Plan and organize: It might seem like a hassle to figure out your schedule and plan how to study, but it will most likely save you time and prevent and unwanted surprises. Take the time to look at your final schedule and plan out your study days, and work from there.
Taking a break: Know when your brain needs a break, studying constantly throughout finals week can't be good for you mentally or physically. But when I say break I don't mean going out to party or anything, more like something relaxing like watching a movie or going to the gym, so it doesn't completely take your focus off of your finals.
Sleep: Don't be crazy and study 24/7 We aren't robots and hence we need sleep. Sleep is an important factor in memory and learning, so make sure you get lots of it!
Efficient studying: Get off that instant messaging and turn off that TV. There are so many distractions to keep you from studying! We know what those distractions are, but most of the time we just let it through becuase we enjoy them Gain the willpower to simply tell yourself that you need to study, adn perhaps go to a place where the distractions aren't readily there.
Relax: try not to stress out, easier said than done. But if you plan accordingly and study efficiently, you shopuld be fine!
Time management is the key to avoiding this. As finals near, it's a smart idea to have a calendar that contains time segments (almost like an appointment book). This really helps me organize my time for studying. It's also important to realistically plan your time. If you have a somewhat short attention span like I do, studying for four finals in one day with minimal breaks isn't very efficient. Over scheduling can affect your mood. If your list is too long and you find that you didn't complete it all by the end of day, you feel like you've wasted your time and get more stressed.
Stress, with the combination of all those take out food you've been eating, can be detrimental to your health. It can also affect your studying. Remember to take breaks and plan your time wisely during finals week. It will be beneficial for you in the long run and with your exams.
]]>(sigh)
If you’re like me, making trip after trip to the library, or spending endless nights studying at your desk, you can understand how physically and emotionally stressful the end of the semesters are. Unfortunately, there’s no way around it, but there are ways that we can get through it.
]]> Sleep: It seems counterintuitive to “waste time” being unconscious, especially when you could be using that time to cram more information into your brain. Give your body and mind a chance to rest so you can perform well on the day of the actual test.Eat right: Especially when we’re stressed, those greasy, fried foods appear even more appetizing. However, stress can increase the body’s need for certain nutrients and can weaken the immune system, so it is a good idea to eat healthier foods to stay focused, alert and strong against potential colds/flu’s.
Keep Organized: Listing and outlining your schedule of tests can help you plan when you need to work on something. I find it helpful to make a daily list of tasks that state what and how much I need to study for a certain class. This way, I set mini goals for myself that are more attainable and actually get done.
Take a break: Sitting and staring at the screen is probably not going to get much done. If you’re stuck, or feel exhausted, it is ok to walk around a bit, to go outside and get some fresh air. This can help to regenerate your body and mind.
As always, if you have any other concerns regarding studying tips or worry about what you will do over the summer, feel free to visit the PALs at our office hours. We’re here to help you get through this difficult time, so if you need a listening ear or someone to vent to, our doors are open!
]]>“In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we know. We will know only what we are taught.” – Baba Dioum
Spring semester for us PALs has been busy but fun. We've had a lot of chances to reach out to the Berkeley campus. In addition to our regular advising office hours, we've had resource fairs, advising nights, and even online chats for students.
But I'd have to say that my favorite events are the Movie Nights that PAL hosts. They're a nice way to relax and just have fun with others in the college. Plus, there's always free pizza and drinks!
Being part of all these activities always reminds me how awesome CNR is. When I talk to students and share experiences with them, I'm reminded of why I love this college and how it's so unique and tightly-knit. A lot of students have difficulty navigating the large university or are confused in which directions they should go. But CNR offers a lot of support and helps you to feel at home :)
If you're interested in becoming a PAL for the upcoming semester, come pick up an application!
]]>Another perk that's been picking up in CNR is our movie nights, which have grown increasingly popular. Just last Tuesday we showed Juno in the Resource Center. That's right, on the day of release, a week before SUPERB did they're showing. Keep your eye out for future movie nights, as they are always FREE and accompanied by free pizza and drinks. Pretty cool, huh?
This will be my last semester as a PAL--I'll be graduating next month, a scary thought indeed. I'm trying hard to savor the last few weeks of my Cal student existence before entering into the "real world," whatever that is. According to my African lit professor, it will consist of all graduates sitting at home with mac & cheese in front of the couch blubbering in an unspoken existential crisis.
I don't think it will be that bleak, but the moral of the story is: Enjoy Cal while you're here. It goes by faster than you think.
