“How many times does your mom call you?” is a question that I was once asked at the end of my sophomore year. It took me a second to think, and I replied with, “Maybe twice.”
“Now, is this twice a week? Twice a day?”
“No, twice the entire time I have been at Berkeley.”
People are usually shocked when I tell them my mom rarely calls me, but we still do talk. We keep our Snapchat streak going, and I will send her some pictures of the sights I see, food I eat, or quickly tell her something funny that just happened. We will text back and forth too, but it is usually me who Facetimes her here and there so I can see my cat at home and occasionally update her in-depth on the random tidbits and exhilarating events that happened throughout my day. Although I am very sure that my mom would love to call me twice a day and ask me how my day went, she wanted to give me space and let me be independent. She wanted me to learn how to live on my own and be my own person, especially times when I was feeling homesick. She would encourage me to power through because it was only just a few more weeks until I came home for break. Going off to college can seem really scary at first without your parents, but I promise you that it will be super fun.
At first, the thought of going off to college and being on my own was a little scary but also super exciting. There were some perks to being able to make my own decisions: do whatever I want, go wherever I pleased, and hang out with whomever I felt. I also learned that making my own decisions could also be my downfall, or in other words, I no longer had my mom to tell me that I should go to bed at a reasonable hour because I have an early class, I need to do my homework at a reasonable time, and that I need to make my bed and declutter my desk. Some decisions I made seemed like a good idea at the time, like eating a bunch of unhealthy snacks then later regretting it.
What drew me to Berkeley was that it would challenge me to do my best and help me figure out who I truly am. Something that I really love about this school is that I have navigated almost everything here by myself—with a few exceptions when I called my mom. Cal definitely does not hold your hand, but you will finish your time here feeling so accomplished knowing that you did it all by yourself. From figuring out how to find a doctor, getting an advising appointment, finding your own internships to further your career, to making your own schedule, etc. it really does teach you how to be independent and do everything on your own. It took me a while to get used to remembering that I could go get pizza at midnight with friends and not have to ask my mom for permission first. After coming to Cal, I believe that I can take on almost ANYTHING, and I am so excited to see what this next chapter brings.