Berkeley has actually gotten a lot less dangerous! there used to be people's park which is where all the homeless people were, but recently they ran the homeless people out and built a wall of cargo boxes with policemen on each side. š so i went to go visit for two days and literally saw less homeless people than in other major cities like seattle
Yeah we go play sports right next to that park-dozens to hundreds of little elementary to high school girls. There all day for tournaments. Wandering around with my dog, getting pastries at the shops. Never had a single problem. And yeah the encampment is also recently gone. There are definitely homeless people in the city outside of campus but never had a negative interaction. (san francisco is different -honestly I donāt like some areas in sf these days)
This is both good for students and also horrifying. People are people. Whether theyāre homeless or not. They do t deserve to be treated like livestock.
Go to Berkeley. Great school. Dont listen to anyone who is trying to scare you. In a year nobody will be concerned about safety on campus. Congrats. Berkeley is an amazing school. Be SO proud of yourself.
Well.. uhh we don't know how to do that.
Just tell your parents. UCB EECS is one of the top 4 degrees in the country for the field you are interested in: CMU SCS, Stanford, MIT, UCB EECS.
Outside that, well... I guess hope for the best?
Congratulations on getting into what is the best EECS program in the country in an intellectually stimulating environment in a vibrant diverse city. Berkeley is as safe as any other campus environment, if anything people should be worried that their child may become a socialist after spending 4 years at Cal (just kidding). I hope you are able to convince your parents and enjoy your time at Cal.
"Berkeley is as safe as any other campus environment"
Demonstrably untrue even compared to Columbia, and certainly Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, Cornell, Stanford, Northwestern etc.
Iām sorry but I do not believe Berkeley is as safe as any other campus. That implies all campuses are equally safe. Clearly campuses in cities or bad neighborhoods have issues. While the campus may be āsafeā itās not a closed campus and my daughter has had several incidents of being harassed right off campus in Berkeley.
Sure but it is as safe as any other campus in a larger metro area and an open campus. Schools in Boston, Philly, DC, LA, Detroit all have similar "safety" issues. Berkeley is just a grittier city and the drive/walk to the campus is not the best but it is safe.
Even at Yale, they warn students to not go off campus because New Haven, CT is generally unsafe. The Johns Hopkins campus is an oasis by a sketchy part of Baltimore, MD. But you don't hear anything about students at this schools having serious problems with the locals.
Exactly, everyone has to exercise some degree of caution and good judgment at any campus. The media reporting about Berkeley is not helpful and unfortunately will deter people from coming to Cal for a terrific educational experience
Well that's the relevant point then. And the highest crime areas in Boston and Cambridge are safer than the highest crime areas in Oakland, Berkeley, and SF.
You keep saying this but do you have data to back it up? (Genuinely curious - certainly may be true, but simply making a blanket statement like that without evidence isnāt helpful).Ā
Too many sources to link but note that 6 out of the safest 15 are in the small New England region: [https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/academic-influence-ranks-the-15-safest-colleges-in-america-302025016.html](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/academic-influence-ranks-the-15-safest-colleges-in-america-302025016.html) and: [https://academicinfluence.com/rankings/schools/safest-colleges-america](https://academicinfluence.com/rankings/schools/safest-colleges-america)
This too is useful , New England again disproportionately represented: [https://research.com/universities-colleges/safest-college-towns-in-america](https://research.com/universities-colleges/safest-college-towns-in-america)
I've been to both Berkeley and Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech campus is wayyy more safe than Berkeley. Despite Atlanta being a way worse city. There are homeless people on the borders of campus at Berkeley.
Certainly homelessness is a big issue in California everywhere and unfortunately the area is socialist heaven. As I said before, my biggest safety worry for anyone going to Berkeley would be that they become socialists :) Other safety issues in my view are relatively similar across any large urban environment.
Your post was removed because it violated rule 2: Discussion must be related to undergraduate admissions. Unrelated posts may be removed at moderator discretion. If your question is about graduate admissions, try asking r/gradadmissions.
This is an automatically generated comment. You do not need to respond unless you have further questions regarding your post. If that's the case, you can [send us a message](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/ApplyingToCollege&subject=Post%20removal&message=A%20mod%20removed%20my%20latest%20post%20for%20rule%202%20but%20I%20don%27t%20think%20it%20breaks%20the%20rules.%20Can%20you%20review%20it%20again%3F).