]]>This semester I am also the website coordinator for PAL. I create photo pages of our recent events and help maintain the PAL blogs. We’ve received so much positive feedback from our blogs and I am so happy that our hard work is appreciated among the campus community and beyond. I’ve actually been recognized, while running errands, as a PAL because of our blog page so it has been really exciting. Each week we post multiple entries to share our experiences and provide lots of advice, so check us out regularly!
Aside from all the advising we do, the PALs also host movies nights for students. It’s a great way to meet new people, watch a film you’ve been dying to see, eat some great food and relax from the stress of classes for FREE! We’ve seen so many great movies like Into the Wild, Ratatouille, Juno, and The Transformers! We have big comfy couches to watch to film in so it’s super cozy.
I will be graduating soon so I keep reflecting over my experiences here in CNR and how much fun I have had, how much I’ve gained from getting involved with the activities, and how I’ve grown these past four years. Being a PAL has given me leadership experience, a voice in the CNR community, and the confidence to speak in front of large groups. I have also met so many interesting students and faculty on campus by becoming a PAL and have so many stories to take with me when I leave CNR. I hope you get as much out of the PAL program and CNR as we put in, and I hope to see you at some of our events!
I looked through the many different majors that the school had to offer. It was a good thing too because I was a bit unsure what major to apply as at both UC Davis and Berkeley. As God would have it, I came across Molecular Toxicology. Immediately, I knew this was the major for me. I didn't even know such a major could exist, but it fit perfectly. I was always a science person and had grown an interest in reproductive toxicology after spending a year researching at UC Riverside.
My first acceptance letter came from UC Davis, but I was waiting for the one from Berkeley. After a quick prayer, I clicked on the CAL admissions website. The word "congratulations" came on the screen. I couldn't believe it and read it a few times over to make sure that my eyes weren't deceiving me. As weird as this may sound, it was one of the most happiest moments of my life.
Even a year and half later, I am grateful to be at Berkeley. I truly feel that I made the right decision. Although the courses have been difficult, I've learned so much and I value my time spent here. The faculty and staff within the College of Natural Resources have been very helpful especially during my first semester. I really feel that we are one of the best colleges at CAL. Make sure to come to CAL day and you'll see just how great Berkeley and the College of Natural Resources are.
]]>I wanted to do something different this time. I wanted to be a little more adventurous and so I chose Cal simply for the opportunity to experience something new for myself and for my family, to experience a new environment at the same time, to be a part of Cal’s widely acclaimed reputation, history, culture, and academic excellence. “Bigger name, bigger reputation, and bigger prestige” was the impression I got from Cal so I had no doubt that I was going to get a top-notch education here. I came from Modesto, CA, an agricultural suburban city and so coming to Berkeley was all new and exciting for me- the campus, the food, the people, everything. And since I am a momma’s boy, staying close to my family was another reason I chose Cal. All in all, if I had the opportunity to change my decision to go to Cal, I wouldn’t.
So if you got into Cal, congratulations! Come to Cal Day on Sunday, April 12th to find out more about campus life and the Cal community. Remember, you are choosing your home for the next four years. Making the decision may not be an easy one, but make it your own. This is your turn, this is your education, and this is your future.
]]>At this point, I was torn between attending UC Davis or UC Berkeley because they both had specialized programs in nutritional science that I was interested in. To learn more about both schools, I talked to several people who went to either Davis or Berkeley and listened to their experience at their respective schools. Quarter system vs. semester, cow town vs. city life, warm weather vs. cold weather by the bay- the list was long, and unfortunately, I couldn’t rely on anyone else to make the decision for me.
In the end, I chose Cal because it would be more challenging and it had the reputable name. Come on, I couldn’t deny attending the top public University! Honestly, I was a little intimidated of large lecture classes of 500 students and felt like I wouldn’t be able to succeed at a place where EVERYONE was smart and came to Cal with high school GPAs greater than a 4.0.
Despite my fears, I was comforted knowing that graduating from UC Berkeley would carry me far in my career and open up many opportunities for me. As I look back at the challenging classes and all the struggles I endured, I somehow managed to make it through. But I know it wasn’t without help that I pulled through those tough Chem midterms. With the help of the student friendly resources, such as the CNR Pals and the on campus SLC tutoring, I can look forward to graduating in 1.5 months with a degree from UC BERKELEY! Go BEARS!!
So how did I come to this decision? I started to realize my sophomore year that I didn't want to pursue a career in Environmental Science. Not to say that I don't enjoy my major. I do. But I began to see that I just wasn't cut out for a science-related or even policy-related career. It's just not me. My strengths and interest don't really correspond to what I'm studying, and this was obvious whenever I got my grades back. I did the worse in my major's core courses and my best grades were in humanities classes. I knew that I enjoyed working with people, especially children, and I hoped that I would be able to incorporate that into my career. But I also knew that I wasn't cut out to be a teacher from a lot of previous teaching experience.
