<p>I'm working hard to transfer to Berkeley from the Santa Rosa Junior College and am starting to get worried about how i'm going to adjust to Cal.
I don't know anyone at Cal and I want to hear what it's like not only to attend there...but also what it's like to come there from a cc...like what huge differences am I in for?
Is there any advice for what I can do now to prepare myself for what I will encounter at Cal?</p>
<p>You mind posting your stats? You have to get accepted first lol.</p>
<p>4.0 gpa.
2 semesters left at cc
Sociology major, hopefully global poverty minor
Have my prereq’s done.
Ec’s: extremely involved with advocating and building with habitat for humanity, americorps tutoring, and being employed as a teen mentor.</p>
<p>Looks good. Ultimately the only way to find out what it’s like to study at Berkeley is to actually attend. But to get a good idea of what it’s like, I suggest visiting the campus whenever you can to get a feel for it, preferably on a tour. Talk to students while you’re there and ask them what to expect once you’re in. Here on CC I’m sure there’s people who have successfully transferred from JC’s to Berkeley and sometimes create threads for people who want to ask them questions so look for those as well.</p>
<p>Step 1: Get in.</p>
<p>You might want to start by doing a simple search through the forum to find some of the older posts. Here’s a topic that was last updated less than two weeks ago: </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/1260849-so-who-transferring-berkeley.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/1260849-so-who-transferring-berkeley.html</a></p>
<p>They have seminars on transitioning nicely into berkeley.</p>
<p>I just finished my first semester at Berkeley as a transfer.</p>
<p>Some things are harder, some things are the same. I wouldn’t say Berkeley is “harder” per se, but definitely more intense.</p>
<p>It was intimidating at first. Moving here was a hassle and a half, and the pace starts fast from the first day. All the kids in every class are very smart, at least in comparison to CC. The kids that have been there since freshman year have a slight advantage because they understand the rhythm of the school.</p>
<p>My professors were incredible, which was also intimidating. They were the people on the cutting edge of my field doing the primary research that would become textbooks for HS and CC. The first 8 weeks beat me up pretty bad between academics, finding my way around the school, and just trying to get used to the change. By the 10th week I still did not have any grades for my classes because it was all lecture and midterms. Most of my classes were midterms, finals, and a writing assignment. The biggest change overal had to be how much more reading there was to do as opposed to CC. In my major, Anthropology, the reading we had to do was a huge jump. The density of the articles was like nothing I had really dealt with before. Some of the articles were so hard to grasp conceptually it took a few read-throughs and entire class times explaining articles. No real textbooks here at Berkeley. Just journal articles and primary source books. No scantrons either, just bluebook essays. And those bluebook essays were not graded like they were in CC. In CC you just write as much as you know about a subject and regurgitate as much as you can. At Berkeley, you have to formulate your bluebook like a research paper rough draft, and present a well structured essay that analyzes the prompt and the material. I thought I wrote the best bluebook essays ever for my midterms. I got a C, C, and a B+ (curved from a C). Worst grades I have ever got on midterms and I studied harder than ever before.</p>
<p>The upside was, this place is incredible. I feel so challenged. I did not have 1 boring lecture all semester. Every lecture delved hard into amazing topics. Just meeting with my professors in office hours was such a great learning experience. My brain grew and changed so much in just one semester. I became such a better writer, because the GSIs would not let me ******** on ANYTHING and demanded good writing when grading. Just being part of such an amazing academic community is part of the reward here. The students for the most part are all driven individuals who have a desire to learn and do well. That aura can be infectious. During Dead Week, I had never seen anything like it, thousands of students all studying so hard all day and night (24 hour libraries) on their “week off.”</p>
<p>Over the course of the semester I figured things out fast. I learned how Berkeley worked and what you have to do to survive here. My hard work and persistence paid off though, because my final grades this semester was A, A, B+ finishing with a 3.76. Knowing what I know now, and having a semester of experience, I should do much better with grades from here on out. </p>
<p>My advice for an incoming transfer is:
