University of California Berkeley - UC Berkeley
speciality: Chemistry

If you want to feel like you’re learning from the people who actually run the world, UCLA is it. The teachers here exude a level of confidence that is infectious; they don’t just know their subjects, they own them. Whether it’s a Nobel laureate or a leading researcher, they command the room, which makes you feel like you’re getting an elite education.

I have greatly enjoyed being a UC Berkeley graduate student. The workload has been challenging as expected of an R1 institution, but the environment and resources available on such a large campus have truly made my experience meaningful and helped me succeed. My experience with professors has been that they are dedicated and passionate about their teaching, strict but fair. It’s also a lovely place to live if you love being outdoors and temperate weather. I hear from undergraduates that the dynamics can be much different and much more demanding as you’ll be constantly split between classes, work, and orgs, but your people are somewhere on campus–you just have to find them.

UC Berkeley is undoubtedly an exceptional institution that accommodates a diverse range of students. The campus features stunning aesthetics and a lively community, where students enthusiastically engage in clubs and extracurricular activities alongside their academic endeavors. I’ve been fortunate to have encountered numerous professors who wholeheartedly impart their lessons, expressing their passion for teaching rather than just providing instructions.