UC Berkeley students and Alumni: Why did you UC Berkeley?

Question

UC Berkeley students and Alumni: Why did you UC Berkeley? WHat were the other colleges you were accepted to and your second choice if you didn't get into Berkeley?

Sorry, the questions is: Why did you choose UC Berkeley?

Answer 1

Berkeley was my only choice. Stanford and UCLA would have been distant 2nd and 3rd.

Answer 2

I just got accepted as a transfer student.

4.0 GPA, applied as a mass comm. major at Berkeley and a comm. studies major at UCLA and got accepted to both. UCLA has one of the best comm. studies programs in the nation (in fact, it is one of the toughest majors to get into the College of Letters & Science at UCLA), but I still chose Berkeley.

Berkeley's reputation is outstanding. The environment is chill, laidback, and has so much character to it. You can easily walk around the campus by foot--there is no need for a car there. It's in an ideal location--only a half hour away from San Francisco (when you'd like to have fun in the city) and 40 minutes from San Jose (Silicon Valley, if you're looking into the tech industry). Nor Cal people tend to be relaxed and less concerned with their image than So Cal, in the whole...it's just really inviting and wonderful.

Also, it helped to ask future employers how they perceived recent grads who graduate from Berkeley versus other schools, and most definitely preferred Berkeley. Hardworking students and amazing reputation.

GO BEARS!

Answer 3

Berkeley was what I needed. I didn't have any idea about my future at 18, and Berkeley provided me with the opportunity to figure things out.

I didn't know I was a liberal with a social conscience until Berkeley.

I didn't know I was into Shakespeare until Berkeley. I didn't know you could combine that with computers.

I didn't know how to study and succeed academically until Berkeley.

I didn't know I could cook for 52 people at a time until Berkeley.

I didn't know I could become a good swimmer until Berkeley.

There was opportunity for everything, socially and academically. I would have been the same person had I gone to UCSD and lived at home. I would have faded into the background at UCLA.

Answer 4

My parents only allowed me to apply to UC schools. They figured since I'd be going onto grad school and med school, they couldn't afford to splurge on undergraduate tuition.

I was 4 for 4 in admissions. I applied to and was accepted to (in order of acceptance arrival) UCSB, UCSD (Revelle), UCLA and UC Berkeley.

UCSB was my safety school. They offered me the Regents Scholarship. The place is gorgeous beyond belief. But their academics weren't as rigorous as my parents would have hoped, so that was on the back burner.

UCSD used to be my top pick, and I got into the program I wanted, Revelle. For those of you who aren't familiar with UCSD, it has an internal college ystem with 6 colleges (there were only 5 when I applied). Revelle is one of the most competitive colleges because it is science-oriented. Then I went to visit La Jolla, and I hated it. Scratch that off my list.

UCLA had a lovely campus. I like it a lot. But I **HATED** Westwood. I live near LA now, and by golly, I **HATE** the Westside. I just can't stomach the kind of environment where people are so focused on thier looks and status. The place was too preppy for me. But had I not gone to Berkeley, I'd have had to stomach UCLA. Got nothing agianst the Bruins; many of my best friends are Bruins.

So why Berkeley? Because I felt like I fit in. Because when I was in high school, I was the kid who wore a lot of black eyeliner and shot menacing looks at the cheerleaders (fortunately, I finished HS before Columbine). But I also managed to rock all my classes. So while I always held the school's prestigious reputation in the highest regard, I was ecstactic to be surrounded by brilliant and eccentric minds. I hated the preppies and always fell in with the weirdos.

I also grew up in a very small, conservative town.The kind of place where people drive lifted pickup trucks and go to church twice a week. I wanted to get as far away as I could from home, both geographically and socially. Berkeley was perfect to suit my needs.

Lastly, the overcast but agreeable weather and the plethora of hip record stores (Amoeba, Mod Lang - now in El Cerrito, but was on university Ave. at the time) made it impossible for me to say no.

Answer 5

It's the best public university in the country. Altho I loved it, going there wasn't my choice; my mom gave me an ultimatum. I'm just glad I did get in, not entirely sure what she would've done if I didn't.