For incoming UC Berkeley transfers: ask a Cal transfer alum anything!

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>Hey everyone!</p>

<p>I have some free time now and I just wanted to open a space for all incoming UC Berkeley transfer students. Given you've all been admitted, hit me up with ANY questions -- about CalSO, financial aid, student life, housing/dorm life, student co-ops, the transfer and student-parent community, life away from home, commuting, anything.</p>

<p>A little background on me if it helps:</p>

<p>I'm a first-generation college student from SoCal. I graduated high school in 2010, transferred from a CC to Cal in 2011, and graduated Cal in 2013 with a BA in English. UC Berkeley was my dream. I was rejected out of high school, got in as a transfer, cried my eyes out and was totally stoked to go, yet when I got there, I struggled with my classes my first semester and had doubts if I was meant to be there. If you're having similar doubts like that, let me know. I lived in the dorms my first year (in the transfer dorms called Towle Hall in unit 2). Looking back, I wish I lived in a co-op instead, but I recommend the dorms (Towle) if you're looking to make friends with other transfer students. I had a great fin aid package that covered my tuition. I did work-study all throughout school. I took 13 units my first semester (super important), and from then after, found a way to balance more work/studying/having fun.</p>

<p>The main thing I want to note is if you got in, you were meant to! Don't doubt it. These are going to be the BEST years of your life. Don't focus all on studying (no one does). Grades aren't everything. GET INVOLVED! Reach out to students you'd likely never talk to (now's your chance!). This is your time to grow and develop as a person.</p>

<p>Finally and most importantly, congratulations! I'm happy to welcome you all to the Cal community -- go bears!</p>

2

<p>Wait so you lived in the co-ops your second year?</p>

<p>Wherever you lived, can you talk about your living situation and how you balanced working with hanging out with roommates and friends? Did you get along with your roommates? Did you go to parties and stuff? And did you have friends in off campus apartments, and if so did they like them? Thanks a lot!</p>

3

<p>Any awesome AC classes you would recommend to fulfill the requirement? </p>

4

<p>I’m actually going to UCLA, but I would still like to know you opinion on the transition from community college to a UC. Another user on here describe the transition like this:</p>

<p>*<strong><em>" I’m scared right now. That class really opened my eyes, ears, and ass. I mean, holy *</em></strong>. If UCLA is the major league of baseball, community college isn’t even highschool level. I’d say it’s peewee, and that’s being extremely generous. I don’t think anything can adequately prepare someone for UC level coursework.</p>

<p>Maybe that one class was a bad luck of the draw, but honestly? You are bound to get one, and what then? Are you going to crawl back to your community college and beg for tutoring? Assistance? Mercy? You are all alone now. No one is going to apply baby powder to your ass. You are going to have to do that yourself, and no, you are not going to have one of those fancy 3 sided mirrors like at Forever 21 for assistance either."******</p>

<p>***"All of my worst nightmares came true. Community college doesn’t prepare you for UC level coursework. They spoonfed me.</p>

<p><strong><em>“Does anyone know if it’s too late to SIR to UCI? I’m seriously considering dropping out of UCLA. I never, ever want to step foot into that hell hole again. It was a mistake applying to UCLA. It was a mistake attending UCLA. It was a mistake stepping foot onto UCLA.”</em></strong></p>

<p>Would you agree with these statements? Is UCB really that hard?</p>

5

<p>Gee, I wonder who that was who wrote that? =P~ </p>

6

<p>Post deleted</p>

7

<p>I’m not OP, but I like answering questions anyways so hush. :stuck_out_tongue: (Berkeley, EECS, transferred two years ago.)</p>

<p>@CollegeDropout1‌ Yes, UC will be hard. It will be a challenge. Especially at Cal and UCLA, classes are going to move faster, cover more material, and expect more out of you. Why? Because it’s a great school, you’re surrounded by incredibly smart people, and for the first time in your academic career you will no longer be the smartest person in the room. And that’s a great thing, it means you’re learning, and that you’re being challenged. If you got to UC and found everything was super easy, I’d tell you you picked the wrong school.</p>

<p>If you get into UCLA/UCB, it means that someone out there thinks you can do it. They looked at your application, and they know you’ve got what it takes. I mean, they’re the admissions office, they know better than anyone else whether or not you’re qualified. And remember that everyone else is hitting the exact same shock as you… everyone else is so smart, they got a B, it’s the end of the world, etc. It doesn’t mean you’re not smart enough to be there, it just means everyone else is smart now too.</p>

<p>UC isn’t going to reach out and spoon feed you, that part is true. But you’re not all on your own! Forming a study group can really help, find other people to commiserate with, ask questions, work on problem sets with, whatever. Office hours are also a good resource. Especially in large classes, TA office hours will be going on every day of the week, and they’ll be enthusiastic to help you out. Going to discussion sections can also get you one-on-one attention and let you ask for tips, clarifications, and explanations. Most schools also offer free support for students. For CS at Berkeley, HKN (EECS honors society), the engineering department, and SLC (Student learning center) all offer free tutoring. If you want help, seek it out. It’s there if you want it.</p>

