extracurriculars

What I Read: For School vs For Fun (as an English major)

April 8, 2024
Madison K.

I love to read.

I loved reading when I was growing up, but it all stopped when I got to high school. In high school, reading became more of a chore than anything else really and that just sucked all the fun and joy out of it. Although during the covid years when we were all stuck indoors, I started reading again to pass the time and it reignited my love for it.

When I started college, I was originally a psychology major, but after that first year, I changed my major to English, when I realized psychology wasn’t for me.

So...

Dancing My (Blue & Gold) Heart Out

December 1, 2023
Ethan C.

Prior to coming to UC Berkeley, I danced throughout my childhood. Beginning when I was eight years old, I used to dance in an after-school program with the YMCA. I was a hip-hop dancer until I was 13 when I entered middle school. I took a break from dancing for two years, then came back to it when I was in high school. My school offered Mexican folklórico dance classes as electives and I took it for fun. I ended up sticking with it all through high school as it was a very significant part of my cultural identity. Now in college, I dance for group on campus and through our school’s...

Day in the Life of an English Major

November 17, 2023
Holly Q.

All throughout highschool (...and middle school) I would watch countless amounts of “Day in the Life of a…” videos. Heading into my college years, I especially loved to see videos about college students and people who were studying what I wanted to study. Rather than film a video, I’m going to be sharing my day in the life as a Berkeley English major!

From a recent Friday (08/27/23) in the Fall 2023 Semester:

8:30-9:00 am – Waking up! Honestly, sometimes the hardest part of my day. But it is Friday!

9:30 am – Grabbing a...

Finding My Community at Cal

November 3, 2023
Ethan C.

Coming into Cal, I didn’t really know what to expect. I had never seen the campus until I moved into my dorm at Clark Kerr for my first year. I was the only one in my graduating class from high school to come to Cal. So, you’d think the odds were stacked against me, right? At first, I thought so, too. I didn’t know if I would necessarily fit into any group on campus. However, I started discovering myself, who I wanted to be in this world, and what I wanted to do with my time at Cal. Thus, I found my small community within this large university with over 45,000 students. You’re...

My Campus Involvements

October 27, 2023
Jordan S.

The University of California, Berkeley attracts students who follow their passions, participating in many activities that help them reach their goals while also maintaining a sense of fun and community. It is not uncommon for students to be very involved in campus organizations, clubs and activities at Berkeley. In this blog, I’ll go over some of my campus involvements to give a snapshot of the Berkeley experience.

Kaufer Lab

Research is a common endeavor that students focus on at Berkeley. Whether or not a student is...

Literature (from Berkeley English Courses) That Should be on Your “To Be Read” List

October 20, 2023
Holly Q.

As an English major, I read 7-8 books per English class per semester. (I know, it is a lot). Because of this, even as I am only in my third semester, I have read quite a large amount of books here at Berkeley. As a book lover, I love reading for school…But that doesn't mean that I enjoy everything we read in class. Some of the books I have loved, some I have hated, and then there are many in between. There are also a lot of short stories and poems included in the readings for these classes that I have loved (or hated). Today I want to share some of the literature that I have loved...

Let’s Talk About Cal Athletics

March 16, 2023
Jordan S.

Being a large public university, sports are a big part of our college experience. At Berkeley especially, sports bring a big sense of pride as we go by “California” within the athletic sphere, allowing us to represent our great state. Now, I know what you may be thinking, Berkeley is an academics-focused school, their sports are all bad. To that I respond, you could not be more wrong. Berkeley is a member of the Pac-12 Conference, a sports conference for Western schools, which plays in Division I. Our athletics are all top-tier and we play with...

What It's Like to Intern Abroad

March 14, 2023
Mikayla H.

I am an impulsive person. While some of my rash decisions have led to some little regrets, I can safely say that my decision to go abroad was one of the most rewarding experiences in my undergraduate career. In this article, I’ll walk you through my process of internships abroad as well as tips for your own study abroad journey!

When I got to college, I knew that I wanted to, at some point, go abroad. Up to this point in my life, the furthest I’d lived from home was in Berkeley (which isn’t that far from Los Angeles). I wanted a chance to...

A Semester in Washington, D.C.

December 23, 2022
Sydney Hilbush

As I stood inside the Capitol Rotunda, offering a tour to a group of constituents, suddenly a huddle of U.S. Senators emerged from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and quickly breezed past me to make their way to the Senate floor. As they traveled past me, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to work inside our nation’s capitol and intern for the U.S. Congress. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would never have been possible without my involvement in the University of California, Washington D.C. (UCDC) program. ...

How I Got Into Haas Without Joining a Business Club

March 10, 2022
Mikayla Hwee

Totally not clickbait! No, but seriously. My name is Mikayla, and I am a Business Administration major at the Haas School of Business. After hearing that, most people assume I’ve climbed the ladder through a Haas-sponsored consulting club or competed in finance case competitions for years when, in fact, none of that is true. I’m here to tell you about how I got into the Haas School of Business without joining a single business club.

To begin, I want to touch on a passion of mine: music. (I promise this all ties together in the end). I’ve been inspired by music...