Depressed during my first semester at Cal

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
21

<p>OP, I'm sorry your first semester has been so rough. I mean that sincerely (as sincere as I can be on an anonymous website) because I've was depressed in the past. It can be tough when you feel isolated in such a competitive environment and everything seems so impersonal.</p>

<p>But go out and do SOMETHING. Take a yoga class. Take a dance class, even if you suck. Look for postings on the board at Sproul Plaza. If you don't have time to do this, make time! Even if it means sacrificing a little sleep. (Yes sleep is crucial but so is interacting with other humans)</p>

<p>For studying, try earplugs. They block out the little background ambient noises, for me it really helps. Sit in the front at your lectures and look at your instructor when she/he is talking (when you're not writing your notes that is).</p>

<p>If you don't like your living apartment try not to spend much time at home. Find a nice coffee shop or cafe for just hanging out. If you're studying at home, which you dislike to begin with, your study sessions will be less than stellar. The lighting is better in libraries too! </p>

<p>And remember, you will not be at Cal forever. If you're constantly thinking "omg 2 more years of this :-(" it will feel like forever though. Take things one day at a time. I know, easier said than done, but not at all impossible.</p>

<p>Best wishes. Be strong and prove to yourself that you can do it! </p>

<p>...btw sorry if I'm coming off as a pompous ass, I'm extremely extremely intoxicated</p>

22

<p>I think a lot of students are academically stressed during their first semester, which leads to depression. Almost everyone here did very well in either high school or CC, but most can't adjust to the different academic atmosphere at Berkeley.</p>

<p>For one, you are in a class with people who are on the same level as you, so you have to put in more work to get that grade you want. This is different from high school and CC since a vast majority of students there could not care less about school.</p>

<p>Another aspect is the curve. Combined with the fact that people in your classes are on the same level as you, only a certain percentage of A's and B's are given out. This doesn't help anyone transition, but it's a harsh reality present at every large state school. It's just a bit worse in Berkeley since this school is filled with overachievers who get a taste of academic failure for the first time. Many of my friends experienced this during their first and second semester; they often question if they had the made the right choice in coming to Cal. </p>

<p>Personally, I think it's good to realize that you are not always the best; there is always someone who can do just a little better than you can. Of course, that does not mean you should give up, you should just put in more work and not get upset if you don't get the grades you want. Also, I think it's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy: if you think it is hard, you will certainly make it harder. So my advice is to keep trying and don't worry so much about the results.</p>

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<p>Even though academics are really important, as a student who's doing exceptionally well I still feel sad at Cal. I'm really missing the real friends that I can just hang out with whenever and the people who I can have meaningful conversations without all the fluffy bs. Even though I still go out and talk to people, I've pretty much isolated myself as I feel people here just aren't very welcoming. I do my best to make friends but people here seem to already have their own group that they hang out with. Maybe it has to do with the competitive dog eat dog culture here, but I think people around here are just depressing.</p>

24

<p>okay, i'm feeling the same thing, and after reading this, it's time for action!</p>

<p>Let's organize a meet up and get to know each other! maybe we'll click, and if not, who cares, its not like we'll be missing out on anything else!</p>

<p>So for the sake of moving things along (get it? along came peter... move things along? nevermind), allow me to suggest:</p>

<p>Friday, 7PM @ (insert restaurant name) - the only places i know are in asian ghetto...</p>

25

<p>Yeah yeah, feeling the same way in my second year of transfer. I'd be down for meeting up and talking and whatnot.</p>

<p>I really feel what Firepire said...Even before my GPA took a small tumble I was feeling pretty sad here for the same reasons, especially the part about people having their own group already. I have a friend who has been here all four years...He has tons of friends (one of those guys with 500 FB friends) but even he laments that juniors and seniors here close off and stop caring about meeting new people. At the same time most Freshman find the idea of transfers foreign and close off as well. That makes things pretty tough unless you get lucky in your living situations.</p>

<p>But yeah, at this point I'll take any chance to meet people in the same position so I'm down to meet up.</p>

26

<p>I think meeting up is a great thing to do. I am wondering what would be the best way to organize it. Maybe create a new forum entitled "All the lonely people at Cal, come here and meet others like you" forum. I have no idea. Or maybe, whoever is just interested, we FB each other or something.</p>

