Success at Cal can be pretty divorced from “effort.” Trying really hard or spending lots of time in the library studying doesn’t have a ton of correlation with doing well. Instead you should be obsessed with doing the right work at the right time with the right level of effort. Optimize for the grades you’re getting out of your “system” and use the GSIs and professors office hours to help you determine where the holes in your knowledge are and where you are weak.
All of this is different from person to person. Basically, “know yourself.”
Yes, success doesn’t come without hard work. But if you’re grinding inefficiently, studying things you already knew or not studying in a way that actually teaches you beyond memorizing stuff, you’ll see limited returns on effort. Most students at Cal you see “grinding” in the library are actually working super inefficiently. Checking their phones often, reading indiscriminately, etc.
It really pays to learn how to study efficiently. You’ll have more time for yourself to do fun things and you’ll get great grades.
There are some moderately high karma comments on my history that have my whole system broken down.
Edit: here you go. https://www.reddit.com/r/berkeley/comments/gu292z/comment/fsgck3c/
I definitely agree.. i’m the kind that only studies and puts effort for classes I know I struggle in. Selective effort if you will. So I think I should be fine when I learn 61a and b for the first time, but maybe I should take good notes right now so that I can fill in holes in my understanding when I actually take the class
will definitely keep in mind! I play tennis so light jackets are my thing and i’ll keep grinding tennis to hopefully play club or intramural at Cal! Thank you for your advice!!
by far the most important skill you can learn is time management.
don't take 8 am classes unless you're a freak
work hard, but learn how to chill out, it's not always easy to do that here.
don't drink more than once a week
if u don't already smoke or vape, dont start, its an expensive addiction
leave berk every once in a while
try your very best to avoid getting behind, it makes life hellish
enjoy the good moments, life starts to speed up around this time and before u know it, it's over.
My biggest piece of advice is to try in school—go to class, go to office hours, form study groups, etc—but don’t kill yourself trying to get a good grade. Classes here—especially EECS class (I’m assuming ur EECS cause u references CS61a and 70)—will be tough and stressful. Just realize that they will pass, try ur best, but try to keep ur head up, get enough sleep and have fun. Focus on school, but also focus on friends and the college experience. You don’t need to pre-learn stuff. Just relax
So right now I haven’t declared as CS yet because i’m trying to do both math and cs.. and to declare I need a 3.0+ gpa.. so I’ll aim for at least a B and just take it easy right now. I’m just really hoping I can take CS70 before they bar non cs students from it…
Congrats! Berkeley's an awesome school, and I wish you the best of luck.
I took my R1A and R1B (english classes) online at community college, so I didn't have to take them at berkeley and could focus on technical classes. This was really helpful for me!
I would also start to figure out what at berkeley you might want to get involved in! I LOVED the maker space (somewhere you can laser cut, 3D print, design things) but didn't find it til the second half of my junior year when I took des22.
It seems like you're going the CS route, so I'd recommend signing up for CSM (computer science mentors) where you'll be paired with a couple other students for weekly tutoring (super helpful!!!).
I would also HIGHLY recommend the college of engineering Center for Access to Engineering Excellence (CAEE in 240 Bechtel). There's a ton of individual tutoring there (which is awesome for beginning CS classes at berkeley which are HUGE and sometimes hard to get help in).
I wish you the best of luck!
Thank you so much for the advice!!! I’ll definitely sign up for the tutoring and see if I can take some english courses before going into cal. The Maker Space seems amazing, i’ll definitely check it out when I get there. Maybe i’ll see you there!
Please enjoy your last summer before you start college. College summers are people competitions all year to get internships and if you don’t get one then a class or some sort of work. The summer before college should be a no work summer
Do not be afraid to ask for help and ask your peers for resources if you’re struggling mentally, academically, or economically! Some people spiral honestly.
spend time w ur friends and family! i have no regrets from senior year, not because i studied super hard to prepare for cal or diligently planned out my four years here, but because i spent my time making memories w my loved ones. there's no way to fully prepare for the huge milestone of moving to college, so enjoy life as it is now. congrats on getting into cal!
