University of California - Berkeley Reviews

"I am a commuter student at UC Berkeley in Classics - take public transportation which terminates 15 miles from home so still rely on car. So socializing with fellow grads is somewhat more limited; also considerable time spent in transit. But Berkeley is a wonderfully rich and diverse school; offering vast array of courses, resources, and, of special interest to me, ancient and modern languages."

"This is a fantastic program intellectually speaking, the university is full of resources, stimulating students and co-workers, and the area is really nice to live in: lively, many resources, etc. Cost of living is very high, and you really have to work hard here in order to succeed, but overall I definitely recommend it to people."

"Haas is absolutely the best MBA program that I could imagine. The students are intelligent, passionate, and engaged. The faculty and administration truly care about the students and the quality of education and do everything they can to optimize our experience. The mix of social and academic opportunities is amazing. I am pursuing a social impact career, and Haas has incredible resources in this area, including the newly launched Institute for Social and Business Impact."

"The class size changes the entire MBA experience. A small, tightly knit cohort of intelligent, hard working, and fun people makes for an incredible experience, tremendous growth, and exceptional learning. The school, facilities, and faculty are second to none. Best investment I've ever made."

"The part-time MBA program at Berkeley Haas is ranked #2 in Business Week and #1 in US News for a reason. Stemming from a strong network, it offers a quality business education that you can't get anywhere else. In the program, I've met with leaders in business, community and even presidents. Most offer their support as we embark on our careers. The level of support and the community is truly what makes Berkeley Haas special."

"UCB provides an excellent graduate education and has a superb network for graduates. In ESPM, the faculty are generally invested in helping students succeed, and the interdisciplinary nature of the department makes provides considerable opportunities for collaboration. The Bay Area, however, is an expensive place to be a student, and finding affordable housing is a serious problem."

"Excellent faculty and staff support, but a lack of financial support on a level comparable to other top, but private, programs."

"The classes, faculty, and value of the program to me are all excellent. However, the high cost of living and lack of free transportation to UC San Francisco (where many professors in my program are located) are my least favorite aspects of this program."

"I felt that my undergraduate education (also at UC Berkeley) ill-prepared me for the graduate studies, even though I had technically fulfilled all the incoming requirements. I also felt that the staff and other students were not very supportive. However, the competitiveness and quality of education was great, as well as the overall living experience in Berkeley."

"Faculty and peers can be very supportive if you take an initiative and talk to them more often about work."

"Very happy with my experience at Berkeley. Don't love the town but love the school and people associated with it. Would recommend AS&T to other prospective UC Berkeley Graduate Students."

"Living in the Bay Area is too expensive and scholarships aren't effectively supporting students under these conditions"

"A pro and a con of the program is that you are free to pretty much make whatever you want from the experience. You can choose to mainly teach or mainly do research. You can choose to graduate quickly or stay longer. You can choose who you want to work with, inside and outside the department. Sometimes, this freedom can be a bit much for students, as there is little hands-on guidance, but this is also an incredible advantage as you are free to pursue what experiences you want to have during your graduate school program."

"Workload extremely heavy for grad students as a result of structural issues--general lack of faculty support, financial support, and rivalry among grad students."

"UC Berkeley's Sociology Department is an academically rigorous program that encourages independent thinking and projects. That being said, there is very little structure and guidance on how best to proceed through the program."

"The Math PhD program of UC Berkeley is overall a very good and highly competitive one. The education quality is high, yet the city in which the campus rests is devastating; this would requires a lot of adjustments to have a happy grad life."

"The UC Berkeley PhD program in mathematics is among the top 5 in the US. It is really competitive to get in and students are expected to work hard. However (as opposed to the rest of the top 5 programs), students find motivation to work not in the competitiveness of their peers, but rather in the friendliness and openness of the department. Students are expected to pass a preliminary exam as well as an oral qualifying exam, both of which are not easy. But it is really great how nice and helpful the rest of the graduate students are, especially when it comes to preparing for those exams. Berkeley has a lot of professors, so it might be hard to find the best one to work with. But once this happens, the department is a great place to do research. The offices are nice -- usually shared with 2 or 3 other people, overlooking the beautiful and green Berkeley campus."

"Great school & program. Networking with alums has opened a lot of doors!"

"Pros, balance of human centered, and ecology centered design, great community Cons, certain curriculum needs to be updated"

"I am in love with Berkeley school of Optometry. I love the school, the program, the professors, the area and how easy and fun students are. They make life much easier. I only wish Optometry school was not so expensive."