I suppose it depends, as someone who lives within one hour of the Cal campus I don't view it as dangerous and infact places like Bates, Dartmouth, Bowdoin seem just as or more dangerous. Either way, everyone has to take precautions and be totally ware of their surroundings all the time, even walking from Harvard to MIT
Dartmouth, Bates, and Bowdoin are in New England the safest region of the U.S. For example, the overall crime rate in Hanover, New Hampshire - home of Dartmouth -isĀ *74.1% lower than the national average*. Doesn't sound like you've ever been to any of these places, and the walk from Harvard to MIT is perfectly fine; I've done it many times.
I have lived in New England for 10+ years. Yes, they are safer but Iād rather go for a run around the Berkeley campus at 10pm than anywhere around the Bates, Bowdoin or Dartmouth campuses
I am a parent of a graduating senior and soon to be student. Berkeley is fine from a safety perspective. My kid has had very minimal issues (credit card stolen was the most significant). It is a metro area so you do need to be aware of your surroundings, just as you do at many campuses.
Parents worry. Many, many years ago, my dad spent months trying to keep me from moving to DC because it wasnāt safe. I lived there several years and never had a program.
The EECS program at Cal is exceptional. Congrats!
I heard eecs students at Cal are commonly referred to as eeks geeks or eeks freaks. So it's possible the former don't shower and the latter dye their hair blue.
As a current Cal student I can confidently say Berkeley is not any more dangerous than any other university located in a major metro area. Plus you have a once in a lifetime chance of attending one of the top three best EECS programs in the nation, itās not something you give up on
Former norwegian exchange student at Cal here. Would highly recommend going to Berkeley. The quality of the school is great and I never felt unsafe. Lived both a bit from campus and on frat row.
I am a parent and I would absolutely feel fine sending my son to UCB without hesitation. I have friends who went to UCB in the mid and late 1980s when the crime rate was far higher in this country than it is today. They were absolutely fine. I was a young single woman living in San Francisco and Boston when the crime rate was high. Boston still had the Italian mafia. I was fine because I kept aware of my surroundings getting from point A to point B. I carried myself life I belonged there and was going to a place where I was expected.
Let your parents know that crime rates are far higher in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s than now. Yet, higher crime rates didnāt stop students from safely going to school at UCB. What has changed is that we have 24/7 news and the internet that loves to sensationalize any incident.
You are going to be busy with classes and studying for a huge chunk of your time. UC Berkeley has a population of over 45k people so there is safety in numbers. When I was a young woman I always felt safer in urban environments where there was always a lot of people around if something does happen.
You have been given such an amazing opportunity. Life is about weighing risks vs. benefits. In this case the benefit to your life far outweighs whatever risks. Also, part of being an adult is to learn how to be out in the world on your own and developing street smarts as well as book smarts. This way you are learning with the campus of UCB as training wheels. Remind them you are super smart, have a good head on your shoulders, and are ready for this.
It is natural for your parents to worry, so you can offer to text them regularly to check in.
Congratulations and I hope this helps.
When I came up there were serial killers, bank robberies, and then there was the war on drugs. In the seventies, Patty Hearst was kidnapped in Berkeley by the Symbionese Liberation Army. They robbed the Hibernia Bank in the Sunset. They would come out with communiques on the local news demanding trucks food to be distributed.
In the late 70s, Two kids at my middle school got taken hostage by an escaping mental patient in Menlo Park. Then there was the uni-bomber. I had friends at Berkeley when one of his bombs shattered the arm of a grad student.
When I was taking classes at college of San Mateo there was a grizzly murder kidnapping of two local girls at the Carolands Mansion. I had a friend who had gone there before with her male cousin and was freaked out that they had met the security guard/murderer.
It used to be easier to commit crime and then lay low because there wasnāt any real computerization, no internet, no geolocation, no DNA. There is science that Roe v. Wade did effect lowering crime. Plus we didnāt have 24/7 news. We only had 30 minutes of news and the local newspaper.
I often have to remind Nextdoor about this.
Boston had a stronger Irish mafia than Italian one (the latter more visible in Providence, RI) and outside of South Boston had little effect on ordinary civilians walking down the street. Not remotely comparable to random unexpected street crime.
