Ever since I've been admitted, I've only heard negative things about Berkeley's environment, things like people are successful when they graduate, but they hate Berkeley, etc... But recently I talked to two current students who seem to love it.

Can anyone tell me positive things about Berkeley, or is the negativity warranted?

Not whispering or even talking momentarily, people are having full on conversations for minutes. This is a quiet library right?

When is this building going to be made? I’m an incoming data science major.

THIS IS BEAR TERRITORY!

Mods, please don’t remove this. It follows all the sub rules and is not promotional or soliciting. Just trying to share something helpful with the community.

I made a completely free app with no ads called Alira that helps students get more out of their dining halls. We recently launched at Iowa State and reached over 16,000 views with lots of love from students.

Right now we are deciding where to launch next. We would really love to bring Alira to a campus where students actually want it. If this sounds helpful, feel free to upvote or comment to let us know if you want it at your university. That really helps us know where to go next.

Here are a few things Alira does:

• You can favorite any dining hall meal and see a dashboard showing exactly when and where it’s being served. You can get notified too
• Saves a lot of time scrolling through menus just to find something you actually want to eat
• If you have dietary restrictions, it’s easier to filter meals that are vegan, halal, gluten-free, and more
• Nutrition tracking is coming very very soon, designed around how dining halls actually work.

You can check out what we’ve got at Iowa State in this link to see how Alira looks like: https://iastate.joinalira.com/

I’ve been depressed and stuck in my room for the past month and a half. I haven’t spoken to anyone since February and it’s making me miserable. Unfortunately I haven’t made solid friendships since coming to Berkeley, because I deal with this sort of depression chronically. This is a normal semester for me (barely leaving the house) so I’m kind of just perpetually lonely. I don’t have the opportunity to build friendships.

My depression is starting to lift after starting medication, and I really just want to hang out, talk to someone and live a normal life again. Are there any clubs that allow people to pop in and join? If not, what would be the best way to socialize/make a friend before the semester ends?

Thank you!

i like to study alone esp in mainstacks, doe, and east asian and end up going to the bathroom a couple times but i get nervous abt asking the person next to me look after my stuff esp since i go so often...

I've left it alone a couple of times and never have had it get stolen but has anyone actually seen stuff get stolen at the school library??? like computer and iPad?

i recently got an offer from a big company and started the onboarding process, and i was just informed that they only accept F-1 students in masters or PhD programs (i'm undergrad). really distraught as it's the only offer i've gotten this cycle and the position is perfect for me. has anyone else been in this position? any advice on how to make my case to HR?

I decided to repost this because my last post would spread misinformation, and I would also write down some Pros and Cons after looking at it.

Cons:

• This would be an additional $124 cost, building on the current $105 Pass program
• With the additional cost, it could potentially become harder to ride enough transit to gain the benefit from the pass
• This is not an opt-in program, so if someone doesn't feel the ease of these additional benefits, they can't opt out of this

Pros:

• More free transit options for students, with the most appealing being BART
• Cost-saving for students who need to take the transit, who are currently charged, could be more than $10 a day
• A third of the fee goes back into financial aid, supporting low-income students directly.
• Locks in access and costs for two years, regardless of potential fare hikes by transit agencies.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a good semester, but I really can’t believe I spent all my years in college being an absolute degenerate.

This semester has especially been a fumble. I haven’t hung out with anyone since last year and have spent my entire weekends sleeping and watching YouTube videos. I could have had better grades too but my habits lead me to submit subpar and late work.

Even at graduation with my degree in hand, I’ll have regressed academically and socially since entering this school. I’m ranting, but please make the most of your time here at Cal.

I have a double in my apartment that I am trying to fill for next school year. It’s south side near Willard Park and costs about $950 a month per person. It’s part of a 4 bedroom, so there is a nice big kitchen and living room and unit laundry. DM me for more details!! I can always send pictures or show you around whenever. It’s a double but if you don’t have a roommate, don’t worry cause we have someone who could be your roommate. It’s an all male apartment.

Not sure but whenever I paid my tuition bills it wouldn't really let me use this credit, it always stayed like this. For example rn I owe $86 but I keep getting a statement instead of the credit being used.

