Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

Advice For The New Freshman Class

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UC Berkeley chapter.

A lot of people will be giving you conventional advice as the days of your college career draw nearer. However, these are a few pointers that will seriously make your first year at Cal simultaneously more smooth and more meaningful.

 

  1. Find a club to commit to within the first month or so

This will seriously be the easiest way for you to make friends and find a group that you’re comfortable with. There are a lot of clubs that are very open to accepting new members. 

 

Definitely look into clubs or groups that you would be interested in during summer!

 

2. Be ready for conflicts within your floor but also know that communication resolves most issues.

 

It’s inevitable, you won’t click with everyone and even with your closest friends, you may have a hard time living with them. Talk things through with the individual directly instead of addressing the issue as complaints to other people. 

 

3. Know that your family will be there for you and if you ever at any point feel lonely, your family is a resource that still has your back.

 

Sometimes distance makes relationships feel empty but be sure that you are still seeking out support and love from the people who care about you. 

 

4. Get to know upperclassmen in your major as they will absolutely be your direct source for most questions.

While professors and and advisors are also resources, quick questions or getting advice from people who have experienced what you are going through may be more valuable. 

 

5. Utilize your free game passes!

This is the absolute must if you want to experience Cal spirit at its finest.

 

Melody A. Chang

UC Berkeley '19

As a senior undergraduate, I seek out all opportunities that expand my horizons, with the aim of developing professionally and deepening my vision of how I can positively impact the world around me. While most of my career aims revolve around healthcare and medicine, I enjoy producing content that is informative, engaging, and motivating.  In the past few years, I have immersed myself in the health field through working at a private surgical clinic, refining my skills as a research assistant in both wet-lab and clinical settings, shadowing surgeons in a hospital abroad, serving different communities with health-oriented nonprofits, and currently, exploring the pharmaceutical industry through an internship in clinical operations.  Career goals aside, I place my whole mind and soul in everything that I pursue whether that be interacting with patients in hospice, consistently improving in fitness PR’s, tutoring children in piano, or engaging my creativity through the arts. Given all the individuals that I have yet to learn from and all the opportunities that I have yet to encounter in this journey, I recognize that I have much room and capacity for growth. Her Campus is a platform that challenges me to consistently engage with my community and to simultaneously cultivate self-expression.