University of California - Berkeley
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While Berkeley is nationally recognized for many reasons, its top-notch academics are probably its most notable feature. Students at Cal are proud to be getting an Ivy League education at a quarter of the cost, and they say the larger class size is worth the price difference. While every Berkeley department is ranked in the Top 10 nationally, Berkeley’s research gives it an international reputation. Class competition varies by department. Pre-med courses and prerequisites for the Haas Undergraduate Business Administration major are notoriously cutthroat, since students know how much their grades will influence their futures. The colleges of Chemistry, Environmental Design (architecture), and Engineering are generally considered more difficult that the College of Letters and Science and often involve more class time because of labs and studio sessions. The homework loads in these schools are also fairly daunting, though most students figure out how to handle their schoolwork by sophomore year. While students can definitely get competitive, most are more likely to help their classmates than sabotage them.

Nobody will notice if you miss a lecture, and many classes are podcast, so students often cash in on this option. In reading-based courses, some students do all of the reading but never attend lecture, some attend class but never read, and some find a happy medium. As long as you turn in whatever papers are assigned, you should get a decent GPA. Still, it’s clear when a student does all of the reading and goes to every class, and these students normally end up with the best grades.

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Academics at University of California - Berkeley

stardude610

'15

Music Teacher Education

3.8

B+

Intense and Rigorous Course Load

At UC Berkeley, the professors are interesting, the GSI's are very helpful in discussing things or to help you understand topics. There are always ways to find help if you need it in any particular subject. The discussions are nice, where everyone mostly participates. The course load is pretty rigorous depending on what courses you are taking concurrently. The atmosphere is a little sketch outside of campus. Campus is nice, but outside of campus is not a great place to hang out.

Feb 05, 2012

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Academics at University of California - Berkeley

PM22

'12

Psychology Studies

4.6

A

Psychology Major

Being a Psychology major at Berkeley is really exciting. We have so many wonderful professors from all walks of life that are passionate about what they study and present to students. These professors (and their graduate students are very welcoming and eager to share their knowledge and experiences. We have an amazing history of research done here. The department makes it quite easy to get involved in research, and in being one myself I must say that it is an amazing experience. The workload is fair as long as you stay on top of it;and the exams/quizzes are pretty fair as well.

Feb 04, 2012

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Academics at University of California - Berkeley

hkeren092

'04

Architecture

5.0

A+

Study Areas

Our school counts with many excellent study areas such as libraries, help centers and even a open-24/7 building with available rooms to study whenever you need to.

Jan 25, 2012

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