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Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well- warmed, and well-fed.

Herman Melville

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CollegiateACB

CollegeACB is back, with a new name but all of the same stigma.  For those of you that don't know, an ACB is an Anonymous Comment Board where anyone can say anything at all.  Sounds great, right?  Put that tool in the hands of thousands of college students across the nation, and what you get is a huge mess.  A cute idea for a college gossip site, CollegeACB ended up being a place for people to say hurtful, degrading things as they hid behind the anonymity provided by the site.  It was shut down in 2011, after the site tried out some changes to make it less slanderous and embarrassing.  However, the magical powers of the internet have recently brought it back under a new name.

Consequences of such slander can last far beyond the short-sightedness of the original post.  While the author of the post is protected by anonymity, anyone mentioned has an immense backlash.  Students aren't the only ones who can read the posts, anyone can-- including future employers, friends, and family.  You might not have a problem reading about what you did last weekend, but your parents and your boss might.  And keep in mind that it doesn't matter if any of the things on the site are true or not, because anyone with a Wi-Fi signal can post about you.  It's one of the most obvious forms of cyber-bullying I have ever witnessed, and it's disgusting.  I wish there was some way this could be shut down again, but in reality it is not the site that is responsible for such behavior, it is the people who post to the site that are responsible for their own actions.  Until the mentality behind the gossip changes, there will always be another site to take over and become another ACB.

For more information, read this article from the Cornell Daily Sun or this article about Greek Life in the Post-CollegeACB Era.

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Cal Day

This last Saturday was Cal Day. To those of you who are not aware, Cal Day is a yearly event where we celebrate everything and anything about Cal.  There are performances, lectures, informational sessions, free food and prizes, and the entire campus puts on its best show for the incoming freshmen.  First things first-- I had never heard of "Cal" before I came here.  On the East Coast and in other countries we call it Berkeley.  I'm from England and there it's pronounced "Barkley" (like Gnarls Barkley) because that's technically the correct pronunciation.  I've heard it as the University of California AT Berkeley, the University of California, Berkeley, UCB, Berks, Bezerkeley.  There are many names for this great place we call home.  But on Cal Day, it is Cal.

Don't let it fool you.  The dining commons you visited specifically serve better food around Cal Day.  Volunteers spent hours preparing the campus because it's never usually that clean.  Those dorm rooms that you visited were carefully selected to be the cleanest and most spacious rooms they could find.  Public transportation is amazing on Cal Day, where usually it is sub-par.  Our school is very careful to put their best foot forward on Cal Day, and we do a very good job of presenting ourselves in the most attractive manner possible.  In my opinion, it's kind of a facade.

I'm not saying that Berkeley isn't a great place.  On the contrary, I have fallen in love with this school, this campus, this area.  I think I made the right decision by coming here, and I look forward to the next 2 or more years that I get to spend as a Berkeley student.  However, I do think that students and families should know that what you see on Cal Day is not the real face of our school at all.  We're not a perfect school, we're not in a perfect area, and we most definitely do not always put our best foot forward like we do on Cal Day.  In reality, Cal Day works because it is an opportunity for thousands of students to take a break from the high-stress environment we live in, and to welcome our newest Bears.  We were all in your shoes at one point.  We, too, went to Cal Day and were mesmerized by the beautiful campus and the countless opportunities.  But once the magic faded and the Cal Day tents came down, we still loved it here.  Even without the pomp and fanfare, Berkeley is still the place where we want to live and study.  Maybe it's not as exciting as you might think, but there's a reason why we love Cal so much.

So if Cal Day was an incredible and wonderful experience for you, please enjoy it.  But remember that when Monday rolls around and the campus goes back to business as usual, it won't be like that at all.  Instead of focusing on what you enjoyed about Cal Day, try to find something you love about the school.  Remember that it's not all going to be fun and games-- we are one of the best schools in the country for a reason-- but that is no reason to be discouraged.  I'm letting you know now so that you don't come into Berkeley with unrealistic expectations, but it's better to come to Cal without any expectations at all.  Berkeley is an awe-inspiring school in its own right, and you will be continuously blown away by the incredible people you meet and the experiences you have.  Let your college experience run its course, and this time next year you'll be seeing Cal Day from the other side as well.