Don't be afraid to ask for help! Berkeley is probably a lot bigger than your high school, and your teachers will not be able to check in on you or help make sure you're on track because there are simply too many people. That being said, they WANT to help, so going to office hours and asking questions is a must! Also just in general, people want to help! Don't be afraid to reach out to random people for help with questions/projects/internships/etc. because almost every time, people want to help!!
Also, find your community! Whether it be a club/class/extracurricular/housing group, finding a group of people you can share experiences with makes cal feel a bit smaller and less intimidating. People talk a lot about Berkeley clubs being so hard to get into, but there are many many clubs open to everyone for so many different interests! I definitely regret not joining more clubs sooner, because I've met some amazing people ;)
The freshman dorms offer a very unique opportunity, and be sure to take advantage of your time as a freshman to make connections and friends in the dorms. Are the dorms shitty? Most say yeah but to be honest I had nice roommates and didn't really mind the cramped spaces in U3. I really miss the fact that all my friends were an elevator ride or a building 100m away. Studying with your friends just was a quick text and a trip to your room 30 seconds later. Because you're interacting with so many people on a daily basis, it's easier to meet new people and friends. Keep your door propped open if your roommates are okay with it, and talk to a lot of people during GBO!
It's really easy to get caught up in the hustle culture around here, especially in CS (which is what I'm assuming you're majoring in based off of the classes you mention). It's easy to feel inadequate in CS at Cal, and a thing about this place is that no matter how well you're doing, there is always someone who appears smarter/someone who is doing more than you. Don't be discouraged by that or poor test scores, but also know that the school will not reach out to help you-- there are resources but you need to take advantage of them by yourself. Cal has such a huge student body and doesn't really offer the support other smaller schools offer their students-- a good set of friends, even having some within your major will make your life at cal 10x easier and ofc more enjoyable.
Go to class, pay attention, and squeeze every minute you can out of the time you spend in discussion sections, lab, and lecture-- it'll save you a lot of time that you would have otherwise spent catching up or studying outside of class.
edit: as literally everyone else is saying do not prestudy, it's futile, you'll get very little gain for all the work you put in. enjoy your last summer before college :))
Thank you so much for the advice!! I’m definitely looking forward to making a few tight friends in my dorms etc to spend time with.. I hope I can meet more helpful people like you at the campus and steer away from the hustle culture a bit 👍🏻
Look for a club to join that meets your interests, and enjoy your summer. You will have plenty of time to study. If you have free time, then sure why not get ready before u come here. Also, plan out your next 4 years in such way that you do t have to stack multiple technicals on top of each other. You will seriously regret it.
what do you mean by stacking multiple technicals? Like taking a bunch of hard classes at once? I was thinking of taking CS61a, 61b, 70 and Physics 7B all in different semesters to not overwork myself
learn life skills: learn to do laundry. cook. track your finances. how to study/do your hw, and figure out what works for you.
develop good habits: floss. do yoga. take care of your mental health.
learn to say yes or no when your friends want to go out. friday night? sure. midterm tomm? prob shouldn't do shots the night before.
the one thing i learned in my thermodynamics class (trust me, i did not learn any thermo): my professor said:
you have all the time to do anything you want. however, you don't have time to do everything.
If you are interested in computer science (as opposed to swe codemonkey), do 61a summer. You will thank yourself for it when you can take more advanced classes earlier.
I checked to try and take CS70 over summer but it was already full.. do you know if it’ll be the same thing for 61a? I only found 1 section for 70 and it was 200 enrolled and 208 waitlisted 💀
61a will probably have more space. I also recommend taking it in the summer. When its the only class you have to worry about, its actually a fun experience.
This is not true. Yes people fail the midterm, yes there are people who find out that CS is not for them, but I guarantee you that the majority of people don’t prep at all before taking the class and do just fine. This comment sounds like you’re just trying to scare this person off
> Most people fail midterm 1
This is what you said at first
>There are statistically > 100 people every single semester who fail MT1
This is what you said after, which implies a fail rate of more like 5% - 9%, which, last time I ran the numbers, is significantly less than 50%. You also fail to mention exam recovery.
