University of California, Berkeley

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Molecular and Cellular Biology
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Female

Summary

I’m in the American Medical Women’s Association, the Global Medical Training, and I’m also in Greek life.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

First-Generation College Student: No
High School Experience: Public high school in Kirkland, WA with a graduating class of about 350 students. There was a culture of going to college.
Major: Molecular and Cellular Biology
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I’m in the American Medical Women’s Association, the Global Medical Training, and I’m also in Greek life.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
Greek life definitely has. Pretty much all the people I’m close with I’ve met through Greek life. Not even people directly in my sorority, but people I’ve met through events that we’ve done.

Academic Experience

For your prerequisite courses, what is your weekly coursework like?
It depends on the class. Freshman year it was more weekly homework and quizzes. Sophomore year, in my Organic Chemistry class they said explicitly that they post the homework and you can do it if you want to do it and that we’ll have a quiz on a certain day. They don’t collect the homework. You get out of it what you put into it. If you do everything, it’s a lot of work, but you need to do it to do well. They don’t check it or give you points for it anymore.
Is there anything you feel the science departments at Berkeley do especially well or poorly?
One of my favorite things is the Student Learning Center (SLC). Freshman year for my Introduction to Chemistry class, we had a student-run review session twice a week for two hours. The SLC tutors do a review of everything you learned in lecture. I’d go from 6-8 PM, and they’d run through a lecture with notes and give us a worksheet. That helped me do so well in those classes because it reiterates the information again and again. They also run adjunct programs for my Math classes. It’s an extra math class where you go three times a week and they do quizzes, exams, and it’s pass or no pass. It reteaches you information you’ve already learned. This improved my math grade from a C to a B once I joined.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s a really competitive learning environment, but that doesn’t mean it’s not collaborative. In high school, I never studied for tests with people, but here I realized I have to study for tests with people because everyone is willing to help you and will know something you don’t. Even though it’s a competitive environment, you’re surrounded by people willing to help you.
How accessible are your professors?
The professors are pretty accessible. They have their office hour schedule. If you can make it, they are there, but it can be difficult with the bigger classes because you may not get one-on-one time at the office hours. There will be a large number of people there, and it turns into a mini-lecture. Some professors are so accommodating that if you can’t make it to their office hours, they will set up a time for you to meet.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I didn’t really know what I wanted to do going into college, but I was always most interested in my science classes. I started taking those courses, and I was leaning toward Molecular and Cellular Biology because they have different tracks. There is a genetics track, a neurobiology track, and a few more. That aspect appealed to me. It’s hard and is a lot of work, but I’m really happy with it. Especially as I get into upper-level classes, they’re becoming more interesting and relevant. I’m happy with what I’m doing.

