Imagine this: You walk into a store, say, Target. You run your errands: toilet paper here, a six-pack there, five Top Ramen, a can opener and the most baby-bottom-soft set of underwear you can find. You head to check out and, up to this point, you haven’t experienced anything unusual. At the Shaquille O'Neal-sized line, you meet this extremely friendly fellow college student and you start talking. As you get closer to check out, you’ve exhausted all topics (from your cat’s name to the undeniably annoyed checkout girl) and you finally mention it, you finally drop…the “B” word: “I was admitted to Berkeley."

At first, it’s no big deal. The fellow student responds with a “Wow, congrats!” It’s your turn at check out now, and the checkout gal who previously received customers with an irritated expression greets you with a very-much-Joker smile. That’s when you realize, the mention of you attending Berkeley influenced her and, at this point, everyone who turned to you in what seems like disbelief. This impact is known as, the Berkeley Effect, so-called by me with my high school psychology degree. Nonetheless, it is very real.

As a freshman at the university, I first came to notice this phenomenon when fellow Baby Bears shared their experience of announcing their admission to various people. I then came to the conclusion that, the Berkeley Effect manifests itself in one of two ways: a congratulatory "wow!" reaction or a surprised/disappointed "oh!"

When newly admitted students announce to their family and close friends that they are headed for Cal, more often than not, they receive a positive reaction:

…everyone just gets all thrilled and exclaims "Congratulations!!”… – Eric W.

They get praised for achieving such great level of excellence:

All my relatives were amazed that I got into Berkeley. Mainly because I came from a school that's known to be the worst school in the district and that I'm the first generation from my family…to go to college… – Phuongthao N.

Others are congratulated but, their intelligence also gets questioned:

…funny enough people always say dumb derogatory things like, "Bezerkeley" or "don't come back weird…But like they almost always at least admit that Berkeley is a very prestigious school and sometimes include a "wow" because I apparently don't look very smart… – Jake C.

Still others are scrutinized because of race:

I'm white and the stereotype is that a lot of kids who are Asian go there, so two completely separate people tried to insinuate I bought my way in/ say they were surprised I got in when I wasn't Asian. – T.G.R

…as an Asian, classmates were generally sarcastic in the "Yeah, you're smart enough" sense and it annoys me because I actually worked for my admissions, it didn't just come because people expected it. – Kara P.

I got similar comments every time like, "You don't look like someone who would get into Berkeley."But at the same time they looked amazed so I always took it as a positive booster that I proved them wrong! – Mudabbir K.

And some even because of political ideologies:

Everyone is my state (super conservative Midwest) either doesn't know about it or says "Oooooooh, it's so liberal there!" "She's going to start joining protests all of the time!" "She's going to become one of those liberals!" – Patricia H.

I live in West Virginia (super republican state) and I told this older man I was going there and he said, "well, I guess you'll have to become pretty liberal!" I said uhh I think I've got that down already!! Lol. – Leila H.

This not only shows that most of us are heavily underestimated, but it also proves to those who doubted our abilities that the most important things about a person are usually invisible to the naked eye [insert microscope and Biology pun here]:

I went back to my middle school and told the dean I was deciding between Berkeley and UCLA and he choked on his coffee. He was like "both? You got in?" – Angie D.
…goes to show you should never judge a book by their cover – Jake V.

Seeing as UC Berkeley is renowned as the most prestigious public university in the country, most people know that it takes a certain level of intellect to get admitted and respond accordingly to the news of one being accepted. Whether people are proud or shocked that a student was able to make it into the prestigious college, they understand the implications. However, once in a while, you get that one ignoramus, who just does not get it.

What I’ve learned, through my own experiences and that of other students, is that regardless of what type of Bear you are, we’ve all experienced the Berkeley Effect in one way or another. However, no matter your race, political ideology, and IQ, one thing is for certain: you have been admitted to one of the top universities in the world and should feel no other way than darn amazing about it! In the words of fellow Baby Bears:

…we are here for a reason. And I'm proud to be attending the school of my dreams and continue to embrace as much excellence as I can in my studies and personal life as I can. We deserve to be here. – CB

…whatever, we proved them wrong – Phuongthao N.

I am confident we all got in because we deserved it, regardless of our backgrounds. – Sandra R.

No matter what, I know admissions made no mistakes--we all deserve to be here and we're all going to thrive – Kylie C.

So to you fellow Bears I say, “Oh, wow!” and wish you the best four years of your life at Cal! GO BEARS! P.S. Let's get rid of "bezerkeley" and make #BerkEffect a thing.

Student responses provided by students in a feed by Angie D. answering the question "Has anyone ever gotten their admittance questioned whenever Berkeley is mentioned? Whether based on race or other factors?"