Welcome to Cal!

At long last you've made it to Berkeley. We know you're still wrapping up your old life--high school, community college, professional work--but now is the time to start planning your future at Cal. If you haven't already, you need to enroll in the Cal Student Orientation (CalSO) Program.

Freshman programs

The two-day CalSO Freshman Programs begin with check-in from 7:30am to 8:45am on the first day and end at 1pm on the second day. Sessions are offered in June and July. The fee to attend is $210 and will be billed to your CARS account in September. Information includes:

• Academic advising and assistance
• Course enrollment (up to 10.5 units) through Tele-BEARS
• Student service presentations
• Interaction with staff and faculty
• Campus tours
• In-depth discussions of campus issues
• Personal insights about Cal from current undergraduates

Freshman dates/college sessions
You will only be able to sign up for dates represented by your school or college.

• June 5-June 6 (Letters & Science)
• June 8-June 9 (Chemistry, Engineering, Environmental Design)
• June 12-June 13 (Chemistry, Letters & Science)
• June 15-June 16 (Engineering, Letters & Science, Natural Resources)
• June 19-June 20 (Chemistry, Environmental Design, Natural Resources)
• June 22-June 23 (Letters & Science, Natural Resources)
• June 26-June 27 (Engineering, Letters & Science, Natural Resources)
• June 29-June 30 (Letters & Science)
• July 6-July 7 (Letters & Science)
• July 10-July 11 (Letters & Science)
• July 13-14 (Fall Program for Freshmen: Engineering, Letters & Science)
• July 15-16 (Fall Program for Freshmen: Letters & Science)

Special concurrent programs are available for your parents and other adult guests.

• View a sample agenda
• Read testimonials
• Look at photos

Transfer student programs

CalSO Transfer Programs are one day long. They begin with check-in at 7:30am and end at 7pm; the fee is $110 per person. The fee will be billed to your CARS account in September. Information includes:

• Academic advising and assistance
• Major advising
• Course enrollment (up to 10.5 units) through Tele-BEARS
• Student service presentations
• Information on transfer, re-entry, and student parent support services
• Interaction with staff and faculty
• Campus tours
• Personal insights about Cal from current transfer students

Transfer dates/college sessions
You will only be able to sign up for dates represented by your school or college.

• June 11 (Chemistry, Engineering, Environmental Design, Letters & Science)
• June 17 (Chemistry, Engineering, Environmental Design, Letters & Science, Natural Resources)
• June 25 (Chemistry, Letters & Science, Natural Resources)
• July 2 (Business, Letters & Science)
• July 9 (Letters & Science)

Special concurrent programs are available for your parents and other adult guests.

• View a sample agenda
• Read testimonials
• Look at photos

Fall Program for Freshmen (FPF)/Extension

The two-day CalSO FPF Programs begin with check-in from 7:30-8:45am on the first day and end at 1pm on the second day. The fee to attend is $215 per person and will be billed to your CARS account in September. You will be with other FPF students which will give you a chance to meet your fall classmates. Information includes:

• FPF academic overview
• Housing resources
• Interaction with FPF and campus staff and faculty
• Campus tours
• Student service presentations
• In-depth discussions of campus issues
• Personal insights about Cal from former FPF students

Because you will not enroll in fall classes using Tele-BEARS (you sign up for fall coursework using the Course Selection Form found on the FPF website: www.unex.berkeley.edu/fpf), you will receive specialized spring 2010 course scheduling, academic advice, your Adviser Code (AC) and Tele-BEARS instruction in late October. There are no additional fees for these sessions.

FPF dates/college sessions
You will only be able to sign up for dates represented by your school or college.

• July 13-14 (Engineering, Letters & Science)
• July 15-16 (Letters & Science)
  

If you have any questions about the UC Berkeley Extension Fall Program for Freshmen (FPF), call 510/643-0379 or visit
http://www.unex.berkeley.edu/fpf.

Special concurrent programs are available for your parents and adult guests.

• View a sample agenda
• Read testimonials
• Look at photos

Find out more about being an FPF student!
Join our Facebook Page and view videos of FPF students talking about their first year.

You can also read about FPF students on our First semester experiences page.

Spring admits (non-FPF)

More information about your one-day orientations will be posted on our website in September. In the meantime, keep these program dates in mind.

Freshmen and their parents/guests
Saturday, October 17, 2009 (7:30am-6pm)
Fees: $75 per person (subject to change).

