University of California - Berkeley
Reviews

Dinning

The food variety around Berkeley is fantastic. So much ehtnicity everywhere, and not only is it diverse but its all very tasty and can cater to almost all dietary needs. There are vegetarian spots, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Pizza, and everywhere there are all natural/organic cafes and grocery stores. Everything is very close in proximity with Berkeley so grabbing a meal between classes is extremely convenient.

Fine

Overall, UC Berkeley is great because it has a lot of resources to offer for students. There are many times where I feel stressed out because academics is intensely difficult and everyone here is in competition with each other. However, once you find your niche of friends, you learn to balance academics with fun and you get used to it. The only other problem is there are too many people and not many classes being offered so sometimes it's a hassle because you don't always get the classes you want but sometimes there are ways around this problem. Also because of budget cut, a lot of classes are being cut. However, there are still a lot of wonderful internships and research experience that you can get but need to go out for it.

Fine

If you are talking about dining halls, all of them basically offer the same foods. One might have more variety or a better menu one day but overall, it's the same type of food which is why you easily get bored of it. However, restaurant wise, there are a lot of different ones that are great places to eat especially because they are pretty cheap as well. You just have to research them and find them. As a freshman, I have been to a few but during my last three years, I can't wait to find more places to eat. Berkeley has a great number of ethnic restaurants all around, you just need to take time to find them.

Best Social Enhancement

I pledged a fraternity this semester and my college experience and social life became exponentially better. The greek community is very diverse, so you get to meet people of different backgrounds, majors, and personalities. There exists "tiers", but it all comes down to which brothers/sisters you like, which house you see yourself in, and how much time you are willing to commit to the house. Geeds may end up in bottom tier frats/sororities. Although we are not the best looking school, there is a good amount of attractive women in sororities, and although we are not a party school, there are parties almost every weekend. All in all, greek life at Berkeley is the best social enhancement on campus.

Feeling Welcome

One of my favorite things about UC Berkeley is how welcome I felt - not only when I first started living there, but even when I first visited. During CalSO, our overnight student orientation program, I fell in love with not just college life, but UC Berkeley. When the school year finally began, I immediately discovered my best friends in my dorm hall. Everybody here, including the faculty and people I met involved in Greek life, is just so friendly and welcoming. They are my family, and this aspect of UC Berkeley makes me proud to be a Golden Bear.

Melting Pot

You will bump into people of all ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations at UC Berkeley. People voice their religious and political beliefs every day out in public for the world to hear. Most importantly, we respect each others' beliefs and backgrounds because we appreciate diversity. The differences bring us together, if anything.

Very Diverse

The diversity is not lacking on the UC Berkeley campus. There are so many different people, from various backgrounds, economic status, countries, you name it! I have met so many people whose stories simply astonished me, some who I could connect with and some who I could not understand at all. But Berkeley thought me to accept it all, to embrace it all.

People are generally accepting of other races, religions, beliefs, sexual orientations, etc. I will say, though,... Since it is such a huge campus, clicks are very easily formed and people tend to stay within their own groups with people they can relate with... Pity! The world would be a better place if we could all relate on deeper aspects.

Restaurants Everywhere

The best part about Berkeley is the fact that there are really solid restaurants everywhere! And at relatively cheap prices (though you can easily find restaurants gladly willing to accept more money). For example, about a block away from the dorms there is a small alleyway nicknamed the "Asian Ghetto," and rightfully so. It has a handful of local Asian restaurants that are usually a go-to spot for lunch or a dinner alternative to the less than spectacular dining hall food. This is one among many places. So once one comes here, one will find an infinite amount of exploring potential, just for the food.

Four Seasons Everday

It's chilly in the mornings, hot in the afternoon, then cools down to nice 60 or so degrees at night. Never that windy. Bring your rainboots for spring. Overall, if you come prepared for every weather condition aside from snow, you'll survive. Most people get by through the day in a sweater.

