Answered by Robin
I was a high school senior last year, I applied to one state college near home, and 3 UC's. I was accepted to all of the UC's and decided to go to UC Berkeley. I believe I feel similar to the way you do now. I thought Berkeley would be full of opportunities for all of the money I am spending on it (25,000 a year), and I thought I would receive an excellent education at such a prestigious school. I was wrong. Berkeley is not full of enlightened, open-minded people. Many of the students here are cutthroat -- they will do anything to get into graduate school, at any costs, without regard to their fellow students. The people at this college have never gotten anything less than an A in any class -- they've never gotten a B on an exam, they've never gotten a B on a paper, they're intelligence is just as inhuman as their personalities are. They've already gone to community college for 2 or 3 years while they were in high school, so all of the freshmen have pretty much learned everything they are studying in their classes already. The competition is unbearable. Unless you think you are like these people, the chances of getting more than a 2.5 GPA are very slim. Some say that the opportunities at Berkeley are here for those who want to find them. There are student clubs to join, and activities to do. However, most of the clubs meet at night, and it is dangerous to walk around at night. When I first moved in, 10 people were robbed, shot, or experienced armed robbery in a 10 day period. One must be willing to risk their life to make friends at Berkeley. The education is sub-par. I don't believe I will be prepared for my job at all if I stay here. Many of the professors hate teaching. They are only here to do research, and they therefore don't spend time teaching the material. Instead, during their lectures, they talk about the research they are doing with vocabulary that is incredibly precise and oriented only with their research -- they are impossible to understand. Some other professors like to rant on about their personal life, or how much they hate the authors of the textbooks that the students are using. Professors, teaching assistants, tutors, and graduate student instructors don't care about the students learning. The system of the campus is just an assembly line -- the students go in without an education, and they come out with an education. There is no time to stop and ask the student what he or she wants, or if he or she needs help. Everyone just moves along, learning the standardized book material that everyone else is also learning. There is very little freedom to make one's own decisions. Most people leave the campus being prepared to do well on exams, but not being prepared for real life. I think you'll find some similarities between UC Berkeley and the other UC's, and this is why I give the example of my college experience. I think I made a mistake coming to this school -- but I wouldn't have believed anyone else if they told me this -- I had to experience this myself. Next year I am transferring to a State university near by my home. The reasons why a State University is better than a UC: 1.) There is less competition -- this means it will be easier for you to get good grades, which are important if you want to go to grad school. 2.) You'll be more prepared to do well in your career. State universities emphasize hands-on learning, internships, and preparedness, while UC's care about tests and papers. 3.) You'll be surrounded by people who have personalities, rather than robots just trying to get good grades. 4.) You'll avoid being caught up in the system of UC's -- survive or be left behind. 5.) You'll have more time to enjoy college -- make friends, join student clubs or student government, play a sport. 6.) You'll save money, and you'll get something better then you would have gotten if you spent 5 times as much money. I think you made the right choice. But I completely understand how you feel. When my parents told me I should go to a State college, I didn't want to go. I told them I had to go to a UC -- it was my dream! But it hasn't lived up to my expectations at all. I see that they were right in the first place. Many people have to learn the hard way and experience different colleges for themselves. And don't worry so much about the prestigiousness of the college you go to, This is all a joke to get more money out of students. As long as you go to an accredited college, you're going to get a good job in whatever field you choose. Perhaps an even better job, since you will be more prepared for real life, and you'll have better grades that are more reflective of your capabilities. So just relax and have fun at the college you chose. I think you made the best choice.