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Nobel Laureate Sighting in Yali's

I was in the coffee shop yesterday ordering a hot chocolate and Dr. Saul Perlmutter walked in.  I was looking at him because at first I thought I might be mistaken, but once I was 100% sure it was him I couldn't stop staring. I wanted to say hello or introduce myself but I got really scared and I couldn't move or speak.  In the end I stood there staring at him with my mouth open, gaping like a fish.

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Healthy Competition

At a school like Berkeley, everyone is used to being the best.  Before college, everyone got straight A's without too much effort, and most of us aren't used to anything else.  Being thrown head-first into a pool of bright, motivated students can be a difficult transition, but it does provide a whole lot of healthy competition.

I'm somewhere in between average and competitive.  I'll definitely never be in the league of those office-hour-goers, but I attend class and take notes pretty regularly.  There are times where I'm too tired to care or pay attention, but usually I force myself to put in the effort.  What has kept me going is that competitive side of me, the side that wants to do better than my peers.  I get a kick out of beating the curve on an exam, or knowing that I did better than someone who I consider to be smart.  It seems really mean, but it's natural selection.  Survival of the best test-takers.  Some kids will get an A, and others will realize that maybe being a physics major is a bit ambitious.  At this point in our lives, people have to realize that no matter how wonderful Mommy and Daddy say you are, the rest of the world might not agree.  College --especially Berkeley-- hands optimistic high school students a harsh dose of reality: You might have been amazing in high school, but you'll never be good enough here.

Don't let it get you down.  The first time you realize that Berkeley professors aren't impressed by your intellect, it'll shock you.  You might be in denial, but it's true.  At this point in your academic career, you've gone from a high school all-star to just another face at a top-tier university.  My best suggestion is to use that to your advantage.  Look around at your fellow students.  Let their drive and determination fuel your competitive side.  Fight to be one of those people, and it'll happen. Berkeley only seems impossible because you're not used to putting in the work, while the truth is that anyone can make it here-- you just have to fight for it.

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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

-Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)

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Interventions

One of the unique things about college is the living environment.  Most people have never lived in dorm-style housing, sharing rooms with one or more people.  It can be a really fun experience, as you get to know people really well and meet people with all different backgrounds.  However, sometimes living situations can go wrong.  The lack of privacy and personal space is frustrating, and if you and your roommate have differences of opinion, tensions can arise.  Regardless of whether you knew your roommate before you came to college, chances are that you will have an altercation at some point during your first year in the dorms.  This also applies to shared apartments and other university housing.

A major source of conflict is neatness, as people will messy tendencies will clash with those more inclined to order.  Night owls will disturb their early-to-bed, early-to-rise peers and vice versa.  A bookworm might not want to room with a fraternity pledge, and a strict religious person might not get along with their promiscuous living partner (although there are many exceptions to these stereotypes!).  When you are living in a single room with someone under a high-stress environment such as college, conflict is inevitable.  Sometimes it is a particular person’s fault, but in many cases nobody is to blame.  The way you deal with roommate conflict will determine whether your roommates put up with you or can’t stand you.  Here’s some advice for when you have to deal with it:

Fight fire with kindness. If your roommate is being a total jerk, being one back is probably your first reaction.  However, they probably are acting that way for a reason.  We all have bad days or weeks with a lot of stress, and it’s not fair to them to fight back like this.  Try to see the situation from their perspective.  Especially if this is the first time they have acted this way, there’s probably something going on that is putting them in a bad mood.  Give it a few days to blow over.  If they continue to be a pain in the butt, then you can address the issue.  However, fighting back doesn’t pay off because that just leads to more animosity further down the road. (I stole this excellent tip from a good friend!)

Stand up for yourself. If there is a serious problem, make sure to have your voice heard.  If you don’t tell your roommate how you feel when she leaves dirty underwear on the floor, she’s never going to know that you hate it (this is actually a purely hypothetical situation).  Don’t feel bad about standing up for yourself, because you deserve to be happy just as much as your roommates do.  If there is a situation where you feel like your roommates are taking advantage of you, you need to act quickly and nip it in the bud.  Letting things continue that make you feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or unwelcome in your own room is unacceptable.

