wants a smaller community experience, or doesn't like a social life run by the Greek system.

Someone who needs small classes, a quiet campus, or who doesn't want to choose a major. Someone who finds politics really repulsive (you don't have to be political to be here and we do have conservative students/faculty, but the campus is active.)

People who are not willing to put in a lot of effort into their studies should not attend this school. Berkeley is a fast paced school with many students, so the students have to be self motivated and know how to use their time. Students who are easily discouraged will have a hard time at this school because the classes are not easy, and professors purposely make tests hard so that they can seperate the good students from the top students.

People who expect or need a lot of individual attention or hand holding.

UC Berkeley is a top school, so it is definitely competitive--there are weeder classes, competition and rankings in certain classes needed for impacted majors and so forth, so if you want a more laid-back environment, either don't take those particular majors, or don't come to Cal. Also, if you're not big on getting frustrated or disappointed, don't come here either for, although there are many amazing, intelligent professors and GSIs, there are also terrible ones as well.

This is a school with very high standards. Those that are not willing to work extremely hard for their education should pass on this school. It is extremely competative and takes lots of determination to follow through.

Because of its immense student body population, U.C. Berkeley is not a school for the unmotivated. Those that need to be taken by the hand through a process while being served on a silver platter will not thrive at a university like this one. U.C. Berkeley is for the self-motivated, the self-driven with an ambition that creates a path in front of them of their very own. A student who is not independent and requires the constant attention and aide of higher authorities is not the type of student that will succeed here.

A person who should not attend this school is one who does not want to work hard academically and is not open to very diverse people and ways of thinking.