P.S: please let me know if you have anything that you want me to talk about or any questions that I may answer. : )
The University Library... i've never actually seen books in there before though hahaha
Monday, January 24, 2011
On Pictures Part I
I think I'm running out of pre-med topics to talk about, so please enjoy these pictures of Berkeley that I took during my semester at cal : )
P.S: please let me know if you have anything that you want me to talk about or any questions that I may answer. : )
^ The view from our room. : )
The Campanile at night.
.... I'm not sure....
The VLSB, one of the best looking buildings on campus (in my opinion)
P.S: please let me know if you have anything that you want me to talk about or any questions that I may answer. : )
Saturday, January 22, 2011
On Human Truths
I stumbled upon this list while surfing the web, and although it has nothing to do with being pre med or berkeley, I thought you might enjoy it : )
So without further ado, I present to you The Truths For Mature Humans
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this - ever.
15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? **** it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
20. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
21. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.
22. I would rather try to carry 10 over-loaded plastic bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
23. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.
24. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
25. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
26. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
27. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
28. Is it just me or do high school kids get dumber & dumber every year?
29. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
30. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate bicyclists.
31. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
32. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my *** everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!
So without further ado, I present to you The Truths For Mature Humans
Truths For Mature Humans
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this - ever.
15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? **** it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
20. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
21. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.
22. I would rather try to carry 10 over-loaded plastic bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
23. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.
24. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
25. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
26. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
27. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
28. Is it just me or do high school kids get dumber & dumber every year?
29. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
30. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate bicyclists.
31. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
32. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my *** everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
On Winter Break and Spring Semester
This winter break, my parents let me go to Korea for a bit over three weeks. I know this has nothing to do with being a premed at Berkeley, but i'll try to tie some things in as I go along.
Not realizing that korea is about -17 C in the winter, all I brought were t-shirts and some hoodies.
I could barely breathe outside because every breath I took felt like knives were stabbing my lungs out. It was that cold! When relatives would ask where I went to college and I told them I went to Berkeley, they were like "Music Major?" and I responded with a puzzled look because EVERYONE I talked to asked if I was a music major. Turns out, there's a Berkeley College somewhere on the East Coast where a lot of korean celebrities attended. Kinda hurt my ego... hahaha
So yesterday, I came back to berkeley after a month-long break and although I was glad to see my roommates, I was sad to have to leave Korea and my family at home in the central valley. I was even more upset at my ochem lab schedule. Dilemma: during telebears, I signed up for organic chemistry at my appointed time. However, there was only one spot left for lab so I took it, naturally, thinking that i'll just change my time later on. Then, a few days before school started, I got an email stating that I couldn't change my lab section. The problem was that my lab section conflicted with two of my other classes. So for the past few weeks, I've been desperately trying to find other classes that would work with my set-in-stone lab section. The other problem is that all the classes are full! So I'm waitlisted for more than half of my classes and at this point, I don't really know what to do. I'm really hoping that people start dropping because if they don't... i'm so screwed...
One piece of advice: Telebears (for future cal students) absolutely sucks. Make sure you check courserank and ratemyprofessor for each class. It'll save you a lot of heartache and pain. : )
-K
Not realizing that korea is about -17 C in the winter, all I brought were t-shirts and some hoodies.
I could barely breathe outside because every breath I took felt like knives were stabbing my lungs out. It was that cold! When relatives would ask where I went to college and I told them I went to Berkeley, they were like "Music Major?" and I responded with a puzzled look because EVERYONE I talked to asked if I was a music major. Turns out, there's a Berkeley College somewhere on the East Coast where a lot of korean celebrities attended. Kinda hurt my ego... hahaha
So yesterday, I came back to berkeley after a month-long break and although I was glad to see my roommates, I was sad to have to leave Korea and my family at home in the central valley. I was even more upset at my ochem lab schedule. Dilemma: during telebears, I signed up for organic chemistry at my appointed time. However, there was only one spot left for lab so I took it, naturally, thinking that i'll just change my time later on. Then, a few days before school started, I got an email stating that I couldn't change my lab section. The problem was that my lab section conflicted with two of my other classes. So for the past few weeks, I've been desperately trying to find other classes that would work with my set-in-stone lab section. The other problem is that all the classes are full! So I'm waitlisted for more than half of my classes and at this point, I don't really know what to do. I'm really hoping that people start dropping because if they don't... i'm so screwed...
