Why Berkeley Is Number One

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Cal also sends the most graduates to the Peace Corp if you look at the past 20 years.

but not on a percentage basis

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Berkeley is great if you are a graduate student or a professor doing research. But if you are an undergrad, not much, except you are contributing much of your tuition to support the staff for their research while you cram in the huge classrooms trying to make sense what the teaching instructors are saying in a rush. The thousand person classroom experiense is just not great.

Ain’t that that truth.

It was like that when I went to school there decades ago, and it's like that now (so my friend's kids tell me).

That is the way Berkeley and the UCs were built. Research and grad programs are built on the backs of the undergraduate programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Cal also sends the most graduates to the Peace Corp if you look at the past 20 years.

but not on a percentage basis

No need to bring up the size again since the rankings are divided into large, medium and small universities. Go look at the small school list if you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Cal also sends the most graduates to the Peace Corp if you look at the past 20 years.

but not on a percentage basis

No need to bring up the size again since the rankings are divided into large, medium and small universities. Go look at the small school list if you want.

Those are broad ranges. UC Berkeley doesn't lead among publics on a per capita basis on number of Peace Corps, Fulbrights, Rhodes, or undergraduates going on to earn PhDs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UC Berkeley can’t practice affirmative action by law. There’s the answer to why UCB tops Harvard and the rest.

Since they can't legally, they have pursued getting rid of standardized tests so they can admit whoever they want -- affirmative action without leaving evidence

Another lie. By law the admission is race blind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UC Berkeley can’t practice affirmative action by law. There’s the answer to why UCB tops Harvard and the rest.

Since they can't legally, they have pursued getting rid of standardized tests so they can admit whoever they want -- affirmative action without leaving evidence

Another lie. By law the admission is race blind.

That's a facile statement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UC Berkeley can’t practice affirmative action by law. There’s the answer to why UCB tops Harvard and the rest.

Since they can't legally, they have pursued getting rid of standardized tests so they can admit whoever they want -- affirmative action without leaving evidence

Another lie. By law the admission is race blind.

That's a facile statement.

I believe they are blocked from seeing the names and races of applicants, but they know what high schools they attend and they know their zip codes, so maybe they can deduce. They’re more focused on underprivileged or “first generation college student” than race anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Cal also sends the most graduates to the Peace Corp if you look at the past 20 years.

but not on a percentage basis

No need to bring up the size again since the rankings are divided into large, medium and small universities. Go look at the small school list if you want.

Those are broad ranges. UC Berkeley doesn't lead among publics on a per capita basis on number of Peace Corps, Fulbrights, Rhodes, or undergraduates going on to earn PhDs.

Since you are interested, Berkeley leads among all universities not just publics for:

Peace Corps: All Time Rankings Since 1961

In first place for sending the most alumni to the Peace Corps since 1961 was the University of California - Berkeley with 3,741 volunteers. The University of Wisconsin-Madison was second with 3,369. In third was the University of Washington with 3,101. The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor claimed fourth place with 2,775 total volunteers. And the University of Colorado - Boulder completed the top five all-time schools with 2,556 https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2020/02/26/the-top-colleges-in-2020-for-producing-peace-corp-volunteers/?sh=206e67797804

Berkeley is also the top 3 in the country for number of Nobel laureates, Fields medal winners and Turing Award winners.

[Anonymous]

I got to Cal and while I am obviously hyped about the rankings (everyones talking and joking about it on campus), I do have one gripe with the school. Berkeley is not a teaching university. I have taken classes with some of the most accomplished academics in the world. Its usually the GSIs that are actually supporting the students and even bothering to know their names.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Cal also sends the most graduates to the Peace Corp if you look at the past 20 years.

but not on a percentage basis

No need to bring up the size again since the rankings are divided into large, medium and small universities. Go look at the small school list if you want.

Those are broad ranges. UC Berkeley doesn't lead among publics on a per capita basis on number of Peace Corps, Fulbrights, Rhodes, or undergraduates going on to earn PhDs.

Since you are interested, Berkeley leads among all universities not just publics for:

Peace Corps: All Time Rankings Since 1961

In first place for sending the most alumni to the Peace Corps since 1961 was the University of California - Berkeley with 3,741 volunteers. The University of Wisconsin-Madison was second with 3,369. In third was the University of Washington with 3,101. The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor claimed fourth place with 2,775 total volunteers. And the University of Colorado - Boulder completed the top five all-time schools with 2,556 https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2020/02/26/the-top-colleges-in-2020-for-producing-peace-corp-volunteers/?sh=206e67797804

Berkeley is also the top 3 in the country for number of Nobel laureates, Fields medal winners and Turing Award winners.

Not on a per capita basis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Cal also sends the most graduates to the Peace Corp if you look at the past 20 years.

but not on a percentage basis

No need to bring up the size again since the rankings are divided into large, medium and small universities. Go look at the small school list if you want.

