<p>it was long… and a lot of walking… the food they give you isnt that great. You dont have to stay the whole day but they do give you some important information that you might want to hear about such as financial aid, housing, major prep, declaring your major etc… also… they assist you in signing up for ur first 10.5 units, although you can do that yourself. I recommend that you bring 2 copies of your transcript and write down your student ID number because your going to need that info to get your CAL1 card. I went straight to the CAL1 card office as soon as I arrived at Berkeley and got my card ahead of time so that I dont have to wait in line. To answer your question… No… you dont have to stay the whole day :)</p>