<p>"I transferred to Cal this semester as an Econ major. What are the best ways for me to secure employment post graduation? internships and the like?"</p>
<p>The current state of the economy changes the strategy you should pursue... ordinarily I would tell you to keep your grades up, attend job fairs, search the career center website for summer internships, etc... now you can count out internships, focus on keeping you grades up, consider summer school.. if you are good on units and don't want to take summer school consider traveling or volunteering. During your senior year start looking for opportunities, I don't anticipate things getting much better by the end of the year, but you should get your resume together, begin applying to internships, jobs.. whatever you can get. Continue through spring with career fairs, etc... hopefully you land something, if not keep looking through the summer it will come eventually. </p>
<p>Might not be for you, but consider grad school, law school, the peace corps... maybe even consider an extra semester, or a semester abroad.. make the best of the circumstances</p>
<p>"I also applied to Cal as an econ major for transfer. </p>
<p>csteep, I'm guessing you got into HAAS? Or were you an econ major?
Do you think it would be hard to find a job with an Econ degree from berkeley, assuming good gpa? A lot of people are telling me Econ degrees are useless now-a-days.</p>
<p>Also, do you know if its possible for me to transfer in as Econ major and after a year try to get into HAAS? And if I cant, is it possible to double major in Econ and something else?"</p>
<p>If you want to major in business apply to Haas. If you have a sincere interest in economics apply to econ. It is important to pursue your passion, especially since you will be spending two full years of your life absorbed in the major of your choosing. </p>
<p>The reality is that all majors at Berkeley are valued by employers, don't worry so much about jobs and focus more on what you will succeed in... I will remind you all I have friends who majored in sociology, biology and political science now working in consulting and finance jobs.</p>
<p>"Is there a college dating scene or is everyone busy being buried in books? Random note, I used to have a friend who wouldn't want to date me because I didn't go to CAL, but the person was willing to date a complete stranger from CAL and party and what not... I hope there's no stigma against transfers, social wise and academic wise is there? I mean we worked hard to get here? No one gives any flack to the athletes who get an even earlier registration then people with dozens of ap scores and worked hard in high school"</p>
<p>Of course there is a college dating scene, for those who seek it. I would advise against starting a relationship in college though.... you should spend the time exploring, meeting different people, leave the relationships for later.</p>
<p>With regard to being a transfer, you need to not worry about what other people think... nobody cares where you came from or how you got to Cal.. you will be judged on your character and personality... if it means that you are going to be timid and self-conscious because you are a transfer and you are afraid what people think it will show and people will lose respect for you. Be strong, be proud of your background and having transferred and don't pay any attention to those who tell you they have less respect for transfers, in reality it is likely they who have insecurities about themselves and feel the need to convince themselves they are better than transfer students to feel good about themselves.</p>
<p>"What methods did you use to pay for tuition and other expenses and what is recommended? Borrowing from parents, financial aid, or loans?"</p>
<p>Luckily I didn't incur any debt from community college and UCB was a relative bargain. I lived modestly, used some savings, some scholarship money and was fortunate to have my parents help some. I worked throughout my community college days so that was a help, I also worked part time my senior year... you gotta do what you gotta do. I would highly advise against loans wherever possible, you don't want to start your life after graduation off with debt and with the current state of the economy some will have difficulty finding a job quickly.</p>
<p>Was it difficult to get housing as a junior or a senior, if you applied for housing when you were a senior? And do you recommend living off campus senior year, possibly rooming with someone you know, or is it better to stay on campus to be near classes and the college environment?</p>
<p>"How was your experience with summer session compared to a regular semester?"</p>
<p>Summer session absolutely rocked. Super chill, awesome weather, a really cool vibe. There are tons of students visiting from abroad for the summer, I can easily say over 50% of my classes were non-Berkeley students. Students from everywhere, japan, france, germany, brazil.. I can go on. </p>
<p>I would definitely recommend participating... but don't go overboard.. keep a manageable schedule so you have time to enjoy all of what Berkeley has to offer in the summer.</p>
<p>"Was it difficult to get housing as a junior or a senior, if you applied for housing when you were a senior? And do you recommend living off campus senior year, possibly rooming with someone you know, or is it better to stay on campus to be near classes and the college environment?"</p>
<p>A: It is not difficult to get housing if you apply upon acceptance. By your senior year you shouldn't be dorming, get yourself an apartment with some friends. </p>
<p>Sounds like you've never been to Berkeley... just to make sure it's clear to all, the dorms and campus housing are not actually on campus, they are along the perimeter of campus on the south and east side. When it comes to your senior year, or whenever you choose to get an apartment you will definitely want to stay within a 1/2 mile radius of campus. </p>
<p>Don't bring a car to college, don't hassle with public transportation to the extent that you can.... consider a cheap bike and a good lock for transportation.</p>
<p>"If you want to major in business apply to Haas. If you have a sincere interest in economics apply to econ. It is important to pursue your passion, especially since you will be spending two full years of your life absorbed in the major of your choosing. "
Are business and econ not related? I'm good for both but HAAS is incredibly difficult to transfer into, the average gpa accepted is like 3.99 and although I've got a 4.0, I know I still have a horrible chance of being accepted so I didn't apply. I'd rather get in as Econ, than take the higher risk of being rejected for HAAS.</p>
<p>I have a question my major is Psychology and I don't think I am going to get all my pre requisites done by the time I want to transfer. I would like to apply to UCSD, UCLA, UCI, and UCSB, and hopefully get into either UCSD or UCLA. Now, if I don't complete all my major pre requisites (UCSD wants 3 semesters of Calculus!) Do they still think about accepting you? My GPA is a 4.0, so am hoping that will help out. But, I was reading some of your earlier messages, and I don't have many extra curricular activities either. Wait, does taking a class to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) count? It wasn't for college credit or anything and had nothing to do with my community college. Well thanks for your time.</p>
<p>i also took an EMT class in lieu of college classes one semester.
