Welcome to CalSO Postscript
This newsletter features stories for and by Berkeley undergraduates. If you've attended CalSO, you've already learned a bit about the campus. Postscript hopes to expand your knowledge about some of the opportunities and advantages available to you.

Postscript Fall 2006 Stories
Welcome to Cal! | Peer Education: GenEq Resource Center | I "heart" consent | Writer's block: a Berkeley tutor's experience | Campus Politics: the ASUC and me | Community Service: Hurricane Katrina

Postscript Fall 2005 Stories
Dear incoming freshmen | Diversity in Berkeley | Drinking 101 | Research: Expand your undergraduate experience | Paris, France: Fall 2003

Before starting college, I decided not to be intimidated by the size of Berkeley. I was excited about meeting lots of interesting people, and I really wanted to get involved in the amazing number of activities that exist here. I relished my first semester classes; it was the first time I was allowed to take only of classes that I wanted to take. The lectures were large, but the professors knew how to manage the large classes. As the semester progressed, I started to learn more about the professors who were teaching my classes. What I learned amazed me. Most of my professors were researchers in the top of their fields! I was honored that my professors were taking time away from their important work to teach freshman level classes.

During the next few semesters, my intended major changed all the time. My friends would jokingly ask "So what's your major this week?" After seriously considering math and chemistry I finally settled on computer science. Deciding on a major was stressful and time consuming. I spent many late nights poring over the General Catalog. Some people do not have as much difficulty as I did. My difficulty stemmed from the fact that I was obsessed with so many of the programs at Berkeley. I could not decide what I wanted to study the most! At the end of my second year, I finally declared my major. And, after talking to advisers and other students in the major, I realized that I needed to start thinking about what I was going to do after college. I love the academic lifestyle, so an obvious option for me was graduate school. As I talked to people about graduate school, people kept recommending that I get involved in research.

I decided to see what resources were available online. There is an unbelievable amount of interesting research going on at Berkeley. I was interested in doing research in a field related to my major but hopefully distinct from the subject matter of the classes that I had been taking. I knew several classmates who had used the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP) to obtain research positions. I found several positions on the URAP website which interested me, and I applied to two of them. Not long after I applied, I received an email inviting me to an interview for one of the positions.

I was nervous about meeting Professor Rainer Sachs for the first time--I was not sure if I would live up to the qualifications that he was looking for in a research apprentice. He turned out to be an incredibly kind man, and he signed me up for the job on the spot. I turned down another apprenticeship; the ease with which I found a great research position is a perfect example of how easy it is to get involved at Berkeley.
I am so fortunate to have met Professor Sachs. He has been a member of Berkeley's faculty for over forty years. He is associated with both the math and physics departments. One of his most famous discoveries was the Sachs-Wolfe Effect, which is a property of the cosmic background radiation. About ten years ago, Professor Sachs decided to change his field of research. He began to read textbooks and journal articles having to do with biology. It did not take Professor Sachs long to become influential in the practice of applying concepts from math and physics to biology.

I have now worked for two semesters with Professor Sachs. We meet every week. I always look forward to these meetings because I learn so much from them. Although my work with Professor Sachs mainly consists of programming, I have had to learn much math, statistics, and biology in order to understand the work that we are doing. In addition to discussing research, Professor Sachs and I have had many fascinating conversations about taking classes, going to graduate school, and life in general. There is so much to be gained from doing research. I have had the opportunity to learn about mathematical biology; a field that was previously unknown to me. I have escaped the vastness of the student population at Berkeley, and I now have weekly conversations with an eminent professor. I even gave a presentation in front of a group of researchers.

My research with Professor Sachs has been an important part of my personal development in college. I have been placed in a position with much creative control. I work on my own time so it is up to me to get a sufficient amount of work done each week. Doing research is different from taking a class in that I am not graded for my work. I am driven by my interest in the project to produce quality work in a timely manner.

I think that all students should consider doing research. It is a valuable experience regardless of what one wishes to study in graduate school or even if one wishes to go to graduate school at all. Not only do I feel well prepared to do research in graduate school, but my research experience would undoubtedly help me to get a job in industry as well.The act of doing research enriches any student's undergraduate education. The fact that Berkeley is such a large institution is countered by the fact that there are plentiful resources. Doing research is a great way to stand out. Take advantage of the fact that Berkeley is a world class research institution. Do research!

--Chris Reeder, Senior (2005), Computer Science
From Beverly Hills, California

Postscript Fall 2006 Stories
Welcome to Cal! | Peer Education: GenEq Resource Center | I "heart" consent | Writer's block: a Berkeley tutor's experience | Campus Politics: the ASUC and me | Community Service: Hurricane Katrina

Postscript Fall 2005 Stories
Dear incoming freshmen | Diversity in Berkeley | Drinking 101 | Research: Expand your undergraduate experience | Paris, France: Fall 2003