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<p>i'd like to make sure none of you are stalkers and judge you through facebook first if we're going to meet (i'm kidding).</p>

<p><a href="http://berkeley.facebook.com/profile.php?id=506402734%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://berkeley.facebook.com/profile.php?id=506402734&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Actually it's not as depressing as it looks. I was just being too perfectionist. I thought I was falling behind a little bit, but I ended up getting A+ in my math midterm and A in my compsci midterm. Berkeley students learn a lot by struggling with homework problems and getting frustrated sometimes, but it is definitely the most rewarding experience ever.</p>

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<p>I’m going through the exact same thing as the OP from 2007, except its now 2013. Junior Transfer in Wada and I am feeling so depressed being here, I can’t keep up with the workload and I just feel that I will fail all of my exams. </p>

<p>I wonder what ever happened to the OP??</p>

30

<p>woopydalan: Keep at it, so long as you work hard and want to do well in class, you can do it! Seriously, I’m the last person to be spouting inspirational ********, but it’s true. Everyone here feels the same way. No one knows what they’re doing, everyone is buried in homework, projects, papers, and studying. How do you feel compared to other students in your classes? If you’re able to keep up during lecture/section etc, you should be on par with the rest of the class.</p>

<p>You’re not the best anymore, that’s true… no one here is. Everyone was a top student, everyone is used to excelling in every class they take, getting the best scores, making straight A’s. When you take a collection of the best students, and put them up against each other, everything gets more challenging. Personally I love the challenge, and I do better in school when it’s not easy, but at the same time it’s really stressful. Either way, it’s kinda a normal feeling, and its beyond frustrating. I struggle to be average here, and at first I thought there was something wrong with me… then I realized just how many students are in the exact same position.</p>

<p>Either way, study hard, do your best, and don’t freak out. It’s just an exam. If you know the material, you’ll be fine. Even if you don’t know the material, you’ll still do okay. Just try your best, and don’t freak out until after you take the test. Or better yet, don’t freak out until you get the test back. (Something I always find helpful is talking to classmates on the way out of the exam, did they think it was awful too?)</p>

<p>For keeping up with the workload, do you have study groups yet? Try and make friends in your classes, bonus points if they live near you, and work together on things. Studying is more fun and more productive when you’re not alone.</p>

<p>Dunno if the OP’s problems with roommates/friends applies to you or not… if it does, try going around and saying hello in Wada. Take your roommates along, if they’re lonely too. Everyone on the first floor is pretty friendly, and I know a couple people on fifth as well. But if you’re not getting along with your roommates or your floor, go explore the building, introduce yourself to people, and maybe you’ll make a new friend. If you haven’t met your floor, well, that could be a good place to start. (Also, a lot of rooms leave their doors open, those tend to be really nice people.)</p>

<p>Anyways, this post doesn’t really have a point, and I don’t know what I’m saying, so I guess I’ll stop rambling now.</p>

31

<p>I’d just like to reiterate everything failure622 said. I’ve met A LOT of people who get really overwhelmed/depressed their first year at here. I was also one of these people, for me it was my 2nd year here (I decided to live alone off campus–less distractions!), I was overwhelmed and every time I entered my apartment I felt exhausted, incredibly sad, and I just wanted to go home–it didn’t matter how busy I was during the day or how many people I hung out with, it still felt like that when I got home.
Now everything is better, I feel great and I love it here, I really think it just takes time to get used to it and find your niche.
I just want to let you know it gets better and I know everyone says that but it’s true! All those people that felt like crap then, feel a lot better now. But, if you feel like the problem is deeper than that, I urge you to talk to your RA or go to the tang center.</p>

32

<p>I too felt a bit depressed my freshman year, trying a lot of things but not enjoying them. It does feel better when you start making friends and keeping busy with things you’re interested in. It helped a lot for me to live in a house with nice people and interacting with co-workers and the public at my work-study job.</p>

<p>The Tang Center has resources if you feel you need to talk to someone. I didn’t care for individual counseling - not very helpful for me, but group counseling was really helpful. There’s also an active peer counseling group on campus: sspc. berkeley.edu</p>

<p>It takes time to adjust – be kind to yourself!</p>