How to find your community
Have you ever wondered how your average UC Berkeley student makes friends? If so, this blog is for you! I’ve compiled anecdotes from Berkeley Life writers, students of all different walks of life, to showcase just a few ways you might find your people at Cal.
Housing: Home is where the heart is
“I’m in my third year of living in on-campus housing for financial aid reasons, and I made many friends through living at Foothill last year. I became close with a lot of people on my floor, and with their extended friends as well. Our suite lounge became a primary hangout spot, whether it was for late-night banter or Friday movie nights.
Also, during freshman year, I made a point of attending the RA events, and I still do occasionally (especially if there’s free food!).” — Nolan, Class of 2027, majoring in media studies
Nolan and his friends entranced by My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic in their Foothill suite lounge.
“When I first got here, I didn’t really make too many friends during Golden Bear Orientation (GBO) or anything like that, but I had made friends with my roommate, who in turn made a lot of friends during those first weeks. Going from the residence halls in my first year to a co-op in my second, I made a lot more friends and pretty quickly. The house is generally small so it’s easy to connect with everyone living there.” — Vincent, Class of 2026, majoring in English
Vincent (right) and a friend in the living room of their co-op.
To learn more about what it’s like to live in a co-op, or co-operative housing, read Vincent’s blog, A Co-Operative Life.
“I lived in Unit 1, Freeborn Hall, my first year at Cal. On move-in day, my roommate and I went down our floor and knocked on people’s doors to introduce ourselves. This way, we were able to exchange names, introductions, and phone numbers before GBO even started. Throughout the first weeks, we tried different dining commons together and compared schedules so we could walk to classes together. The next year, we all started to look for housing off campus and ended up going from floormates to roommates!” — Reva, Class of 2026, majoring in data science and environmental economics and policies
Clubs and orgs: Pursue your passions
“I’ve made a lot of friends through the Undergraduate Astronomy Society (UAS), which is a Blue Heart Initiative club, meaning anyone is welcome to join! The officers in the club make an effort to interact with club members, so I initially befriended the President at the time of me joining. (I talk about this briefly in one of my blogs, Day in the Life: Milana.) Since becoming an officer, I have spent a lot of time working with and studying with the other officers and club members, so we’ve all grown quite close, as is the nature of small classes within small majors.” — Milana, Class of 2028, majoring in astrophysics and political science
Milana (second from left) and friends she made through the Undergraduate Astronomy Society at Way Station Brew’s trivia night! They try to go every Wednesday night.
“In addition to writing for The Daily Cal, I have been a part of the student theater club BareStage Productions during my time at UC Berkeley. I found BareStage Productions just by looking up ‘arts clubs’ on the CalLink website. During my first semester with BareStage, I made friends with someone, and they ended up becoming my roommate for two years!” — Nolan, Class of 2027, majoring in media studies
Nolan (right in photo on left) met Janghyun in the BareStage production of Much Ado About Nothing and later became roommates with him!
There are a variety of accessible theater arts clubs and opportunities in Berkeley, and Nolan has covered many of them in his blog, Theater Arts in Berkeley.
Academics: Great minds think alike
“I did a research project through the Undergraduate Research & Scholarships Program (URAP), and after 10+ weekly meetings, presentations, and a team retreat, our team has become more like a friend group. Getting to know each other outside of research meetings has also helped us understand each other’s work styles, experience, and goals, which in turn has helped us collaborate more efficiently and ask for help more proactively . . . Yes, that sunset walk to Menchie’s did make us better researchers!” — Reva, Class of 2026, majoring in data science and environmental economics and policies
Reva (left) with friends at Menchie’s.
“Because the entirety of lower division classes for the astronomy major consist of classes outside of the department, I befriended many engineering majors in taking the Physics for Scientists and Engineers classes (Physics 7 series). My labmates from Physics 7A last year still regularly have board game nights and I recently did a Japantown trip with my Physics 7B labmates!” — Milana, Class of 2028, majoring in astrophysics and political science
Milana’s Physics 7A labmates playing a German board game called Micro Macro. One of Milana’s lab mates is minoring in German, collects board games, and translates the board games when they play them together.
