Now that we’ve been in school for almost two months, first-years at UC Berkeley are (hopefully) beginning to get comfortable with college life as a whole. For those already familiar with Cal, it might be getting harder to remember how you felt when you were a little freshman figuring out the bus system and trying the dining commons for the first time. If you are a freshman, we at the Clog are here to share 13 experiences you’ve probably had in the last month and a half:

1) Move-in day:

Whether you were coming to Berkeley from Hong Kong or the Bay Area, move-in day meant the first day of the next four years here at UC Berkeley, and you were (hopefully) really excited!

2) Welcome Week:

You probably did a lot of partying …

3) Watched your first-ever Cal football game: 

Maybe you went to your first tailgate and cheered along with your fellow Bears in the sea of blue and gold.

4) Were determined to work hard in college:

Starting college felt like a fresh start, and you decided to buckle down, work hard and create a strong foundation for your college career.

5) Went to Late Night for the first time:

You were probably more than a little excited when you found out Crossroads has a thing called “Late Night” in which it serves food from waffle fries to chicken wings.

6) Cleaned and did your own laundry:

You suddenly appreciated your mom that much more when you had to pay $3 to clean your own dirty socks.

7) Met people at different clubs:

You went (or are going) to different club info sessions to see which one best fits you (or maybe just to get free pizza).

8) Started to get lazy with schoolwork:

Remember that determination you had at the beginning of the semester? That probably dissipated very quickly, and you found yourself heading to La Burrita instead of the library.

9) Found out midterms are in a week:

Berkeley’s weird schedule crept up on you, and all of a sudden, you were in a midterm review without even knowing it.

10) Tried to study for midterms: 

Aka you spent a week napping and Facebooking while complaining about how stressed you were.

11) Experienced panic before your first midterm: 

On the morning of your first midterm, you probably felt a little like this minion.

12) Realized you still have two more midterms and then a final:

After your first batch of midterms, you thought you could relax …

13) Until you remembered you still have a semester and three more years of college to go:

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Contact Sujin Shin at sujinshin@dailycal.org.

The post 13 freshman-year experiences as told through ‘Despicable Me’ appeared first on The Daily Californian.

The government has shut down, but the world hasn’t ended. Yet. So what has changed? How will the government shutdown make a difference in your life?

Handouts

What does government shutdown mean?

A government shutdown is the name of the process the federal government must enter when Congress fails to pass legislation funding government operations and agencies. On Oct. 1, the U.S. government entered this shutdown after Congress failed to enact regular appropriations (a sum of money devoted to a special purpose) for the fiscal year 2014.

How could it affect me?

1. Your grants and research funding could be stalled: With federal programs being defunded, government subsidies for scientific research — like that at public universities such as ours — just might become inaccessible. Already granted awards are to be honored, but the government does not have the money or the initiative to provide new funds. With the Department of Education having neither a budget nor a full staff, ongoing and proposed scientific research are not a priority.

2. All research funding could be stalled: We may not always think about it, but government research, such as that at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has a profound impact on our lives. Not only has the annual surveillance of the flu virus has been halted, but food inspection facilities have been closed as well, leading to outbreaks in salmonella and hepatitis.

3. Academic resources will not be updated: Speaking of research, if you’re looking for federal data and information for a research paper, you might have to keep looking. The websites for the U.S. Census, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Education Resources Information Center, the National Archives and more have not been kept up to date since.

Going somewhere?

4. You might have to change your travel plans: Oh, you need a passport to study abroad next semester? Might want to get started on that application. No last-minute passports are being granted, and, in fact, you can expect delays in the process. You might be delayed at the airport, too, as the TSA has furloughed its “nonessential” employees. But even if you were thinking about driving down to Yosemite to go camping for the weekend, you’re going to have to change your plans. Many attractions run by the National Park Service have been closed. You’ll just have to wait until the government starts working again.

5. And what’s the deal with financial aid? Thankfully, federal student aid should go largely unaffected, at least for the time being. There is supposed to be a limited impact on both the administration of FAFSA and student loan repayment abilities, while direct loans, Pell Grants and other financial aid dollars will continue to be distributed. In the long term, however, a shutdown lasting awhile might curb funding to public universities, such as us here at UC Berkeley.

Has the government ever shut down before?

Yes. Technically, this is the 18th time since 1976 that the government has shut down. But only two other shutdowns have lasted longer than two weeks, as this year’s has — when Bill Clinton and congressional Republicans wrangled over budget matters from Dec. 16, 1995, to Jan. 5, 1996 (21 days), and during Jimmy Carter’s administration from Sept. 30, 1978, to Oct. 18, 1978 (18 days).

When does it end? 

It will end when Congress passes the bill(s) to fund the government and the president signs them.

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that a government shutdown during President Jimmy Carter’s tenure lasted from Sept. 20, 1978, to Oct. 18, 1978. In fact, that shutdown lasted from Sept. 30, 1978, to Oct. 18, 1978.

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Contact Holly Secon and Sujin Shin at blog@dailycal.org.

The post How will the government shutdown affect you as a college student? appeared first on The Daily Californian.

