Spring admit first semester experiences
Spring freshmen admits
English | Intended Business | Nutritional Science

Extension/FPF freshmen
African American Studies | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | Undeclared

My first semester at Cal was a great learning experience that helped me lose my inherently shy nature. While the transition into Berkeley may be more difficult for shy people like me, I feel it's definitely worth the personal development that is sure to follow.

--Siamac, Nutritional Science

Frosh, spring admit, Nutritional Science, College of Natural Resources

Initially, I was reluctant to go to Berkeley because it accepted me only for spring admissions. I thought that I would miss out on many activities for incoming freshmen, that I wouldn't be able to make friends, and that I wouldn't find my niche in such a large school. I thought it would be better for me to go to a school that accepted me for the fall; but in retrospect, I'm extremely glad I decided to come to Cal.

Moving into the dorms was an uncomfortable process for me--it was difficult to bond with the other students on my floor. My roommate very quiet, and the other students on my floor had already known each other for an entire semester (some even longer). In addition, I was extremely shy, and I felt like an outsider in the place I was going to call home for the next four months.

Going to class was enlightening for me, and I began to feel part of a community. I started introducing myself to my classmates, and soon I was socializing with others who had similar academic and social goals. The friends I made introduced me to their friends--and so on--as the semester progressed.

Sports have always been a large part of my life, so I felt it was important to join the RSF (Recreational Sports Facility); I'm glad I did. From that community alone, I learned about a number of groups, activities, and resources that can help students like me pursue their personal interests. I later joined the Boxing Club, which I participate in to this day.

In one semester, I found out what it was like to live on my own, and I realized what a great place I would be involved in for the next four years.

--Siamac, Nutritional Science
From Sacramento, California
Previously attended Granite Bay High School

Don't overburden yourself academically in your first semester, you'll miss out on other great experiences. Take some time to take in all that is Cal, and enjoy every second, the real work will begin before you know it.

--Akash, Intended Business

Frosh, spring admit, intended Business

There were a number of universities that I was considering, but Cal truly fit like a glove. I was accepted for spring, and after coming to terms with the injustice of it all I chose to attend. I've always been quite adamant about my goal to one day enter the corporate world; this meant pursuing a degree in either business or economics. As Cal houses reknown programs in both, I couldn't lose.

When spring finally arrived I was eager to begin my coursework and make up for any lost time, perhaps a bit overeager. In a stunning display of hubris I decided that it would be wise to take 3 major prerequisites in my first semester, in addition to a breadth requirement, and a couple freshman seminars for good measure. Needless to say, it wasn't the best idea I've had. I like to pretend that I did it for posterity, so they could learn from my mistakes. The lesson: Don't overburden yourself academically in your first semester, you'll miss out on other great experiences. Take some time to take in all that is Cal, and enjoy every second, the real work will begin before you know it.

For the spring admits out there worried about feeling awkward or at all inferior at Cal, don't sweat it in the least. I was really surprised by the number of spring admits and extension students I encountered. I was even more surprised by how little it mattered, none of your fellow Berkeley students care whether you were admitted in spring, fall, or anywhere in between. After you get your bearings you're going to fit right in with everyone else. You'll have no trouble competing academically; you were admitted to Cal for a reason. Keep busy during the fall and then come on out to Cal to join the adventure, it's well worth the wait.

--Akash, Intended Business
From Riverside, California
Previously attended La Sierra High School

My roommates and suitemates turned out to be incredibly friendly.  Even though they weren't sharing my first year experience, they helped me transition by being there for me, answering my questions, and guiding me.

--Shokoofeh, English

Frosh, spring admit, English

When I was applying to colleges as a senior in high school, I wanted to get as far away as possible from a competitive educational atmosphere.  I always felt uncomfortable with the level of competition at my high school, so my top choices were private liberal arts colleges in Southern California. I applied to the UCs because I didn't want to limit my options, and I wanted to ensure that I had choices close to home "just in case." When the acceptance letters came, I was shocked and excited to see that I had been accepted to Berkeley as well as some of the liberal arts colleges I had applied to. When I held the acceptance letters in my hand, I realized that I would never be happy far away from my sister and parents; suddenly, choosing a college was no longer much of a dilemma. I knew that I would probably desire a smaller, less competitive campus every once in a while, but being close to home at Cal would make it all worthwhile.

