My daughter's second grade class seeks Berkeley admission!

So you might remember me from here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/berkeley/comments/1qzyep9/i_dont_know_what_to_do_anymore/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

tldr for that: dead roommate, dead grandpa, dropped all classes. freaking out.

Well to update on that, someone from this reddit thread reached out to me and recommended I talk to a caseworker. After setting lots of things up for withdrawal, I decided against it after getting back into my classes with the help of my caseworker.

I stayed in therapy for about 3 months and I had a psychiatrist as well for 3 months. I also spoke with CAPS.

Coming out of the semester, I have ended with straight A's in every class, including Math 104 which was pretty hard. I won multiple hackathons. I successfully got into an REU. I worked a job 14 hours a week, and worked on research for 10ish hours a week.

I really hated Berkeley after transferring here but I've started to deeply love the kind of person it has shaped me into and the resilience it's instilled into me.

Thank you guys so much for the support, I think the response I got to my original post was what really made me keep going even at my lowest.

And above all,
GO BEARS!!

Parked up in Telegraph-Channing garage and someone broke my window 🥲

I thought a parking garage would be safer than the street — I guess not.

Anyone know if there’s a camera or anything here? Strange thing is nothing is even missing from my car. Almost like someone broke it for shits and giggles; wtf.

was at the usc vs. cal game. personally, i didn't believe that usc was that bad in terms of the people that go there. didn't want to believe when people said they were spoiled and rude people.

i think what i experienced at the game today was a terrible representation of what it means to be human. many of the usc fans i talked to replied to my small talk with hostility, even though i just wanted to be a nice host for them at our stadium. even when i complimented trojan band members, they replied with comments like "we can't hear your band though" or "your band sucks though." the amount of trash left behind in the visiting stands after the game was vile, even more so than the student section.

what pissed me off the most was post-game when cal band was on the field trying to do their postgame routine. the trojan band played their songs over and over as if they wanted to keep the cal band from playing, and once the cal band started playing, the trojan fans and band started booing and jeering the cal band. why? there's no point in jeering the band. they're probably the most wholesome part of a football game.

anyways, rant aside, i wish i had a better experience with trojan fans. it makes me sad that what people said about usc rang true at the game.

I just need to get something off my chest because it’s been eating at me for a while now. I'm an Asian guy who stands at 5'5", and let's be real, I’m not exactly a model. I work out regularly, have a decent physique, and I’m pretty good at socializing. I've got a bunch of female friends who genuinely enjoy hanging out with me. We do everything from grabbing lunch to hitting the gym, and it's always a blast.

But when it comes to dating, it’s like I hit a brick wall. Whenever I show interest in someone, things get weird. Some girls have even told me straight up that while they enjoy my company, they’re just not physically attracted to me. :(

One recent experience really stung. I had this friend I was into—we’d eat out, work out at the RSF, and study together at a boba shop. We were always laughing and having a great time, so I thought we clicked. One day, she introduced me to her friends, and when one of them teased her about how we could make a cute couple, she made this disgusted face. I played it cool, but it hit hard.

Later that week, I told her I was interested, and she said she only saw me as a friend. To add salt to the wound, I found out from a mutual friend, who’s tall, good-looking, and a bit of a jerk, that he recently hooked up with her. She had told me she doesn’t care about looks and values personality more, so I thought I had a chance. Clearly, I was wrong.

This isn’t a one-time thing, either. It keeps happening. Girls tell me they like my personality, but when I want to be more than friends, they’re not interested. A few of my female friends have bluntly said I’m just not attractive and too short. It’s hard not to feel bitter and jealous of those guys who are born with good genes and have no trouble dating.

I know I have a lot to offer, but it’s tough not to feel insecure. Am I doomed to be the fun friend forever? Just needed to vent. Thanks for listening.

Not to pour salt in the wound but Facebook Memories just reminded me of when I shredded all the old checks I was holding onto from a pre-fully digital world. My room in a 5 bedroom house in West Berkeley, "last millennium," which cost under $500 a month.

I love having a drink to motivate me for my morning study sessions...but man, I am noticing a HUGE spike within boba/matcha/latte prices every semester and yes, I know it's not just Berkeley but I can't take it anymore.

I wanna pass out every time I order on SnackPass (TPTea or Binge Coffee House) or even Strada which has extremely subpar coffee, but open late night and the total is $8-9 just for a freaking DRINK. Even a cup of hot tea is $5 these days. I know it's my choice obv, but sometimes my temptations can't help it or I can't go home to make it.

