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passionate · 12-19-2007, 02:18 AM

I can't speak for all the UC transfer students, but I'll give some of my opinions about my first semester at Cal as a transfer student from community college.
I live in Unit 1, and I get along with most of the people on my floor. My floor mates and I have dinner/lunch together occasionally. Dorm life isn't as bad as many others say, at least it is a fun experience for me personally.
My classes are doable for me, and I do have time to rest/relax. The myth that you have to work hard to get a "C" at Berkeley doesn't apply to me. I work hard, and I'm gonna get "Bs" and hopefully "A". I spend much more time studying than I did in community college. I did extra problems for my two math courses and tried to finish whatever readings that were assigned in my History class.
I was lucky to have very helpful and understanding GSIs. They are brilliant, and they did help me a lot. Before coming to Cal, I happened to see lots of bad reviews about the GSIs. However, my experience with the GSIs have been positive.
I came to my math professors' office hours. This is something I never did at community college. I did read the textbooks, and I barely did this at community college. The classes I had are much more demanding and challenging than those at community college. The good thing is that my professors grade on a curve. However, the professors' grading is harder than those at CC.
My recipe to survive/succeed the first semester at Cal:
1) Go to lectures even if your classes are webcasted. This is a good habit to avoid being lazy.
2) Go to your professors' office hours if you don't get something in lectures or struggle with the homework.
3) Go to your GSIs when you need help with homework.
4) Go to the writing center if you are not a good writer and you're taking a class which requires writing essays. I went to the writing center twice this semester when I needed help with my two essays. Guess what? I got 2 A- on both papers.
5) Study, study, and study.
6) Go to a movie/party, watch a movie, or do something fun every weekend.
7) Be self-confident. Tell yourself that you're as good as the students who came to Cal their freshmen year. You can even do better.
That's all I have to say for today.

@Torrance: I'm a math major.

12-19-2007, 02:18 AM	#4
passionate Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Threads: 11 Posts: 148	I can't speak for all the UC transfer students, but I'll give some of my opinions about my first semester at Cal as a transfer student from community college. I live in Unit 1, and I get along with most of the people on my floor. My floor mates and I have dinner/lunch together occasionally. Dorm life isn't as bad as many others say, at least it is a fun experience for me personally. My classes are doable for me, and I do have time to rest/relax. The myth that you have to work hard to get a "C" at Berkeley doesn't apply to me. I work hard, and I'm gonna get "Bs" and hopefully "A". I spend much more time studying than I did in community college. I did extra problems for my two math courses and tried to finish whatever readings that were assigned in my History class. I was lucky to have very helpful and understanding GSIs. They are brilliant, and they did help me a lot. Before coming to Cal, I happened to see lots of bad reviews about the GSIs. However, my experience with the GSIs have been positive. I came to my math professors' office hours. This is something I never did at community college. I did read the textbooks, and I barely did this at community college. The classes I had are much more demanding and challenging than those at community college. The good thing is that my professors grade on a curve. However, the professors' grading is harder than those at CC. My recipe to survive/succeed the first semester at Cal: 1) Go to lectures even if your classes are webcasted. This is a good habit to avoid being lazy. 2) Go to your professors' office hours if you don't get something in lectures or struggle with the homework. 3) Go to your GSIs when you need help with homework. 4) Go to the writing center if you are not a good writer and you're taking a class which requires writing essays. I went to the writing center twice this semester when I needed help with my two essays. Guess what? I got 2 A- on both papers. 5) Study, study, and study. 6) Go to a movie/party, watch a movie, or do something fun every weekend. 7) Be self-confident. Tell yourself that you're as good as the students who came to Cal their freshmen year. You can even do better. That's all I have to say for today. @Torrance: I'm a math major.