I was accepted as a Spring Admit. Unlike some of my peers, I chose to travel in the semester I had off. I spent most of it in Iran, and the rest of it in San Francisco, working. At the beginning of spring semester, I moved into the Unit 2 dorms. Though I was only an hour away from home, I felt nervous because my roommates were older than me.  I came from a high school where you cannot easily become friends with students older than you, and I was worried. However, my roommates and suitemates turned out to be incredibly friendly.  Even though they weren't sharing my first year experience, they helped me transition by being there for me, answering my questions, and guiding me.

In terms of academics, I felt completely adjusted. I was quite surprised that it only took me a semester to become comfortable with university-level coursework; I enjoyed my classes a great deal. The students in my English classes were not overly competitive, and I felt that the workload was a lot more reasonable than it had been in high school. The teachers and GSIs were incredibly intelligent and wanted to be friends more than authority figures. I felt like I had plenty of resources in the English department to answer my questions and provide me with guidance.

Because I moved in with sophomores and was a spring admit (who didn't do Fall Extension), my social experience the first semester was rough. I had not found my niche, and I didn't have very many friends other than those I knew through the Iranian community...and they too were older than me. The deeper I got into the semester, the more uncomfortable I was made by how well my peers had adjusted to social life at Cal. I felt lonely a lot of the time, but I always tried to make the best of it.

By the end of my first semester, I still had not found my exact place in the university's social structure.  However, I had been caught in the flow of the campus, and felt that I would find my way with time. Because of this, I wasn't very worried or upset, but rather encouraged to see what would come next.

--Shokoofeh, English
From Pleasanton, California
Previously attended Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton

Although I was not initially pleased with the scant number of courses I could take at Extension, the limited offerings did encourage me to spread my interests around... Most importantly, the Extension professors are just as good as the campus professors; if anything, the Extension professors are far more approachable due to the smaller class sizes.

--Yuan, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Frosh, FPF, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Despite living nearby, I never thought of Cal as my first choice for college. But after being rejected from my top two choices -- and waitlisted for my third -- I began to more thoroughly research the UC campuses that accepted me. I had a strange situation with admissions: UCLA's offer came with a $3000 scholarship, and Davis was offering free housing. Meanwhile, I got a semi-offer from Cal, letting me in as a "Spring Admit"--a term I had never heard before. It was a tough choice, but in the end I chose Berkeley over UCLA and UCD largely because of friends and family.

The immediacy of the Extension program (aka FPF, Fall Program for Freshmen) also contributed to my choice. I didn't want to miss a single day of college; I was too excited to start, and too anxious about being left behind. So Extension was my chance to get on campus in the fall and make the transition to collegiate academics as soon as possible. However, I was placed in Unit Two, which is a stone's throw from the Extension facility. As a result, I was rarely on the UC campus and only got involved in Cal Archery through a friend's reference.

Although I was not initially pleased with the scant number of courses I could take at Extension, the limited offerings did encourage me to spread my interests around. I still attribute my stargazing to Astronomy, as well as my interest in the human psyche to Psychology (I even considered minoring in Psychology for a time). Most importantly, the Extension professors are just as good as the campus professors; if anything, the Extension professors are far more approachable due to the smaller class sizes. The Extension program ultimately left me better prepared for the "real" Cal than I would have been otherwise.

I often believe I was lucky with Extension in many ways. Because I was able to save my campus experiences and involvement for spring semester, I had all of fall to focus on my floormates. I roomed with two other Extension students, and they really helped me get acquainted with the diversity on campus. Half of my floor was also Extension (though you wouldn't have been able to tell after the first month). Everyone on my floor was very amiable, and the extra four months I got to know them was worth coming in the fall, all by itself.

