Jalen Gooch

UC Berkeley’s Campanile Credit: Janet Ganbold

Congratulations! If you are reading this you are preparing for your first year at Cal. Whether you are an incoming first-year, transfer student, or returning student, I wanted to share 10 things that helped me transition to University. 

For further context on my relation to Cal, I graduated from Berkeley in December 2023 with majors in Psychology and Cognitive Science, and minors in Journalism (if you couldn’t tell I was, and still am, very indecisive). Due to COVID-19, I completed my entire freshman year in the same seat I am typing this post now.

Despite the late start, once I arrived at Cal I was lucky to have many experiences (and five times as many failures) that made my college experience one I wouldn’t trade for the world. As you begin to write your journey at Berkeley or are simply preparing to add another chapter, I hope these tips will help you feel more at ease about the upcoming year. If you have any questions or advice you would add to this list, please feel free to contact me directly or comment below.

Without further ado, let’s get started. Go Bears!

1 Connect with Your Future Peers!

One of the most common fears entering college is the challenge of making new friends. Get a head-start by reaching out to fellow admits using your class’s Instagram or Facebook. Typically on these pages, you can direct message the account a few pictures of you and a caption in which you can share your hobbies, what you plan on majoring in, what dorm you will be living in, etc. and they will post it for you. (My closest friends from Berkeley to this day are people who I met through the Class of 2024 Instagram Page). If you are worried about what to say here are some sample messages:

• “Hi [name], It’s nice to meet you! My name is [insert name] and I will also be attending Cal this Fall. I saw we are both planning on majoring in MCB and love swimming! How long have you been swimming?”
• “Hey [name], my name is [insert name] and I also will be attending Cal this Fall. Your profile really made me laugh and I’ll also be living in [dorm name] next year. Do you know what you want to study?”

Fair Warning. You will get ghosted. My friends and I joke all the time about how pitiful it felt at times to slide into people’s DMs and beg for friendship, but I promise you, there is nothing more reassuring than coming to campus already knowing a handful of people. I can’t tell you how many times I would be out on the street or entering a new class for the first time to see someone I had met over Instagram. (The people who ghost or don’t respond likely wouldn’t have been great friends either, so consider this a blessing in disguise.)

Additionally, around the time college admission decisions are released, colleges will usually host in-person meetings near you where you can meet other incoming students, current students, and alumni. If you are more extroverted, this is a great way to begin networking and forming connections.

2 Take Summer Courses

Want to get a headstart on your courses or get familiar with how classes work at Cal? 

Taking classes the summer before coming to Cal helped me grasp how lectures, assignments, and platforms like CalCentral or bCourses worked before starting my first semester. If you already know what you plan to major in, taking pre-requisites or breadth classes over the summer can be a great way to make progress toward your major and can open the possibility of graduating a semester or two early. 

Berkeley typically will offer what is known as the Summer Bridge program which allows students to take two academic courses and join a mentorship program. (When I completed Summer Bridge, the offer was if you completed both courses and passed you didn’t have to pay for them).

When I took the course I completed two online 2 unit courses. The first course was Letters and Sciences W1 – Exploring the Liberal Arts, which explored the different departments making up the College of Letters and Sciences. Classwork consisted of reading responses posted on discussion boards based on readings or videos in which Professors or Alumni of that specific major or department shared why they love their field. 

The second course I completed was Letters and Sciences C12 – The Berkeley Changemaker, the first part of the Berkeley Changemaker program, which teaches communication, leadership, and collaboration skills. The time commitment and type of work I completed for this course were similar to the LS W1.

(Fair warning classes outside of those offered in the Bridge Program will typically be a bit more difficult than a typical semester, due to the course running faster to fit in the summer session.)

3 Cal Summer Reading List

If you are an avid reader or want to get back into reading check out the Reading List. Annually, Berkeley will release a summer reading list containing books that focus on a theme. The theme for Summer 2024 was Defining Moments and included popular titles such as Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, and more.