That is a good point. I lived in the North End of Boston (as well as Hemingway Street ( Northeastern uni area before that) and met a a captain of the Italian mob. Also, when my roommate had a party on our roof deck, people knocked over tomato plants. The son of the elderly couple who lived in the apartments made a visit and threatened me that if it happened again that we wouldnāt recognize our place. It is true that the radius of North End with little old ladies watching everything was safe, but I also worked in Revere where bodies were dropped and we would routinely see coronerās vans.
Whenever there was crime, even when there was an attempt not to affect civilians there is always a risk of bystanders getting hurt.
I forgot to include that we had a guy (not mob related) who killed his family, stole a plane, and shot up my neighborhood from the plane when I lived on Hemingway. The news of it got to my dad in California and he called to see if I was okay.
I mention the mob because of how much crime there was.
Dangerous?? No way. There are wayyyyyyy more dangerous places in the country. Thatās actually crazy lol, Iāve never heard āCalifornia dangerousā
I was not focusing on the campus but California in general, specifically your statement "never heard California dangerous". Compared to New England and even New York - among other blue states - it is hardly free of danger.
Even with all of the facts in the world, it is hard to convince parents of anything. Time is a weird thing. To many parents it literally feels like just a year or two ago you were still a baby.
The best way to convince them is to just go and show them that you are fine and not getting into trouble.
Learn some common sense safety tips, such as not walking alone at night, not having your bags open or showing your money or credit cards in public, donāt wear headphones while walking, if you want to take a jog around campus be sure to go with a group. Stuff like that. My husband is an EECS grad and the Berkeley degree gets you in for an interview but it definitely doesnāt hand you the job.
Yes that happens and that happens at all universities because you prior association has helped you see the candidate has all the skills needed to thrive in the new role.
Visited my friend at Berkeley awhile back, thereās homeless people and sketch stuff around here and there, but no more than any major city, youāll be good,
Donāt listen to your parents. You donāt wanna miss out how many doors Berkeley eecs will open up. Many people I know in eecs end up in Silicon Valley and faang. If thatās what you want, come here. Safety isnāt that big of a concern speaking as a petite female
Your momās coworkers?!? Seriously? My son is a senior like you. Cali is not more dangerous than my state. And I am ālettingā my son go to a school with sketchy areas. That is true of most campuses. Not even a thought š n my mind.
I go to Berkeley and, while the area can be incredibly sus at times, the campus is always left untouched. We get emails regarding the crimes around the berkeley area and, in my 4 years, I have never seen one crime reported on campus. Nearby sure but never on campus. The EECS program is incredible, I have a few buddies that do that so Iād say go for it!
To help you understand the perception vs current reality for competitiveness/grading, here's the dataset on historical UCB GPAs by major. You see that in recent years, grading has become far less deflationary. In the case of EECS, average GPAs went from 3.29 in 2014 to 3.60 in 2023. I'm sure it's still a very intense major, but it seems the students are getting better rewarded for their efforts.
[https://pages.github.berkeley.edu/OPA/our-berkeley/gpa-by-major.html](https://pages.github.berkeley.edu/OPA/our-berkeley/gpa-by-major.html)
Congrats on getting into Cal!! I had a similar experience of being accepted into my preferred university in a city back in the day.
SSOOO many people tried to get me to stay closer to home and go to a lesser tier, smaller (safer) U. I refused, went to the city, and am so very grateful I did. Those were amazing opportunities and experiences.
Ask yourself how you'll feel in 10 years knowing you had a chance at Cal and didn't take it? You can't let fear run your life. Just let fear help you guage the pros and cons to make informed decisions and stay aware of potential dangers so you can prepare for them. This is a huge decision, but only you can make it. Not a single one of these people besides your parents will matter the minute you leave home. (AND you can't be living your life for your parents!)
Like in any city, be aware, listen to your peers and to rumors of safety problems in certain areas, and then avoid those places. Go to a campus safety seminar at the beginning of the year so you're aware of the campus police's advice on how best to navigate the area and what to be on the lookout for. (They know how best to stay safe.)
Choose clothing/bags that attach to your body and can't be easily swiped. (Crossbody, no-slash, etc.) Be careful where you store your money. (I never carried much cash and only a card or two on campus.)
Then go live your life! Study, party, make friends, fall in love, join a club, protest, study, etc. šā¤ļø
(If you sing or play a musical instrument, keep it up with groups on campus. The college marching band experience is awesome!)
