The English program is ranked very high and I was accepted. I received higher financial aid here than my other top choice, and the school has a great reputation. The housing is expensive, but if you look hard it won't break the bank. Professors have great reputations as well, great for letters of recommendation.
Course Curriculum
I found the course curriculum to be challenging and rewarding. Although some of the freshman/sophomore courses seem tedious, especially as a transfer, I found the one I was required to take extremely rewarding due to the Graduate Student Instructor. Definitely ask around and look up your professors/GSI/, it makes the bigger differences in the world.
Exams
Although I took the SAT in high school with a high score of 1850, this didn't matter because I transferred.
Placement
I didn't go through any placement, but job opportunities from the school are great. They have lots of tutoring opportunities as long as you have a good GPA, and the mention of UCB outside of the Bay Area carries a lot of clouts.
Internship
Yes. I worked as an undergraduate research apprentice for academic units. There?s no option for pay but the experience is good and goes great on a resume. I appreciated the opportunity for growth in the program I chose, and the work wasn?t difficult.
Events
The biggest events were Cal Day and The Big Game. I didn't participate too much in either. Cal Day is basically a big advertisement for the school and clubs. I bought a shirt there but didn't see the big deal. The Big Game is against Stanford and is pretty fun, it's nice to participate in such an active tradition.
Fees
While there are a lot of different fees, I had a full tuition/fees scholarship so I'm not too familiar with them. If your money doesn't release when everyone else's is, you need to wait in the huge financial aid line to get the process started for them to trigger it manually. I had that experience. The line is managed well though, they set you up with text alerts so you can leave and come back in time.
Scholarship
I accepted the blue and gold opportunity plan (or something like that) which covered tuition and fees and gave a small housing stipend (think a month and a half). Sometime the financial aid will release late, but I did always get the money.
Examination Structure
Every class has a different exam structure. Most of the mine involved writing essays, some involved a multiple choice section as well. Take home tests were primarily essay based. Some of my classes also involved a long research paper due at the end of the semester, which I enjoyed. They are great practice and the citation takes up a fair amount of room anyways.
Faculty
The faculty is pretty amazing. Most professors are world-recognized experts in their respective fields and you'll find UCB cited in a large number of academic papers. I've never had a professor not make time for me, and as long as you put effort into the class, they'll generally like you and work with you.
Hostel
I was in the dorms for one semester and outside housing for three. The dorms are clean but kinda sketch in terms of how old they are. I was in unit 3, the oldest non-remodeled unit, so it was a shock to see how nice the new dorms were. My apartments off campus were ok, make sure you bring up any issues (ie mold) with your land management immediately and follow up to make sure they take action.