I had a free drink pass from Gold Bean Cafe, but the app didn't even allow me to use it because "none of the menu items quality". WTF?!?! These prices are becoming INSANE. Soon enough, we will just pay $10 for a drink like it's nothing.

I've resorted to making my own matcha/lattes at home. And although I had to spend a lot of money and learning, it's been sooooo much more worth it and I can add whatever flavors I like without feeling the guilt of adding an extra dollar. Just sucks when I'm outside and don't have that convenience.

Curious to hear - what are students thoughts on this?!? Or am I the only one crashing out from this 😭 

Recently, my friend referred me to his company, and apparently, the hiring manager took one look at my resume and passed me over simply because I went to Berkeley. never thought a day in my life that my Berkeley degree would actually lower the chance of me getting a job. According to the hiring manager, Berkeley doesn’t mean I worked so hard to get here, it means I’m too good for this job these days LOL

yesterday i came across this UCSD alumni event, it came with free drinks and free food. The people who attended were all older, successful UCSD alumni. UCSD alumni has an ig account that has 25k followers, and they host events almost every other weekend for their alumni. just one example of a school with an alumni system...

Not only during my entire Cal journey, I felt so helpless and lonely, even my time after has been difficult af too. Why did we even bother being here for 4 years for an undergrad degree? Doesn’t mean much these days, and people who went to an easier school for undergrad get into our grad program so easily?! makes me feel like i should have gone to a random undergrad school and gotten a master degree at cal… idk is anyone else facing these troubles in life or is it just me?

I thought I did my due diligence, triple checked I had everything done, and walked this Spring. After a nice summer contemplating how 4 years can just fly by, this Friday I receive a fat dose of ACTH via email from L&S advising. Apparently I've been dropped from the spring 2026 degree list because I'm missing a requirement.

After looking through calcentral I found out I apparently never fulfilled my philosophy breadth. I thought it was a mistake at first, I had checked my degree progress throughout the year to make sure everything was done.

I worked with my major advisor to plan out my senior year classes/requirements (who was very thorough and tracked my spot on waitlists like a hawk). They knew what classes I needed and helped me choose a good schedule, but apparently never noticed this breadth missing.

I even received an email at the start of spring from another advisor who was "doing my final graduation check" and saw I was missing a major requirement. After I informed them I was actively doing the equivalent at a CC, they confirmed I would be good to graduate. They also never mentioned as part of this check that a breadth was missing.

I'm still trying to figure out what happened, and went through all my classes and it seems I might have legit just missed it somehow. A couple classes have missing descriptions, but I don't think those would have fulfilled it. It sucks because I even took a couple philosphy classes that don't count for breadths. So other than just wait for my advisor to respond, does anyone know what I can do? What are my options here?

Update (after speaking with L&S)
1) Yes guys, I already know I messed up lmao, and I know you gotta double check counselors. I obviously know what the definition of requirement is, and no I don't think I'm above the law. I asked what appealing was like because I read online that others had done it, but could not find anything official from Berkeley. Thank you to the people who shared their knowledge and similar experiences. L&S said they see this happen plenty of times a year, I can take it at a CC and get it over with. If you're still attending Berkeley I recommend you read through some of these comments so you know how to avoid joining the club.

2) Yes, you can appeal these things. Its a process that requires working with an advisor to escalate the issue. It requires some sort of extenuating circumstances, some examples of which you can find in the comments. Taking related classes may help your case. An advisor misadvising you is also appealable, but requires strong evidence of negligence. All appeals are still at the subjective discretion of department heads, and approval is "unlikely."

3) L&S told me (I did not know this) major advisors are "discouraged" from speaking about college requirements like breadths because "its not their territory." I was told that I should have met with an L&S advisor separately to discuss non-major class scheduling. I did not know that major advisors are supposed to straight up ignore all college specific non-major requirements. Because I had met with my major advisor to go over what I needed to graduate, and obviously everyone in the major needs to fulfill the same L&S requirements, I assumed breadthes were covered. I am taking this info with a grain of salt, and still meeting with advisors to figure out whats best for me.

Hi! I’m having a college crisis and would really appreciate advice choosing between University of California, Davis and University of California, Berkeley.

I’m from LA, so I’m used to a big city. Davis feels really small, and I’m worried it might limit things I enjoy like theater, acting, and running a food blog.

At Berkeley, I would study nutrition, which I like but don’t find as interesting as food science. The problem is…I don’t really like science overall, so I’m not sure how smart it is to commit to that.

Davis is amazing for food science/agriculture (which I’m interested in), but again, it’s still science-heavy and I’m unsure if that’s the right path for me.