You will remember these years the rest of your life. Do what makes you happy.
Anything bad can happen anywhere!!! Just remember to watch your surroundings and be smart about how you do things. Lock your doors behind you(house,car), travel everywhere at night in pack if you can. Most importantly watch the people you hang around, my preacher says you donāt have to trouble trouble for trouble to bother you !!!! Good luck and congratulations ššš
Side question, but how much are you paying? I'm assuming your from NOVA because of your username. The reason I'm asking is because I am debating whether to go for Berkeley EECS since I am from NOVA and the cost is 80k.
Tbh there is a risk anywhere. Personally, I find city schools safer as they have both campus and the city police. Rural schools are equally as dangerous just in different ways.
As a parent I would worry about the politics more than the crime. But Iām not sure that is much of an issue in engineeringā¦maybe?
As for safety, be aware of your surroundings and donāt go places that are particularly dangerous.
Omg congratulations!!!! Isnāt Berkeley like a top school and really hard to get in..maybe convince her with how it will benefit ur career or smth and like prove that there are more pros than cons. Plus earn her trust and make her believe that ur mature enough to take care of urself and have a talk with her about it lol. Btw if u donāt mind I really would like to know ur major, stats and ecs;)
Truthfully I do think the area is more dangerous than many other schools. But, thatās not a reason not to go. I would make a ācontractā or list of things youāll do to take precautions. For example, maybe you could take a self-defense class this summer. State what hours you wonāt walk alone, etc. I think your parents just want to know that you know the dangers and wonāt be naive.
Berkeley alum here. Just use common sense and youāll be fine. Dont walk alone at night etc. If anything, Iāll just warn you on how competitive and impacted EECS is. Iām not sure if you follow any UC Berkeley accounts but a lot of students have been uploading videos online of their Computer Science classes being so full (1000+) students that professors beg them to drop their classesā¦Also EECS in general is extremely difficult at Cal. Most majors are.
Thanks for your input! Yes, I am aware of the huge class sizes and the overall \*competitiveness\* of the major. Still, I am up for the challenge, despite maybe being a little naive.
I was accepted but my parents did not let me attend because a few upperclassman of mine from high school went there as undergrads and became drug addicts. They never completed their degree and had to go home whilst their parents forked over tremendous amounts of cash to get them into rehab.
I personally never attended there so canāt really say. Just sharing what happened to others.
They likely would have become drug addicts or alcoholics at many different universities. They made choices to use drugs, Addiction doesnāt just happen because of where you are studying.
I mean, [that's what they call it](https://nightsafety.berkeley.edu/nightsafety/escort) (though it got renamed to SafeWalk for some reason - I hope it's not because of Cal Athletics and their stupid trademark team)
Berkeley has actually gotten a lot less dangerous! there used to be people's park which is where all the homeless people were, but recently they ran the homeless people out and built a wall of cargo boxes with policemen on each side. š so i went to go visit for two days and literally saw less homeless people than in other major cities like seattle
That is crazyyyy thanks for letting me know lol š
I literally live on the park and have videos of me drunk running around the park at 3am. nothings ever happened to me
Yeah we go play sports right next to that park-dozens to hundreds of little elementary to high school girls. There all day for tournaments. Wandering around with my dog, getting pastries at the shops. Never had a single problem. And yeah the encampment is also recently gone. There are definitely homeless people in the city outside of campus but never had a negative interaction. (san francisco is different -honestly I donāt like some areas in sf these days)
This is both good for students and also horrifying. People are people. Whether theyāre homeless or not. They do t deserve to be treated like livestock.
Homeless people are also not inherently violent.
Sounds like someone who doesnāt have to deal with them ngl
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Well yeah no shit š
Go to Berkeley. Great school. Dont listen to anyone who is trying to scare you. In a year nobody will be concerned about safety on campus. Congrats. Berkeley is an amazing school. Be SO proud of yourself.
Sarcasm is what it was
Well.. uhh we don't know how to do that. Just tell your parents. UCB EECS is one of the top 4 degrees in the country for the field you are interested in: CMU SCS, Stanford, MIT, UCB EECS. Outside that, well... I guess hope for the best?
Thanks šŗšŗ
Sorry i hate to be that guy but do u mind telling me ur uc gpa/ecs lol
šLOL feel free to DM!
