Berkeley - Social Scene, Stress, and overall experience (asking for a friend)
Hi everyone,
I’m currently deciding between UC Berkeley (admitted to L&S) as a French Major and being admitted to Bocconi in Europe (a very reputable business school with a strong pipeline to companies like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan). Given that I have French nationality along with being admitted to a business program there, going back to Europe would make sense, especially for a clear-cut business path. Berkeley, of course, still offers potential with Haas, which obviously has more upside.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about life at Berkeley, especially regarding workload, social scene, and the general student experience.
A bit about me: I grew up in France and in a French environment for the majority of my life before switching to the American curriculum. I’ve taken (what I would consider) a pretty rigorous course load my junior year, including APUSH, AP Pre-Calculus, AP Lang, IB French, AP Micro & Macro, and IB Bio. I earned mostly A’s and B’s, but honestly, junior year was very tough for me, and I didn’t enjoy it much. Seeing how much more challenging Berkeley is reputed to be, I’m concerned about balancing academics with having a fulfilling college experience.
My expectation was that I would have to “work hard, play hard.” Bocconi is also challenging, but it seems like Berkeley is on a completely different level. Ideally, I’d still have that balance — enjoying college life, partying, socializing, while also working hard academically. My concern is that at Berkeley, not only is the workload extreme, but the social scene seems less accessible. For example, some parties are heavily tied to Greek life, which, from what I got, is impossible to participate in without hazing, and I really don’t want to take part in that.
I’m also mindful of mental health — I don’t want to get depressed or struggle so much that I’d feel like I might need to transfer out because the workload is overwhelming.
Overall, Berkeley seems very appealing with its resources and opportunities, which is why i can't just make up my mind and go with Bocconi. But I’d really appreciate hearing from current students or recent grads about:
Managing workload and stress
• Social life outside Greek life and hazing
• How realistic is it to balance academics and a fulfilling personal life(given that I plan to transfer to an econ major and apply for mbas later)
• Diversity and finding communities as a French international student
Thanks in advance! Any perspective is much appreciated.