i put it on my application, but only under 'schools' and 'degree / certification received'.
didn't seem right to put it in the EC section, but i'm sure they'll notice it.
you did mention it, right?
it's got to look good.
i hope.</p>
<p>"I have a question my major is Psychology and I don't think I am going to get all my pre requisites done by the time I want to transfer. I would like to apply to UCSD, UCLA, UCI, and UCSB, and hopefully get into either UCSD or UCLA. Now, if I don't complete all my major pre requisites (UCSD wants 3 semesters of Calculus!) Do they still think about accepting you? My GPA is a 4.0, so am hoping that will help out. But, I was reading some of your earlier messages, and I don't have many extra curricular activities either. Wait, does taking a class to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) count? It wasn't for college credit or anything and had nothing to do with my community college. Well thanks for your time."</p>
<p>A solid GPA like yours should stand by itself, I hope your essays were strong and you had something interesting to say since you have no EC's.</p>
<p>The EMT stuff is not a game changer, it's nice that you have it, but its not going to seal the deal either</p>
<p>When going through the job recruitment experience did companies give you individualized job offers and opportunities, or did recruiters already have in mind what they needed and just offered those open spots? The kind of deal where if you had the 3.5 GPA+ you fit the bill and they just systematically put you into those positions or did they look at your resume and accomplishments and really work with you to maximize your skills and offer you a job that fit you best.</p>
<p>csteep I am in a situtation. Here it is: I am striving to be enrolled to UC Berkeley as an EECS major. But I read that it is the MOST competitive major to be accepted into. So instead should i try for their Computer Science B.A major in the L&S then try to transfer into EECS? I'll be more than happy to be admitted in computer science in L&S too but my main goal is to get into EECS. Because theres is about a 15-20 percent higher chance I will be in the L&S major and also computer science in L&S is not capped(not impacted) anymore. Should i do this strategy? But I do realize that the lower division for L&S requires an abundant amount of humanities as the L&S requirements. But another problem is, incase I dont get in computer science, I will obviously need to go for alternative schools such as UCLA, UCDavis etc. But those requirements are different from the ones in L&S but similar to the requirements of EECS. Should i just directly aim my course plan towards L&S CS at berkeley? </p>
<p>and this will probably be relevant for you to hlep me answer.
Change of college applicants are evaluated primarily on the following: a proven strong foundation in mathematics and sciences, the completeness of the applicant's preparation at the level considered, the grades earned through the last semester completed, grades in particular courses, the total units accumulated including work currently in progress, the total number of semesters it will take the student to graduate, ability to fulfill the College’s residency requirement and the personal statement. Students who were admitted as junior transfers to another college are not likely to be considered for subsequent transfer into the College of Engineering unless they can complete the engineering degree within four semesters from when they first enrolled at UC Berkeley (one additional semester may be petitioned, but is not guaranteed) and they can fulfill the College’s residency requirement.</p>
<p>Due to enrollment pressures in Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences programs, Bioengineering programs and Engineering Physics, students with full lower-division preparation at the time of change and superior academic achievement will be strongly favored.</p>
<p>So in conclusion, what should I do? Should i gear myself for BOTH EECS and L&S CS and see what my GPA is before transfer? If above 3.8 I go for EECS if not I go for L&S, or should i do it the safe side and go to L&S because I do prefer L&S more than CS at UCLA. But the problem is, there is no guarantee I will get in. How should I plan my courses? What should I do? Thanks! Sorry I made this so long</p>
<p>"When going through the job recruitment experience did companies give you individualized job offers and opportunities, or did recruiters already have in mind what they needed and just offered those open spots? The kind of deal where if you had the 3.5 GPA+ you fit the bill and they just systematically put you into those positions or did they look at your resume and accomplishments and really work with you to maximize your skills and offer you a job that fit you best."</p>