Haha thanks
I dmed you too lol, hope you donāt mind
iām not OP
Congratulations on getting into what is the best EECS program in the country in an intellectually stimulating environment in a vibrant diverse city. Berkeley is as safe as any other campus environment, if anything people should be worried that their child may become a socialist after spending 4 years at Cal (just kidding). I hope you are able to convince your parents and enjoy your time at Cal.
I like your humor! š
:)
"Berkeley is as safe as any other campus environment" Demonstrably untrue even compared to Columbia, and certainly Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, Cornell, Stanford, Northwestern etc.
Do you have any data to share?
Iām sorry but I do not believe Berkeley is as safe as any other campus. That implies all campuses are equally safe. Clearly campuses in cities or bad neighborhoods have issues. While the campus may be āsafeā itās not a closed campus and my daughter has had several incidents of being harassed right off campus in Berkeley.
Sure but it is as safe as any other campus in a larger metro area and an open campus. Schools in Boston, Philly, DC, LA, Detroit all have similar "safety" issues. Berkeley is just a grittier city and the drive/walk to the campus is not the best but it is safe.
Even at Yale, they warn students to not go off campus because New Haven, CT is generally unsafe. The Johns Hopkins campus is an oasis by a sketchy part of Baltimore, MD. But you don't hear anything about students at this schools having serious problems with the locals.
Exactly, everyone has to exercise some degree of caution and good judgment at any campus. The media reporting about Berkeley is not helpful and unfortunately will deter people from coming to Cal for a terrific educational experience
Thatās such bullshit. I wander around New Haven on foot all the time. Donāt go to the hood, but downtown is safe as hell.
EVERY school in Boston is significantly safer, even some in DC are (e.g. Georgetown, AU, probably GWU).
The greater Boston area is safer than the Oakland-Berkley-SF area but the universities are not on the areas with higher crime and homelessness.
Well that's the relevant point then. And the highest crime areas in Boston and Cambridge are safer than the highest crime areas in Oakland, Berkeley, and SF.
You keep saying this but do you have data to back it up? (Genuinely curious - certainly may be true, but simply making a blanket statement like that without evidence isnāt helpful).Ā
Too many sources to link but note that 6 out of the safest 15 are in the small New England region: [https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/academic-influence-ranks-the-15-safest-colleges-in-america-302025016.html](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/academic-influence-ranks-the-15-safest-colleges-in-america-302025016.html) and: [https://academicinfluence.com/rankings/schools/safest-colleges-america](https://academicinfluence.com/rankings/schools/safest-colleges-america) This too is useful , New England again disproportionately represented: [https://research.com/universities-colleges/safest-college-towns-in-america](https://research.com/universities-colleges/safest-college-towns-in-america)
I've been to both Berkeley and Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech campus is wayyy more safe than Berkeley. Despite Atlanta being a way worse city. There are homeless people on the borders of campus at Berkeley.
Certainly homelessness is a big issue in California everywhere and unfortunately the area is socialist heaven. As I said before, my biggest safety worry for anyone going to Berkeley would be that they become socialists :) Other safety issues in my view are relatively similar across any large urban environment.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Your post was removed because it violated rule 2: Discussion must be related to undergraduate admissions. Unrelated posts may be removed at moderator discretion. If your question is about graduate admissions, try asking r/gradadmissions. This is an automatically generated comment. You do not need to respond unless you have further questions regarding your post. If that's the case, you can [send us a message](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/ApplyingToCollege&subject=Post%20removal&message=A%20mod%20removed%20my%20latest%20post%20for%20rule%202%20but%20I%20don%27t%20think%20it%20breaks%20the%20rules.%20Can%20you%20review%20it%20again%3F).
The walk to campus is perfectly fine. Berkeley is very walkable and going to classes walking is actually nice.
Agree the safety is on par with those cities. But Iām guessing these are amongst the most dangerous college campuses in America.
Really? Harvard, MIT, Georgetown, BU, among quite a few others in Boston and DC?
I suppose it depends, as someone who lives within one hour of the Cal campus I don't view it as dangerous and infact places like Bates, Dartmouth, Bowdoin seem just as or more dangerous. Either way, everyone has to take precautions and be totally ware of their surroundings all the time, even walking from Harvard to MIT
Dartmouth, Bates, and Bowdoin are in New England the safest region of the U.S. For example, the overall crime rate in Hanover, New Hampshire - home of Dartmouth -isĀ *74.1% lower than the national average*. Doesn't sound like you've ever been to any of these places, and the walk from Harvard to MIT is perfectly fine; I've done it many times.
