How competitive is UC Berkeley?

Question

I know it is extremely difficult to get in, but my question is, exactly how competitive is UC Berkeley once you get in? I've heard that students vandalize their classmate's books/people's things mysteriously dissapear and stuff to jeapordize their chances of possibly doing better than them. Is any of this true? I've heard that this generally happens in the math/science department, but is this kind of behavior also found in the english department as well (what I want to major in)? Also, are the majority of students just out on their own with the sole goal of getting into the best grad school or are any willing to work cooperatively (and hopefully sanely) with their peers? If there is competition (suspecting that there is a lot based on what I heard), how far are people willing to go to get "good" grades? Please answer only if you used to go to this school or is a current alumni. Any personal experiences with this is always welcome, and honest answers are appreciated. Please don't give a biased answer just because you hate the school/rivalry or something of the like. 10 points for the best answer!

Answer 1

When you consider the level of competition to get in, you have to figure that the people are extremely competitive, and that some go to some lengths to "get ahead."  That's true with most any top school (I did not attend Berkeley but did attend an Ivy for graduate school.  As I describe it, you will be a goldfish in a small goldfish bowl (your HS) going to be a small goldfish in a very large bowl.  

It is very important to connect with smart, team-oriented people early so that you will have resources to depend on for esp the courses in your major.  Berkeley has always had the reputation for being competitive, and some of the charges at Berkeley may be for ethnic reasons--there is a high percentage of Asian-Americans at the school and they are often perceived as not working with others.  Be aware of this as you talk to people.  

You are smart as getting the scoop, but you will find this at ALL competitive schools, even ones who claim to be very collaborative.  Even though I went to a hyper-competitive school, I refused to get involved in it (which meant I didn't work for an investment bank or a major consulting house), but that was my choice, and it was the right one for me.  You need to find what's right for you.  

Answer 2

I dont go to UC Berkeley, but I did go to a UC...Anyways, Im not sure what the purpose of somebody sabotaging you would be, the only rivalry ,you have is yourself. You do as well as you can do, and nobody is going to bother vadalizing your work, books or anything like that. You dont have competition, its not like you're competing for anything, you are simply there to get your education and do as well as you want to do. Sure professors discriminate from time to time, but there realy isnt anything you can do about that. Your grades dont depend on another persons grade, your grade is based on how hard you try, and how the rest of the class did, but as long as you do well, you dont have to worry about how well other people did because you will always be in the upper tier of grades.

You seem to be mistaken how college works, UC Berkeley is very hard to get into and Im sure just as hard to get through. Its ranked as the highest UC and top 20 of all U.S. universities including ivy leagues.