Berkeley for a humanities (maybe social sciences) major?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I were a humanities kid, the last place I would want to go is a place for factory courses. That would include any large state school. Go to a SLAC -- or even a mid-sized university like USC or Notre Dame, where there will be much smaller courses. Then go to a place like Berkeley for grad school.

I don't buy this received wisdom. Senior year, courses will be similar-sized at Berkeley and Middlebury or wherever. Junior year, a humanities kid probably is going to be abroad regardless. So you're really talking about freshman and sophomore year--and then the question is, for those 15 hours each week you're in class, whether you'd rather listen to a world-class expert lecture or a handful of other 19-year-olds pontificate in a "guided discussion." And then there are the other 153 hours each week when you'll be surrounded by a huge number of ridiculously smart and interesting people at Berkeley, and will have access to all kinds extracurricular opportunities.

So you do buy this received wisdom for two years, that is, half the college experience?

A couple of points: you make a case, really, for transferring to Berkeley; it is an easier transfer admit. Second, you are completely wrong about junior and senior years: while courses will be much smaller junior and senior year, there is still a huge difference between 20-30 kids and 5-15. They are not "similarly-sized" -- at any point.

I’m not sure anyone who thinks there is a “huge” difference between 20-30 kids and 5-15 kids has ever been in both.

The good news is that Berkeley caps its history proseminars at 15 kids, so OP’s kid will get to experience both!

I have been in both: there is a huge difference. Anyhow, Berkeley is more like 30-40 at the upper levels, not 20-30. A proseminar? Er, OK, kids take 1 class with 15 students -- the largest size class an upper-level humanities student would ever take at a SLAC or, for that matter, a mid-sized private. And that is every class for two years.

Nothing wrong with Berkeley, but people saying this is a great undergraduate experience for anyone, let alone what humanities majors can get elsewhere, is beyond the pale. All I can say is listen to the California residents on this board!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I were a humanities kid, the last place I would want to go is a place for factory courses. That would include any large state school. Go to a SLAC -- or even a mid-sized university like USC or Notre Dame, where there will be much smaller courses. Then go to a place like Berkeley for grad school.

I don't buy this received wisdom. Senior year, courses will be similar-sized at Berkeley and Middlebury or wherever. Junior year, a humanities kid probably is going to be abroad regardless. So you're really talking about freshman and sophomore year--and then the question is, for those 15 hours each week you're in class, whether you'd rather listen to a world-class expert lecture or a handful of other 19-year-olds pontificate in a "guided discussion." And then there are the other 153 hours each week when you'll be surrounded by a huge number of ridiculously smart and interesting people at Berkeley, and will have access to all kinds extracurricular opportunities.

So you do buy this received wisdom for two years, that is, half the college experience?

A couple of points: you make a case, really, for transferring to Berkeley; it is an easier transfer admit. Second, you are completely wrong about junior and senior years: while courses will be much smaller junior and senior year, there is still a huge difference between 20-30 kids and 5-15. They are not "similarly-sized" -- at any point.

I’m not sure anyone who thinks there is a “huge” difference between 20-30 kids and 5-15 kids has ever been in both.

The good news is that Berkeley caps its history proseminars at 15 kids, so OP’s kid will get to experience both!

I have been in both: there is a huge difference. Anyhow, Berkeley is more like 30-40 at the upper levels, not 20-30. A proseminar? Er, OK, kids take 1 class with 15 students -- the largest size class an upper-level humanities student would ever take at a SLAC or, for that matter, a mid-sized private. And that is every class for two years.

Nothing wrong with Berkeley, but people saying this is a great undergraduate experience for anyone, let alone what humanities majors can get elsewhere, is beyond the pale. All I can say is listen to the California residents on this board!

Kids take more than one proseminar. And the max is 15, but doesn’t mean each one has exactly 15.

Doesn’t really matter. It’s clear you don’t know anything about Berkeley, so not sure why you’re here! I’m sure there are plenty of threads going about high school 2.0 where you can contribute, though.

[Anonymous]

A Berkeley OOS admit presumably has lots of other options. In-state, of course, go. A Chancellor's scholarship? Go. But for the same cost as Duke or Brown, I'd choose a comparable private school. Berkeley undergrad can seem like a factory school, which, fine. But for that amount of money, stressing over class availability, dorms, too many TA led classes, unapproachable professors etc seems like a poor investment when there are better options. Plus, the UCs don't look at test scores at all and are obliged to take students from nearly every high school in California. As a result there are vast differences in the academic qualifications of Berkeley students. I don't think it's worth it at the OOS price point. That's an extra $200,000 that could be better spent elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I were a humanities kid, the last place I would want to go is a place for factory courses. That would include any large state school. Go to a SLAC -- or even a mid-sized university like USC or Notre Dame, where there will be much smaller courses. Then go to a place like Berkeley for grad school.

Completely disagree. My humanities student is at a large state school, and I'm astounded at the breadth and depth of her classes - not to mention the opportunities afforded to her that would never have been possible at a limited SLAC.

Glad DC is happy, but this is a case of not knowing what you are missing.

Um, not quite. I attended a SLAC and felt stifled and bored. The opportunities my DC is receiving eclipse anything that was available to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I were a humanities kid, the last place I would want to go is a place for factory courses. That would include any large state school. Go to a SLAC -- or even a mid-sized university like USC or Notre Dame, where there will be much smaller courses. Then go to a place like Berkeley for grad school.

Completely disagree. My humanities student is at a large state school, and I'm astounded at the breadth and depth of her classes - not to mention the opportunities afforded to her that would never have been possible at a limited SLAC.

Glad DC is happy, but this is a case of not knowing what you are missing.

DP but it’s really not. The range of courses in a given subject at an SLAC can be extremely limiting.

+100