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| November 2007 »
midterms are around the corner, i need to study but i cant concentrate at home nor do i want to go to the quiet quiet library. what should i do then? where should i go? Starting this year, i have been addicted to cafes! Not only can i drink a cup of hot soy lattes, i am able to sit inside the cafes and study whatever i have to look at. The environment is very inviting and it is not absolutely too quiet that i can hear a pin fall on the ground. One cafe in particular that i visit a lot these days is Cafe Stradda. The coffee there is realllly good and so are the pastries! what is better than enjoying a cup of coffee and pastries any time of the day right? Anyways, i really like the environment because people are around me and the noise level is not unbearable. In fact, when there are a lot of noises like that, i am able to zone it out and to concentrate on what i need to look it...weird, but true. Stradda also has good amount of light that shines through the doors and windows so that i do not have to strain my eyes out trying to read. The tables are also big enough so that i can lay down whatever i have. Sitting outside is also fun because they have those heater lamps thingy that keeps you warm. You can also look at the people walk pass you as you sit and study. The people are super nice too..hehe i go there so much now that i do not even have to say anything and they know i want a cup of soy latte! =D
this may sound like i am advertising stradda...which i hope i am not, but definitely im trying to suggest studying or just sitting and relaxing in a cafe. find one that you like, stick to it and see how it affects you. if you are not a cafe person, there are many other study places/option to choose from. find one that you like, and study away! =)
Want to break free from campus before the next round of midterms arrives? Well, there are hundreds of amazing things to do around the Bay Area to give your mind some rest.
First, the obvious: Go shopping! Like Alex said, there are so many great shops to go to in San Francisco. Many companies have their flagship stores in SF, with a much wider selection than you would find at a department store or mall. If you take BART, the Powell St. Station drops you off in the SF Shopping Center, literally.
Hate shopping? That’s impossible! Fine, head on over to the Yerba Buena Ice Rink/Bowling Alley with a bunch of your friends. After you have fallen on your butt one time too many, you can relax and rent a lane at the bowling alley.
Not intellectually challenging enough? Fine, fine, fine. Head on over to the Metreon and visit the new Da Vinci exhibition. It’ll be running through the end of the year. I’ve heard that it is pretty interactive. How about Body World 2 in San Jose? It’s an exhibition showing real (dead) bodies dissected and arranged in different poses. Maybe it’ll help you with your anatomy midterm that’s coming up.
More of the outdoorsy type? Take a hike! in Tilden Park that is. There are many cool trails to explore and while you are there, go visit the Little Petting Zoo. No, it’s not full of miniature animals, as some may hope; it’s just a small (in size) petting zoo. My apologies for those who are disappointed.
Want more ideas? Come visit us during our office hours! We would love to give you more ideas of what to do around the Bay, and would love to hear your ideas as well!
So you have some free time, you've got friends you are crashing at your dorm this weekend, and they want to go somewhere cool. Where to take them?
Despite how cool the RSF may seem to you, that doesn't qualify as a hip hangout. Here are a few more iconic "places to go" around Berkeley and the nearby Bay Area...
Cal Performances events @ the Greek Theatre and Zellerbach: work that student ID! You get 50% most concerts and shows on campus. If you're stripped of cash, consider a trip to one of Superb's flicks, which come at $3 a pop.
Berkeley Art Museum: FREE for Cal students. Let me repeat that. FREE for Cal students. There's an Asian American art exhibit going on in that concrete building as we speak...or write, whatever, you get the idea. It's FREE for Cal students. Do it.
Colisseum: Go watch an A's game, or if you're brave enough, a Raider's game. Easily accessible by BART; yes, it's that stadium you see on the way to Oakland Airport.
Union Square, SF: consumerist hippies rejoice! SF is home to one of the greatest shopping meccas in the world. There's also plenty goin' on around the area. BART to MOMA. They've got Diego Riveras and Ansel Adams there (their art work, silly).
Gourmet Ghetto, northside: Do I hear Alice Waters? Chez Panisse isn't the only fine establishment north of Shattuck! The first Peet's was founded there and still exists. Food lovers should really check this joint out.
Golden Gate Park: yada yada yada, it's where all SF tourists end up. But it's certainly worth visiting. If you get bored of the roses, check out the de Young museum.
Really, it shouldn't be hard to find something to do when you're at Berkeley. Check out some of the items from the above sandbox. Your friends will be satisfied.
Midterms….ugh…quite possibly worse than finals. After they’re over, there is still more class, more lab work, and no dream of winter break just around the corner. However, there has been one useful tool that I have found to help combat the midterm blues and make this time of the year not as painful as it has the potential to become. Keeping up with the material and forming/finding a study group has helped me in unimaginable ways.