Reasons to Attend

1) It’s such a good school academically, and it has pushed me so hard which I love.
2) The social aspect is nice because it’s not everything. You have it when you want it, but if you don’t, that’s fine too.
3) Berkeley is such a good place to be right now. Politically, there will be events on campus that are so fun and make you feel like you’re part of something bigger. Last year, all my roommates and I went to the Women’s March and spent the whole day making posters. There’s a strong level of inclusion and acceptance on this campus.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) It is a lot of work, so if you’re not as academically inclined or ready to put a lot of time into your academics, it may not be the place for you.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Clark Kerr. I was in a suite with four people, connected to another room that was a double.
Sophomore: In the sorority house with three roommates.
How was transitioning from outside of Seattle to Berkeley, CA?
It was not a hard transition at all. I think Northern California is similar to the Pacific Northwest. I was ready to leave home, which plays a factor in it. After my first semester, I almost stopped getting homesick. I missed my family, but at the end of the year when left to go home for the summer my friends and I were crying because we didn’t want to leave yet.
Can you describe the level of safety you have experienced on and around campus?
The campus does a good job with safety. The campus can be a little scary at times, but there are so many things in place that make you feel more comfortable. One of them is the BearWalk Escort program. If I’m at the library late at night, you can call a number, and they have students that will walk you where you need to go. They also have a transit that runs until 3 AM, and it stops outside the library. I also have a lot of safety through my sorority because of the different risk programs
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
When my mom comes we always go to Jupiter, which is a pizza place in downtown Berkeley. There is also a Mexican place called Comal.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
There’s a beach up past Pacifica called Montara State Beach. I don’t surf, but a lot of my friends do so I will sit on the beach and read while they surf.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
A lot of Greek organizations will have events. Sororities will do something called Invite, where you all get on party busses and go to 18+ clubs in the city. During the fall, game days are huge on the weekend. Everyone will be out on Greek row game day and the stadium is directly on Greek row which is cool. My friends and I will take the BART and go to San Francisco to shop and walk around the city. We’ll also go to the beach on the weekends.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
Greek life pretty much is the nightlife. There are upperclassmen that go to bars, but most underclassman’s nightlife is Greek life. People walk around Greek row and go into the houses for parties.
What have been some of your favorites times at Berkeley?
Living with my sorority this year has been so much fun. I’m living with some of my absolute closest friends. You’ll be in your room not thinking you’re planning on doing anything then someone will run and saying we’re going out to go do something. It’ll be the most spontaneous and fun thing ever. Game days are so much fun. Everyone looks forward to them and misses them in the Spring. My parents came for parents’ weekend and they had so much fun.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things? Are there regular places you go or things you do on certain nights?
Wednesdays are big nights when a lot of people will go out. On Thursdays, there are lots of date parties, formals, and invites which is when sororities will host events on party busses and then go to the city. Over the weekend on Friday night, and in the fall there aren’t as many parties Saturday night because Saturday day people are out for the game. In the Spring, definitely Saturday nights.
Can you describe a typical night going out freshman year? How did it differ from before and after you joined a sorority?
Freshman year you don’t know anyone and don’t know what you’re doing, so you all get ready in the dorm and decide you are going out. You hear about which houses are doing something and you just show up. Some houses say they’re at full capacity and we can’t come in, but other houses you can just walk right in and you don’t know anyone so you’re just running around. After you join a sorority it’s a lot more planned. You have a social calendar and every house at Berkeley gives out wristbands, so you’ll get them through your sorority and it’s easier to get into parties and events.
How happy are you with the weekend options at your school? Is there anything you would change?
I’ve been really happy with it. I like it because something is generally always happening. Since Berkeley is a competitive school, no one will make you feel bad if you can’t come out because you have a midterm the next day. You don’t feel bad about missing it because you know there will be something else again. I definitely get out and have met a lot of people by going out at night.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
One of my closest friends was my roommate last year. We randomly met on Facebook over the summer before freshman year while trying to pick roommates. We stayed really close, and she’s in a different sorority, but we’re in a lot of similar classes and the other night we met up for dinner. I’ve met my other closest friends through my sorority. I have three roommates now and we’re all best friends.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Cal Berkeley?
I wouldn’t say it’s as crazy as one of those big stereotypical party schools. You realize everyone is doing their thing and going out when they want to go out. Partying isn’t the only thing people have. It’s there if you want it, but you don’t feel like that’s the only thing there is.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I think people mix so well. Being at Berkeley, it’s on everyone’s mind. There are also programming meetings through my sorority where we’ll talk about something such as implicit bias, sexual orientation, and things like that. [About 25% of students are White, and 26% are Chinese, Korean, or Japanese.]
Do people generally seem happy with their choice of Berkeley by senior year? Do people leave loving Berkeley?
I think a lot of people will talk about how the school can be really hard and some things are difficult and demanding. You see everyone graduating and leaving, and everyone seems so happy but so sad to leave. I cried before I even went home for the summer, so it’s definitely something people are really happy about with their decisions.
How was transitioning to such a big school? [There are about 31,000 undergraduate students.]
It wasn’t that bad. I think the scariest part was just walking into my first lecture hall and knowing that there were going to be 500 students in the class. You start to find your little communities through clubs. There are discussion sessions for each lecture which will have 15 people from your class instead of 500. This makes it feel smaller. Sophomore year is really nice, seeing familiar faces on campus all over. It doesn’t make it feel as big as it is.

Careers

To what extent have you used the career office? How helpful were they?
I’ve been to advising where they help you work through your schedule and your plan. I’ve been a couple of times, and it’s on and off helpful. Sometimes you’ll get someone who can’t help you as much, then other times you’ll have a conversation with someone that makes sense. You have to talk to the right person.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy is the office to work with?
I use loans, and it was more accommodating freshman year than this year. It’s not one of my biggest concerns, and I haven’t tried super hard.