One piece of advice: Telebears (for future cal students) absolutely sucks. Make sure you check courserank and ratemyprofessor for each class. It'll save you a lot of heartache and pain. : )
-K
Sunday, January 2, 2011
On Dorms
I got a comment from a reader asking if I could do a post on dorms. So here it is! : )
The dorms at berkeley include the following: Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Bowles, Foothill, Stern, and Clark Kerr. Out of the units, unit 3 is the oldest (after the others got reconstructed) but it is also the closest one to campus. The food sucks although a rare few seem to enjoy it. The food usually consists of pizza, pasta, noodles, fruits, salad, desserts, etc. Nothing special. Unit 1 and Unit 2 are close to Crossroads - another dining center. In my opinion, Crossroads has the best food out of the dining commons. A friend of mine has a suite in Unit 2 and it's really nice. Nothing like our hole of a place in Unit 3. I live in a triple, but luckily, my roommates and I keep to our spaces pretty well so there's never an issue of space. My room consists of one bottom-top bunk bed, and another top bunk bed with two connected desks below it and one desk by the wall. We have three closets (some triples only have two closets, so the girls have to split them or one has to use the drawers), 4 drawers by said closets, and 4 smaller drawers below the bottom bunk bed. We have a mini fridge and a microwave on top of it. There's not much room for anything else hahaha. The view from our room is killer. Since we live on the 7th floor, we get a view of San Francisco and the bay, and the view during a sunset is breathtaking. The bathrooms/showers are all coed- about 6-7 showers and 4-5 bathroom stalls. Right when I walk out of my dorm, there's Cafe 3 - the dining commons for Unit 3, and beside it is Bear Market -a small market where you can buy cereal, drinks, condoms if you will. hahaha. Cross two streets and you arrive on campus.
Bowles is the all-male, castle-looking dorm. I've never been inside but it looks really cool from the outside. Supposedly, the rooms are all quads- two rooms with bunkbeds and a central room with desks for studying.
Foothill, like its name implies, is on top of a hill, with Stern. It's right by the Greek Theatre so residents of Foothill and Stern get to listen in on free concerts every once in a while- might be distracting when you're trying to study though. It's surrounded by trees and wood so there's a cabin-esque feeling about it. Foothill and Stern are closest to the engineering and math buildings so a lot of engineering majors choose to live there.
Stern is the all-girls dorm located on the hill by foothill. A friend of mine told me that 'it's nice and quiet most of the time, which makes it a good place for studying, and the people are friendly (thought most of them are focused on studying so you probably won't have the same social atmosphere like at the units or even at foothill.'
Clark Kerr is farthest from campus, with missionary style buildings.
Other than what the buildings actually look like and where they're located, the rooms/food are all pretty similar. Also, what you put down on that list when choosing dorms matters only slightly since the rooms are given through a lottery system. The higher your number, the more likely you will get your choice dorm. It sucks, I know... So I was really glad I was put in Unit 3, mainly because it was closest to campus and is known as the most 'social' dorm.
So, if you want the social dorms, pick one of the Units. If you want an all guys dorm, pick Bowles. If you want to be close to engineering/science/math buildings, pick Foothill or Stern. If you want an all girls dorm, pick Stern. And if you like the missionary style feel, pick Clark Kerr.
I hope this helps somewhat when picking your dorms :) Goodluck!
