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The fall 2020 acceptance rate for University of California-Berkeley is 16%. That means, out of _____ applications received in 2020 , _____ students were offered admission. The number of males who applied was _____ vs the number of females which was _____.
What should every freshman at your school know before they start?
I would tell my highschool self to start being more open and social since, unlike highschool, I wouldn't have my close friends around anymore. So I should try meeting new people more often.
Read all 409 answers Describe the students at your school.
My classmates all have unique characteristics
Read all 144 answers Here's your chance: Say anything about your college!
It is a college town, the school is beautiful and has a great accepting and engaging atmosphere.
Read all 101 answers Describe how your school looks to someone who's never seen it.
A culturally diverse and prestigous university.
Read all 93 answers What do you consider the worst thing about your school? Why?
I honestly cannot see anything bad about Berkeley, at first I thought it would be the hobos that live near the southern part of campus, but they are extremely friendly, interesting and wish the students luck in their exams.
Read all 80 answers What is your overall opinion of this school?
This school is a breeding ground for anything you want it to be. As a freshman and sophomore, I contained my responsibilities to schoolwork only. Now, as a junior (and perhaps a little too late), I find that every niche interest has a group. I am interested in finance, so I joined the credit union. My friend entered an application competition for Android-run phones and is going to Spain next month to present it at a conference. This school allows you to unleash your passions and develop them with people who have similar abilities and interests. Always be sure to utilize your resources to the fullest extent. Otherwise, you will regret it like I do.
Read all 74 answers Describe your favorite campus traditions.
Research
Read all 70 answers What kind of person should not attend this school?
People who expect or need a lot of individual attention or hand holding.
Read all 69 answers What are the academics like at your school?
There is a wide range of class sizes, from small five person seminars to eight hundred person lecture halls. This implies that the class size dictates familiarity with the professors, and it does. The best way to get to know a professor is to attend his/her office hours. My favorite class was LGBT 145: Queer History. It was truly illuminating to experience a subset of individuals who I had no idea about whatsoever. Students study depending on their academic interests and activities outside of class. Also, natural ability has to be taken into account. Class participation varies as well; it all depends on the individuals. You will see, however, participation increasing with seniority. Students are INDEED competitive. Watch out!
Read all 67 answers What kind of person should attend this school?
Those who love to learn and explore. The liberal education there is one of the best in the world.
Read all 66 answers What's unique about your campus?
Its prestige. Research opportunities. Location.
Read all 65 answers What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?
The difficulty of the coursework compared with other schools
Read all 64 answers What do you brag about most when you tell your friends about your school?
Berkeley's one of the best universities in the world though most of us are from lower-class backgrounds.
Read all 63 answers What's the most frustrating thing about your school?
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.
Read all 63 answers Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?
These stereotypes CAN be true, but another stereotype that is ALWAYS true is that Berkeley is diverse, and often immune to blanket statements about student population. Certain majors certainly have a majority of ugly, studious intellectuals adorned in musty sweatpants (EECS, cough), but you're really sure to find almost every type of character on campus. Even fringe personalities can find a match if you make your fringeness visible enough.
Read all 60 answers What is the stereotype of students at your school?
Berkeley is known for its smart, free-spirited, strong-willed student population. Berkeley is known for its student protests, co-ops, and general hippie atmosphere. Personally, I think this is too much of a generalization. The thing about Berkeley is that it allows each student to decide how to define themselves. And yes, some of them choose to be hippies. Perhaps it is because of the large student body, but I feel that Berkeley allows for people to self-actualize. There are opportunities for every possible interest in the form of classes, clubs, organiztions, and teams. Classes are competitive, meaning students have to work their butt off just to get a B. I always say, "B for Berkeley." However, tough classes aside, Berkeley is a center of activity. You will never be bored.
Read all 59 answers What are the most popular student activities/groups?
There are hundreds of organizations on campus. All you have to do is think about what you want to do, and more than likely, it exists. I am involved with the credit union on campus. I see myself in finance in a few years, and have taken the steps to begin a practical approach to my experience. Students leave their doors open if the floor is social. My floor did, and it encouraged a very friendly atmosphere. Athletic events and guest speakers abound, while theater has a presence, but much less so. I'm never awake at 2 AM on a Tuesday. These classes will take something out of you, so you'd better get some sleep! People party every weekend, excluding finals and midterms seasons. Fraternities and sororities have a presence, and you will find most people partying at fraternity houses. If you don't like drinking, you can go to the movies, hang out with your club members, go to San Francisco, and so many cool niche places.
Read all 53 answers What is the stereotype of students at your school? Is this stereotype accurate?
The stereotype Berkeley student is up-tight, a studyholic, a leftist communist hippy, and someone who is extremely political. 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of Berkeley students are of ethnic minorities. Most Berkeley students spend their free time playing computer games or other nerdy activities.
Read all 23 answers Tell us about the food and dining options.
For on campus dining options, there is the Golden Bear Cafe (GBC) on Sproul. This is your basic convenience store/ cafe. They provide burgers and soups for lunch, but they aren't really anything to brag about, just basic fare. There is also Ramona's by Wurster. They serve rice bowls, coffee, and other snacks. The dining commons for the dorms are buffet style and change their menus daily. However, they always have a salad bar, some soup, pizza, and some type of vegetarian option. The deserts aren't too bad either. You can always find the menu for the dining commons online so you can decide if you want to go there or not. All of these places accept the campus meal points.
Off campus, there are plenty of options. There are a number of pizza places to go to. On the south side of campus Blondie's is the closest and probably the one I would recommend. There is also Cheeseboard, but that one is vegetarian only and its a bit of a walk. Zachary's is also good, but you have to bus there and there is always usually a bit of a wait. If you're not in the mood for pizza, but still in the mood for Italian, there's Gypsy's at the Durant Food Court, or you can walk further down Telegraph and go to Pasta Bene.
There may not be many chain fast food burger places in Berkeley, but we still have some pretty good alternatives. The most well known is probably Bongo Burger. There are three of them: one on Euclid for those who live North side, one on Center Street, and one on Dwight for those on South side. There is also Smart Alec's and Manhattan Burger's across from the Durant Food Court.
If you're looking for something a bit more exotic, you can always try some sushi at C U Sushi on Center or Joshu-ya's on South side. If you're looking for something sweet there's Chocolatier Blue on University Avenue or CREAM on Telegraph.
There are plenty of places to eat around campus, after all, students need their brain food.
Read all 8 answers Why did you decide to go to this school?
As shallow as it is, prestige. Berkeley's one of the best universities in the world. My experience here hasn't proved otherwise.
The only comparable campus I was accepted to was UCLA, and I didn't want to live in LA.
Read all 7 answers