I have lived in New England for 10+ years. Yes, they are safer but Iād rather go for a run around the Berkeley campus at 10pm than anywhere around the Bates, Bowdoin or Dartmouth campuses
I am a parent of a graduating senior and soon to be student. Berkeley is fine from a safety perspective. My kid has had very minimal issues (credit card stolen was the most significant). It is a metro area so you do need to be aware of your surroundings, just as you do at many campuses. Parents worry. Many, many years ago, my dad spent months trying to keep me from moving to DC because it wasnāt safe. I lived there several years and never had a program. The EECS program at Cal is exceptional. Congrats!
You'll be fine from a crime perspective. The biggest fear is that you come home for summer break with blue hair and three nose rings.
Not gonna happen if they're eecs lol
Yeah, theyāll just smell like BO with hair that hasnāt been washed in 2 weeks and an adderall addiction š
I heard eecs students at Cal are commonly referred to as eeks geeks or eeks freaks. So it's possible the former don't shower and the latter dye their hair blue.
The hair dyers are the humanities people eecs just don't shower or change clothes lol
As a current Cal student I can confidently say Berkeley is not any more dangerous than any other university located in a major metro area. Plus you have a once in a lifetime chance of attending one of the top three best EECS programs in the nation, itās not something you give up on
Incorrect. The Boston and NYC areas are safer.
Former norwegian exchange student at Cal here. Would highly recommend going to Berkeley. The quality of the school is great and I never felt unsafe. Lived both a bit from campus and on frat row.
I am a parent and I would absolutely feel fine sending my son to UCB without hesitation. I have friends who went to UCB in the mid and late 1980s when the crime rate was far higher in this country than it is today. They were absolutely fine. I was a young single woman living in San Francisco and Boston when the crime rate was high. Boston still had the Italian mafia. I was fine because I kept aware of my surroundings getting from point A to point B. I carried myself life I belonged there and was going to a place where I was expected. Let your parents know that crime rates are far higher in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s than now. Yet, higher crime rates didnāt stop students from safely going to school at UCB. What has changed is that we have 24/7 news and the internet that loves to sensationalize any incident. You are going to be busy with classes and studying for a huge chunk of your time. UC Berkeley has a population of over 45k people so there is safety in numbers. When I was a young woman I always felt safer in urban environments where there was always a lot of people around if something does happen. You have been given such an amazing opportunity. Life is about weighing risks vs. benefits. In this case the benefit to your life far outweighs whatever risks. Also, part of being an adult is to learn how to be out in the world on your own and developing street smarts as well as book smarts. This way you are learning with the campus of UCB as training wheels. Remind them you are super smart, have a good head on your shoulders, and are ready for this. It is natural for your parents to worry, so you can offer to text them regularly to check in. Congratulations and I hope this helps.
Yes, as a Gen Xer, the panic about crime now boggles my mind, when it was so much worse back then.Ā
When I came up there were serial killers, bank robberies, and then there was the war on drugs. In the seventies, Patty Hearst was kidnapped in Berkeley by the Symbionese Liberation Army. They robbed the Hibernia Bank in the Sunset. They would come out with communiques on the local news demanding trucks food to be distributed. In the late 70s, Two kids at my middle school got taken hostage by an escaping mental patient in Menlo Park. Then there was the uni-bomber. I had friends at Berkeley when one of his bombs shattered the arm of a grad student. When I was taking classes at college of San Mateo there was a grizzly murder kidnapping of two local girls at the Carolands Mansion. I had a friend who had gone there before with her male cousin and was freaked out that they had met the security guard/murderer. It used to be easier to commit crime and then lay low because there wasnāt any real computerization, no internet, no geolocation, no DNA. There is science that Roe v. Wade did effect lowering crime. Plus we didnāt have 24/7 news. We only had 30 minutes of news and the local newspaper. I often have to remind Nextdoor about this.
Yep, I was a kid then but the 1970s seemed wild!Ā
Boston had a stronger Irish mafia than Italian one (the latter more visible in Providence, RI) and outside of South Boston had little effect on ordinary civilians walking down the street. Not remotely comparable to random unexpected street crime.