-K
The dorms at berkeley include the following: Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Bowles, Foothill, Stern, and Clark Kerr. Out of the units, unit 3 is the oldest (after the others got reconstructed) but it is also the closest one to campus. The food sucks although a rare few seem to enjoy it. The food usually consists of pizza, pasta, noodles, fruits, salad, desserts, etc. Nothing special. Unit 1 and Unit 2 are close to Crossroads - another dining center. In my opinion, Crossroads has the best food out of the dining commons. A friend of mine has a suite in Unit 2 and it's really nice. Nothing like our hole of a place in Unit 3. I live in a triple, but luckily, my roommates and I keep to our spaces pretty well so there's never an issue of space. My room consists of one bottom-top bunk bed, and another top bunk bed with two connected desks below it and one desk by the wall. We have three closets (some triples only have two closets, so the girls have to split them or one has to use the drawers), 4 drawers by said closets, and 4 smaller drawers below the bottom bunk bed. We have a mini fridge and a microwave on top of it. There's not much room for anything else hahaha. The view from our room is killer. Since we live on the 7th floor, we get a view of San Francisco and the bay, and the view during a sunset is breathtaking. The bathrooms/showers are all coed- about 6-7 showers and 4-5 bathroom stalls. Right when I walk out of my dorm, there's Cafe 3 - the dining commons for Unit 3, and beside it is Bear Market -a small market where you can buy cereal, drinks, condoms if you will. hahaha. Cross two streets and you arrive on campus.
Bowles is the all-male, castle-looking dorm. I've never been inside but it looks really cool from the outside. Supposedly, the rooms are all quads- two rooms with bunkbeds and a central room with desks for studying.
Foothill, like its name implies, is on top of a hill, with Stern. It's right by the Greek Theatre so residents of Foothill and Stern get to listen in on free concerts every once in a while- might be distracting when you're trying to study though. It's surrounded by trees and wood so there's a cabin-esque feeling about it. Foothill and Stern are closest to the engineering and math buildings so a lot of engineering majors choose to live there.
Stern is the all-girls dorm located on the hill by foothill. A friend of mine told me that 'it's nice and quiet most of the time, which makes it a good place for studying, and the people are friendly (thought most of them are focused on studying so you probably won't have the same social atmosphere like at the units or even at foothill.'
Clark Kerr is farthest from campus, with missionary style buildings.
Other than what the buildings actually look like and where they're located, the rooms/food are all pretty similar. Also, what you put down on that list when choosing dorms matters only slightly since the rooms are given through a lottery system. The higher your number, the more likely you will get your choice dorm. It sucks, I know... So I was really glad I was put in Unit 3, mainly because it was closest to campus and is known as the most 'social' dorm.
So, if you want the social dorms, pick one of the Units. If you want an all guys dorm, pick Bowles. If you want to be close to engineering/science/math buildings, pick Foothill or Stern. If you want an all girls dorm, pick Stern. And if you like the missionary style feel, pick Clark Kerr.
I hope this helps somewhat when picking your dorms :) Goodluck!
-K
Thursday, December 16, 2010
On Chem 1A
I have a lot of respect for Chem 1A. Why? Because it gave me a run for my money. Here's a little bit about the class for all you potential pre-meds coming to berkeley:
Berkeley has one of the best chemistry departments in the US- our chem is top notch. Thus, it's only fair to say that berkeley's chem class (even general chemistry) is harder than some chem classes in other schools. Chem 1A has four midterms and one final. They've been changing the system around, but this year, our grade was solely based on our exam points- midterm 1 = 75 points, midterm 2 = 100 pts, midterm 3 = 100 pts, and midterm 4 = 75 points. Depending on how you do on non-exam points (which consists of homework, lab, quizes, iClicker, etc), points are added or deducted from your exam points (calculated from an equation). The final is worth 250 points, so about 40% of your grade- which is huge...
Also, the class is curved, so up to 85% is an A, and up to 70% is a B, and so on.
