<p>I won’t lie: I am so, so glad I am done! School has worn me out and I am glad to be taking this break in between graduating and deciding whether to continue on to graduate school. </p>
<p>But I loved my experience here. I had every opportunity I could want, between classes and professors and friends and internships and, well, everything! This school has provided me every chance to succeed and excel. It’s not a very cuddly school, but it’s supportive in ways you might be surprised by.</p>
<p>I can’t say anything about the testing system here; I’m a humanities major and my tests haven’t ever been competitive like that. Professors give you what you earn, and though “humanities” means subjective grading, at least you’re working against the prof’s standards rather than your own classmates! </p>
<p>Even in classes like mine, though, you’re butting up against some of the best young scholars-in-training the world has to offer. It’s tough, but this competition is something that will temper you into the best you can be – if you’re up to the challenge.</p>
<p>Chin up, guys! The semester’s almost over. :)</p>
<p>And the professor may have higher standards (though you’d be surprised), at least they are a known quantity. When you’re competing against your classmates, not only are you dealing with subjective grading (and even hard sciences have subjectivity – does this 5 look like a 5? is this step in the right order? did they leave out something that “should” be there?) but you’re dealing with a complete unknown, which is your classmates’ performances.</p>
<p>My experience with science classes at UCSC were nothing like this, but it was UCSC and I’m sure people will tell me that’s nothing like Cal. ;)</p>
<p>Great memories abound… you incoming freshmen have no idea what you are in for…</p>
<ol>
<li>The crisp autumn air in Berkeley. </li>
<li>The pageantry Cal football. Tightwad Hill. Victory Canon. Oski. Cal Dance Team. Marshawn Lynch + cart = EPIC. </li>
<li>Summer classes: morning walks to class, work during day, relaxation on campus at night.</li>
<li>The buzz in Sproul Plaza at lunchtime-- everyday. </li>
<li>Golden Overtones singing “Up the Ladder to the Roof” at Sather Gate. </li>
<li>Lighting candles at the Big Game Bonfire Rally. The Andy Smith eulogy. “Hail to California.” “Freshmen more wood.”</li>
<li>Feeding squirrels Reeses Pieces along Strawberry Creek behind Stephens Hall.</li>
<li>Late night food-- anywhere. Running out of swipes b/c of late night steak plates. </li>
<li>The Campanile at 8am, 12n, 6pm on weekdays. </li>
<li>The view from Lawrence Hall of Science. </li>
<li>Hello, Bowles Hall!</li>
<li>Sports under the moonlight at Maxwell Field. </li>
<li>Refilling my Subway cup with Diet Coke-- no ice-- and giving it to the homeless man at the corner of Telegraph and Bancroft (“God Bless You!”).</li>
<li>Homeless characters-- Happy, Happy man. That one lady that looks like a cat. The black lady who always asks for $2 for a bus ride home. The short black guy with the high pitched voice who searches for food on Sproul. The asian lady who looks for cans. Props to the teenagers who tied an inflated balloon to a stick, and tied a dixie cup to the balloon, wanting some spare change. </li>
<li>Overpaying for Cal clothes at the student store. </li>
<li>Culture shows in April at Zellerbach. </li>
<li>Raccoons, wild turkeys, deer, squirrels; the seagulls at Memorial after the game. </li>
<li>The national championship banners at Witter Field. </li>
<li>Seeing freshmen struggle walking up the hill. Seeing anybody struggle riding a bike up the hill. Seeing football players call for a golf cart to ride them up the hill!</li>
<li>Tuna melt at the GBC. Reminiscing about the belated Corn Dog+ Fries $2.99 swipe. </li>
<li>Eating dinner at Ludwig’s Fountain before Taiko drums. </li>
<li>Eclectic eatery ambiance-- Cheeseboard, Gregoire’s, Beckett’s Oscar’s, Blondie’s, Mario’s La Fiesta, Top Dog, etc…!</li>
<li>The bridge next to Haviland Hall. </li>
<li>Newman.</li>
<li>Hearing SoCal kids being the loudest at every freshmen convocation on Memorial Glade. </li>
<li>Hearing Chancellor Birgineau cite that Cal has more Pell Grant recipients than all Ivy 27. League colleges combined. Seeing him at basketball games, leading Cal cheers at football games, walking up to University House late in the evening. </li>
<li>Trying to find a seat at Free Speech Movement Cafe during Finals week. </li>
<li>Tall buildings with spectacular views-- thank you Memorial Stadium, Bowles Hall, Barrows Hall, Campanile, and McCone Hall!</li>
<li>More libraries than fingers and toes. </li>
<li>The dinosaur at VLSB. </li>
<li>Light chatter with professors on the elevator.</li>
<li>Learning new things.</li>
<li>Still receiving spam from all the promotional materials I signed up for during Caltopia YEARS ago. </li>
<li>Still receiving email from campus clubs I’m not really affiliated with (signed up because some hot girl was at the table). </li>
<li>Reminding others it’s “Cal,” and not “Berkeley.”</li>
<li>Free noon concerts at Hertz Hall. </li>
<li>Foam soap. </li>
<li>Walking home on a different path. </li>
<li>Food coloring in campus fountains. </li>
<li>Excursions on BART. Special mention of the Target in Albany. </li>
<li>The feeling you get knowing you are among some of the most intelligent young people in the world, and people who are going to go on to change the world. </li>
<li>Strawberry Creek after a violent rainstorm. </li>
<li>Trying your best to stay awake in class; OR, falling in and out of sleep in class.<br></li>
<li>Old buildings. </li>
<li>Seeing progress on campus-- Stanley Hall, restoration of Hearst Mining fountain, East Asian Library, the new scoreboard at Hellman Tennis Center, the picture board in front of Dwinelle, construction sites (the new public health building, the Student Athletic High Performance Center!). </li>
<li>Rivalry with Stanford, and to a lesser extent USC and UCLA. </li>
<li>Freshman year. Senior year. </li>
<li>Campus socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic diversity. </li>
<li>Cal Band playing “Lights Out!”</li>
<li>Talking about anything and everything Cal.</li>
</ol>
<p>Yup, Cal has a lot to offer. My guess is that most students don’t know how good they’ve got 'til it’s gone, when they leave campus. I don’t really expect current students to fully understand, but that’s something I feel more students should strive for-- to really appreciate your surroundings as you live out your experience. And I suppose it’s the nature of these forums-- part college information for prospective students, part issue resolution for current students-- where they intersect, it really does seem like current students are dumping their problems on prospective and incoming students. Listen, the curriculum isn’t necessarily hard, getting into Haas isn’t necessarily difficult, meeting new people isn’t that hard, and Cal really is a safe place to be. If all that you heard or read is true, then you will soon find out for yourself. The only reality is that this forum is populated by, generally speaking, current students from certain disciplines who are here for particular reasons-- not naming who and which problems, but I’m sure you can surmise (no, they aren’t attractive sorority sisters majoring in Earth and Planetary Sciences). The vision of Cal transmitted here is really a skewed reality, based on my own experience. </p>
<p>Come to Cal with an open mind. Be creative. Be spontaneous. Don’t lead a structured life. Don’t stay in your room. Don’t stay indoors. Go find something, anything. Be curious. Different. Do these things and I’m certain you’ll find many more things to add to my list. Go Bears!</p>
<p>apart from the miserable finals, other berkeley goodness includes free RSF group dance classes, good food, lovely bay area view from evans, eschelman and few others, and pretty good professors.</p>