Think things through carefully. Make sure to choose your words and actions carefully, or you will quickly go from fighting the roommate-from-hell to being one yourself.  It’s best not to initiate conflict when you are angry.  Instead, leave the room, take some time to cool off, and approach the situation calmly.  A bit of relaxation can grant you enough clarity to deal with the problem maturely and appropriately. Also, added stress from your living environment is not what you need when you have a full courseload plus extra-curriculars.  Being calm and logical about presenting your opinion will make it easier for the other parties to do the same, and it might just prevent an all-out war with your roommates.

Talk to someone you can trust. If you aren’t sure what to do or how to approach the problem, talk to one of your friends.  It’s less formal than going to an RA and it allows you to get honest, frank advice.  Keep in mind that you should take their advice with a grain of salt, as a hot-headed friend who tells you to burn your roommates shoes probably isn’t the best person to be asking for conflict mediation advice (also hypothetical!).

You can’t please everybody. You can try to be friendly, gracious, understanding, and you can follow all the advice I’ve given you.  Sometimes, people will still be unhappy.  They might try to guilt you and make you think it’s your fault, but if you know it isn’t, ignore them.  If you can look back on the way you acted during a roommate dispute and say that all of your words and actions were respectable and understandable, then you have done all that you can.  If it’s the beginning of the semester this might be the time for requesting a room transfer, but if it’s close to the end of the year you should consider waiting it out.

Extraordinary circumstances. If your roommate is doing something illegal or someone is staying in your room who is not allowed to be there, do not hesitate to call the campus police (UCPD 510-642-3333) or local police (911).  In this case, it is up to you whether you attempt to mediate the situation, but if you ever fear for your safety you should immediately call the police and get out of the room.

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Unplugged

We need to unplug.  Not just college students, but society as a whole.  A couple of weeks ago was the 2012 ASUC Perspectives showcase, the largest collaboration of its kind on the West Coast.  The theme was "the people in the headphones" -- you know the ones-- who ignore the world and everything around them.  They trudge through campus, never saying a word, hooked up to their iPods and cell phones as if their lives depended on it.

We have all been guilty of it at one point or another, because escaping from the world into a trance-like alternate reality is easier.  It's easier to blast music and ignore the people flyering on Sproul, because being apathetic is easier than caring or listening.  It's easier to ignore people and be antisocial. It's easier to sit in the back of lecture and zone out instead of participating and taking notes.  Whether it permeates through your entire life, I believe that everyone in our society and in the entire country is addicted to technology.

I have friends who have given up Facebook for Lent, and they tell me that just omitting that one website from their daily lives has freed up hours of their time.  It's extraordinary how much people are plugged in nowadays, and it's not good.  Fortunately, there are ways to monitor or limit your technology usage without giving it up entirely.  Leave your computer or iPod at home so you aren't distracted during class.  Turn off your computer and dim your room's lights an hour before bedtime so that your body can adjust and produce melatonin to help you sleep.  Get your news from a newspaper instead of the Google homepage (yes, its not as up-to-date but you're less likely to get distracted).  There are programs such as Chrome Nanny (for Google Chrome) and Leech block (for Firefox) which allow you to limit the number of minutes per day that you can use certain websites.  You can also use Minutes Please although it isn't a plug-in so you can bypass it at any time.  These methods are one way to wean yourself off social networking sites or prevent yourself from looking at pictures of cats wearing Christmas sweaters when you should be writing a paper.  There are more interesting things to do in life than just sitting there staring at a computer screen.  So try to limit your technology usage.  You might suffer withdrawal, but its better to control technology than to have your addiction control you.

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Berkeley is fighting back [UC Berkeley] (by DC4Cal)

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"Easy" Majors

If you wanted to cruise through college with straight A’s, what major would you pick? Many people would choose Music, Art, or other similar disciplines.  An article on thebestcolleges.org lists these as well as English, Religion, and Education among the 10 easiest college majors.  Their list of the 10 most difficult majors features Chemistry, Math, Economics, and Biology.  With few exceptions, math- and science-based degree programs are considered to be more challenging and liberal arts programs are considered easier. 