When I calculated my grades before my final, I determined that I would need a D on my final in order to get a B in the class (with non-exam points added and a slight further curve at the end of the semester- it's complicated). So, I studied all week during dead week/RRR (a week of no school to study for finals) and went in to take the chem final semi-confident. Mind you, I read that the final usually drops peoples' grades by 10%, so I was freaking out before and after the final. 16 pages and 3 hours later, I was ready to blow my brains out. I have never taken a test that hard before. The next day, short answer scores were up and what do you know? I got a C! But I couldn't psyche myself out just yet because the multiple choice scores would really mess me up. So, the next day, I check my grades online and see that I got a C on my multiple choice! Resulting in a B overall in the class!! Whoo!!! I didn't fail gen chem! I was literally ready to cry, I was so relieved and happy. After the final, I was prepared to accept a C in the class.
I know this may be a random post, but I posted this for all the future premed Chem 1A-ers who are worried about chem. I wasn't so worried in the beginning of the semester because I did ok in AP chem in high school. Let me tell you, don't let AP chem fool you about berkeley's chem.
So, Good luck to you all and let me know if you have any questions!
-K
Berkeley has one of the best chemistry departments in the US- our chem is top notch. Thus, it's only fair to say that berkeley's chem class (even general chemistry) is harder than some chem classes in other schools. Chem 1A has four midterms and one final. They've been changing the system around, but this year, our grade was solely based on our exam points- midterm 1 = 75 points, midterm 2 = 100 pts, midterm 3 = 100 pts, and midterm 4 = 75 points. Depending on how you do on non-exam points (which consists of homework, lab, quizes, iClicker, etc), points are added or deducted from your exam points (calculated from an equation). The final is worth 250 points, so about 40% of your grade- which is huge...
Also, the class is curved, so up to 85% is an A, and up to 70% is a B, and so on.
When I calculated my grades before my final, I determined that I would need a D on my final in order to get a B in the class (with non-exam points added and a slight further curve at the end of the semester- it's complicated). So, I studied all week during dead week/RRR (a week of no school to study for finals) and went in to take the chem final semi-confident. Mind you, I read that the final usually drops peoples' grades by 10%, so I was freaking out before and after the final. 16 pages and 3 hours later, I was ready to blow my brains out. I have never taken a test that hard before. The next day, short answer scores were up and what do you know? I got a C! But I couldn't psyche myself out just yet because the multiple choice scores would really mess me up. So, the next day, I check my grades online and see that I got a C on my multiple choice! Resulting in a B overall in the class!! Whoo!!! I didn't fail gen chem! I was literally ready to cry, I was so relieved and happy. After the final, I was prepared to accept a C in the class.
I know this may be a random post, but I posted this for all the future premed Chem 1A-ers who are worried about chem. I wasn't so worried in the beginning of the semester because I did ok in AP chem in high school. Let me tell you, don't let AP chem fool you about berkeley's chem.
So, Good luck to you all and let me know if you have any questions!
-K
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
On My College App Story
Congratulations to those of you who have completed and submitted your UC applications (which I believe was a while ago)!
In all honesty, I felt the UC applications were easier than the common apps, mostly because the common apps have so many restrictions as to the word limit and topic.
But now that the UC apps are done, you can focus all your time and energy on the common apps. ; )
Here's my college app story:
I started writing my stanford application towards the end of August (that's how badly I wanted to get in- needless to say, that didn't happen), but it was one of the last applications that I finished because I wanted it to be perfect. I also worked hard on my Ivy League applications but not nearly as much as I should have. I revised each essay (every college that I applied to had 2-3 essays) about 4-5 times because I was never satisfied with it. When winter break began, my family decided they were going to go to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. Unfortunately, they were leaving during the time apps were due, so naturally I couldn't go. They were gone for three days and for those three days, I sat in front of the computer madly trying to tie loose ends in my essays, surviving off of oranges and water the entire time- literally. We also got a puppy a few months before so I had to tend to him constantly. January 1st came and went and by that time, my entire computer screen was filled with word document icons for my essays (I applied to a ton of colleges).
And then, the only thing left to do was wait....
The wait was even worse than actually writing the applications (not to scare you or anything ; ). I'm not quite sure when the UC admission decisions came out, but when they did, my parents were so thrilled that I got into all of them, especially Berkeley and UCLA. I, on the other hand, had eyes only for Stanford (sad, I know). A month or so later, the common app schools began releasing their admission decisions. I got rejected from most of the schools, accepted by a few, and waitlisted by others. I was crushed by my rejections and even planned to make a dart board out of them...