I remember a book assigned to the Class of 2024 was Exit West, by Mohsin Hamid. A week before the semester started, I panicked and thought it was mandatory, so I sat down and read the entire book in a single sitting. (It was not and I don’t think it was ever brought up in all my four years outside of that email, but I got a good read out of it, so I can’t complain)

4 Get a Job / Volunteer

If you are new to the Bay Area, you will be shocked the first time you enter a grocery store or Target and see that the prices are around $2-3 more expensive than what you are used to. The Bay Area is not cheap, and Berkeley unfortunately is no exception. If you have some free time on your hands, you will thank yourself later when you have an extra bit of pocket cash.

If you are planning to work during your time at Cal, now is also a great time to start looking at jobs in the area or on Campus. (A popular job for students is working in one of the many libraries on campus).

If you are considering entering a particular field, see if you can volunteer or find a paid internship that allows you to get experience. As someone who changed their major multiple times, figuring out what you like and don’t like early on can save you a lot of future stress.

5 Prep for Your Classes

If you already have your class schedule, see what information you can find about your classes online. Rate My Professor and Reddit can give you valuable insight into how the class will run and what you can expect. Many courses will post lecture recordings on YouTube or a course website that can directly demonstrate a professor’s teaching style.

If you know you are taking a course on a topic you are a bit rusty on, say for example, Calculus, now would be the perfect time to refresh on what you know. You can use Khan Academy, or better yet a copy of the Textbook for the course online (never buy the textbook, we’ll discuss this in a future course) to start preparing for the semester.

6 Make a Bucket List

There are many places to explore and things to do in Berkeley, so don’t limit yourself to the area surrounding campus. Some of my best memories come from my adventures in San Francisco or trips to places outside of campus. The Bay Area has so much to offer, so make the most of your time by writing a bucket list of things you want to try and work through this list in tandem with your studies. Get your friends involved and together you can explore and make new memories. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Ultimate Guide to Things to Do in Berkeley (VisitBerkeley)
• Before You Graduate From Cal – Life (UC Berkeley Life)
• The Ultimate College Bucket List: 50 Ideas | BestColleges (BestColleges)

7 Start Thinking About Majors / Minors

If you are still thinking about what you might want to major in, now is a great time to check out the list of Majors and Minors available to you in your major and make note of what catches your interest. I would later discover several fields that interested me, but by the time I found out about them, there was no way I could fit them into my schedule and still graduate on time. 

A good way to see if you are interested in a major is to look at the classes you would have to take as a part of your major. (One of the biggest deciding factors in changing one of my majors is that after completing the pre-requisites, I realized I was not looking forward to taking any of the classes I would need to complete the major).

Here is a list of Majors and Minors offered by the College of Letters and Sciences.

8 Complete Getting Started Tasks

After getting accepted the University will typically send a list of tasks for you to complete. This can include setting up your CalCentral account, applying for housing, getting your Cal 1 Card, etc. The sooner you get these tasks completed the better for you. If there are any issues or complications that arise, you are more likely to get immediate assistance than if you wait till the day before the semester begins and hundreds of other students are frantically trying to solve the same problem as you.

9 Spend Time with Friends and Family

Unless you live in the Bay Area or are commuting to campus, you will likely be living away from your friends and family for the first time. Take this chance to spend quality time with your loved ones before you enter a new chapter of your life. 

The night before I moved up to Berkeley, I got dinner with my closest friends who hadn’t already left for college. We got ice cream afterward and I drove each of them home. (On the drive back with one friend specifically, we were lucky enough to see a Coyote crossing the road, which will still talk about being a good omen to this day). This gave me a sense of closure on my life at home and in high school which made the transition significantly easier and alleviated any homesickness that I felt throughout the year.

10 Take A Break / Rest

Even after graduating, my friends and I still talk about demanding the college application process was for us in High School. You survived, so why not relax and recoup before college begins?

When you get to Cal, you will quickly notice a culture in which everyone’s schedules are filled to the brim and it feels like every waking second needs to be used in some manner. I just want to voice that not every waking moment of your life needs to be productive and you are not any less of a human for not doing so. I will do a post on Imposter syndrome in the future, but for now, celebrate all the hard work you did to get you to Cal and enjoy the break you’ve more than earned.

I hope from this list of 10 things, you were able to find at least one that will help you as you prepare for this upcoming semester. Again, if you have any questions or tips you would add, please feel free to contact me directly or comment below. I wish you all the best as you embark on this new journey.

Go Bears!