University of California-Berkeley Top Questions

It's in a dangerous city.

I definitely think access to professors is a major problem. Although professors are required to hold office hours, their general distain for undergraduates is apparent. They are here for the research and the prestige, rather than student interaction.

the school is underfunded and classes are therefore overcrowded and hard to get in to

There really is nothing bad about UC Berkeley. If I really had to chose something, and this is nitpicking, I would say that the administration is too bureaucratic.

Overly competetive people who do nothing but study.

the city itself. not very safe.

-little too big, a little impersonal sometimes when in a big class, semester system (quater would have provided more opportunities for different clases), somewhat dangerous if live on the south side of campus.

The worst thing about Berkeley is the career center, the only majors it really focuses on are biology (pre-med), business, and engineering. There is hardly any guidance for liberal arts majors, no active alumni network for job placement, and all job fairs focus almost entirely on the science and business fields. The campus is huge, and while most feel some connection, at least to the football team, it can be very fragmented and the support systems for both entering and exiting students are lacking.

There aren't enough African American and Hispanic Students on campus (although they do definitely have a presence). Although they pay students well, the full-time workers on campus don't get paid enough.

Class availability can sometimes be a nightmare here, if you do not sign up for the most in-demand classes at the first chance you get, you will be placed on a waiting list and have little to no chance of getting in (sometimes signing up at the first chance you get isn't even enough). I think recent state budget cuts have something to do with it, but either way, I have difficulty every semester signing up for the classes I need.

Berkeley is too big. There's a little niche here for anyone who wants to find it, but the downside is that a lot of people only end up interacting with others like them.

Competitiveness

The career and advising services are not sufficient for such a large school. There aren't enough conselors.

So many of the the classes are so large that instead of actually learning the material and deriving intrinsic value from it, not to mentioned being engaged, you find yourself just trying to get the class overwith and do what you need to do to get the grade. Many of the professors for these courses are required to teach them if they want to continually receive grant money for their research. So, in this sense the classes can be very mundane and non engaging.

My biggest complaint about the school at this point is the funding situation. High budget cuts have hit every department, despite continual increases in tuition and fees. It's impacting classes - both the number offered and the number of seats in each one - and the quality of our instruction. It's a reflection of the priority that the state (doesn't) put on higher education.

The worst part of Berkeley is the academic strain. The professors are very helpful and the curricula are very interesting but at the end of the day you still have a massive stack of work obscuring your desk.

everyone thinks they are the next revolutionary. Its really annoying because there is a new protest every week

crime rate--bike theft, laptop theft. keep an eye on your belongings.

not enough colored people to provide unique perspectives in discussions.

So big you really have to make an effort to get to know your professors and others.

It is easy to get lost in the crowd or to stick to one click because it is such a large university. However, its not too hard to overcome this.

The parking.

Homeless community

I think it's a shame that we have so many resources at hand, we have so much ability at hand, we have so much to offer and we want to offer it to everyone; and because it all gets dispersed and convoluted, and we're not private and we don't have that much money to pay for everything we need, it's beaurocracy and everyone loses within the mess.

There are a lot of students who do not value the city or even the school well enough. For example, people from Southern California (organge country)

The worst thing about attending UC Berkeley is the cost of living. While the area and campus are amongst the most exciting and most beautiful places to be, it simply is very hard to afford living in such an area. Housing is a complete mess; one often lives with at least two or three other people in a tiny apartment. Gas is ridiculous; it almost hit five dollars during the summer of 2008. Many people who live here are in really uncomfortable and stresseful financial situations.

The worst thing is that there is a racial group separation. What I mean by that is that the Armenians hang out with their racial group & the same goes for other racial groups as well. Although there is a wide range/ diversity of ethnicity groups, most hang out with their own racial groups and it's hard to get in the other "circle."

The worst thing about the school is the hilly terrain. Sure, it gives me a great workout, but the downfall of it is that by the time I arrive to my classroom, I'm probably going to be dripping sweat. Furthermore, when I need to hustle to class because I have some project due and I'll be penalized points if I arrive to lab class late, it's just so demoralizing to find yourself at the foot of the monster hill that leads from Moffitt Library to Latimer.

The size, because small communities are a little more hard to come by.

Sometimes it gets so competitive. People tend to forget that grades are not all that matters :)