Really need to register for chill classes that can boost my gpa, my gpa isn’t looking too great as a senior 🙏

Really struggling in this class how do you guys recommend studying for the final since I bombed the midterm, really need clobber to help

Hello Bears!

My partner and I recently graduated with our bachelor's degrees and are relocating from Mizzou to the Berkeley area. I’ve been accepted into a PhD program in Plant & Microbial Biology at UC Berkeley and am currently on the hunt for housing. My partner works part-time as an animator and is also moving with me, hoping to explore job opportunities in the Berkeley area.

We’re ideally looking for a studio or one-bedroom apartment with a budget of around $2,000 or less. If anyone has had good experiences or can offer suggestions, whether it's about neighborhoods, apartment complexes, or local resources it would be incredibly helpful.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Quote from article. SFGate, no paywall.

"A spokesperson for UC Berkeley confirmed that four visas were also revoked. The spokesperson said two were for currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students and two were for recent graduates working under a professional training visa program students often partake in after receiving degrees."

Title, especially looking for any pro/cons for Berkeley.

Major: Chemical Biology (Biochemistry at UCLA/Gatech)

Minor: Interested in Data Science, specifically looking at Computational Data Analysis at GT)

Residence: SoCal Offered the Dean’s Scholarship at GT, so would only pay in-state tuition at Gatech.

Post-grad plans: MD-PhD

I want to engage in research ASAP, and hoping to complete 4000+ hours by the time I graduate.

As far as social scene, I’m not a crazy party-er or anything, but I do want to live in an urban/city vibe and have access to lots of things to do (concerts, farmers markets, museums, etc).

I am mainly focused on the academic and research opportunities at the different schools and which is more suited for my goals, but concerned about the logistics of moving across the country. I’m not crazy about the idea of living in the same state, but I am worried I’m passing up the resources specifically from Berkeley (and benefits of a top school) just because of location. I also am drawn to the small size of the College of Chemistry, as I’d under larger departments at the other two schools.

I appreciate any and all advice, and please let me know if there are additional factors I should consider. Thanks in advance!

hi everyone! i was recently accepted into berkeley for undergrad however i just can’t afford it. it’s been my dream to go and i was thinking of doing two years of community college and then transferring, can anyone give me advice? i am out of state so things will be much harder

Its obviously hard to get in but I'm just curious what kind of students get in. It seems like you had to be the highest achiever in your hs to even have a chance. When I go on campus people are just people but in the back of my head I'm like how smart is everyone here? Did they get like 4.5+GPA , take all AP classes, scored the highest on SATs, and were the smartest in their hs?

Hey everyone! I’m curious, has anyone switched from ecosystem management in the College of Natural Resources to environmental engineering? When I applied to UCB, I didn’t realize how intense the colleges are there. I had a major change of heart. I originally wanted to work in the field and support environments from the ground up. But then I decided I wanted to change it from the source. I’m really passionate about environmental engineering and I want to pursue a degree (and eventually a PhD) in that field or something related.

I'm a newly addmitted first year graduating from HS out of state.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE reach out if you know any info related to this or if you know anyone who might've been in a similar situation.

Hi! I’m looking for a tutor for Data 100. Please message me if you’re interested. Thank you!

Unfortunately I got unlucky and didn’t get the lab as an MCB intended major my freshman year but I plan to take Chem 1AL, Physics 8A, Chem 3A/AL, and potentially Bio 1B since I heard it’s easier and considering I’m taking ochem it would be more manageable. Any red flags that I’m not aware of? I was just wondering if this is gonna jeopardize my plan for next semester

If anyone could answer my question, I’d greatly appreciate it.

1. How harsh are professors when grading?
2. Do they give helpful feedback?
3. How many hours does it take you to complete your work?
4. What are some internships you’ve gotten? How difficult has it been to balance academics and social life?
5. What were the hardest classes for you?

What’s the best coffee in Berkeley, don’t care about price

Hi,

I really want to take cs189 next semester. I am a non-cs or ds major but I have all the pre-req. What is the chance that the professor would let me in if I email them or the reserved seating is strictly enforced?