The reason why so many students studying mathematics and the sciences look down upon an English major or someone majoring in the arts is because of the mistaken idea that these subjects are easier or useless.  I am an intended Molecular and Cell Biology major myself, and I'm going to tell you that this is completely wrong. These degrees are not easy, nor are they useless.  Don't be naïve, I seriously doubt that many physics majors would excel in advanced English or History classes and vice versa. The fact of the matter is once you get past a certain point, all subjects become difficult.  It doesn’t matter whether its quantum mechanics or modern music theory, every single discipline becomes challenging at the college level. When math majors imagine that art majors spend their classes fingerpainting, they are exhibiting a ridiculous misunderstanding of the arts. A lot of students in the sciences are guilty of this kind of thinking, and it's representative of a society that values quantitative fields over qualitative ones.

The idea of social science degrees being “useless” is also completely unfounded.  Every degree can be useless if the student does not make the most of it.  There are English majors who will graduate and go on to shape our society and the world, and there are particle physicists who will never make a difference.  The value of your education doesn’t depend on the label typed on your diploma, but what you make of your knowledge and experiences.  Also, the idea that scientific applications are more pragmatic completely belittles the invaluable cultural impact that arts and literature have on humanity.

I am not a social science major, and I have never really enjoyed the social sciences. I prefer to do my work in a laboratory, but I am not so naïve or prejudiced to write off the accomplishments and value of the liberal arts.  The classification of majors according to their difficulty is a superficial social construct, and I can assure you that regardless of what you major in, it will not be easy.

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Valerie (Amy Winehouse) - DeCadence a cappella (by DeCadenceAcappella)

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Tricks of the Trade

You worked your butt off in high school, studied for your SATs or ACTs, and got into Berkeley.  You were the king or queen of your high school, and you just assumed you’d be graduating from Berkeley with the same 4.0 you got back in grade school. It’s the week after your first midterm in Chemistry 1A, and you thought you did just fine.  In lab, you get your exam handed back with a big red “C” on it.  It’s the first C you’ve ever received on anything. Ever. Panic begins to set in.

Now, hold on.  The best advice I can give to a first-year student or any other student who has just realized that your puny little brain is no match for college exams is a little step-by-step guide I used to bring my C in Chem 1A up to an A.  It applies to any freshman “weeder” class, so you can use this advice even if you’re not in Chemistry or you’re not a Berkeley student. If I can do it, you can too.

1. Freak out. Yeah, you heard me. I’m not your mom, I’m not your best friend, and I’m not going to tell you that everything is going to be okay. Because it’s not.  Freaking out will suck really badly for the next couple of days, but it’ll motivate you to work harder, pay attention, and go to office hours.  Think of it as a wake-up call, or an introduction to the harsh realities of college.

2. Calm down. Okay, you’ve had your meltdown. You’ve thrown out your video games, contemplated dropping out, called your mom in tears, and yelled at someone who looked at you funny in the dining commons. That’s enough. Accept your mistake and move on.  From here on out, focus on improvement. 

3. Get help. Hey, guess what? There are all these people (professors, tutors, GSIs) who are getting paid to help you learn, and you are paying to learn from them. You might as well get your money’s worth by going to class and office hours and asking questions.  You’ll learn more and sucking up to the professor might be enough to get you noticed if you ever need a recommendation down the road. If you are the one kid who shows up to office hours every week, they will start to like you, and that is always an advantage.

4. Don’t burn out. After receiving a wake-up call like a bad grade on the first midterm, you’re probably amped up.  You’ve decided on a bunch of things you’re going to do to get your grade up, and you’ve got motivation and determination.  However, new semester resolutions are like new year’s resolutions—people never keep them.  There are a bunch of traps (parties, video games, TV, etc.) that you can fall back into that will eventually take their toll on you and your grade.  One way I got around this was by forming a study group which met every week or so, where we would work on our pre-lab assignments and do practice midterms together.  By scheduling in a weekly time to focus on that class, I forced myself to keep up with studying and doing the work.

Not everything on this list will work for everyone, but trying to improve is better than resigning yourself to be a C-student.  From personal experience I know that it is possible to bring a C up to an A by the end of the semester, and earning those A’s will pay off if you want a scholarship or are applying to med/law/grad school.

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