--Yuan, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
From Foster City, California
Previously attended San Mateo High School

It was wonderful living on the Afro Floor with people who looked like me, especially on a campus where there are few black faces in the classroom.

--Holly, African American Studies

Frosh, FPF, African American Studies, College of Letters and Sciences

When I applied to college, my top choice was the University of Southern California; Cal was nowhere on my radar. I only applied to Berkeley because it was on the general UC application, and I thought, "Hey, why not." I remember receiving acceptance letter after acceptance letter--I even got accepted by USC, which thrilled me. I only got two rejection letters, one from UCLA, and another by Stanford, so I thought for sure that I wasn't going to get into Cal. I checked online anyway and was shocked to see, "Congratulations! You've been accepted to the University of California Berkeley for spring 2006." My first thought was, "Oh my God, I just got into Berkeley!"...but then it registered: I got in for spring 2006.

Spring admission did not make sense to me; I had applied to get in for fall 2005. How was I going to kill a whole semester before college? My mom quickly called Cal, and they suggested that I look into the Extension Fall Program for Freshmen, which would allow me to take college classes taught by professors (just not Berkeley professors), and still live on campus in the fall. She was also told that I should sign up right away if I was interested, because there were a limited number of spaces available. We weighed my options: go to Cal in the spring, go to USC, go to community college for a semester and then go to Cal, or do the Extension Fall Program for Freshmen (FPF). In the end, we decided that FPF was the best idea.

As a black student applying for housing, I had heard about the African American Theme Program (AATP), which places African American freshmen in housing together (although you don't have to be black to be in the program). I applied for AATP, and was fortunate enough to be accepted. I was really excited to start school and live in the dorms, away from my family.

When the semester finally started, I was somewhat nervous about my classes and whether I could successfully cope with the academic rigors that are associated with Berkeley. Thankfully I was, and I survived my first semester with a GPA above a 3.0. I also got involved with community service; it was a requirement for living in the theme program, which was nicknamed the "Afro Floor." It was wonderful living on the Afro Floor with people who looked like me, especially on a campus where there are few black faces in the classroom.

Through FPF (the Extension Fall Program for Freshmen), I was really able to acclimate well to Berkeley. If I could do anything over, I would do more community service in the Bay Area and would be more involved in the Berkeley community. But all in all, it was a great experience.

--Holly, African American Studies
From Stockton and Oakland, California
Previously attended Bear Creek High and Skyline High

Dance turned out to be a perfect environment to meet students from different majors and years who shared a common passion.
--Catherine, Undeclared

Frosh, FPF, Undeclared, Letters and Science

As a Spring Admit, I chose to attend Berkeley's Extension Fall Program for Freshmen (FPF). The smaller class sizes allowed me to receive more individual attention and--in effect--engage one-on-one with professors. And though I am grateful that I was able to come here in the fall through FPF, actually being ON campus this spring has made a significant difference. I feel that I am now truly involved in the daily, crowded dose of diversity that is Cal.

My two most difficult courses were Math 1A (Calculus) and Ethnic Studies 21AC...but for very different reasons. I spent over 15 hours per week (outside of class time) trying to understand the material in Math 1A. However, I ultimately felt that the heightened stress of the class was well worth it. I learned that I can overcome academic weaknesses; it was a perfect eye-opener to the rigor of Berkeley. Ethnic Studies 21AC was challenging in a different way. It forced me to think outside the box--outside of my comfort zone. Actually, it also turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise.

Academics aside, I wanted to find something at Berkeley that would allow me to stay in shape and have fun at the same time. I have always loved dance, so I auditioned for The Movement student dance group and joined their hip-hop and jazz teams. Dance turned out to be a perfect environment to meet students from different majors and years who shared a common passion.

After first semester ended, I was both proud and shocked. It went by so fast! My first semester as a college student was already over! I earned three As and a C+, joined a dance group, accumulated a brain full of new knowledge, and even had some meal points left over. I feel proud to say I had a great first semester.

--Catherine, Undeclared
From Riverside, California
Previously attended Martin Luther King High School