Going into my third year at the University of California, Berkeley, I’d like to think that I’ve perfected the college diet in my own sphere of the world. From Pop-Tarts to Diet Coke, I look at everything I consume in one day and wonder how I haven’t been seriously ill yet. On the opposite spectrum, I think about my lack of Vitamin C, real fruit intake, and empty water bottle, and wonder how my internal organs are still surviving. It’s quite ridiculous, though, how three years of schooling and independent living can take your eating habits from perfection to “as long as I remember to eat something today, I should be fine.” Alas, though, I think I’ve managed to craft a diet of champions, or at least one that’ll get me through every midterm, year-long project, internship, and final review imaginable as I finish up my last year of university.
Cherry Pepsi, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper
Like most of the population, I need caffeine on-hand 24/7 in order to physically function. But unlike most, I prefer my caffeine in the form of sugary beverages, which just adds to the health issues I’ll likely have by the time I’m 60. Most days, I’m drinking a Diet Coke, because at least I’ll know my calorie intake is low, but if it’s a bad day, I’m chugging 20-oz cans of Cherry Pepsi in the morning and switching off for Dr. Pepper at night. In hindsight, I probably consume more soda than I do water, so much so that I have a notes page dedicated just to how many cans of soda I drink every semester. The current number for fall 2025: 43. Keep in mind, these are variations of sizes, with some cans holding eight-oz and others holding upwards of 20-oz. Think about it this way, though, if I weren’t drinking a can of soda, who’s to say I would’ve even made it out of bed for my 9 a.m. lecture today? Soda both helps me get out of bed and keep me from going to bed, a perfect solution to my sleep time troubles.
Trail Mix
Because I’m on campus for long hours every weekday, I don’t usually have time to eat breakfast or lunch, and even occasionally dinner. More times than not, I have one big meal and a variation of small snacks throughout the day. Currently, my go-to snack is trail mix, but only that of the Target brand. What I find so enjoyable about them is the superior pricing: one giant tub for under $10 is any broke college student’s dream. I usually buy the candy mixture trail mix, although the “Tex-Mex” trail mix is also delicious. Trail mix is so great because you can just chug a handful of them down your throat and cure your hunger cravings for a good amount of time before the big meal. It’s also a lovely training snack. Once I get some amount of work or assignments done, I reward myself with a handful or two of trail mix straight from the tub. The only downside is that if you’re allergic to nuts, trail mix is like kryptonite, but it’s a good thing I’m not!
Local x Design
I’m lucky enough to get to study and major in my university’s College of Environmental Design in Wurster Hall, a notoriously small, ugly, and far South building far away from the rest of our campus. As a third year, I’m also incredibly privileged to have every single class in Wurster Hall, meaning I never have to leave the building (I’m being satirical when I say this, please free me from the Wurster Hall shackles). With that, all of the major campus restaurants and dining halls are a good 8-minute walk downhill, meaning if I want to eat from them, I have to do that walk and then walk uphill, full from what I just ate, so I could still make it to my next class. So when Wurster Hall added Local x Design, I could not have been more ecstatic, both to not have to walk uphill anymore and to actually eat real food in between my classes. Typically, I’ll get any variation of their bagels or fries with a soda, of course. Let me tell you, after back-to-back architecture lectures, these bagels are like heaven, reminding me that there is a light at the end of the dark, dark, dark tunnel. And as the slogan goes, this restaurant is a way for students to actually survive the long hours inside this singular building (the slogan was given by me).
Regardless of your major, college, program, etc., as a university student, it’s agreeable that college student diets would send any doctor into a coma. I know that if my mother saw what I ate daily, she’d ask if I was both mentally and physically okay, because this list only scratches the surface of my diet. But in seven short months, I’ll finally be able to put this diet behind me and adopt my graduate school diet!