academics

How Berkeley Helped Me Love My Major

October 13, 2025
Teresa G.

When I applied to UC Berkeley as an economics major, I had never taken an economics class. Although I wanted to learn more about business, I wasn’t quite comfortable attempting it as a major. So I ended up applying under economics, a major I had never considered before and something I got a few raised eyebrows for. The following spring I took my first economics class when my school was able to offer it. While taking that class, I discovered that I loved it which immediately eased my nerves about trying it out for a major.

Coming into Berkeley...

How I Built Up My Résumé in College

September 22, 2025
Kelly N.

It goes without saying that the majority of UC Berkeley students are career-oriented. It seems like every Berkeley student you meet has an extensive résumé of internships, research positions, work experience, volunteer hours, and leadership roles. While every Cal student is impressive in their own way, and there’s no right or wrong answer to how your résumé should look, I would argue that it certainly does help your post-degree career prospects to be involved in more activities. And career goals aside, participation in more activities may also enrich your overall college...

How I Chose My Majors: MEB and Ethnic Studies

August 29, 2025
Meghaa R.

One of my favorite things about Berkeley is that my peers are incredibly passionate and well-versed in their interests and are always exploring new fields! Many students you talk to often pursue double/simultaneous majors or add a minor on or two. People get creative with them, and I guarantee someone will be majoring/minoring in almost any combination of interests you can think of.

Coming into Berkeley, I knew that I had a lot of different interests that I wanted to pursue, which was perfect considering that one of the reasons I chose to...

Navigating My Identity as a College of Chemistry Student by being a Campus Ambassador

August 18, 2025
Ashley L. M.

After having just completed my first year here at UC Berkeley, there’s so much I could say about the various adjustments, challenges, and questions that stood before me that were unprecedented. Coming from a high school with a magnificent humanities writing program that fostered my ability to write, think critically, and find liberation through communication and literature, I felt nervous entering the STEM-oriented nature of the College of Chemistry as a Chemical Biology major. At first, it all felt like a dream, being able to study at such a prestigious college that is...

Bears in Berlin: My Summer Study Abroad Journey

August 8, 2025
Kessi C.

One month. One city. Twenty-five Bears. A whirlwind of discovery, reflection, and unforgettable memories.

This June, I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Berlin alongside 25 other amazing Berkeley bears. We called ourselves the “Berlin Bears,” not just because we’re Cal students, but because Berlin itself also proudly features a bear as its city mascot (what?!). It was a perfect coincidence, and a name that stuck with us from the very first day.

We were part of a summer study abroad program titled...

Econ@Cal

July 6, 2022
Jeffrey Zhou

Hey!

Hey you!

Yes you. You look like you clicked on this article looking to get a better sense of what studying Economics at the University of California, Berkeley is like!

First of all, congratulations! You have made a truly wonderful choice in pursuing an education in Economics! While the word “Economics” has been increasingly used as a convenient scapegoat that exists to be pointed at when talking heads need to blame something for something else, I truly believe that there is no more rewarding (or interesting...

Answering Questions and Demystifying Negative Stereotypes as a Campus Ambassador at Cal

May 10, 2022
Josephine Lee

As a Campus Ambassador at Cal, a major part of my job working at the Campanile and giving tours is answering all the questions that our visiting guests, alumni, and students have to offer. That being said, having just worked my 18th tour and 18th campanile shift, I’ve started to notice that with each shift comes very similar patterns in the questions being asked. And because of that, I wanted to discuss the five most frequently asked questions that I have received (with some responses of which may make Berkeley an even more appealing school to you:)).

“Is it true that Cal...

Course Highlight: L&S 12, The Berkeley Changemaker

April 18, 2021
Katia Gibson

As a campus ambassador, some of the most common questions I get on my tours are: what are some of the best classes to take? And, this one is a big one, but why Berkeley? What makes our university different from the rest?

The answer to these questions lies in L&S 12: The Berkeley Changemaker, a 2 unit course that students can take on a pass/no pass basis.

...

Things I Wish I Knew Before Senior Year

December 2, 2024
Jordan S.

As my final Fall semester at UC Berkeley comes to a close, I am reflecting on my time as an undergraduate student here. Through this reflection, I realized many things about myself and how I’ve grown throughout my time at Berkeley. Let’s have a look at some of the things I’ve learned and hopefully my stories can help provide you guidance with your college experience.

If you don’t like your lower division major classes, maybe consider changing your major

A common thought I had throughout my lower division classes was “yeah, I don’t...

How I Stay Organized at Berkeley as a STEM Student

October 28, 2024
Mallory S.
How I Stay Organized at Berkeley as a STEM Student

Before I came to university, I always considered myself a fairly organized person. In high school, that meant having a different binder for each class and a to-do list in the notes app on my phone. But flash-forward to my first time reading a course syllabus at Berkeley, and I realized that I needed to change my approach.

Firstly, I think it’s incredibly important to put all of your classes into a calendar. Most students use Google Calendar for this. In university, unlike in high school, your...