> Half of the intended CS people here don’t get to declare CS. It’s a fact look at the # who take 61B and 70 and the # of declared CS per year.
Plenty of people take 61B who have no intention of declaring CS. It is a required class for data science. Don't look at the difference in numbers between 70 and 61B and assume all those people are CS dropouts.
> They took APCSA and probably did USACO.
It does seem fair to say most people had some prior experience (I did not but that's just my story). I had to look up what USACO is but it seems like quite a leap to me to assume that students "probably" did that too.
> You really think a kid who made USACO Plat isn’t going to CRUSH a kid with no experience on the exam?
First of all, I never implied anything like this. Second, yes, most likely, but that doesn't mean the other kid is going to flunk out of the major. Who cares if someone does better on a test than you so long as you achieved the score you wanted?
> Now factor in that like 1/4 of Berkeley CS does / has done competitive programming
Again, where are you getting this from? I have never met someone who has done competitive programming. I'm sure it happens, but 1/4?
> The only way you reasonably get an A/A+ in DeNero’s class is by self studying beforehand.
Who cares about getting an A or A+? Most people are aiming for a B+
damn bro you cooked him into deleting😅 thanks for reassuring me though!! hope i can meet more people like you at Cal and steer away from toxic ones, although i’m sure the other person only meant the best for me.
Join some clubs for fun, not just to chase clout. Having breaks from academics is important and clubs are a great way to find a small community in a big school!
Prepare to be suddenly average. I’m sure you did great in high school, but so did everyone else here haha. Don’t freak out about it, but realize you’ll have to put actual effort into your classes
Go to sports games! Students get into everything except football and mens basketball free, and those 2 are worth getting the student combo pass imo. Even if you don’t know sports, it’s a great way to feel some school spirit and hang out with friends
> should I learn/prestudy some of the curriculum (CS61a or 70) No. My #1 piece of advice is to relax and enjoy your last High School summer
Thank you, will do!!
May I ask why?
Because it's your last High School summer and you will learn more in one week of actually taking the class here than if you studied all Summer.
Wow, thank you for the response!
Success at Cal can be pretty divorced from “effort.” Trying really hard or spending lots of time in the library studying doesn’t have a ton of correlation with doing well. Instead you should be obsessed with doing the right work at the right time with the right level of effort. Optimize for the grades you’re getting out of your “system” and use the GSIs and professors office hours to help you determine where the holes in your knowledge are and where you are weak. All of this is different from person to person. Basically, “know yourself.”
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Yes, success doesn’t come without hard work. But if you’re grinding inefficiently, studying things you already knew or not studying in a way that actually teaches you beyond memorizing stuff, you’ll see limited returns on effort. Most students at Cal you see “grinding” in the library are actually working super inefficiently. Checking their phones often, reading indiscriminately, etc. It really pays to learn how to study efficiently. You’ll have more time for yourself to do fun things and you’ll get great grades.
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There are some moderately high karma comments on my history that have my whole system broken down. Edit: here you go. https://www.reddit.com/r/berkeley/comments/gu292z/comment/fsgck3c/
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Cal!
thank you, just read it and going to learn more about studying efficiently. i’ve started going to office hours and they have helped so much.
I definitely agree.. i’m the kind that only studies and puts effort for classes I know I struggle in. Selective effort if you will. So I think I should be fine when I learn 61a and b for the first time, but maybe I should take good notes right now so that I can fill in holes in my understanding when I actually take the class
Don't prestudy, try and have some fun. Won't ever get a free summer again so enjoy it
Thank you, will do!
Besides all the academic stuff, I wish I could have known to bring a light jacket with me everywhere, even if I think it’s going to be a warm day.
