Berkeley College?

Question

Well, first off I'm 13, so I may be getting ahead of myself, but here goes. I am thinking of going to college in Berkeley, California.(my brother went there.) Anyway, I was wondering how high the standards are, what kind of housing is available in the area, etc. Anyway, I would appreciate if somebody who goes/ has gone there would help me! Thanks in advance!

lol, I have no intention of staying in California after I'm done. Unless I get lured over to a beach.... Anyway, I must say that Californians tend to be somewhat removed from the real world, but that is to be expected when they live next to the crazy movie stars!

Answer 1

You are referring to UC Berkeley, known as Cal to alumni and sports fans. Berkeley College is a small vocational-oriented college with campuses across New York and New Jersey.

To prepare for Berkeley and other UC schools, you should complete the a-g requirements (ask your counselor for the approved courses at your high school or check online at http://www.ucop.edu/doorways/ ), study and do well in your high school courses and standard tests (SAT and/or ACT, and SAT II), take as many honors and/or AP courses as you can handle, and commit to one or two extracurricular activities in which you develop leadership skills (more is not better, quality is better than quantity).

UCs (including Berkeley) will weigh the following components of your application (in the order of importance): 1) your essay (Berkeley publishes a guideline on how to write your personal statement at: http://students.berkeley.edu/files/Admissions/Personal_State_07.pdf ) about your academic achievement, talent or extracurricular activities that highlight your motivation, dedication, and/or initiative to achieve, your potential to contribute to the university, and any special circumstances like hardship; 2) your grades and any grade trends (improvements are better than just maintaining a high GPA); 3) your test scores, including SAT and/or ACT, SAT II; and 4) number of AP courses completed compared to the number of AP courses offered at your high school. Other factors are taken into consideration, but to a lesser extent.

Housing is currently guaranteed for two years for incoming freshman. You can probably expect housing to be guaranteed for 3-4 years by the time you attend college. Off-campus housing in Berkeley is difficult to secure due to the high demand and rent increase. For additional information on housing at Cal, see: http://www.housing.berkeley.edu/housing/

For tuition, fees, and financial aid information, see: http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/general.asp?id=26 University of California also puts out a brochure on securing financial aid for your UC education at: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/educators/counselors/resources/materials/finguide_fr.pdf

You didn't ask, but I assume picking a major would be also important, see a list of majors here: http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/general.asp?id=20

Answer 2

What the hell are all of you talking about?

Berkeley hardly deserves it's rep for being a liberal hotbed anymore. The demographics shifting heavily towards the Asian Americans is a major reason for that.

But yes, the standards are HIGH. Top grades and scores are expected. You can dorm your first year. After that, you'll likely look for an apartment. The affordable ones will NOT look very nice. It's ok. Consider it a part of the college experience. Berkeley is really ghetto for the most part, and most students aren't going to be able to afford living in the few nice parts of town. Food is the best of any college towns in CA in my opinion. Most are within walking distance of campus too.

Not sure where you got CA is full of people next to movie stars. There aren't that many. If you think that, you must be living in the western side of Los Angeles. No movie star is going to live right next to USC.

However, if you have no intention of sticking around CA, why stay here? Go find a state where you do like. Why spend 4 or more years in a state you hate?

Answer 3

Berkeley has long been coined a "liberal" disassociative college. Their take on reality is suspect. If you want a QUALITY education, consider Stanford instead......

I'm personally leery of anyone WANTING to go to California for an education. What you will see, do and learn there has nothing to do with everyday living. Californians live on the edge of the universe of what is real...

My opinion only.....

Answer 4

I would go on Berkeley's website:
www.berkeley.edu

and look up information. I would suggest that you get added to their e-mail and mailing list.

I would also get a viewbook/catalogue so you can see what they offer.

Go on here for more information about majors, housing, etc.
http://www.uga.berkeley.edu/admissions/index.asp

oh & it's never to early to get started on college hunting!