My first semester as a freshman had its share of ups and downs. I lived in Unit 1 with a friend from high school, so the transition to living with a roommate wasn’t so intimidating. I remember feeling a little bit homesick when my parents left after helping me settle in. But I found that the great array of welcome week activities helped me forget those initial feelings.
Beginning my first week of classes was also a bit overwhelming, since my first chemistry class consisted of 500 people. I can recall the panicked feeling I felt when I incorrectly answered the automated chemistry questions (you know, the ones with that remote control thingy). At one point I even called my older brother to say that I would never be able to get through this class and would subsequently fail all other classes at Berkeley.
Thankfully, things got better. I discovered that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. There were many tutoring services available to help me academically and studying with others helped me see that I didn’t need to struggle alone.
Looking beyond my experience with Chem 1A, every other aspect of college life was great. Some of the best memories come from late nights spent with floor mates and venturing out to the Asian ghetto to grab food at 1 am in the morning. I also got plugged in with a Christian fellowship on campus and am amazed at the strong friendships that I have been able to form.
Berkeley certainly has character, with its unique selection of restaurants and shops. Whenever I got tired of eating at Crossroads, I would explore the restaurants along Telegraph, or make a late night run over to McDonalds on University whenever I had a craving for French fries (yes…even nutritional science majors can splurge once in a while).
While my experience as a freshman may have had a rough start, it turned out to be an unforgettable experience filled with its share of mediocre midterms, visits to Yogurt Park and endless rounds of Texas hold’em.