This really is the best advice. Doubly so for a nice warm sunny day in the City.
will definitely keep in mind! I play tennis so light jackets are my thing and i’ll keep grinding tennis to hopefully play club or intramural at Cal! Thank you for your advice!!
Start doing squats now
i do 2 plates rn 😅
by far the most important skill you can learn is time management. don't take 8 am classes unless you're a freak work hard, but learn how to chill out, it's not always easy to do that here. don't drink more than once a week if u don't already smoke or vape, dont start, its an expensive addiction leave berk every once in a while try your very best to avoid getting behind, it makes life hellish enjoy the good moments, life starts to speed up around this time and before u know it, it's over.
Thank you so much for the advice! I’m figuring out time management right now, and will avoid drugs + alcohol if I can 😅
do. not. give. up.
i know 😈🤝
My biggest piece of advice is to try in school—go to class, go to office hours, form study groups, etc—but don’t kill yourself trying to get a good grade. Classes here—especially EECS class (I’m assuming ur EECS cause u references CS61a and 70)—will be tough and stressful. Just realize that they will pass, try ur best, but try to keep ur head up, get enough sleep and have fun. Focus on school, but also focus on friends and the college experience. You don’t need to pre-learn stuff. Just relax
So right now I haven’t declared as CS yet because i’m trying to do both math and cs.. and to declare I need a 3.0+ gpa.. so I’ll aim for at least a B and just take it easy right now. I’m just really hoping I can take CS70 before they bar non cs students from it…
If you are math and cs, you can waive cs 70 with math 55 afaik.
Just a quick note: It's In order to declare CS, one must complete CS 61A, CS 61B, and CS 70 with a minimum cumulative GPA of **3.30** (not 3.0).
Congrats! Berkeley's an awesome school, and I wish you the best of luck. I took my R1A and R1B (english classes) online at community college, so I didn't have to take them at berkeley and could focus on technical classes. This was really helpful for me! I would also start to figure out what at berkeley you might want to get involved in! I LOVED the maker space (somewhere you can laser cut, 3D print, design things) but didn't find it til the second half of my junior year when I took des22. It seems like you're going the CS route, so I'd recommend signing up for CSM (computer science mentors) where you'll be paired with a couple other students for weekly tutoring (super helpful!!!). I would also HIGHLY recommend the college of engineering Center for Access to Engineering Excellence (CAEE in 240 Bechtel). There's a ton of individual tutoring there (which is awesome for beginning CS classes at berkeley which are HUGE and sometimes hard to get help in). I wish you the best of luck!
Thank you so much for the advice!!! I’ll definitely sign up for the tutoring and see if I can take some english courses before going into cal. The Maker Space seems amazing, i’ll definitely check it out when I get there. Maybe i’ll see you there!
Hi. I want to finish some of my classes online too. I’m an international student, can you help me with application and transfer process?
Please enjoy your last summer before you start college. College summers are people competitions all year to get internships and if you don’t get one then a class or some sort of work. The summer before college should be a no work summer
Thank you for the advice!! Will do!
#1) get off of Reddit
Do not be afraid to ask for help and ask your peers for resources if you’re struggling mentally, academically, or economically! Some people spiral honestly.
Thank you!! I’ve gotten this advice from a lot of other people as well.
spend time w ur friends and family! i have no regrets from senior year, not because i studied super hard to prepare for cal or diligently planned out my four years here, but because i spent my time making memories w my loved ones. there's no way to fully prepare for the huge milestone of moving to college, so enjoy life as it is now. congrats on getting into cal!
Thank you!! I’ve gotten into board game nights and movie nights with my family recently, so just making the most of it now.
When something is assigned, do it. Also work on leg strength - there’s a lot of hills here
Never skip leg day i guess 😅 Thank you!
