<p>i’m a second semester freshman at cal, and these are my experiences.</p>
<p>i had my heart absolutely set on going to georgetown. obviously, that didn’t work out. Cal was kind of a second-choice for me, but looking back, I’m pretty sure it was a first choice. It was the only school that I was nervous to see if I had gotten in or not, the only school that i jumped up and down over. I had a 1410 SAT, 770 writing SAT II, 690 Math IIC, and 730 French SAT II. I also had a bunch of AP tests, president of a few clubs, a law internship, and did the newspaper/NHS/captain of mock trial thing. I was admitted as an intended Political Science major.</p>
<p>A few reccommendations for people who are admitted: first of all, VISIT! The people who put together the admissions department are morons. The campus is absolutely gorgeous, with beautiful architechture, lots of trees, squirrels, and cafes for students. Not to mention the millions of student groups and pretty much everything you could think of. Cal has classes in everything from the most modern theories of biology and engineering to ancient languages like Urdu and Egyptian hieroglyphics to archaeology and pretty much anything. You can actually major in Egyptology, if that’s your thing. Also, go to CalSO and Telegraph. These represent the two differing halves of the Cal experience. On one hand, you’re a college student and you get all the fun of that, but on the other, Cal will challenge your deepest held beliefs and ways of living. Some people don’t want this dichotomy in their college experience, because challenges outside the classroom are much scarier than challenges withing. If you can’t live with homeless people, crazy zealots yelling at you, and a city that looks different than anything you’ve seen before, maybe Cal isn’t the place for you.</p>
<p>as for diversity, I’m going to have to challenge earlier posts. while racial diversity has certainly been declining at Cal, it’s still incredibly present. My floor has girls (it’s an all girls floor in one of the units, which i highly recommend) from all over, with all sorts of racial and ethnic backgrounds. We have girls from South Central LA, Bulgaria, Ohio, and Illinois; not to mention from every corner of CA. We have black girls, white girls, indian girls, a sri lankan girl, chinese girls, vietnamese girls, hispanic girls…it’s really amazing. my floor is just a microcosm of the school; you’ll meet whoever you want.</p>
<p>academics are amazing. period. i have yet to take a class where i didn’t like my professor. i discovered that poli sci wasn’t what i thought it was (it’s nothing like your high school government class, it’s actually quite a theoretical discipline) and have actually found that i have an undying passion for classics. this is how i reccommend finding your major: what did you like when you were in third grade? i personally was obsessed with Greek mythology. take a class in whatever it was that interested you when you were small, and i can almost guarantee that’ll be something you’ll be fascinated enough by to study it for four years. speaking of changing majors, at Cal you can’t lose. Every department is famous and has some amazing faculty members. Other than film, your degree will carry the utmost respect once you leave. It’s not just the sciences that get all the glory; liberal arts majors are just as challenging and respected as the majors that grant you a BS. (MCB majors…you’ll be getting a BA, so consider that).</p>
<p>In college, I joined the mock trial team, which is a ton of fun. However, clubs in college demand more time and energy than clubs in high school, so don’t sign up for every single club you see at caltopia. otherwise, you’ll be like me: continuing to receive mail for the armenian student association even though i’ve never been to a meeting and only signed up for the club because my roommate didn’t want to do it alone. definitely sign up for something though; clubs are a good way to become invested in the campus and meet more people.</p>
<p>one final note: i know they all claim that class sizes are “so important.” it’s a lie. if you really need individual attention that badly, first of all, i don’t know what you’re doing going to college, because it’s obvious you’re not mature enough to handle your own life. secondly, it’s there. you have to take the initiative, but professors are more than happy to help you with your classes and help you understand the material. after all, they are there to teach it to you. i’ve found all my professors and gsi’s incredibly nice and helpful in office hours. besides, a lecture is a lecture, regardless of how many people are listening to it. what really matters is the quality of the professor and his or her material. if you make yourself worth noticing by participating, going to class, asking questions, and being prepared, your professors will all know your name. mine do, and my smallest class this semester is 100 kids.</p>
<p>all in all, i have to say that cal has just been the most amazing experience. i couldn’t have picked a better school. good luck to all of you, and i hope you guys all consider cal, because it’s amazing!</p>