I began thinking about what kind of skills I have and what kind of jobs would complement my natural interests. I've thought about becoming a librarian dozens of times growing up but for some strange reason, I never took it seriously. But it popped back into my mind as I was contemplating all this. So I began to do some research and I also talked to a lot of family and friends. It's crazy because everyone I shared with gave me a lot of affirmation and encouragement about pursuing it!
I especially wanted to focus on children's and youth services as a librarian because of my passion for kids, and I decided that minoring in education would be a helpful and practical step. And that basically brings me to where I am right now. I'm almost done with my education minor and I love it. And now I'm in the process of preparing to apply for grad school.
If there's anything you can get out of my strange journey I hope it's the comfort and reassurance that you don't always have to know what you want to do in the near future. And it's okay to change majors or even pursue a major that may not necessarily be related to your future career. You should enjoy what you're studying. But also seek after what you really love (whether it's major-related or not) and what brings out your best :)
As a freshman, I needed a few more units to add to my schedule so I decided to take a vision science freshman seminar (Vis. Sci. 24). We would just sit with the professor and dispel eye/vision myths that we all thought were true. Like, sitting too close to the TV, lasik = perfect vision, etc. –very casual and fun.
This sparked my interest in vision and eyes. Then, a series of events took place that sealed my interest tight. My mother was bordering on being diagnosed with glaucoma, but by working with her optometrist, she was able to prevent the disease. I started thinking to myself, “Wow, this person was able to catch certain signs that prevented my mother from potentially losing her vision—that’s pretty amazing.” I hadn’t thought about my vision and how precious I value it until someone I knew could have had it taken away.
Then, I started going to some Foresight (pre-optometry club on campus) meetings and different representatives would come and try to “sell” their campus to us. After researching optometry as an occupation, I started to understand how valuable optometry is to a community and how interesting their job is. Then, I started shadowing/interning at an optometry office. This was the best-I learned (and still learning) what it takes to be a great optometrist, and how rewarding it is to run an office.
Now, I’m actually working at that office and having a blast. I look forward to work every week, and have a blast when I get there. Next year, I will be studying for the OATs (optometry admission test) and applying to different optometry schools throughout the nation, and hopefully get into a normal sleeping cycle!
Is optometry for you? Want more info? Come share your career plans with us during the PAL office hours! I would love to hear about your future plans!
One of the best resources for events coming up is the events page on the Berkeley website. They have a pretty good listing of everything happening at Cal from lectures to exhibits and performances. Sometimes, you have to find out by ear or e-mail. Just last week, I listened to Michael Pollan talk about his most recent book, In Defense of Food, which was a very good and interesting talk just about food in general. Later that week, listened to Richard Dawkins talk about his new book The God Delusion, which was quite enlightening given that I never heard of him before, given that I research the evolutionary relationships of plants.
As for seminars, I encourage any student who is really interested in a particular topic and has time in his/her class schedule to attend seminars. Some of these are actual class seminars that you can sign up for units, but there are other ones that usually happen once every week at a certain time. Here are some websites that might interest you. I actually try to attend Botany Lunches every week, and if given the chance, the IB ones. Most of them are quite interesting, even if you don't understand what they are talking about.
Listing of Biology Seminars
Microbial Biology Seminars
PMB Seminars
Listing of Environmental Seminars
ESPM Colloquium Seminars
Wildlife & Conservation Biology Seminars
Unfortunately, this makes me overlook all the other wonderful student events happening on Cal (which is why I sometimes wish I lived in the dorms – you usually have a better feeling of what's going on). For instance, I just missed the UC Men's Octet by a day, and I really love listening to them and all the other choral groups. There are also stage productions by the Theater, Dance, and Performances Department (and if you are into dance, check out the Berkeley Dance Project later this year).
Great thing about living in the Bay Area is the close proximity to San Francisco, which is like the cultural center of California (LA really doesn't compare). Again, there are concerts by the SF Symphony Orchestra (very well known), SF Opera, SF ballet, and then a bunch of modern dance companies, some touring Broadway shows, and that doesn't even cover it. If any of you are interest in film, check out the Asian-American Film Festival. Some of the movies are being held at the Pacific Film Archive, but you can also check out some of the ones around the Bay Area.
Anyway, I hope you take the time to enjoy what Berkeley has to offer!
]]>But, if none of these events float your boat, there is always San Francisco which is just a bart ride away. Enjoy your time in Berkeley with the all the events and happenings, and don’t spend all your time studying.
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