It’s just a straightforward idea of simply getting together to talk about the course material that can do wonders on an exam grade (as I can personally attest). They help to get major concepts straight, and the discussion aspect is the most important. Try to find anyone in your class to meet with, and if that doesn’t work, ask your friend/roommates if they would be willing to be an open ear, and listen to you talk out the material. Act as if you were teaching them the material. My roommates last year knew everything about Geographic Information Systems (GIS) after I had two midterms and studied for a final for ESPM 72 :). This semester they will hear all about population ecology and about how to distinguish one species of tree from another…and because of that (in addition to other study group time) I will do much better on my midterms. While not all study group experiences are the greatest, or all ears willing to listen at all times, just trying out these different studying techniques will definitely get you on your way to conquering the midterm monster.
Gone are the days of one midterm, one final exam, and one grade. Suddenly, classes can have 2-3 midterms in addition to the group presentations, weekly writing assignments, problem sets, as well as elusive and increasingly rare opportunities for extra-credit – everyone’s favorite type of assignment! For most classes, my favorite method is harnessing the power of many: study groups. Interested? Read on…
In my mind, study groups can be fabulously appropriate for many situations. In my humble opinion, I think group work best tackles problem sets and preparation for tests. Sadly, not all professors share my view. Some professors prefer you only consult your peers for particular aspects for class. Each of your professors may have a different policy, so be sure to tell them you’re considering putting together a study group, ask them what they recommend, and let them know who you will be studying with. This can prevent potentially uncomfortable situations down the road.
Who should I ask? How many people? I ask the students whom come to class, whom take notes (short or long), and seem to be friendly. If you don’t feel comfortable asking people directly, you can write a notice on the chalkboard before class with an anonymous email account like eep100studygroup@gmail.com, so you don’t pass out your personal information to the whole class. I recommend organizing a group of 4-6 people, but expect some people to flake. So, you might want to ask a few more.
What if the class is curved and we will be competing with amongst each other? Working together will increase everybody’s grade. Personally, I’ve consistently graded 15-30% better when studying in groups versus by studying alone. I’ve also noticed that a strong unspoken tendency to not form a study group if there aren't friends in the class or if the class grades are curved (adjusted to fit a normal curve with a mean of a C). This is when study groups can be most beneficial! The majority of students in your class are probably not in study groups. Everyone in a study group would have an advantage in comparison to the alternative of studying alone. The more you share, the more your study partners will share and everyone will benefit.
Everyone should contribute! Be sure all members of the group are comfortable with sharing their knowledge and helping everyone learn in a co-operative spirit. Organizing a study group doesn’t mean other people will do your work for you! I recommend organizing meetings after everyone has worked through a problem set, so the group can focus on questions people encountered instead of collectively working through the material for the first time. Similarly, when studying for tests, having everyone come to the study group with completed practice problems or summaries of important readings allows for a much for efficient study group.
This is the time of the year when summer’s glow is finally fading and the reality of classes, commitments, and dreaded midterms start to seem like a lot of handle. So what can you do to balance your schedule and kick start your studying? Here are a few pointers.
One of the most important things you can do as a student is buy a planner and keep track of when assignments are due, when tests are coming up, and all of your other activities and commitments. Make sure you check ahead a few weeks to anticipate midterms and large projects and see if there are any commitments before your exams that may prevent you from studying as much as you normally would. In this case, it may be a good idea to start studying a little earlier or to reexamine how important those commitments are to you. Remember to prioritize!
Another thing you can do to anticipate midterms is to occasionally review the material that the professor has covered in class. Ideally it is good for you to review your lecture notes the day of or the day after the lecture was given to make sure you understand all the material. However, things come up and its often very difficult to set time aside each day to do this. Reviewing once a week or every two weeks is a good compromise and can help you clear up questions while they are still fresh in your mind and prevent you from having to ask a bunch of questions during the office hours rush around the midterm.
Once I figure out when my midterms are and what material will be on the exam, I will usually start studying about a week before depending on how much I have going on the week of my midterm and how much trouble I have been having with the material. Make sure you are as clear as you can be on what will be covered in the exam, then come up with daily study goals to make sure you review all the material before the exam without cramming. Making a list of all the topics covered and assigning a topic or two to review each day will have you ready for the test in no time without having to stress and cram the night before.
Now you are ready to get started, but where are some good places to crack the books? I am fortunate to live in a quiet apartment and thus do not need to worry about getting too distracted. However, I find that I really like studying in cafes. Café Milano, Brewed Awakening, and Caffé Strada are some of my favorites that are pretty close to campus. It is really pleasant to be able to enjoy a cup of coffee while reading and be in a more social atmosphere than the drab library. That being said, the library is a great place for people to get work done efficiently, and for people who are easily distracted. You will get two to three times more work done in the library than in the same time spent at home taking breaks to surf the web, chat on aim, or grab some snacks.
Finally, the last piece of advice I can give is to still take care of yourself during exams. They are very important, but they are not worth compromising your health. Remember to eat well, get some exercise, and get plenty of rest. Good luck!
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