Summer 2024

Their Present, My Future - Advice From Seniors

By Reva Gokhale

Now that my first year of college is drawing to a close, I’m looking back at all the new experiences I’ve had just over the past nine months and thinking, How can there be so little time left and still so much to do in college? I interviewed two seniors on the Berkeley Life Blog writing team to get their insights on the grand journey that is UC Berkeley, hoping to discover what experiences I might have ahead of me. Graduating this semester, Hosea Chen, majoring in cognitive science and minoring in creative writing and data science, and Preslee...

Alternative Off-Campus Housing

By Preslee Vanlandingham

Are typical routes of renting housing, such as search websites and online listings, not working out? There are other off-campus housing options to look into. Here are some alternatives to consider...

https://life.berkeley.edu/alternative-off-campus-housing/

Rally Committee - Make UC Berkeley Feel Like Home

By Rachel Holmes

Coming to Berkeley last year was a daunting experience at first. Most of my hometown friends were going to college in different places, so I came in knowing only a handful of people. But perhaps the best decision I made at UC Berkeley was joining the Rally Committee during my first semester.

The Rally Committee is one of the oldest spirit groups on campus with the goal to preserve the Spirit of California and UC Berkeley traditions here on campus. All of my current best friends on campus I met through the Rally Committee—they make this big campus...

Housing as a Transfer

By Preslee Vanlandingham

There are a few avenues you could go down as a transfer student to secure housing. Off-campus housing, campus apartments, and residence halls constitute a mix of non-transfer and transfer students. The new Helen Diller Anchor House is an apartment building with single-only bedrooms specifically for transfer students.

Crystal Garcia, a transfer student who works at the Transfer Student Center, shares her advice regarding housing.

Regardless of where you decide, you will find success as a transfer. Read on to find the right housing option for you...

Young voters have growing power, but broken politics leave them ‘fatalistic,’ studies find

By Edward Lempinen

Millennials and Gen Z face existential risks unknown to previous generations. The Berkeley Institute for Young Americans reports that these voters — left, center and right — want political action to address the challenges.

Young voters from the millennial generation and Gen Z are emerging as the demographic center of power in American politics, but new studies by UC Berkeley researchers find they are fatalistic about critical problems such as economic inequality, climate change and the future of democracy.

Younger voters had...

Work-Study Benefits

By Melissa Mora-Gonzalez

Gain Career Experience Through Work-Study

If you qualify for Work-Study, this blog is for you! If you qualify but are not too familiar with what work-study jobs are or how to go about applying, I’d recommend checking out Work-Study Jobs: How to Apply first and then coming back to read this one. Work-Study is more than a type of financial aid — it can become a way for students to gain relevant career experience...

https://life....

Uniquely Berkeley

By Nina Takahashi

Berkeley in a Nutshell

As an out-of-state student, there were two things people from my hometown said to me when I told them I was going to attend UC Berkeley: 1. “Wow, enjoy the California sun!” and 2. “You know, UC Berkeley is a very unique school.”

The first point was straightforward enough. Compared to Portland, Oregon, almost anywhere in the US is sunny (though Berkeley is cloudier than people give it credit). The second comment threw me for a bit of a loop though.

Cal was my dream school since I was a sophomore...

3 Sustainable Orgs

By Preslee Vanlandingham

Sustainability Stand-Out UC Berkeley Student Clubs

The Student Environmental Resource Center has over 40+ clubs and organizations centered around positively impacting our natural world. Here are just a few examples of these amazing initiatives, incorporating engineering, educational, and community aspects. Learn more about Cal Sol, Solutions for a Sustainable & Just Future DeCal, and Berkeley Dining and Residential Sustainability Program...https...