Amazing

I wouldn't go to any other school. I found myself here and I believe I've grown so much since coming to Cal. This school is full of all kinds of interesting people and experiences if you are willing to take initiative. I honestly don't want to graduate, Cal's become my home. If I could do it all over, I would have invested more my freshman year, so I could have made more memories.

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.

Everyone's Their Own

Guys and girls on campus are a complete array of diverse people. Most people follow the latest fashion trends, within the confines of student budgets. Social life primarily consists of people with common interests, which usually overlap with school studies.

Great

School spirit is great on campus especially when it comes to supporting our teams. I think that this year there has been a shift to more interest in less "high profile" sports. I think this is due to the construction of the university stadium which has displaced the football team.

Cal at a Glance

I love UC Berkeley. There's an urban feel that is cool and inviting. I always have fun whenever friends come to visit because there's many unusual things to do here--visit the art museum, get Cream, Cheeseboard, visit the pier an just walking down Telegraph or College. Even on a boring day, I'm entertained by those around me.

Ethnic Food!

Coming from a really small and secluded town, coming to Berkeley was like, a whole new eating experience. Tons and tons of variety. Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Mexican, Pho Bars, PIZZA, Burger Joints, and a ton of adorable cafes. Delicious.

Berkeley and Stanford

Honestly, not much of a sports person. But the biggest games are the ones against Stanford.

Academic Life

Very rigorous. A lot of reading. Learn to manage your time.

Frat Parties but Nothing Else

Berkeley has a ridiculously large number of social fraternities. This means multiple frat parties every Friday and Saturday night, which means a lot of free alcohol and a easily-accesible way to party for anyone of any age. However, frat parties often get crowded really fast and eventually they stop letting people in unless they know a brother in the frat personally. Besides, most people get sick of random frat parties after just a few weeks.

Apart from a lot of frat parties, there is virtually no nightlife around UC Berkeley. There are no clubs or bars nearby unless you want to go all the way to San Francisco. Eventually most people just start having private parties with their friends or people in their clubs/organizations.

Cultured!

I moved here from Los Angeles, and I must say that there is just so much more here to do! There are so many food places and restaurants to eat at from all different types of cultures. There are great places to go biking, and hiking, and windsurfing. There are a lot of night clubs/bars, as well as comedy shows, dance concerts, music concerts, and so much more! We have our own gym that is fantastic with single and group exercise equipment, there are plenty of places to shop, and everyone here always has a smile on their face!

World-Class Education!

I'm in the College of Natural Resources, one of the smallest colleges at UC Berkeley. This is great because I know my academic/major advisers personally and they are available to help almost anytime you need them. The professors are genuinely interested in the students! Many of the articles and books that are read in class were written by other Berkeley professors or prominent Berkeley alums. Berkeley is consistently named one of the best schools in the nation and the world. In fact, Berkeley is the #1 public university in America according to U.S. News and World Report!

The World's Mixing Pot of Young Minds

On the outside, Berkeley seems like a extremist liberal school with protests always in our midst. It is true to an extent, Berkeley has been the voice of change for many years. Students here fought for racial equality and justice back in the sixties. Now students of all races and religion stand together to fight for more beliefs, such as the "Occupy" movement. Any person can find a group of the same interests, because people from all over the world come to Berkeley for school. On my walks through campus, I witness groups of dancers practicing and one night the Festival of Lights or Diwali for the people of India. Culture is celebrated here.

Awesome

There is always so much happening. The local restaurants are delicious and numerous and cheap. The whole Berkeley hippie atmosphere is really cool.

No "Safety"

Say the word, pull out your wallet, and "wa-la"

Number 1 Public School in the Nation

We are the underdogs--although our funding has been heavily cut from the state, we still manage to compete with schools like Harvard, Yale, Stanford and Princeton for top programs in basically any field. Come here for any disipline-and you will be receiving a top notch education with some of the best professors in the country.

Lots of Asians

There are many different ethnic backgrounds but the majority population is Asian and there is specifically a lot more Asian food because of it.However, there is still a large variety of ethnic groups and tons of international students.