As college students, we’ve already probably all pulled an all-nighter at some point or another. Whether you’re trying to finish (start?) that 10-page paper or cram for an exam, the timeline of your night probably goes a little something like this:

11 p.m. — “All right, it’s fine. I have all night to study for my exam. So if I start now, I’ll have plenty of time.”

Midnight — “Oh my god, what have I been doing the past two weeks, and why is there so much reading?”

1 a.m. — “I have time to take a break; it’s only 1 a.m.”

2 a.m. — “My brain hurts.”

3 a.m.  — “If I could get paid to eat, I would be so happy…”

4 a.m. — “I hate people.”

5 a.m. — “I’m going to fail.”

6 a.m. — “I just … I can’t.”

7 a.m. — “…”

8 a.m. — “I CAN’T BELIEVE I FELL ASLEEP! I ONLY HAVE AN HOUR TO STUDY.”

9 a.m. — “It is what it is.”

Image sources: English106 under Creative Commons; tedretahed, studyhumour, theweirdchum, trustmeiamalawstudent, simhammond, danimilli, thattimeididdesignproject, discoveringlifeatgt, laurenzside,chillyhill and chksdigthelongball,syddysb 

Contact Sujin Shin at sujinshin@dailycal.org.

The post The timeline of an all-nighter appeared first on The Daily Californian.

It’s that time of year again. You walk into class, and you hear sniffles and coughs. It’s super inconvenient that flu season and midterm season always seem to coincide. If you’re unlucky, someone from your floor or apartment has already gotten sick, and you can’t shake the feeling that you will be the next victim of the bug.

We at the Clog are here to suggest four ways to help keep you feeling like this:

And not like this:

1. Drink lots of water.

It’s simple and intuitive, but it really helps.

2. Eat healthy foods.

Trying to avoid getting sick during midterm season is like trying to not fall asleep after pulling two all-nighters — it’s difficult. Pizza at Crossroads may seem like heaven during midterms, but heading to the salad bar and eating nutritiously will help you keep sickness at bay.

3. Manage your stress.

There is a connection between mental and physical health. Keeping your stress under control and trying to get eight hours of sleep a night (unrealistic, we know), will help you ward off a cold.

4. Avoid getting physically close to people who you know are sick.

There is a fine line between being rude and protecting your health. If you notice your friend has been hacking away, there is no shame in trying to dodge his or her incoming hug.

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Contact Sujin Shin at sujinshin@dailycal.org.

The post 4 ways to avoid getting sick appeared first on The Daily Californian.

We’ve always been told to tell the truth, but sometimes a little white lie goes a long way. And, sadly, we students lie a lot more than you might think. Do you instinctively tell your GSI, “Yes, I did do all the reading,” even though you only skimmed the first and last pages? Do you automatically defer to lies when faced with tough questions like, “Why didn’t you reply to my text?” or, “Do I look fat in these jeans?”

We at the Clog have compiled a list of six of the most common lies students tell.

1) “I didn’t get the email”

It’s the easiest excuse in the book to get out of doing something you know you were either not prepared to do or didn’t want to do.

2) “I’ll be there in five minutes!”

Whether you are just getting out of bed or halfway down getting ready, when someone calls and asks where you are, the answer always seems to be, “I’m on my way!” You’ll tell your friends, “Just give me five minutes,” knowing full well it will take you another half hour to get there.

3) “I’m not drunk”

We all know you’re drunk. And when you see the pictures tomorrow, you’ll know you were drunk too.

4) “I’m not going to spend money this week”

And then you pass by Yogurtland and Chipotle and your resolution suddenly dissolves.

5) “Sorry, I’m going to be studying all day today”

Studying all day? More like, “Sorry, I’m going to be laying in bed all day watching “Breaking Bad” and eating Nutella straight from the jar.”

6) “I’ll go to the RSF later”

And by “later,” you mean “next week.”

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Contact Sujin Shin at sujinshin@dailycal.org.

The post 6 lies UC Berkeley students tell appeared first on The Daily Californian.

Arya Aliabadi/File

Every campus has its own traditions and “signs” that differentiates it from other campuses. Nothing says home like these four #typicalBerkeley behaviors.

1. You don’t follow street lights

Maybe the Beatles could bring crosswalks back into style.

Regardless of whether the light is green or red, students unabashedly walk across the street to get around the city.

2. You have defined calves from walking up hills

Picture of Bancroft Avenue.

Seriously, we could be renamed University of California, Hills. Lugging around our heavy books from a Southside apartment to Evans inevitably leads to us getting some mad calves.

3. You’re back in bed by 10 p.m. because everything is closed

This kid knows how to party.

For a college city, we tend to shut down pretty early. Heading to Shattuck past 10 p.m. will leave you walking around with nothing to do if you’re under 21.

4. You can’t go anywhere without seeing people drink boba

The tapioca balls are a favorite.

The proliferation of boba shops around campus shows just how obsessed we are.

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Contact Sujin Shin at sujinshin@dailycal.org.

The post Four telltale signs that you’re in Berkeley, California appeared first on The Daily Californian.