Overview of University of California at Berkeley

There are many things to do on campus and San Francisco is nearby which is a bonus.

Although Berkeley is exciting and has a lot to offer, it can be very stressful at times especially if you are an over-achieving individual who cannot stand getting grades other than As. If you are like that, well, you have a lot to learn, because in college, especially at Berkeley, you cannot have that type of attitude. You must really learn to embrace that grades are not ultimately what you must worry about (granted you need reasonably good ones to get into grad school), but to look instead at what you have learned throughout the semester. If the answer is a lot, well, there you have. You have skills and new knowledge that you can put to use. So relax, work hard, but don't kill yourself. Expand your horizons and step out of your comfort zone. Try new things because there is no time like the present.

I’ll admit, there are times when I am stressed and focused on an upcoming midterm and I cannot fully appreciated my time at Cal. Despite those moments, I am 100% satisfied with my decision to go to school here. I am inspired by professors and even more by my talented peers. Studying is a big part of life and it is hard to find time to work in fun and a social life, but once you find the right balance, there are so many opportunities to take advantage of. San Francisco is a BART-ride away plus there are tons of cheap on-campus entertainment and activities. Prominent faces such as Cornell West and Bill Clinton have come to speak as well as famous actors such as Michael Cera and Ryan Reynolds. Berkeley as a city is interesting if you take time to explore. You can go to the marina, eat at the Gourmet Ghetto, watch a movie on Shattuck… I am grateful to have so many places and activities at my disposal and smart, passionate peers to experience Berkeley with. Attending the top public university in the world and living in the bay area? It can’t get much better than this.

Absolutely. There is nothing better than the freedom -- to be yourself, to pursue whatever course of study you want, to eat donuts at midnight or orange chicken at 2 AM, to spend the first four days of dead week relaxing and then spending the last day vowing never to do that again. And then there's the people. Don't be worried about getting lost in the 20-something-thousand that comprise Berkeley. See each one as an opportunity to learn something, to expand your horizons, to have some fun.

Berkeley is great, but you have to have an open mind. You also have to realize that Berkeley has a certain paradigm surrounding it, and sometimes people come to Berkeley and do weird things just because they are in Berkeley and they think that's what you do. It can be easy to get caught up in this, so make sure you set aside time for school, and time for what you really love, not what the latest fad is. Of course, with the number of on and off campus groups we have, there is something for everyone, no joke. Just take a walk down Sproul Plaza and you'll find maybe one fourth of our on campus student groups set up with tables. And that seems to cover everything, but there are even more groups if you look for them! You can also join club sports, which are a lot of fun, and open doors to numerous other on campus organizations. Both on and off campus there is always something to do. And you're just a BART ride away from the City, so if you need to escape Berkeley for a day, it's more than doable on a tight budget.