Special

Analytical reading, critical thinking and strong writing skills are key skills that we need to be cultivating. It’s not a coincidence that the majors that most deeply question capitalism and systems of patriarchy, racism, colonialism and oppression are the ones politicians are looking to defund or discourage students from studying.

Instead, I made myself a deal: I’ll stick it out for a semester, and, if I still hated it, I’d return to the dreaded Common App portal for my transfer application. You can probably guess how that ended, as I’m still here, trying to convince you to give it a chance.

UC Berkeley is an intensely competitive atmosphere where it can too often feel like everyone’s got it figured out and doing way more than you are, but no one really is. When it comes down to it, it’s beyond okay to take time away from it all to figure out where you fit, like I did.

I now present five things incoming freshmen could benefit from knowing as they go into their first year of college.

he new and in some ways support-less lifestyle that seemingly sets you apart from everyone else is just like the watch my mother gave me — you wear it, you forget about it, and soon it becomes part of you, not new anymore.

I was struggling to remain interested in my classes, waiting impatiently for days when I would be an upperclassman engaged in biology deeply, and enjoy it.

I wasn’t able to see the future when I was 15, but I can tell the past what I know now. And I’d start it off like this.

As a homebody, I’m not always aware of trending topics and often find things funny when others don’t. Here are a collection of moments with my freshman roommates that I found special, no matter how simple they might seem to others.

This year’s wild ending from a Cal comeback to win 27-20 was perhaps reminiscent of all the chaos that occurred 40 years ago on what would be dubbed "The Play”, an iconic moment in football history which occurred during a Big Game on November 20, 1982 held at California Memorial Stadium.