I chose to go to berkeley for a number of reasons. First off, if it wasn't a highly prestigious school, I didn't feel like going to the east coast was worth it. So, I decided to stay in California for at least my undergrad. Second, Berkeley offered nice financial aid, which is always a bonus. Third, USC and UCLA (which were the other schools I was considering) had that air of superficiality about them that I didn't like so much. So, Berkeley it was. (Sad to say, I had anxiety attacks all throughout my decision making process)...
I thought 'I'm going to try to transfer to a different school as soon as I get the chance.' Since Berkeley wasn't my first choice, or second, or third, it was hard for me to accept the fact that i'll be having to go there. Then, when I attended orientation and got more situated, Berkeley slowly started to warm up on me. I'm not saying I love Berkeley 100%, but I think I'm getting there- one failed midterm at a time. : )
So my advice to seniors who are freaking out about college and this game we call College Admissions: work hard - really hard- these next few weeks on getting your applications just the way you want them, and then, throw down your pencil, take a deep breath, kick something (preferably not anything living), and then take a nap. You deserve it : ) Second semester of senior year, go crazy. As long as you don't fail your classes or drop significantly in grades, the colleges won't rescind your acceptance. Senioritis - bring it on!
Have fun with your friends, spend lots of time with your family, and just relax, because this is the only time when you can. Trust me, you'll thank me later for it. : )
-K
In all honesty, I felt the UC applications were easier than the common apps, mostly because the common apps have so many restrictions as to the word limit and topic.
But now that the UC apps are done, you can focus all your time and energy on the common apps. ; )
Here's my college app story:
I started writing my stanford application towards the end of August (that's how badly I wanted to get in- needless to say, that didn't happen), but it was one of the last applications that I finished because I wanted it to be perfect. I also worked hard on my Ivy League applications but not nearly as much as I should have. I revised each essay (every college that I applied to had 2-3 essays) about 4-5 times because I was never satisfied with it. When winter break began, my family decided they were going to go to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. Unfortunately, they were leaving during the time apps were due, so naturally I couldn't go. They were gone for three days and for those three days, I sat in front of the computer madly trying to tie loose ends in my essays, surviving off of oranges and water the entire time- literally. We also got a puppy a few months before so I had to tend to him constantly. January 1st came and went and by that time, my entire computer screen was filled with word document icons for my essays (I applied to a ton of colleges).
And then, the only thing left to do was wait....
The wait was even worse than actually writing the applications (not to scare you or anything ; ). I'm not quite sure when the UC admission decisions came out, but when they did, my parents were so thrilled that I got into all of them, especially Berkeley and UCLA. I, on the other hand, had eyes only for Stanford (sad, I know). A month or so later, the common app schools began releasing their admission decisions. I got rejected from most of the schools, accepted by a few, and waitlisted by others. I was crushed by my rejections and even planned to make a dart board out of them...
I chose to go to berkeley for a number of reasons. First off, if it wasn't a highly prestigious school, I didn't feel like going to the east coast was worth it. So, I decided to stay in California for at least my undergrad. Second, Berkeley offered nice financial aid, which is always a bonus. Third, USC and UCLA (which were the other schools I was considering) had that air of superficiality about them that I didn't like so much. So, Berkeley it was. (Sad to say, I had anxiety attacks all throughout my decision making process)...
I thought 'I'm going to try to transfer to a different school as soon as I get the chance.' Since Berkeley wasn't my first choice, or second, or third, it was hard for me to accept the fact that i'll be having to go there. Then, when I attended orientation and got more situated, Berkeley slowly started to warm up on me. I'm not saying I love Berkeley 100%, but I think I'm getting there- one failed midterm at a time. : )
So my advice to seniors who are freaking out about college and this game we call College Admissions: work hard - really hard- these next few weeks on getting your applications just the way you want them, and then, throw down your pencil, take a deep breath, kick something (preferably not anything living), and then take a nap. You deserve it : ) Second semester of senior year, go crazy. As long as you don't fail your classes or drop significantly in grades, the colleges won't rescind your acceptance. Senioritis - bring it on!