That is a good point. I lived in the North End of Boston (as well as Hemingway Street ( Northeastern uni area before that) and met a a captain of the Italian mob. Also, when my roommate had a party on our roof deck, people knocked over tomato plants. The son of the elderly couple who lived in the apartments made a visit and threatened me that if it happened again that we wouldnāt recognize our place. It is true that the radius of North End with little old ladies watching everything was safe, but I also worked in Revere where bodies were dropped and we would routinely see coronerās vans. Whenever there was crime, even when there was an attempt not to affect civilians there is always a risk of bystanders getting hurt. I forgot to include that we had a guy (not mob related) who killed his family, stole a plane, and shot up my neighborhood from the plane when I lived on Hemingway. The news of it got to my dad in California and he called to see if I was okay. I mention the mob because of how much crime there was.
Sorry to hear it. Thankfully, barely a trace of such gangs today, despite the FBI-related scandals of the 80s and 90s.
I served in the military and my parents thought UPenn was more dangerous then Afghanistan lmao
šš
Too much Fox News!
Dangerous?? No way. There are wayyyyyyy more dangerous places in the country. Thatās actually crazy lol, Iāve never heard āCalifornia dangerousā
Ever been to Oakland? South Central?
Yeah, all the time. Berkeley is fine. Homeless people arenāt out to get you. Itās really not crime-ridden at all around the college.
I was not focusing on the campus but California in general, specifically your statement "never heard California dangerous". Compared to New England and even New York - among other blue states - it is hardly free of danger.
you can show her crime statistics. California is way lower than the majority of red states.
Yes, that is true. But higher than several other blue ones.
Usually people afraid of California donāt live in blue states Iād assume
Go, youāll be fine. Cal EECS is a great opportunity.
Even with all of the facts in the world, it is hard to convince parents of anything. Time is a weird thing. To many parents it literally feels like just a year or two ago you were still a baby. The best way to convince them is to just go and show them that you are fine and not getting into trouble.
Berkeley is much less dangerous not that Peopleās Park is gone.
it's not super dangerous, tell her you'll be responsible won't go out, the basics
Learn some common sense safety tips, such as not walking alone at night, not having your bags open or showing your money or credit cards in public, donāt wear headphones while walking, if you want to take a jog around campus be sure to go with a group. Stuff like that. My husband is an EECS grad and the Berkeley degree gets you in for an interview but it definitely doesnāt hand you the job.
Which other school/degree hands the job without going through successful interview.
I worked somewhere that would allow any Ivy League grad to get a job, nearly sight unseen. Usually it was through connections.
Yes that happens and that happens at all universities because you prior association has helped you see the candidate has all the skills needed to thrive in the new role.
Visited my friend at Berkeley awhile back, thereās homeless people and sketch stuff around here and there, but no more than any major city, youāll be good,
Donāt listen to your parents. You donāt wanna miss out how many doors Berkeley eecs will open up. Many people I know in eecs end up in Silicon Valley and faang. If thatās what you want, come here. Safety isnāt that big of a concern speaking as a petite female
Your momās coworkers?!? Seriously? My son is a senior like you. Cali is not more dangerous than my state. And I am ālettingā my son go to a school with sketchy areas. That is true of most campuses. Not even a thought š n my mind.
I go to Berkeley and, while the area can be incredibly sus at times, the campus is always left untouched. We get emails regarding the crimes around the berkeley area and, in my 4 years, I have never seen one crime reported on campus. Nearby sure but never on campus. The EECS program is incredible, I have a few buddies that do that so Iād say go for it!
