University of California - Berkeley
- Academics

Good What Can I Say

many knowledgeable professors, workload packs a bunch

Phenomenal

The academics at Berkeley at amazing! They will not only expand your mind, but also challenge and stimulate you in ways you never thought possible. They will push you out of your comfort zone and, in doing so, force you to see the world differently :). The one complaint I have about classes is that because they are so challenging, it is often hard to get the grade you want but not always impossible. That means you may end up settling for a grade that is lower than what you are used to getting in high school/other colleges. That said, I think everybody should come here or at least audit classes. Most professors I've had have been fair to good, some awful, and some absolutely brilliant. It's worth sifting through the bad ones for the amazing ones!

Superior Academics

Most professors at Berkeley are absolutely outstanding! It does not matter what your major is or what the topic of the class is--professors at Berkeley are more often than not top researchers in their field, so they really know what they're talking about. You can learn about some of the leading research in the fields of chemistry or physics, or what ever subject your class happens to cover. Sometimes a professor may not discuss his research in class, but he will most certainly mention it, so if you're interested, you can always go to office hours and sit there for an hour talking about all the fascinating progress that is being made in that field. I have definitely had a few uninspired professors at Berkeley, but that does not mean they are not very intelligent. They still do interesting work, but they are just not entertaining professors. The trick with them is to go to office hours and get them talking about their work, and you'll usually find that they're very nice.