Those are broad ranges. UC Berkeley doesn't lead among publics on a per capita basis on number of Peace Corps, Fulbrights, Rhodes, or undergraduates going on to earn PhDs.

Since you are interested, Berkeley leads among all universities not just publics for:

Peace Corps: All Time Rankings Since 1961

In first place for sending the most alumni to the Peace Corps since 1961 was the University of California - Berkeley with 3,741 volunteers. The University of Wisconsin-Madison was second with 3,369. In third was the University of Washington with 3,101. The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor claimed fourth place with 2,775 total volunteers. And the University of Colorado - Boulder completed the top five all-time schools with 2,556 https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2020/02/26/the-top-colleges-in-2020-for-producing-peace-corp-volunteers/?sh=206e67797804

Berkeley is also the top 3 in the country for number of Nobel laureates, Fields medal winners and Turing Award winners.

Not on a per capita basis.

Cal also sends ton of athletes to the Olympics placing 4th in the nation with 212. https://www.yardbarker.com/general_sports/articles/schools_who_have_sent_the_most_usa_athletes_to_the_olympics/s1__25661927#slide_5

[Anonymous]

Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen is #1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Berkeley is great if you are a graduate student or a professor doing research. But if you are an undergrad, not much, except you are contributing much of your tuition to support the staff for their research while you cram in the huge classrooms trying to make sense what the teaching instructors are saying in a rush. The thousand person classroom experiense is just not great.

l
Ain’t that that truth.

It was like that when I went to school there decades ago, and it's like that now (so my friend's kids tell me).

That is the way Berkeley and the UCs were built. Research and grad programs are built on the backs of the undergraduate programs.

My only class with less than 40 students during 4 years studing engineering at Cal was 1 quarter of freshmen English. I had inspiring and charismatic professors who were tops in their field, but in general faculty, administrators, even department secretaries treat undergrads like dirt. My faculty advisor who I met with every quarter for 4 years refused to write a recommendation letter for my grad school app (i got into grad program at Stanford regardless).

It's a giant rat race, you either sink or swim, learn to fend for yourself, and the experience builds character.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Berkeley is great if you are a graduate student or a professor doing research. But if you are an undergrad, not much, except you are contributing much of your tuition to support the staff for their research while you cram in the huge classrooms trying to make sense what the teaching instructors are saying in a rush. The thousand person classroom experiense is just not great.

Large classes are limited to introductory classes in popular fields and account for about 10-15% of the classes over the 4 years. Depending on your major, you may only take 2-3 large classes in 4 years or fewer. Almost all classes are not large and even large classes have smaller (20-35 students) discussion sections.

Let's come up with something new to attack Berkeley than the "oh the undergrad classes are huge so it's bad " argument.

+1

Sorry. I am a faculty member in higher education and really did not know that any universities offered classes that exceeded 1,000 students at a time.
How can that POSSIBLY be considered a quality way to educate young adults?

Again, Berkeley undoubtedly has many smart faculty members who produce world changing research...but the fact that the school's administrators allow this to go on borders on educational malpractice to me.

Offering 1000 student lecture hall intro courses (with small discussion sections) is not unique to Berkeley. Many public universities offer such courses. In fact, it may do some good to have some of the K-12 private school/Harvard/Yale students to experience some of these classes to experience "real life" to help them become better human beings.

Oh, and you can choose to donate to public universities so that their class size can decrease in the future if the clas,s size bothers you so much.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Berkeley is great if you are a graduate student or a professor doing research. But if you are an undergrad, not much, except you are contributing much of your tuition to support the staff for their research while you cram in the huge classrooms trying to make sense what the teaching instructors are saying in a rush. The thousand person classroom experiense is just not great.

Large classes are limited to introductory classes in popular fields and account for about 10-15% of the classes over the 4 years. Depending on your major, you may only take 2-3 large classes in 4 years or fewer. Almost all classes are not large and even large classes have smaller (20-35 students) discussion sections.

Let's come up with something new to attack Berkeley than the "oh the undergrad classes are huge so it's bad " argument.

+1

Sorry. I am a faculty member in higher education and really did not know that any universities offered classes that exceeded 1,000 students at a time.
How can that POSSIBLY be considered a quality way to educate young adults?

Again, Berkeley undoubtedly has many smart faculty members who produce world changing research...but the fact that the school's administrators allow this to go on borders on educational malpractice to me.

Offering 1000 student lecture hall intro courses (with small discussion sections) is not unique to Berkeley. Many public universities offer such courses. In fact, it may do some good to have some of the K-12 private school/Harvard/Yale students to experience some of these classes to experience "real life" to help them become better human beings.

Oh, and you can choose to donate to public universities so that their class size can decrease in the future if the clas,s size bothers you so much.

+1

Cal is all about research and graduate programs, not undergraduates.