University of California-Berkeley Top Questions

Too many smart kids, it is hard to get a good GPA

When I come across a difficult course and have no idea how to pass the class, I would feel hopeless and alone. I would feel like a failure and would lose the determination to keep going. I would be afraid of what would happen if I do not persevere. It was when I actually kept fighting through it and did everything I could with the best of my ability that I passed those courses. Since then, I've felt like I can take on any tough courses because I know now what I need to do.

The one thing I found to be most frustrating at UC Berkeley was the Veterans Affairs Department. While I attended Berkeley I did not receive VA scholarship counseling or assistance. The VA told me I did not qualify for military scholarships and they couldn't help me. So I had to search for scholarships and contact my VA to get them to sign off on paperwork. I was successfully awarded two scholarships through my own efforts. Sadly enough, the VA was not there to help me during my college experience and for that I discredit their efficiency and ethics.

It was hard for me, as a transfer student, to make relationships with professors. I did eventually get a Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship, but I had to apply in multiple rounds. The first time, I didn't get one. I think I could have done a better job connecting with my professors, maybe going to their office hours, but so many of them continually give the vibe of being too busy for undergrads. I always felt like an email or a meeting with a professor was a bother to them.

The fees and increases in fees are the most fustrating because you never know when they are going to raise the fees and if you will be able to afford it the next school year. Aside from that, it is an amazing school and I believe that nobody should let money keep them from getting an education especially at Berkeley.

The most frustrating thing about my school is that since there are so many students (which I find is a good point!), the class enrollment system, called TeleBears, tends to freeze up and malfunction during class enrollment periods. Also, it is difficult to get all the classes you want, in the schedule that you want, because there are hundreds of students vying for the same spot in that particular class. With some planning and creation of backup schedules, you can get over this obstacle though, and spend TeleBears period in relative sanity!

Large lectures prevented Professors from knowing each student.

I dont even need 100 words for this one. Two words Finacial aid. The amout of red tape is tremondous. But it all works out.

Getting food. The dining hall nearest my dorm (which is the main dining hall for over 1000 students) is not open three out of seven days of the week. Plus, it opens at 10:30am every day, making breakfast options limited. It's a pain trekking over to another dining hall-- the closest being several blocks away-- and the little school-run cafes nearby only offer things like coffee and chips. While there are a lot of great restaurants near campus, they cost money, and my meal plan here only covers dining halls and campus cafes.

affirmative action erodes the quality of our education.

The most frustrating thing would be not getting the grades you want sometimes because the professors really want to challenge the students by giving difficult tests.

There isn't much that I dislike about my school. Having to pay for school is, and always will be difficult for most people. I also find the weather of this area frustrating, because I love being in the sun, but that has nothing to do with my education. The most frusting thing about my school might be the fact that I am majoring in music, and that is not Berkeley's strong suit. But I love that my school is supplying me with a very well rounded education. That's the way Berkeley does it.

The most frustrating thing about Cal is the difficulty getting into classes. I am currently on the waitlist for over half of my classes, and will not find out until possibly the fifth week of instruction whether or not I will get in. I went to try to get into a class with an enrollment maximum of 15, and over 200 students showed up. The fifteen students will be chosen based on a lottery system. Cal also employs the typical first come, first served method with preferance given to upperclassmen. Either way, the uncertainty it is extremely frustrating.

Probably how big it is. I was in a lecture of 500 students and the professor only had 1 office hour a week and no email or phone number. It's also a long process when you go to the advisors, because they don't know who you are and departments don't communicate.

Berkeley is now one of the leading science and research institutions in the world, but this has come at a price, as there are increasingly few incentives to study the humanities and social sciences (the budget for these departments are perpetually receiving cuts), and students seem to be increasingly divided on the basis of what they study and (more disturbingly) where they come from.

There's an insane amount of competition at Berkeley. Many times this causes one to believe they're not as worthy as others to be a part of the Berkeley community, but I've learned it's just a matter of knowing you belong here, and that you're here for a reason!

Diverse student population, very high quality of education, and vibrant environment

It is probably really hard to get to know a professor because there are a lot of students.

Possibly the most frustrating thing about my school is the competition. When you put a group of people who are used to being the best, you know the top of the class, valedictorian students, together it is hard for some students to ajust and understand that they are no longer going to necessarily be at the top of the class anymore. From what I have seen, it makes the students way more competitive and less likely to help eachother. I think this is sad because sometimes the best way to succeed is to ask for help.

The most frustrating thing about this school is the + and - grading system which can hurt your GPA since an A- counts a like a 3.87 or something like that.