University of California - BerkeleyHealth & Safety Student Reviews

are they doing something about that? it sounds like it's some sort of inevitable fate

not nearly long enough. go into more detail next time

I'm sorry to see that you had such a terrible time at Cal. It seems that maybe you had some emotional problems that the stressful environment of a competitive school brought out and it's good you're addressing them in a proper environment to get well. I have a friend who had a similar experience. She ended up going home, took a few classes at a community college, then transferred to a smaller, liberal arts school in the pacific northwest. She also got counseling to help her figure out her situation and reactions to the college environment.

Wow...just wow. I'm really sorry you had such a terrible experience. :( I really appreciate your info, since I'm considering going to UC Berkeley myself. The one thing I would have to argue with, however, is what you said about the weather. I live in the Bay Area, about 20 minutes away from Berkeley, and I have to say that it's generally pretty nice. It's not always raining--it typically rains from November until mid-March, but in late spring and summer, as well as in the fall, it's generally pretty beautiful. :)

Do you think your choice of major (EECS) had an influence on your Berkeley experience? I know people in the Humanities and Natural Sciences that are very happy at Cal.

this makes me extremely skeptical about Cal

I read this yesterday and I keep thinking about it because I'm really stricken with the idea that you did have a lot of issues, but most people have issues with a new environment. But they don't go blaming everything around them. They adjust and figure out what they need to do to make the situation work. At least, a person with a healthy attitude and faculties is typically able to do so, with some moderate ups and downs.

I at first felt sad for you that you had such a terrible time, but now that you've responded and said that you didn't like ANY of your other classes at Cal makes me really suspicious that there's something not wrong with the institution, but there's something off about the attitude in which you approached the institution.

There are always going to be people who can't handle the workload and can't find other aspects of their life to cut out and re-prioritize, but majority of people at Cal really like it here and no one wants anyone to fail! There are tons of resources to help students. Just today I got an email for advising and different things to do if you're feeling that you're doing poorly in your courses. There were THREE workshops you could go to. It is competitive here, but at the same time, people are always working together because we need each other to succeed. We have to work together in order to prop one another up. I know my peers are REALLY smart and the fact that I can keep up with them also makes me think that I might be pretty smart too! Who would want to go to a school where everything is easy? How are you going to improve as an individual if everything is easy? I respect and appreciate the classes that are the most challenging because they're also the most rewarding.

I'm sorry to hear of your horrific experience at Berkeley. While many of your statements regarding the University and City are true,it is also the reason many people love going there despite the craziness.

I'm the parent of a young man who suffered a mental breakdown very similar to yours at precisely the same point in his life. Although I'm not a mental health professional, it sounds like you are definitely experiencing a crises. (Bi-polar disorder first appears in many people at early adulthood.) Hopefully you are getting the medical attention you need and will find a more suitable environment where you can prosper.

It seems like your experience was just that...Your Experience. I can assure you that mental illness doesn't manifest in a vacuum. There are many influences that lead to this type of breakdown. The pressure cooker and unpleasant experience you had were probably the straw that broke the camels back.

You seem extremely intelligent and quite articulate. Please seek help and rely on people you trust to guide you back to mental health. I wish you the best!

Wow. I read your whole post and I have to say I am astounded. I came across this page and your review randomly while considering universities I wanted to attend after high school.

This is really interesting actually, your whole post, I read it as one would a story. I hope this doesn’t offend you, but your story was so interesting to me, I think it should be turned into a book or movie. It was that engaging to me. Not to offend your or anything. Of course I felt sympathy for you throughout, but I don’t know. Anyways.

You know reading this sort of reminds me of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". How a big institution metaphorically and literally(Berkeley) is oppressing students without them realizing and when they do, it's too late.

I always thought UC Berkeley was a great school, so I was really shocked and surprised while reading your account about living and studying there. It just makes you think, if UC Berkeley is like that, are other top-rated universities like that as well?

I really really genuinely sympathize with you. I have never been to university or anything, I’m still 17 years old, but I cannot imagine how it must feel to go through all those horrible things. I just…I don’t know what else to say. I don’t know if your bad experience at Berkeley is just a bout of bad luck or something else. I’m really sorry you had to go through all that. I mean wow.