student life

Fifteen Years in the Making: A Letter to my Past Selves About Study Abroad

August 2, 2024
Jordan S.
Fifteen Years in the Making: A Letter to my Past Selves About Study Abroad

Let me start by addressing my past selves, beginning with five-year-old me. Remember how you went to LEGOLand and went through the mini LEGO cities? You saw the Sydney Opera House and instantly thought Wow, I need to go there! You learned that the magnificent structure in front of you was real and located in a place called Sydney, Australia. From that point on, you knew you needed to go to Sydney and see Australia for yourself. Australia became a place of wonder and utter coolness. Moving on a few...

Home: My Commute to Berkeley This Summer

July 31, 2024
Esther Y.
Home: My Commute to Berkeley This Summer

My journey from my home to my new home in Berkeley is quite short. Originally from Sunnyvale, CA, located in Santa Clara County of the Bay Area, going home isn't much of a burden. It takes about an hour down Highway 880, and the Orange Line BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) even takes me directly to the Milpitas BART station, which is just 20 minutes from my house.

As a campus ambassador working this summer—all while enjoying the coziness of my childhood room, my mom’s home-cooked meals (nothing beats her Korean...

How to Stay Focused During Quarantine

February 28, 2021
Vincent Ooi

Taking classes during quarantine is already hard enough…you also want me to stay focused?! This request is absurd for some folks. Today, I’ll show you a few ways in which you can not only stay concentrated in your work or studies for long periods of time, but you can also voluntarily shift your focus at anytime you want.If you want to see how, then read further! I will show you the steps in which you can do this as simple as possible.

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From Small Town to Big City

April 1, 2024
Anna H.

Taking the 215 to San Diego or LA, you will see a suburb of Riverside County called Menifee, CA. This little city was established in 2008 and now has a population of just over 100,000. It is about 30 minutes southeast of UC Riverside, an hour north of San Diego, or an hour south of Los Angeles. There is a really good chance you may not have heard of it.

I grew up in the small, quiet town of Menifee, California. My mom was an elementary teacher, so I was enrolled in the school she taught at up until I was in 5th grade. From there, I went to a public K–12 charter...

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. ...

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...

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...

Day in the Life of an English Major

November 17, 2023
Holly Q.

All throughout high school (...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...

Berkeley Small Businesses to Love and How to Support Them!

October 14, 2021
Dina Katgara

yellow and blue street banner of the campanile at the intersection of telegraph and bancroft

Telegraph and Bancroft

When you first come to Berkeley, you might be bombarded by how much there is to do and see here. From the quirky bookstores to the vegan cupcakes, the city of Berkeley is teeming with unique and cultivated experiences. Working as the lead business and economy reporter for the Daily...

Socializing Tips from a Campus Ambassador (and Journalism Minor!)

July 24, 2024
Nichelle W.
Socializing Tips from a Campus Ambassador (and Journalism Minor!)

Although I enjoy talking to people, it doesn’t come naturally. To be honest, I’m not the most sociable person in the room. That said, I can articulate the skills I’ve acquired because I’ve had to learn them myself. As a campus ambassador, I get paid to talk to people, and as a journalism minor, I’m required to for my grades. Many tips I’ve gleaned are from books and websites, but I’ve also picked up several just by observing how others socialize. When I’m working, I’ll note how friendly visitors strike up...