dreamspace

Just return from the CalSO, it was ..... such a waste of time....
But I guess every orientation is the same... talking about basic stuff that we suppose to know.
The major advice is pretty nice. I would want to have more individual attention though.

Edward04

Is it a pretty long day or what? I'm heading up next week for the one on the 19th.

Also, what do you think is the earliest one can skip out while still having your classes chosen? I have a flight to catch back home later that night.

Thanks

TheIcon

Unnecessarily long tiring day.

To answer that other question, at least for my program, our Telebears appointment was not until the very end, at roughly 6:15pm. The whole program was eventually tiring.

And in my opinion, the most important sessions were the mini-group session with the adviser, telebears, and umm . . . one of the programs (basically you have the option of choosing to attend financial aid, research/volunteer, career center, etc to gather more information about them).

Since it was my first time there, it gave me an idea of the surrounding areas and the school itself (very hilly). My CalSO counselors seemed friendly but had too many superstitions - like, don't step on the plaques; they bring bad luck. . . .

Definitely take your backpack with you. Be prepared to sign up for your classes, and do so as fast as you can. I think you only get about 20-30 minutes in the computer room. So, once again, be prepared. Heads up, don't be surprised if some of your classes are transferable but are not equivalent courses. Basically, have a back up. You might have to take one or two lower division classes before you can enroll in some of the upperdivision courses.

DO ASK QUESTIONS!

chickadee2586

I also think the day was extremely long and not really all that helpful. I think I knew about 98% of what we learned but the major advising was helpful. One thing I was surprised about was we didn't have any one on one counseling about our schedule or anything. We just got our advisor codes from the Calso site. I think it was different for every group but I was finished registering for my classes by about 5:10. I left early because I was hot and tired. If you need to make a flight make sure you plan for traffic because it's especially brutal (call 511 for driving time estimates.) Oh, and they really don't give you that many papers, so a huge bag isn't necessary. I forgot to mention during one of the options I went and got my Cal1 card and there wasn't a line.

thatgirltoo

I didn't think it was a complete waste of time. It was great having smaller groups being led by student counselors, we could ask them questions as we went along. I learned a lot from them. And I really enjoyed meeting other transfer students. It is starting to feel more like a community to me.

Some thoughts:

~I'm exhausted. It was a hotter than normal day in Berkeley today, which is probably why, but it is a LONG day. (note, 80 degrees is much warmer than normal, actually, even in June and July, so check the weather report)

~"Wear comfortable shoes" is true! My well-worn sandals are normally very comfy, but by the 7th hour I needed band-aids.

~Bring sunscreen and wear it, you'll be outside a great deal.

~Bring a bottle or two of water. They don't provide any except at lunch, and the "breaks" are almost too short to run to a water fountain.

~There is no "college" advising, but you'll get major advising. The quality and personalization will depend on your major. My major is geography and there were only 2 of us in that group, but the CS students we were with most of the day had 7-8 people being advised at the same time. They reported that they didn't get very personal advising. We got advising and also got to meet one of the instructors.

~I really wish they had given us college advising or had explained the college/non-major requirements better. I still don't understand the Senior Residency requirement.

~Stay overnight for "early arrival" if you can, it was a terrific way to meet other transfer students. I live in SF and did this so I didn't have to wake up at 5am. I didn't actually sleep much, but it was far more convenient and fun. Oh, by the way, Unit 3 is kind of a pit, but Cafe 3 is actually really nice and has a great modern style (food isn't bad, either).

~We had about 30 minutes to register for classes near the end of a very long day, so it really helped to know my desired classes and to have mapped a few possible schedules ahead of time.

~Ask your CalSO student counselors questions about student life. I asked about class load, walking time, and whether having 5 classes (mix of 1 hour lab, discussion, and lecture) in one day is crazy or not - I was told "yes".

~The Doe/Moffitt libraries and the stacks are SO COOL, ask if you can see them on the end of day tour.

Hope those of you going later this summer enjoy it!

itchy23

anyone happen to notice if poli sci was a crowded group?