<p>I got this list of special events for freshmen off the Welcome Week website (<a href="http://welcomeweek.berkeley.edu/)%5B/url%5D">http://welcomeweek.berkeley.edu/)</a>, and my question is how many of these events (except for Move In Day and Getting your Bearings Orientation coz I can't attend CalSO are truly once-in-a-lifetime-must-not-be-missed events? I'm asking because I'm international and my family hopes to take a day trip to San Francisco but we're working with a very tight scedule. What exactly is Caltopia and why two days?</p>
<p>Sat & Sun, Aug 19 & 20 - Move In Day</p>
<p>Mon, Aug 21 - Convocation (3.45 - 6)
Hear from the Chancellor and the ASUC President and enjoy a picnic dinner in Memorial Glade </p>
<p>Tues, Aug 22 - Getting your Bearings Orientation (8 - 4)
For new students who have not attended CalSO.</p>
<p>Tues to Thurs, Aug 22 to 24 - Chancellor's Receptions for New Undergraduates
-Aug 22: Clark Kerr and Unit 2 residents
-Aug 23: Unit 4 (Bowles, Foothill, Stern), International House and off-campus residents
-Aug 24: Unit 1, Unit 3, and Channing and Bowditch Apartment residents.</p>
<p>Wed, Aug 23 - College and Major Orientations</p>
<p>Thurs, Aug 24 (11 - 2) - Calapalooza
An activity and resource fair extravaganza. Lunch is served for all students living in the residence hall and all new undergraduates</p>
<p>Fri - Sat, Aug 25-26 (10-6) - Caltopia 2006
A festival of fun, music and Cal Spirit.</p>
<p>i'm going to be a second year at cal. welcome week events in general are pretty lame, except calapolooza where you get loads of free stuff. however, welcome week is when you meet and party with all your new dormmates so you might not want to miss out.</p>
<p>Welcome week is good to just see the place, be free to do whatever you want, and that sort of thing. Calapalooza is kinda fun, Caltopia is pretty good. Different strokes for different folks, really. Some people will hate these (although I imagine many like free things that one gets at Calapalooza). Some might like to meed people and hang out at the reception, others would hate it (you are supposed to dress in business casual clothes). Some would hate hearing about their college and possible majors, others would want to know. Some would hate convocation, others would like it.</p>
<p>The food at the Chancellor's Reception is really good...yummmm </p>
<p>Convocation is pretty pointless. You go to Memorial Glade, hear the Chancellor give a speech and then the president of ASUC (student gov) gives a speech. Then you grab "dinner" (which is like a boxed lunch type of thing) and eat on the lawn with friends or new acquaintances. </p>
<p>Caltopia...some people got really great free stuff, but I thought it was okay. It's fun to go with people, but you don't need to go both days, by any means. I got...frisbee, cards, map of Berkeley, some Pier39 advertising stuff, pens, some coupons, ... just think of whatever a company can slap its logo onto. I think that calapalooza is more worth going to than Caltopia. Caltopia is just this huge marketing/advertising thing, whereas Calapalooza is more relevant to your life at Cal. It's pretty cool to see all the different clubs available to you, sign up for mailing lists, get information, etc. However, it's not like you can't sign up for clubs if you don't go to Calapalooza; clubs table like crazy, especially the first weeks of the semester</p>