The University of California - Berkeley

Date: Jan 24 2005
Major: Math (This Major's Salary over time)
Third year applied math major here. To summarize, Berkeley sucks. Classes are HUGE. Sitting in a lecture hall with 800 students isn't that much fun. Introductory classes are sometimes taught by totally inexperienced faculties (like Sociology 1, Spring 2005). Summer classes are even worse because many of them are taught by graduate students. (yes even upper division classes) Especially in math/science courses, very often i have teachers with horrible accents. It is also very competitive in this school. Two years ago i came here to learn. Two semesters later i couldn't wait to get out of here. And faculties aren't helping. Try the popular GPA-killer Chemistry 1A. You have to get a perfect score in an online quiz at the beginning of the semester to use the online grading system. Yes they're just scaring you, but it's as if there's not enough pressure here to get good grades, it seems like some professors are just trying to drive you crazy.

Bureaucracy here is terrible. One time there was an error in my transcript, and i was sent all over the campus, from department to department, to correct an error that i didn't make. Going to the cashier's office is like going to the DMV/post office. And because this is such a huge school, no one is really going to reach out for you or make changes to accommodate your needs.

While my major has significant impact on my experience here, since math professors are generally not very distinguished teachers, i have taken enough classes outside my department. And what i experienced wasn't very impressive. Moreover, as an international student, i would urge any out-of-state and international students to go somewhere else. For the exorbitant price you're paying for a berkeley education, this is not worth it at all.