Study abroad: Journey out of your comfort zone — literally
“As counterintuitive as it sounds, I actually made one of my closest Cal friends through a year-long University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. He’s since graduated, but we still hang out from time to time because he lives in the Bay Area!” — Nina, Class of 2026, majoring film & media
Nina (second from left) and Brendon (center) with their friends at a cooking class in Taiwan during the spring break of their study abroad program.
“I made some good friends during my study abroad program last summer, and we see each other on campus now every now and then, which is nice. I would say that if someone wants to make friends, it’s a good idea to do outside programs or find alternative spaces rather than solely relying on spaces like class to meet folks.” — Vincent, Class of 2026, majoring in English
Part-time jobs: Work hard, play hard
“I’d definitely consider myself friendly with all of my coworkers. As social media team members for Student Affairs Communications, we’re in a bit of a unique position because a lot of the content we make is about fun things you can do around campus, so for a lot of our projects, we’re essentially being paid to hang out with each other and have fun! We get to go to cool events together, try a bunch of great food places, and do unique activities. I definitely always have a good time when I’m filming with my team.” — Rachel, class of 2026, majoring in media studies
Rachel (center) and her friends at their team’s spring picnic.
Campus and beyond: fun and free events near you
Something fun and free happens nearly every day on campus, and the Berkeley Life Roundup newsletter compiles lots of them into a single email sent to all students once per month. Places regularly hosting programs at an affordable price (or for free) are:
- Your Student Union, located in the MLK Jr. building. Some of their programs recur, like Crafter Dark and Crafter Noon socials, whereas others are specific to a given year, like the Bridgerton-themed tea party in spring 2023.
- The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), located on the downtown edge of campus. BAMPFA features museum exhibitions, live performances, readings and talks, state-of-the-art film screenings, and hands-on workshops. In fall 2024, they screened a curated series of experimental films in conjunction with Film 135: Experimental and Alternative Media Arts, an upper-division film course I was enrolled in.
- ASUC Superb Productions, a student-run, non-profit branch funded by the Student Union. They host concerts (past performers have included JPEGMAFIA, Mitski, and Kehlani), drag comedy shows, film screenings, trivia nights, art workshops, and so much more. Going to an ASUC Superb event — or ten — should definitely be on your Berkeley bucket list.
A Student Union event hosted for National Coming Out Day in October 2023. Photo courtesy of UC Berkeley Brand Photo Gallery, copyright University of California, Berkeley.
With free poetry readings, concerts, and special events at the dining commons, there’s always something to do around campus. We’ve written several blogs on affordable activities for Cal students and opportunities that are unique to UC Berkeley, so take advantage of that!
Final advice
“You hear this advice from everyone but it’s because it’s true: get out of your comfort zone! Join clubs that align with your interests, even if it lies outside of your major. Talk to people in your lectures, discussions, and labs. An easy trick I’ve been doing since high school is trying to talk to or compliment at least one person a day. Sometimes, this just means telling a peer I like their outfit, but it can also mean engaging in your community! I strike up conversations with cool strangers on the bus, senior community members who bird watch when I go on hikes, and anyone else that seems like they might have a story to tell.” — Milana, Class of 2028, majoring in astrophysics and political science
“As cliché as it may be, just put yourself out there! It can be daunting as a transfer or as someone who’s not a freshman, since it’s not like GBO week where everyone is new and eager to make new friends. But I promise, if you make an effort to constantly be around other people, introduce yourself, and display curiosity, you are bound to make new friends! Don’t be afraid of inconvenience, because that’s the cost of friendship!” — Nolan, Class of 2027, majoring in media studies.
My final word of advice is to say yes to as many opportunities as you can, even if they don’t initially interest you. This is how I learned I love attending Sunday morning services at the Berkeley Buddhist Temple, and that I’m a big fan of stand-up comedy shows.
Have fun out there, Golden Bears!
Nina Takahashi, Class of 2026, is majoring in film & media and minoring in Japanese and creative writing.
Want more?
- Read my tips on finding community at Cal as an out-of-state student!
- Learn how Berkeley students make friends while studying abroad.
- Explore grad housing options, featuring real students’ perspectives.