freshmen

Overall, I had a very different experience moving in this year compared to last year, both logistically and emotionally.

Having just finished my freshman year, I was looking back on some of the feedback that I’ve gotten from GSIs when I realized how the grading scale significantly differs from high school compared to college.

Throwing a surprise party can be extremely nerve-wracking, especially in a shared living space where the person you are trying to surprise can walk in at any given moment.

I’m undeniably homesick, feeling stuck at this crossroads of “in-between.” Yet there is something so wonderful, so bittersweet about being homesick. It allows me to come to terms with the fact that I’m in the process of finding a new home, yet “home” forever remains part of me.

Here are some ways that you can establish some privacy when it feels like everything in your life is shared. 

You’re stuck — you already walked in and exchanged the head nod and tight-lipped smile with the tooth-brushers. It’s too late to back away. So what do you do now? 

It feels a bit like the COVID-19 pandemic has split the UC Berkeley student population into two groups: those living on campus and those living at home.

Cal volleyball freshmen Tara DeSa and Katarina Pantovic share their experiences navigating the challenges of the pandemic.