Transfers and their parents/guests
Friday, October 23, 2009 (7:30am-5pm)
Fees: $75 per person (subject to change).

Note: Please do not make travel arrangements until you have a confirmed reservation (i.e., don't buy plane tickets yet!).

Find out more about being a spring admit!
Join our Facebook Page and view videos of spring frosh and transfer students talking about their first year.

You can also read about spring admits on our First semester experiences page.

Parents and guests of freshmen (not FPF)

Our Parent Programs address issues and concerns directly related to parents of new freshmen and run concurrently (but separately) from the Freshman Programs. The two-day Parent Programs begin with check-in from 7:30am to 8:45am on the first day and end at 1pm on the second day. The fee to attend is $210 per person. Your student will need to sign you up online, and payment for parent/guest fees will be with a Visa, MasterCard or Discover credit card, Space fills up quickly, so we encourage you to make your CalSO reservation early to ensure you can attend.

• View a sample agenda
• Read testimonials
• Look at photos

Parents and guests of FPF students

Our FPF Parent Programs address issues and concerns directly related to parents of new FPF freshmen and run concurrently (but separately) from the FPF Freshman Programs. The two-day Parent Programs begin with check-in between 7:30-8:45am and end at 1pm on the second day. The fee to attend is $215 per person. Your student will need to sign you up online, and payment for parent/guest fees will be with a Visa, MasterCard or Discover credit card. Space fills up quickly, so we encourage you to make your CalSO reservation early to ensure you can attend.

You can also:

• View a sample agenda
• Read testimonials
• Look at photos

Parents and guests of transfer students

Parents and guests who come to CalSO with transfer students will spend most of the day going through the program with their student, except during academic advising. The fee for parents and guests to attend the transfer student program is $110 per person. Your student will need to sign you up online, and payment for parent/guest fees will be with a Visa, MasterCard or Discover credit card. Space fills up quickly, so we encourage you to make your CalSO reservation early to ensure you can attend.

You can also:

• View a sample agenda
• Read testimonials
• Look at photos

Room and board

Meals
All programs include continental breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the first day. A full breakfast is provided on the second day of the Freshman/Parent and FPF Programs.

Overnight Program Accommodations
All freshmen, FPF students, and their parents and guests will sleep in a residence hall on the southside of campus. Students room with other students and parents room with their partners or other parents. There are no single rooms and no fee reduction if you decide not to stay in the residence hall.

Optional Early Arrival Overnight Accommodations
CalSO check-in begins early in the morning (at 7:30am), and due to travel arrangements, you may need to arrive a day early. For an additional $32 you may spend the night prior to your CalSO Program in a residence hall. Room check-in for early arrival is 3pm-11pm the day before your CalSO Program.

If you are attending a transfer program and need early arrival, check out is 7-9am the next morning. You can reserve space when you sign up for CalSO.

If you can't attend CalSO

Fall admits, transfers and frosh (non-FPF): It's essential that you log into our website at http://calso.berkeley.edu, click on the "I can't attend CalSO!" link, and let us know why you aren't coming. Please do this no later than June 12, 2009 in order to receive critical enrollment information. Students who do not attend CalSO will be assigned Tele-BEARS registration appointments in mid-July. If you can't join us for CalSO this summer, we encourage you to attend our Getting Your Bearings program on August 25 (more information to be posted on our website in mid-July).

Fall Program for Freshmen (FPF) students: If you do not attend CalSO this summer, we will email you Tele-BEARS information in late October. You do not need to let us know you won't be attending a program this summer.

Important phone numbers

Admissions Office		510/642-3175
Athletic Study Center		510/642-5123
Billing and Payment Services		510/642-3190
CalSO		510/642-4970
Campus Operator (Information)		510/642-6000
Cal Rentals		510/642-3642
Fall Program for Freshmen (UC Extension)		510/643-0379
Financial Aid Office		510/642-6442
Registrar		510/643-7490
Residence Hall Assignments		510/642-4108
Summer Bridge Program		510/642-5983
Transfer, Re-entry and Student Parent Center		510/642-4257
USCA (Cooperative housing)		510/848-1936

How to reach us

Phone: 510/642-4970
Fax: 510/643-4395
Email: askcalso@berkeley.edu
Mail: New Student Services
2610 Channing Way #2272
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-2272