University of California, Berkeley — Restaurant in Berkeley

Graduated in 2016 from this amazing institution! Not only is the education top-notch, taught by professors who are pioneers in their fields, but the diverse and welcoming atmosphere and culture of excellence has helped me develop a global perspective! I've met and befriended people from vastly different walks of life, and I'm grateful for the eye-opening discussions and experiences we've had!

What makes the university great is its student body. These people are some of the most determined, forward-thinking, smart, world-class and wonderful people in the world! You learn something new everyday, not only in class, but just from being present among your peers and faculty and engaging them!

Academics are obviously world-leading, as Berkeley has many departments consistently ranked in the top 10 and top 5 perennially. As such, there is a palpable sense of competition and rigor that goes with being a California Golden Bear. No one will hold your hand and guide you step by step here. You need to be a go-getter and proactive in everything you do.

Regarding the recent protests and anti-free-speech connotation that people are associating with Berkeley, I just want to say that the actions of a few non-students and maybe even a few students don't represent the views of the University and the vast majority of the student and faculty body. As the home of the Free Speech Movement, we will never prevent the right to speech and peaceful protest, but keep in mind that protesting hate speech doesn't mean we are anti-free-speech. We are within our rights to peacefully protest hate speech.

Moving on to athletics, Cal is D-1, and although our football team was on the rise with Jared Goff (#1 NFL draft pick in 2016 and QB of the LA Rams), we've hit another slump. Hopefully, we climb out of that soon. Regardless, the game-day atmosphere is always electric and the student section is rocking! Its a great experience that every undergrad should have at least once! Our basketball team is also competitive every year, and gives a nice indoor event to attend during the winter. Same as in football, the atmosphere is electric and the student section is rocking! Although football and basketball are the main sports students follow, we have top-notch championship teams in water polo, rugby, soccer, and more!

Dorms are okay, and most people move out after their first year unless you are lucky enough to snag a dorm suite or mini-suite. Berkeley seems to get more crowded every year, and its basically an urban college town. Rents are high, which is why everyone has housemates. However, the campus grounds themselves are beautiful and open. From the base of the Campanile (school tower), you can see the Bay, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate bridge!

The food is amazing in Berkeley, not so much the dining hall food, but the surrounding eateries and hole-in-the-walls serve up some seriously good grub. They have everything from Asian cuisine to Italian/Mediterranean to good ol' hot dogs and hamburgers. Whatever you're feeling for the day, it'll be there! The food is as diverse as Berkeley is!

Going back to academics, Berkeley has not only given me a world-class education, but the connections I've made here helped open more doors of opportunity. There are many successful Cal alumni in the Bay Area, California, and around the world looking to give back and willing to help the next generation of Cal students!

If you can't tell by...

The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) is a prestigious public research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Here are some critical points about UC Berkeley:

Foundation: UC Berkeley was founded in 1868 as the flagship institution of the University of California system. It started due to the merger of the private College of California and the public Agricultural, Mining, and Mechanical Arts College.

Public Research University: UC Berkeley is a leading public research university known for its academic excellence, diverse student body, and commitment to social impact. It is one of the top-ranked universities in the world.

Academic Excellence: UC Berkeley offers undergraduate and graduate programs across multiple disciplines, including arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, business, and public policy. It is particularly renowned for its programs in engineering, computer science, economics, and the physical sciences.

Campus: The UC Berkeley campus is situated on 1,232 acres in the San Francisco Bay Area, overlooking the city of Berkeley and the surrounding hills. It features a mix of historic and modern buildings, green spaces, gardens, and recreational facilities.

Research: UC Berkeley is a major research institution, conducting groundbreaking research across diverse fields, from fundamental science to applied technology to social sciences. It is affiliated with numerous research centres, institutes, and laboratories, including the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Notable Alumni and Faculty: UC Berkeley has produced numerous notable alums and faculty members, including Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, Turing Award winners, MacArthur Fellows, and leaders in academia, business, government, and the arts. Some famous alumni include Steve Wozniak, Jennifer Doudna, and Gordon Moore.

Social Activism and Free Speech: UC Berkeley has a long history of social activism and free speech advocacy. It was the centre of the Free Speech Movement in the 1960s and continues to be a hub for political and social activism.

Diversity and Inclusion: UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a diverse student body and faculty representing various backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. It offers extensive support services and resources for underrepresented minority students.

Overall, UC Berkeley is widely regarded as one of the top public universities in the world, known for its academic excellence, research prowess, and commitment to social impact...

UC Berkeley was the meeting place of my parents in the 1960s both anthropology majors. My mother developed an intense narcissist complex while a student here as she described to me. I couldn’t understand her advice of taking the easiest classes in order to get the highest grades and forget everything after the test. My father got B’s yet remembered everything so I think the professors got the students mixed up. My mother became ultra competitive toward me yelling at me for having physics textbooks in the house. She said she just couldn’t do Calculus II but her stories she is consumed with herself studying German in bed. Or getting the top grade in linguistics big deal lady. I also told her that English is probably actually Danish Swedish origin as it has more in common than with German to invalidate her grades. I also have a nutcase acquaintance who brags about graduating phi beta kappa in chemistry and yet cant remember even simple concepts. Also my mom phi beta kappa brags about talking with Edward Teller at a party. Her view of herself is skewed as is the view of so many others who attend here. That is to say should we take the advice of easiest classes in the entire school to get the best grades and then brag about its reputation for having the most Nobel Prize winners in the world. I’m involved with the mental health system now because of my inability to make the right connections. I can agree with taking a fairer grader professor in technical classes who motivates and nurtures but not my mom’s of easy classes pretend all you want to be a genius. Truth is San Jose State and Arizona State have geniuses too get over yourself. Also diversity is so abysmally low there ought to be a law suit. Asians are just compulsive but not necessarily smarter than everyone else my mom case in point. I’m looking for my friend Darryl D who transferred with me from CCSF out of high school for computer science probably has a security clearance. I was enrolled in Reserve Officers Training Corps for the Army, Major Abenhouse said I would have been a good officer. I was an Applied Mathematics major and taking all the wrong professors to accomodate ROTC in the afternoon. They kept saying the women math profs if you come to lecture do the work ask questions you will at least get a B. I also had friends Kirsten M in Mechanical engineering with Professor Tongue and his stories about the Z3. And there was Kelly G in Army ROTC wonder how my friends...