<p>Most jobs out of college at major firms are very cookie cutter, across most fields grads start off as analysts of some sort, whether that's research analyst, financial analyst, marketing analyst, political analyst etc.. large firms have very defined job descriptions that don't change much from year to year. In most cases students apply to these positions through the online UC Berkeley Career Center website, alternatively you can apply directly to the company's via their website. The process is different at smaller firms, I will go into detail later. Landing a first job is very similar to the transfer process... you often will fill out a formal application, submit a resume which includes GPA, major, work experience, extra curricular activities, etc.. in addition there is a cover letter you must submit, this is analogous to the college application essay. Once the deadline to submit applications has passed the hiring manager will sit down with the stack of applicants and start separating the strong applicants from the weak, this is often a very formulaic process... the hiring manager will automatically throw away poorly formatted resumes, applications with grammatical errors etc. Next resumes will be put into tiers, often separated by highest GPA/strongest work experience. After this process is complete they begin making calls to the applicants, the calls are typically brief and serve as a test. Assuming you don't completely make a fool of yourself during the call the hiring manager will ask to schedule a phone interview. The phone interview acts as a gauge to the hiring manager, to see if what you have stated in the application is true and whether or not you are worth setting up an in-person interview. First round interviews are often conducted on campus at the career center or at the firms offices. After the first round another batch is skimmed off and the best will be invited back for a second round. This process continues until you either make the cut or get caught in the filter. </p>
<p>Smaller firms run on more or less the same principal, but because of their smaller makeup employees of smaller firms often assume a variety of roles. You may be asked about what skills you can bring to the firm, where your specific interests lie, the types of projects you are interested in, etc. Although by no means customizable, you have a lot better chance creating a role for yourself at a small firm than at a large one. </p>
<p>As far as maximizing your skills, that is quite rare in a first job. Most first jobs are not terribly complicated, you will do a variety of tasks that test your ability to accept responsibility.. once you can show you are dependable, loyal, etc you will be given more work until you either get promoted or seek employment elsewhere after a year or two of experience at your first job.</p>
<p>"csteep I am in a situtation. Here it is: I am striving to be enrolled to UC Berkeley as an EECS major. But I read that it is the MOST competitive major to be accepted into. So instead should i try for their Computer Science B.A major in the L&S then try to transfer into EECS? I'll be more than happy to be admitted in computer science in L&S too but my main goal is to get into EECS. Because theres is about a 15-20 percent higher chance I will be in the L&S major and also computer science in L&S is not capped(not impacted) anymore. Should i do this strategy? But I do realize that the lower division for L&S requires an abundant amount of humanities as the L&S requirements. But another problem is, incase I dont get in computer science, I will obviously need to go for alternative schools such as UCLA, UCDavis etc. But those requirements are different from the ones in L&S but similar to the requirements of EECS. Should i just directly aim my course plan towards L&S CS at berkeley?"</p>
<p>A: This question and ones like it come up a lot, I understand where you are coming from and ultimately the decision is yours but I will give you some advice. </p>
<p>First off, it is very rare and in all honesty a bit risky to count on switching colleges within Berkeley, that goes for L&S switching into Engineering and L&S switching into Haas. It is a hassle and there is no guarantee it will work. If you are content with the idea of going to L&S and the switch not working out I would say you have nothing to loose, if however you are crossing your fingers that the switch works I would urge you to rethink the situation. </p>
<p>EECS is a very competitive major at Berkeley, yes, also arguable one of the most challenging. Keep in mind that EECS is going to be different from Comp Sci, so make the decision based on what it is you want to do.. if your dream is to study electrical engineering than do that, even if it means not doing it at Berkeley... if you are indifferent between the two majors than I can understand why you would want to go to Berkeley. I think at the end of the day you answer this question by deciding if its more important for you to study electrical engineering or to go to Berkeley, if it is to study EE than apply to all the UC's as EE and take your pick, if it is to go to Berkeley than position yourself for comp sci.</p>
<p>Csteep, in terms of the job application process, do you think one is at a disadvantage or should approach the job application process differently if they are coming from a liberal arts background (I'm Poli Sci major, but this, I guess, would apply to all L&S-type majors)?</p>
<p>Also, are all of the jobs that the Career Center offers in the Bay Area/Northern California? Is there any diversity in terms of Geography?</p>
<p>Lastly, did you ever feel you were at a disadvantage because you were a transfer student? Did the firms you applied to look down upon that?</p>
<p>csteep, you're awesome for doing this and giving such thoughtful responses. </p>
<h2>i think (though i'm not sure) that you mentioned knowing a few people who've graduated with degrees in philosophy and gotten into consulting positions. do you have any other insight as to what type of consulting they, and graduates of similar concentrations would be considered / recruited for?</h2>
<p>also, you're confusing 'then' and 'than'.
not being a dick.. i'd just hate to hear that you were rejected for some future promotion or your applications thrown out due to grammatical errors.</p>