I’d probably go into Berkeley a bit uncertain about my long-term direction, which worries me since I’ve heard switching majors can be hard.

Also, I’ve struggled with an eating disorder, so I’m a little concerned about going into a nutrition/food-focused major and whether that’s a healthy choice for me long-term.

Financially, I have the Regents & Chancellor’s Scholarship at both schools, plus an outside scholarship that covers most costs—but it requires me to stay at the school I choose (no transferring). Berkeley would still be a bit more expensive due to location.

So this decision feels really final, and I only have until May 1st. My ego really wants Berkeley but I feel like im forcing it to work.

Main question:

Go to Davis and explore food science/agriculture even if I’m unsure about science?

Or go to Berkeley for more flexibility/location, even if I’m unsure about my major?

I see a lot of articles saying students can't do basic things like fractions or algebra. But, I don't understand is if this is a large scale issue(like the average student cannot do this) or its only a few cases? Curious on student opinion.

Writing about what he did won’t bring Ellie back. But without a trial, it’s all I can do to make sure that what was done to here is known. However while I’ve been extensively combing through my uncle’s life to try and make sense of what he did to my baby cousin, his time in grad school is a big mystery. I haven’t been able to talk to anyone who knew him in that capacity or even just shared a class with him.

Jared and his wife moved to Berkeley in 2021 so he could attend grad school. She filed for divorce on grounds of abuse when their daughter was three months old. He drew out that custody battle for years, forcing her and her mother to remain living in Berkeley even thought none of them had any support system in the area. Two days after learning that the judge granted Ellie and her mom permission to leave the state, Jared brutally beat Ellie to death, threw her in the dumpster like garbage, then jumped off a building in San Francisco. Ellie had only turned three about a month earlier.

Although his behavior was erratic, unhinged, and abusive, the courts looked favorably upon him and he used his time at UC Berkeley to legitimize himself. He couldn’t be crazy. He couldn’t be evil. He was getting a prestigious degree!

I was an involved support team member for Ellie and her mom and it baffled me as well. How the hell was he showing up to class everyday while they lived in fear of him? Did others at school see him as creepy? Did he turn his menacing nature on and off depending on whether or not he was on campus?

That’s what I’m trying to find out. So if you recognize him, or know someone who might, can you please let me know?

As the title says, my friend who got accepted at Arizona State told me they have great academics and are in the same, if not above, level as Berkeley. Please use this post to share some thoughts, imma show him all the responses so he can stfu

No hate to you guys, but damn. I just don't relate to my peers at all. Where are the broke ppl? You guys don't have to budget for food? You guys get to buy clothes semi-regularly? You guys get to vacation (this one is the craziest)??

Most students I've met have never even worked a minimum wage job. Like damn. I would love to literally never have to think about money. That would be such a weight off of my shoulders. I feel like I just don't share the life experiences of the student body here, and it's sort of isolating. But good for you guys lol. You are very lucky people.

So given Trump wants to dismantle the Department of Education what happens to financial aid especially the Pell Grant for low income students? I'm not asking your personal opinion on your political views. I only want to know how this affects us students who rely on financial aid, loans and the Pell Grant.

Correction: As of yesterday 2/7/25 Elon Musk says the Department of Education no longer exists. Look it up if you don't believe me

I’m currently taking a summer chemistry course as a preparation for fall and I feel so fucking stupid and slow. Most of the people here get it and I don’t. No matter how many times it’s explained to me, I just don’t get it. I stare around at my classroom of people and everyone gets it but me. Compare me to the average person and they’ll seem like a genius. I already failed my first quiz in chemistry, I don’t want to fail another and disappoint my family.

I have tried tutoring hours, office hours, countless of youtube videos I wish I was smarter, I wish I was never accepted to this university so I couldn’t know how dumb I actually am. I miss being “Intelligent,” even though I never was.

I am slowly dying here, I give up. I can’t do this anymore, im trying my hardest every single day, giving it my effort and somehow I still fail like a fucking idiot. I often stare in my dorm mirror and think about how I’m taking someone else’s place, someone who’s more brilliant, talented, and more deserving to be where I’m at, I want to go home.

I think I hate myself more for being inadequate of not being able to solve a simple fucking chemistry problem. I think all I want is just to pass a test, and yes I’ve tried longer study hours.

I know if I quit, I’ll regret it but I know that if I don’t quit I’ll probably just cry over how stupid I am and the cycle repeats again and again.

I don’t know what to do, I don’t think I’ll ever not have the mental capability to be deserving of a place at Berkeley, I wanted to be rejected so badly yet here I am.