The University of California - Berkeley

I chose Berkeley over Stanford and UCLA. Dumbest decision of my life- and unlike most of the other bad decisions in my life, I was completely sober when I made this one.

Hmm- campus safety- there is nothing quite like the incessant harrassment from all the nutjobs the City Council allows to roam loose on the street (hey, when you have to pass resolutions condemning U.S. military action, it doesn't leave much time for solving your own problems). If you think that they don't hurt anyone, you are wrong. One of these transients was involved in the murder of my friend in a Berkeley parking garage. The streets around campus could be confused with a port-a-pody. Nothing like the smell of urine in the morning.

As far as the political science major goes, undergraduates are a mere blip on the department's radar screen. You need a thesis to graduate with honors. I had a professor commit and then renege on this commitment. All the other professors in this subject area claimed that they were overburdened with Ph.D. students. When I turned the department adviser to express my grievances, she shrugged her shoulders. Another friend of mine had a similar experience finding a thesis adviser. Somehow, I can't believe this was an indictment of my intelligence: I had a 4.0 in the major.

The curriculum itself was pathetically Berkeleyesque-this means that there is an absence of ideological diversity. Dependency theory, despite its almost universal repudiation, was still widely taught as incontrovertible fact. Hayek and Mill were never discussed. The lack of ideological diversity among the student body further hampers discussion. Few students have any familiarity with world events and political theory to contribute anything outside of the typical platitudes. Prof. A. James Gregor was the lone expcetion to this rule.

The large class sizes also mean that it is rare to have a professor actually evaluate your work. I found this to be a great disadvantage in graduate school programs.

The poli sci faculty has deteriorated significantly in the past few years. The department's luminaries such as Haas, Jowitt, Breslauer, and Janos are all gone or soon to depart. The bench is thin.

I viewed the graduate school admissions process as a referendum on the value of my degree. Based on my raw numbers, I was completely unimpressed with the results. Berkeley really didn't open many more doors than San Diego State.

However, Berkeley did teach me one very important lesson in life: if you have alienated the majority in Berkeley, you are doing something right. I dream of doing something in my life that causes thousands of Berkeleyites to hang me in effigy. Even if you are liberal, this is the wrong place for anyone who loves ideas. The political correctness is stifling enough that I can identify too well with many South Park episodes. As someone who loves ideas, I was sorely disappointed with my experience.

4th Year Male -- Class 2000

Useful Schoolwork: B, Faculty Accessibility: F

Berkeley is the most overated university in the country. While competition is fierce - to the point that scholastic integrity is nonexistent - quality of the undergrad education is poor. Cheating and hypocrisy are everywhere - and a reflection of the community at large. It is - without question - the most racist school imaginable. If you are a white male Christian and in engineering or the hard sciences, you are a minority. Expect blantant discrimination at its worst. The Chinese Students Assn is the most powerful organization on campus. The TAs are usually Asian and unless you're in their "clique", problem sets and exams will be graded accordingly and often unfairly. Students have no alternatives. When author Tom Clancy researched his book Executive Orders, he observed that the Asian people were the most racist on earth. Berkeley is the best example of this. In general, the university and community are intolerant of anyone who disagrees with their political viewpoint. The "Hate America" crowd is alive and well in Berkeley. If you want to succeed in getting a good education, I suggest you try another school. You'll get a much better education - formal and otherwise.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2006

Collaboration/Competitive: A+, Individual Value: F