University of California-Berkeley Top Questions

college is a time to try anything and everything. don't hold anything back, be yourself, and get involved, and you'll reap all the benefit from your school

For all those kids who don't know what they want to be when they grow up, research now! Information to make wise decisions is very powerful. All the data you need is on the internet. Interview others and volunteer in the field. Whatever you don't like, you eliminate and move on. If you happen to stumble upon something that you do like to do, research for the best program that will get you there! Does this college have a program? How good is it (not necessarily in rank)? Will it teach you the skills and give you the certification for a job? What kind of emphasis does the program have? clinical vs. retail? Consider location, money (unless it is a top rated school. I believe in investing in education. Nobody can ever take that away from you), and atmosphere (visit the campus if possible). One of the things I would do over again is to be better informed about what I was getting myself into. But if you're already in school, make the best of it and utilize all your resources for more opportunities!

Finding the right college is a difficult process, mostly because the school does whatever it can to sugarcoat everything. It takes all of the negative aspects of the school and either ignores them or makes them seem to be positive. This may seem very pessimistic but it is only a small dose of realism intended to give a bit of perspective. The "right" school is obviously a relative term due to the fact the every student needs something different. In my humble opinion, the best source of information about a school is not the school itself, or school-employed tour guides who will say anything to make the school seem like it is the best of any. The best source is the current students. This is traditionally and currently a difficult source to tap because there are few programs that collect and openly distribute such opinions. However, there are companies whose purpose is to collect such information to the great benefit of prospective students and parents looking for the "right" school. Although each student has a right school, the choice can only go as far as he or she takes it with positive attitude and optimistic effort.

Go to your first choice, but if you do not get it, don't fret. In my experience, as long as you are prepared to be adaptible to any environment, you can be happy anywhere. Plus, if you get in somewhere and realize that you absolutely hate it, you can always transfer. You have options!

Definite visit the campuses and know the atmosphere. Consider the field that you are interested in and attend a school that has it as its forte and not a well known school that doesn't provide much opportunities in that area.

It's often hard to find the right college. But it always comes down to what the student (and not the parent) is looking for. For example, financial aid and location of the college were my top two parameters. I come from a low-middle income family, and did not want to burden my parents more. Also, I like the livelyness of a city, and was tired of living in a San Diego suburban area. Knowing my preferences, I decided that I wanted to attend a college located in or nearby a city that could provide me good financial support. I had the chance to choose from the following colleges: University of Chicago, Notre Dame University, Cornell University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD and NYU. As a California resident, the UCs gave me the best financial packages. But my family currently lives in Indiana, so either Notredame University of University of Chicago would have been closer home. But considering their location(nearby city), I narrowed my choices down to UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Chicago. Lastly, I chose UC Berkeley because it offered me full scholarship and it was located in the colorful city I was looking for. Hope this helped :]

Do not stress out if you do not get into your top choice. Where ever you end up for college there will be amazing new people to meet, a new place to explore, and a wonderful opportunity to learn. Think about what you really need as a student and as a human being, i.e. small classes or large classes? Many people or few people? In state or out of state? These are the really important questions. The unimportant questions are what kind of prestige does the school have?, or how will this help me make lots of money in the future? The whole point of college I believe, is to learn HOW to think, not what to think. This is what's really going to help you in the future, and this s best done in the place that has the best environment for your mind to grow and change. But no matter what, do not stress out if you do not get into your top choice. People have an uncanny ability to adapt to curve ball situations and then succeed and be happier than they ever thought they could be.

When searhing for the right college, keep in mind that your college years will likely be a very transformitive experience for you. That is, because you might find that at college your interests have shifted drastically from the time you were in high school, it is a good idea to look for a college that can accomidate a vast variety of your potential interests. Make sure that you will be able to study exactly what you think you want to study at the colleges you are applying to, but make sure that they are first-rate in other fields too. This will provide the flexibility you will be thankful for if you are inspired by an unfamiliar field. Remember also that your college campus should provide you with a wide arange of non-acedemic oppertunities as well. Clubs are a great way to make friends and discover new interests. Additionally, a diverse student body means you will be confronted with a great amount of differing perspectives on the world, which will likely help you judge what is important to you as a person. All in all, a college that provides you with many oppertunies is a good college to choose.

UC Berkeley gave me the opportunity to pursue my education in a welcoming and challenging environment that promoted the principles of high academic achievement and community. Students considering this school should be prepared to challenge themselves to strive for the best of their academic abilities. I would advise students to do their best to engage in as many activities as possible to get the full experience of the campus and the community while maintaining a primary focus on their coursework. Go Bears!

The most important advice I could give prospective students is to choose a college that makes you feel happy and excited about life. You will spend a lot of time there. Do not choose your college based on money, because it's just money and there are a ton of financial aid oppurtunities out there - you just have to look! Also, do not concern yourself soley with prestige . Colleges gain prestige for research findings, so unless you plan to be a researcher, it is more important that your college be supportive and comfortable with many social/extra curricular opportunities. I also encourage all freshman to live either in on-campus dorms or in a sorority/fraternity. It is the easiest way to make friends and you don't have to grocery shop or cook every night! And join at least one club right away! They are fun and give you something to put on your resume.