What I Wish I Knew As a First-Year at Berkeley
As graduation approaches and the Class of 2025 gets ready to bid farewell to campus, I’ve taken some time to reflect on my past four years at UC Berkeley and think about what I wish I had known as a first-year student. Aside from the obvious (and truthful) notion that “the years go by so fast!” here is a list of things I’ve learned that I hope help you, no matter where you are in your UC Berkeley journey.
Make Room for the Unexpected
Don’t be closed off to new opportunities, don’t assume that your 4-year plan will go as expected, and don’t let that hinder any chances for new experiences. I decided during my junior year I wanted to go abroad, and that same year I decided I wanted to add my conservation and resources studies minor. I started at Berkeley sure of what I wanted to do post-grad (or at least, semi-sure), and that idea completely changed numerous times throughout my four years here. I took classes outside of my major, joined clubs, left clubs, applied for internships I wasn’t sure I’d get, and interned for a summer and an entire year—everything changed all the time, but I made sure to have constants in my life, too. I regularly called home, I spent time with friends, and I stuck with hobbies I knew relaxed me. Little things that, in hindsight, made everything a lot easier.
Your major does not equal one specific career path. What you major in does not decide your post-grad fate (unless you let it). Your undergraduate years are what you make them. This is particularly true if you want to go to graduate school. I had a professor who majored in math and then went on to get her PhD in English literature, and another who majored in English before getting his PhD in environmental management and ecology. I know pre-meds who are majoring in the humanities and pre-law students who are majoring in English or rhetoric. As long as you build skills you know you’ll need after graduation, you’ll be fine. If you’re still deciding on a major, read about one student’s journey in picking one.
Don’t Be Afraid to Do Things Alone
Join a club, take a cool class—regardless of whether or not your friends or peers are doing it. Take the risk! I found myself doing things alone often (admittedly, it’s something I personally enjoy). I joined clubs without knowing anyone going in, took two art classes with Berkeley Art Studio alone, and even studied abroad one summer without knowing anyone else in the program. Learning to do things independently is a big part of college, and who knows, you may discover you love it.
Make the Most of Your Time on Campus
Get involved on campus, however that ends up working out for you. Join extracurricular activities, participate in research, volunteer with a local organization, teach a DeCal, or get a campus job. I got more involved in clubs during my sophomore year, and part of me wishes I had started earlier in my freshman year. But, it all ended up working out in the end—I love the clubs I am involved in and have been involved in during my time here. Read why other students join clubs on campus and some benefits of doing so in our blog, Why Join a Club @ Berkeley?
Oski and me at VoteChella 2024, an event hosted by the ASUC Vote Coalition (a club I was a member of for two years). Image by ASUC EAVP Communications.
Stay at Berkeley for a Summer
Campus is different over the summer. I stayed for summer sessions to take two journalism courses, and I fell in love with campus all over again. I met a lot of international students who were studying abroad at Berkeley while taking courses I normally would not have had time to take during a regular semester. And, I got to enjoy the Bay during the summer! Staying near campus also made me feel like I had more time, and that the four years were not rushing by me. The classes do go by quicker over the summer, but they’re also smaller in size, which is something some Cal students don’t get to experience often.
My classes aligned perfectly with my plans to be a Golden Bear Orientation Leader that summer. Classes ended and GBO OL training started a couple of days later, and then I had one of the busiest and most fun weeks of my life as an OL. I was paired with a close friend of mine, and we showed a group of 35 first-year students around Berkeley before the semester started. If you want to be an OL I really recommend you apply come early spring—and you can read more about the experience of being one in our blog, GBO Leader Experience.
My GBO group at the Berkeley Marina!
Favorite Pieces of Advice I’ve Heard From Others
I attended a lot of different panels and presentations and heard from a lot of different alumni and many pieces of advice have stuck out to me throughout the years. Here are a few of my favorites:
Trust it will pay off in the long run. Sometimes you have to work a job you don’t love to get to the one you’ll adore. And, sometimes results can take years to display. This is something I have found especially helpful to remember as I think about post-grad life.
No one’s going to do it for you. Learn to advocate for yourself and seek out opportunities that you want. Learn from others and then learn to do it yourself. Take initiative and responsibility for your goals, even in small ways. Seek out those clubs on Callink, attend Calapalooza, stop by the tables on Upper Sproul Plaza, cold email a professor you want to do research with. Sometimes all you have to do is ask.
And one more piece of advice from me: have fun! The years really do go by so fast, and while you will remember all of the late nights spent studying and writing those essays, you’ll also remember the moments when you decided to stop studying a bit earlier to enjoy something fun.
Photo from the last Big Game I attended as a student.
Melissa Mora-Gonzalez Class of 2025, is majoring in English and minoring in conservation and resource studies. Feature image taken by Laura Villa Mendez.
Want More?
- Learn how you can make an impact on campus.
- Read more advice from Cal seniors.
- My experience as a first-gen student.