Blaring music and laughter fills the fourth floor of Saratoga High alumnus Kenny Song’s dorm. The UC Berkeley freshman finds that the academic yet laid-back attitude at Cal fits him perfectly.

Although Berkeley is academically rigorous, professors stress that balance is the most important part of college, according to Song. Song, a molecular cell biology major, acknowledges the competitive academic atmosphere, but he admits a secret.

“Saratoga is actually harder than Cal in my opinion. It prepares you very well for college academics,” Song said.

Classes at Cal can range from 30 to more than 400 students. Song, however, does not feel his freshman classes are overcrowded.

Song stresses that the professors at Cal are top quality and always make him “really excited to go to class.”

“I’m really lucky to have good professors. All my teachers encourage discovering ideas on your own,” Song said.

His biology professor encourages hands-on labs instead of lecture-based classes. Instead, he teaches the the lesson in 30 minutes, then releases the students to perform a lab to demonstrate understanding of the subject.

Berkeley, though only an hour’s drive away from Saratoga, is a completely different city. Bigger and busier, Berkeley has strange and unique atmosphere that Song has come to love.

Even though Cal has many large classes, Song said in his major class sizes are controlled Although Cal’s school atmosphere is a fight for survival in a dog eat dog world, Song has found a tranquil balance between fun and grades.