<p>Your school should also have grade distributions posted online. If you’re worried about your GPA (4.0 is an unrealistic goal), try looking online at past scores for that course/professor.</p>

8

<p>@music1990 - My living situation worked out fine. My roommates were chill, so it wasn’t a problem. I will say I didn’t try to be friends with my roommates though, which I wish I would have. I also never had a roommate before so it took a while to get used to. I did go out, which was also another thing because coming home late you have to worry about keeping quiet, etc. It takes getting used to. And most – if not all – of my friends actually lived out of the dorms, which we’d just hangout at their apartment because the dorms can feel crowded.</p>

<p>@ocnative - Great question! AC classes are honestly the coolest classes, so I recommend taking a bunch. One of my favorites was Psychology 167AC, which was “Stigma and Prejudice”. All we talked about was race and intermixed relationships and coexisting as communities. It was awesome and very “Berkeley”.</p>

<p>@CollegeDropout1 - Exactly what @Failure622 said. Also the SLC offers free tutoring for everyone, all colleges/majors. Same in the residence halls too (even for non-residence). I’d also like to add, try not to worry too much. Be able to laugh at your mistakes and learn from them. I look back at how scared I was my first semester and how badly I wanted to get a 4.0 and I can’t help but laugh. Not because it’s funny to struggle/have anxiety, but because I learned through college that grades aren’t everything. And if you happen to get Bs at UCLA, hey so what, they’re Bs at UCLA! Chances are everyone else is getting Bs too haha. :slight_smile: Congrats on UCLA!</p>

<p>@lindyk8 - What do you mean?</p>

9

<p>@engandlaw28‌ it was a joke because those quotes collegedropout cited were from another thread that had a lot of drama! :smiley: </p>

10

<p>@engandlaw28‌ are high school transcripts required to receive financial aid?</p>

11

<p>@engandlaw28 why do you wish you lived in the co-ops instead of dorms? Is the English department very competitive ? Did you go to grad school?</p>

12

<p>@engandlaw28</p>

<p>Thanks! I’ll look into the Psych class for AC since that sounds really interesting and I love Psych! One more question…did you take the Education 198 Transitioning to Cal course? If so, do you recommend it?</p>

13

<p>@TheUnderdog1 - No. Financial aid is based on your need. Check with the fin aid office though if you’re wondering about grants/scholarships (in which case, I doubt high school transcripts are needed for transfer students).</p>

<p>@Annie2015 - I just had a lot of friends in the co-ops and was always there. There’s a community/social aspect in the co-ops that isn’t present in the dorms. The dorms are nice because it’s convenient (meal plan, laundry, security, tutoring services, gym, etc) all in one place. Though, it made me feel like I was being babied; it’s just a personal preference. If you like the idea of dorms, do the dorms. :)</p>

<p>The English department isn’t competitive between students, but rather competitive inwardly because you’re always wanting to improve your writing/think more creatively. No grad school just yet – taking time off right now.</p>

<p>@ocnative - I did not, but I know a lot about it. It’s a great resource if you’re really nervous about your transition and just want to know all there is to know about Cal, but I’d say for many of us, you’ll learn everything the course offers by the end of your first semester anyway. I’d say do something different, like a DeCal, or the meditation class, or Poli Sci 10 (all of these are 1 -2 units and amazing fillers!).</p>

14

<p>@englandlaw28 , I like the idea of inwardly competition. Interesting view of co-ops, that is good to know, I hear more negative than positive. When you say taking time off, do you mean work and school? What is the job market like for a Cal Grad with an English degree? </p>

15

<p>@Annie2015 - Are you going to be attending Cal? I mean working and taking time for myself. Maybe it’s surprising but there’s a lot of graduates who take time off and/or don’t even want to do more school. Some of my friends are already in and/or applying. That’s just not me. I want other experiences before committing to more school.</p>

<p>Many who ask me think it’d be easy to find a good job as a Cal alum but that’s not the case. It’s not as easy with a liberal arts degree. I have many friends who aren’t working right now, living back at home, or working at retail jobs. Having a college degree is one thing – having work experience is another (and probably the most important one to be honest).</p>

16

<p>@engandlaw28 thanks for your responses. I see no rush, and I can’t say that I blame you. You have a great foundation and the rest of your life to work and attend more school. I am not going to be attending Cal, I am just gathering info for a friend and future reference for myself. </p>

17

<p>How do you get to SF using AC transit? What other forms of transportation could I use?</p>

18

<p>This is your question on this thread? Take BART. </p>

19

<p>If you use Google Maps, Directions, and choose the transit option, it will tell you how to get anywhere using public busses, trains, etc. </p>

20

<p>@icecube1994 - Thanks for the question. The other two answers are great. If you’re in Berkeley, the F bus goes directly there in an hour (free with your Cal ID). Otherwise, look up the Bart map and you can get there easily in about 25 min.</p>