Have fun with your friends, spend lots of time with your family, and just relax, because this is the only time when you can. Trust me, you'll thank me later for it. : )
-K
Friday, December 3, 2010
On Saying Farewell
Today was the last day of my very first semester in college and my first real pursuit of being a pre-med at UC Berkeley.
Man, was it hard.
But it's not over since I still have to take my finals.
So, here is some info about the classes that I took this semester, which I hope will help you in picking classes (should you come to UC Berkeley):
- Chem 1A (general chemistry): Hard, very hard. If you're not premed, I advise you to take this class in the spring with an easier teacher. However, if you are premed, then taking chem 1A in the fall might help you on the MCATs. I'm not completely sure since I haven't taken the MCATs yet, but that's what I hear.
-Math 16A: Easy, very easy. I believe i've only gone to two lectures during the whole semester (in the beginning) and I've managed to get very high grades on both my midterms. I can't say the same thing about the final just yet. If you're planning on being an IB major, then I'd advise you to take the 16 series. However, if you're planning to be a MCB major, then you have to take math 1A, which I hear is quite difficult, even if you scored well on the AP test.
-Anthro 2AC: Decent class. The professor (Lightfoot) is very enthusiastic about the subject. The tests are fair and the discussions are pretty easy. It's a great class to fulfill a breadth requirement.
-Psych 2: easy class. The GSI who teaches the course (Rosner) is somewhat monotonous but can be funny at times. The exams are fairly easy and your lowest out of 3 is dropped.
Getting a good GPA in college, and especially at UC Berkeley, is very hard. I didn't realize this until I calculated my possible gpa. In high school, getting an A or A- doesn't affect your GPA. However in college, it does.
In all, I think my first semester in college was a success, regardless of grades and gpa. How, you ask? Well, for one thing, I made a successful transition from home to college. I had so much fun this semester with my roommates and the new friends I made. I was able to see professors who truly cared about their subject matter and was excited to share their knowledge with their students. Too bad my gpa will be abysmal.. hahaha ; )
-K
Man, was it hard.
But it's not over since I still have to take my finals.
So, here is some info about the classes that I took this semester, which I hope will help you in picking classes (should you come to UC Berkeley):
- Chem 1A (general chemistry): Hard, very hard. If you're not premed, I advise you to take this class in the spring with an easier teacher. However, if you are premed, then taking chem 1A in the fall might help you on the MCATs. I'm not completely sure since I haven't taken the MCATs yet, but that's what I hear.
-Math 16A: Easy, very easy. I believe i've only gone to two lectures during the whole semester (in the beginning) and I've managed to get very high grades on both my midterms. I can't say the same thing about the final just yet. If you're planning on being an IB major, then I'd advise you to take the 16 series. However, if you're planning to be a MCB major, then you have to take math 1A, which I hear is quite difficult, even if you scored well on the AP test.
-Anthro 2AC: Decent class. The professor (Lightfoot) is very enthusiastic about the subject. The tests are fair and the discussions are pretty easy. It's a great class to fulfill a breadth requirement.
-Psych 2: easy class. The GSI who teaches the course (Rosner) is somewhat monotonous but can be funny at times. The exams are fairly easy and your lowest out of 3 is dropped.
Getting a good GPA in college, and especially at UC Berkeley, is very hard. I didn't realize this until I calculated my possible gpa. In high school, getting an A or A- doesn't affect your GPA. However in college, it does.
In all, I think my first semester in college was a success, regardless of grades and gpa. How, you ask? Well, for one thing, I made a successful transition from home to college. I had so much fun this semester with my roommates and the new friends I made. I was able to see professors who truly cared about their subject matter and was excited to share their knowledge with their students. Too bad my gpa will be abysmal.. hahaha ; )
-K
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