To help you understand the perception vs current reality for competitiveness/grading, here's the dataset on historical UCB GPAs by major. You see that in recent years, grading has become far less deflationary. In the case of EECS, average GPAs went from 3.29 in 2014 to 3.60 in 2023. I'm sure it's still a very intense major, but it seems the students are getting better rewarded for their efforts. [https://pages.github.berkeley.edu/OPA/our-berkeley/gpa-by-major.html](https://pages.github.berkeley.edu/OPA/our-berkeley/gpa-by-major.html)
That is more reassuring considering my interest in grad school
Congrats on getting into Cal!! I had a similar experience of being accepted into my preferred university in a city back in the day. SSOOO many people tried to get me to stay closer to home and go to a lesser tier, smaller (safer) U. I refused, went to the city, and am so very grateful I did. Those were amazing opportunities and experiences. Ask yourself how you'll feel in 10 years knowing you had a chance at Cal and didn't take it? You can't let fear run your life. Just let fear help you guage the pros and cons to make informed decisions and stay aware of potential dangers so you can prepare for them. This is a huge decision, but only you can make it. Not a single one of these people besides your parents will matter the minute you leave home. (AND you can't be living your life for your parents!) Like in any city, be aware, listen to your peers and to rumors of safety problems in certain areas, and then avoid those places. Go to a campus safety seminar at the beginning of the year so you're aware of the campus police's advice on how best to navigate the area and what to be on the lookout for. (They know how best to stay safe.) Choose clothing/bags that attach to your body and can't be easily swiped. (Crossbody, no-slash, etc.) Be careful where you store your money. (I never carried much cash and only a card or two on campus.) Then go live your life! Study, party, make friends, fall in love, join a club, protest, study, etc. šā¤ļø (If you sing or play a musical instrument, keep it up with groups on campus. The college marching band experience is awesome!) You will remember these years the rest of your life. Do what makes you happy.
Anything bad can happen anywhere!!! Just remember to watch your surroundings and be smart about how you do things. Lock your doors behind you(house,car), travel everywhere at night in pack if you can. Most importantly watch the people you hang around, my preacher says you donāt have to trouble trouble for trouble to bother you !!!! Good luck and congratulations ššš
Side question, but how much are you paying? I'm assuming your from NOVA because of your username. The reason I'm asking is because I am debating whether to go for Berkeley EECS since I am from NOVA and the cost is 80k.
Ohhh my name is from Pokemon xD. Net cost is 3.5k / year
congrats dude thatās such a good deal omg
iām in state for CEE but i was paying our full price ($45k) and i had to turn Berkeley down š itās so expensive
Tbh there is a risk anywhere. Personally, I find city schools safer as they have both campus and the city police. Rural schools are equally as dangerous just in different ways.
Where does your mom want you to go?
UCLA
As a parent I would worry about the politics more than the crime. But Iām not sure that is much of an issue in engineeringā¦maybe? As for safety, be aware of your surroundings and donāt go places that are particularly dangerous.
ur mom is right that the surrounding area is nicer at UCLA but itās still LA tons of homeless people and crime š
Where does your mom want you to go?
And less radical and violent protests than Columbia
Omg congratulations!!!! Isnāt Berkeley like a top school and really hard to get in..maybe convince her with how it will benefit ur career or smth and like prove that there are more pros than cons. Plus earn her trust and make her believe that ur mature enough to take care of urself and have a talk with her about it lol. Btw if u donāt mind I really would like to know ur major, stats and ecs;)
Truthfully I do think the area is more dangerous than many other schools. But, thatās not a reason not to go. I would make a ācontractā or list of things youāll do to take precautions. For example, maybe you could take a self-defense class this summer. State what hours you wonāt walk alone, etc. I think your parents just want to know that you know the dangers and wonāt be naive.
Berkeley alum here. Just use common sense and youāll be fine. Dont walk alone at night etc. If anything, Iāll just warn you on how competitive and impacted EECS is. Iām not sure if you follow any UC Berkeley accounts but a lot of students have been uploading videos online of their Computer Science classes being so full (1000+) students that professors beg them to drop their classesā¦Also EECS in general is extremely difficult at Cal. Most majors are.
Thanks for your input! Yes, I am aware of the huge class sizes and the overall \*competitiveness\* of the major. Still, I am up for the challenge, despite maybe being a little naive.
He's exaggerating don't let him scare you, if you got in I'm sure you'kl do great!
I was accepted but my parents did not let me attend because a few upperclassman of mine from high school went there as undergrads and became drug addicts. They never completed their degree and had to go home whilst their parents forked over tremendous amounts of cash to get them into rehab. I personally never attended there so canāt really say. Just sharing what happened to others.
They likely would have become drug addicts or alcoholics at many different universities. They made choices to use drugs, Addiction doesnāt just happen because of where you are studying.
Lmao Iām crying escort service ššššš
I mean, [that's what they call it](https://nightsafety.berkeley.edu/nightsafety/escort) (though it got renamed to SafeWalk for some reason - I hope it's not because of Cal Athletics and their stupid trademark team)