berkeley finds

Top 5 Places to Sing in Berkeley

April 12, 2022
Mikayla Hwee

Enjoy singing in the shower and want to upgrade your singing experience? One of my favorite pastimes is finding places on campus that are great for singing, whether it be with your favorite a cappella group or just on your own for fun. After some extensive research and surveying, I’ve compiled a list of the top five places to sing on Berkeley’s campus. Go bears and happy music making!

5: Under Sather Gate

Coming in at number 5 is the beautiful Sather Gate. This is every a cappella group’s home once a week, where performances happen for the...

Dear Junior Year

April 26, 2022
Bridget Bernet

Dear junior year,

What a wild ride, am I right? I’ve been looking forward to writing this blog post all year, but now that I’m here I have no idea where to start. Lets work backwards. I had my first ever in-person Cal Day on April 23rd, 2022, and dare I say it, life felt like normal after two whole years in the pandemic. Wow. I won an award in the Rally Committee for being a dedicated older member. I applied for chair of the Rally Committee and did not get it (I’m telling myself that one is a blessing in disguise). I took over this blog and have been running it for quite some time...

Summer in Berkeley – a Comprehensive Guide

June 3, 2022
Emily Conway

Berkeley is a blast during the school year – the hustle and bustle of classes, club meetings, sports games and projects keeps students busy from August to May. However, a decent handful of students opt to stay in Berkeley for the summer months, whether they’re working or taking classes. Although campus isn’t as busy as usual, I’ve come to appreciate the quieter summer months in my college town. Here are a few of my favorite summer activities to do in Berkeley!


1. Take an art class through the Berkeley Art Studio
I took my first pottery class through the Berkeley Art...

Dear Freshman Me: An Open-Letter to My Freshman Self

June 8, 2022
Ethan Collier

Dear my freshman self,

Well, this is going to be a wild ride! Your first year at Cal is full of things you didn’t expect. I know we came in with this idea about college and what it was going to be like. Let me tell you, as your now second-year self, nothing you thought about college is true… well not entirely. Here are the four things you should know coming into your first year here:

1. Going random with your roommates was a good idea. (I know right!)

You are the only one coming from your high school...

Brain Like Berkeley

March 2, 2021
Katia Gibson

If you’ve ever had the privilege to join us on a campus tour or online visit, you may have heard the abbreviated version of some of Berkeley’s best contributions to the world of science. Whether it’s the mention of our 16 elements on the periodic table or winning a Nobel prize for the discovery of CRISPR gene editing, we as campus ambassadors try to highlight our favorite scientific discoveries for our visitors. However, a regular tour doesn’t have enough time to get into all the facts because UC Berkeley has too rich of a history to even brush the surface. Here I try to outline some...

Being Undecided: How I Found My Major

March 6, 2021
Juliana Roper

“What are you studying” is a familiar tune to all those entering college. While this question does not exceed words, it carries a weight with it. Upon entering Cal, I had absolutely no clue what I wanted to study.

I want to preface this by saying in high school I didn’t envision life beyond it. Come college application season, I thought that college was just a glorified version of high school, I mean, what the heck was a major anyways? At the time, I loved that school gave us a taste in every subject, so imagine the shock I received when I was told I could only pick one to two...

Connecting Through Food

March 8, 2021
Carson McNealy

This week marks one year since classes at UC Berkeley went online, and since then, it has been difficult to connect with students outside of my apartment. Over the last year, I have learned to appreciate spending time with my housemates, especially cooking dinner with them. Even though things have been online, all of our schedules are still very busy with classes, work, and various student organizations. However, we still make time for what we call “family dinners” at least four days a week, where we all help cook a meal and sit down together at the table to eat.

...

Straying from Strada

April 7, 2021
Alyssa Hurtado

With the only Starbucks being at least a 10 minute walk from campus, students have become pretty good at expanding their coffee horizons beyond the world’s largest chain, but students still seem to settle on what feels comfortable and convenient. When it comes to coffee, and to life in general, you should never be afraid to explore! Here’s one gal’s review of a few places and recommendations for more!

Caffe Strada, conveniently located right across from Phoebe Hearst Anthropology Museum and easily accessible from Unit 1 and many Greek houses, is...

Living in Berkeley: Ultimate Travel Guide [Part 1]

April 13, 2021
Vincent Ooi

Are you a new or prospective student to UC Berkeley? Or are you a returning student who needs new travel ideas around the Bay Area? Either way, this travel guide will give you a sense of how many options Berkeley really has to offer…I will feature my all time FAVORITE places to hike/visit, restaurants to indulge at, and more!

As an incoming student at Berkeley, you may have done your research on the Internet regarding places to visit. But you might have also wanted an opinion from a fellow golden bear. This is what I’m here for! I’m currently a junior at UC Berkeley who has lived...

Biking Berkeley: An Amateur’s Guide

April 7, 2021
Allie Dunham

Classes moving online held some major setbacks for me, but also provided some really great opportunities! Think about it: with asynchronous classes, you can have more time to enjoy the day outside and be active! While I completely understand the last thing you feel motivated to do during the pandemic is be active, I want to stress the importance of pushing yourself to do so!

Prior to the lockdowns, I didn’t think about my level of physical activity– this was because I walked to class every day, was going on adventures with friends, and was able to...