- Keep up on the assigned reading. Do not think you can “make it up” later or over a weekend. Even if you just skim the readings, you are much more prepared. </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Form study groups. I would have never done well at all on any of the exams without study groups. We divided study guides and had review sessions. </p></li>
<li><p>Take time to rest/have fun. You need to here. It is easy to get caught up in the “i am going to study all the time and do so much and try to be as smart as everyone else!” Because it is easy to feel like you are behind everyone here, especially coming from CC where you were most likely a superstar. Don’t buy into the hype. It just seems that way because most people have experience here and are already adjusted. Your first semester at Berkeley is going to beat you up, but after that 1st one things are fine. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>I covered a lot here, but if there are any other questions I’ll be happy to answer them.</p>
<p>Wow, all blue book? Are there short answer questions as well, or is it all essays?</p>
<p>What departments do this? I mean, you don’t generally want an essay for a math or physics class. Is it just a social sciences thing?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>+1. i agree.</p>
<p>@newsoul - All of my math/physics courses in CC have been blue book. Typically you get an exam form with questions on it and solve your problems in a blue book. I have to imagine it’d be the same once we transfer.</p>
<p>I am a junior transfer as well. The workload is not anything that a person who has been accepted to Berkeley can’t handle. I think as students we all posses that “extra” gear that kicks in when you transfer from your CC. Regarding class content, there are many more readings to get through which the content will be tested as analytical essays. Once you complete your first round of midterms you will see what you need to work on and adjust accordingly. Don’t worry about anything that you CAN control too much. Because you can adjust your behavior to get the grades you want. Just make sure you enjoy your time here because it will fly by! Good luck!</p>
<p>@ Jayo2nice, </p>
<p>Do you mind sharing your stats at the time you applied to Berkeley? Thanks!</p>
<p>3.8 I was admitted as a Psychology major
Work experience as my EC’s. I worked at a bank while attending my CC.
IGETC complete. All pre-req’s complete. Don’t give them any reasons to deny you. Do what assist.org says and what they (Berkeley) ask, and don’t count on them making exceptions. That is the logic I followed during my application. Good luck.</p>
<p>Just finished my first semester after transferring as well. As someone mentioned earlier, it’s a lot more intense but nothing you can’t handle if you made it in. It doesn’t seem difficult to me but it is a lot more demanding. Classes might seem a bit more impersonal, but as long as you see GSI’s or Professors during office hours, you can have the same type of relationship as in a cc. </p>
<p>I haven’t had any issues with being a transfer at all either. If you’re a social person, you can easily make friends at Berkeley. There are a lot of talented and bright individuals with different backgrounds so its always neat to meet new people. I live in Unit 2 dorms, so I got to meet a bunch of new people through that. One of my roommates turned out to be pretty cool (Unbeknownst to us, we lived one city away from each other before transferring there) . Now we are pretty good buddies and hang out a lot when we decide to go out.</p>
<p>It’s also not all about adjusting to academics, but to life in a new city as well. Life in Berkeley has been interesting so far. It’s very fast paced near where I live at which is on the South-side near Telegraph. There are a multitude of shops and restaurants so there is always activity at all times of the day/night. There’s always something going on and can get hectic at times. For example, this semester we had multiple protests (Some even with riot police on hand), earthquakes, a shooting, and even a huge blaze down the street from me. Then there are also many “characters” on the streets. If you’re from the suburbs, then this environment might be a little harsh on your senses, but you do eventually get used to it. There are never any dull days/nights at Berkeley. </p>
<p>One more thing that comes to mind is getting around. As a Southern California native I have relied on my car since I was 16 to get me around. After driving everywhere for 8 years and never taking public transportation, I came to a city that was not car friendly so I decided to leave my car at home. The city/school is on a hill so it was hard for me to get used all the walking/hills and sometimes I still get winded (vlsb to pimentel :[ ). The public transportation is almost always reliable and pretty easy to get around in. Although it was a little intimidating at first, I can now get to San Francisco with no problem. </p>
<p>That’s a small gist of what I have encountered. I’ll be happy to answer any more questions too.</p>
<p>@Tonio03
Thanks for the insight. Hows the food and weather over there?</p>
<p>@ Tonio03 </p>
<p>What is your major and stats when you applied?</p>