University of California - Berkeley Reviews

  • 253 Reviews
  • Berkeley (CA)
  • Annual Tuition: $44,467
95% of 253 students said this degree improved their career prospects
92% of 253 students said they would recommend this school to others
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Student & Graduate Reviews

Hallie Wells
  • Reviewed: 10/30/2014
  • Degree: Anthropology
"The program is undeniably one of the best in the country. This also means that the faculty is some of the most famous in the country (read: very busy and very big egos, but they know their stuff). The student community is fantastic. It's a small program and people for the most part get along--it is very supportive and friendly. The Bay Area is hard to beat as a place to get paid to study for six years of your life. But everyone and their mother wants to life there, so it's not cheap, and the stipends don't match up with the reality of the housing market and cost of living."
Audrey Leung
  • Reviewed: 10/29/2014
  • Degree: Engineering
"Not very much student bonding. Very focused on own projects and activities. Classes are not practical enough; could have more hands on."
Leeann Louis
  • Reviewed: 10/29/2014
  • Degree: Biology
"Very low stipend, tough to live on in area. SF nearby but surrounding area has few social options. Faculty and university support of research, career, and finances poor. However, academically rigorous and learned a lot. Graduate student social life is good, although graduate students as a group tend to be quite jaded."
Joel Finbloom
  • Reviewed: 10/29/2014
  • Degree: Chemistry
"The people at Berkeley are very down to earth, while also being incredibly smart and good to talk to about science."
Jessica Ward
  • Reviewed: 10/29/2014
  • Degree: Political Science
"The affordability of the surrounding area is terrible, and there is very little available graduate student housing. Some areas of Berkeley are hella sketchy, but there are plenty of awesome restaurants."
Noam Chomsky
  • Reviewed: 10/29/2014
  • Degree: Public Policy
"Faculty are great, fellow students are amazing, high workload, very positive learning experience"
Luke Johnson
  • Reviewed: 10/9/2014
  • Degree: MBA
"Excellent high caliber program. Couldn't ask for better experience or ROI. Students bring great experience to the program and truly reflect Berkeley's 'defining principles.'"
Donatela Bellone
  • Reviewed: 9/30/2014
  • Degree: Chemistry
"UCB in chemistry is one of the top programs in the world. The professors and students are brilliant. However, with any top program comes competition, although collaboration is very common. Berkeley and the Bay Area is amazing. Recommend!"
Diana Chen
  • Reviewed: 9/11/2014
  • Degree: Health Sciences
"The academic and clinical program really prepares me for a career in optometry. Students are really diverse and smart. The only downside is older equipment to work on."
Ying Qiao
  • Reviewed: 8/28/2014
  • Degree: Electrical Engineering
"Though exhausted by the workload, I LOVE the program. Will recommend it to anyone who wants some exposure to the cutting-edge development in the field."
Thanh Phuong Nguyen
  • Reviewed: 8/5/2014
  • Degree: Psychology
"Berkeley is the greatest public school in America, I really enjoy the time here. Since the campus environment is very diversity, open and equal, I always feel comfortable and be able to blend in very well. The professors are friendly and very helpful. I just love Berkeley and Go Bears!"
Travis Lyman
  • Reviewed: 7/2/2014
  • Degree: Health Sciences
"The optometry program at the University of California, Berkeley is highly competitive and rigorous. The teachers are at the forefront of their field, with the majority of faculty are on the cutting edge of research and new advancements. The curriculum is demanding and challenging to ensure that new graduates are prepared to thrive in the workplace. Students are UC Berkeley also begin working in the clinic during their second year, ensuring more experience working with patients. A downside of attending UC Berkeley is the incredibly high cost of living. Also, some of the equipment in the clinic is outdated."
Katherine Schaff
  • Reviewed: 7/1/2014
  • Degree: Public Health
"I'm very happy with my decision to attend UC Berkeley. The students I've met have been the best part--these are people I will stay connected to throughout my career."
Héctor Rico
  • Reviewed: 6/7/2014
  • Degree: Educational Leadership
"The pros of the Ed.D. program at U.C. Berkeley include the rigor of the program, its focus on equity, the dedication of the director and other faculty, and the program's attention to the students. The biggest con is that due in great part to the nature of the program geared at working school/district administrators, the students are not as connected to other program students or departmental activities."
Alexander Polyansky
  • Reviewed: 4/24/2014
  • Degree: MBA
"There is a casual intensity atmosphere at Haas. First year has been very challenging and fun."
Jackie Laird
  • Reviewed: 4/23/2014
  • Degree: Business
"UC Berkeley Haas is a fantastic program in all ways - I am really glad I came here. I am learning a lot more than I expected."
Abbey Breshears
  • Reviewed: 4/23/2014
  • Degree: Marketing
"Amazing location with the ideal ecosystem of job support in the area. Extremely invested faculty and staff. Super culture with great diversity of backgrounds. Love every second."
Julius Orejudos
  • Reviewed: 4/16/2014
  • Degree: Biomedical Sciences
"Personally, being surrounded by top-ranking high school students in the nation was daunting, in addition to being thrown into a student body of 36,000. Large class sizes made it difficult to get that one-on-one interaction with the professor or GSI unless you worked in their lab. However, I feel like this program really prepares you for whats to come post-graduate in whatever field of health and medicine you are looking for."
Christopher Itoh
  • Reviewed: 4/14/2014
  • Degree: Biology
"Pros: Great professors Cons: Little collaborative projects in larger Biology classes"
Arian Tajik
  • Reviewed: 4/4/2014
  • Degree: Civil Engineering
"I think good thing about Berkeley is that you have the opportunity to do research in a wide variety on topics that interest you and that's the whole purpose of graduate school. Berkeley has a really nice campus and friendly students. The only negative thing about Berkeley is class sizes which makes it hard for students to reach out to professors and talk to them in person. Mostly office hours are handled by GSI's."