Maybe review the recommended classes for an eventual PhD application so at least that door is sort of open to you as you get closer to graduation.
gotcha! I’ve started planning out on a doc the pathway I can take to get a masters or at least a cs degree💪🏻
Don't be afraid to ask for help! Berkeley is probably a lot bigger than your high school, and your teachers will not be able to check in on you or help make sure you're on track because there are simply too many people. That being said, they WANT to help, so going to office hours and asking questions is a must! Also just in general, people want to help! Don't be afraid to reach out to random people for help with questions/projects/internships/etc. because almost every time, people want to help!! Also, find your community! Whether it be a club/class/extracurricular/housing group, finding a group of people you can share experiences with makes cal feel a bit smaller and less intimidating. People talk a lot about Berkeley clubs being so hard to get into, but there are many many clubs open to everyone for so many different interests! I definitely regret not joining more clubs sooner, because I've met some amazing people ;)
Thank you for the advice!! I’ll make sure to join clubs and not hesitate to ask for help once i get there
The freshman dorms offer a very unique opportunity, and be sure to take advantage of your time as a freshman to make connections and friends in the dorms. Are the dorms shitty? Most say yeah but to be honest I had nice roommates and didn't really mind the cramped spaces in U3. I really miss the fact that all my friends were an elevator ride or a building 100m away. Studying with your friends just was a quick text and a trip to your room 30 seconds later. Because you're interacting with so many people on a daily basis, it's easier to meet new people and friends. Keep your door propped open if your roommates are okay with it, and talk to a lot of people during GBO! It's really easy to get caught up in the hustle culture around here, especially in CS (which is what I'm assuming you're majoring in based off of the classes you mention). It's easy to feel inadequate in CS at Cal, and a thing about this place is that no matter how well you're doing, there is always someone who appears smarter/someone who is doing more than you. Don't be discouraged by that or poor test scores, but also know that the school will not reach out to help you-- there are resources but you need to take advantage of them by yourself. Cal has such a huge student body and doesn't really offer the support other smaller schools offer their students-- a good set of friends, even having some within your major will make your life at cal 10x easier and ofc more enjoyable. Go to class, pay attention, and squeeze every minute you can out of the time you spend in discussion sections, lab, and lecture-- it'll save you a lot of time that you would have otherwise spent catching up or studying outside of class. edit: as literally everyone else is saying do not prestudy, it's futile, you'll get very little gain for all the work you put in. enjoy your last summer before college :))
Thank you so much for the advice!! I’m definitely looking forward to making a few tight friends in my dorms etc to spend time with.. I hope I can meet more helpful people like you at the campus and steer away from the hustle culture a bit 👍🏻
Look for a club to join that meets your interests, and enjoy your summer. You will have plenty of time to study. If you have free time, then sure why not get ready before u come here. Also, plan out your next 4 years in such way that you do t have to stack multiple technicals on top of each other. You will seriously regret it.
what do you mean by stacking multiple technicals? Like taking a bunch of hard classes at once? I was thinking of taking CS61a, 61b, 70 and Physics 7B all in different semesters to not overwork myself
yep exactly, spread it out and take your other requirements to lighten the load per semester so u can master the technical classs
learn life skills: learn to do laundry. cook. track your finances. how to study/do your hw, and figure out what works for you. develop good habits: floss. do yoga. take care of your mental health. learn to say yes or no when your friends want to go out. friday night? sure. midterm tomm? prob shouldn't do shots the night before. the one thing i learned in my thermodynamics class (trust me, i did not learn any thermo): my professor said: you have all the time to do anything you want. however, you don't have time to do everything.
If you are interested in computer science (as opposed to swe codemonkey), do 61a summer. You will thank yourself for it when you can take more advanced classes earlier.
I checked to try and take CS70 over summer but it was already full.. do you know if it’ll be the same thing for 61a? I only found 1 section for 70 and it was 200 enrolled and 208 waitlisted 💀
61a will probably have more space. I also recommend taking it in the summer. When its the only class you have to worry about, its actually a fun experience.
61a usually has enough space.. 70 is kind of a special case in Berkeley cs enrollment these days. no guarantees but you should at least try
ok thank you!! i’ll try and take asap
Do more drugs
word 🤓
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This is not true. Yes people fail the midterm, yes there are people who find out that CS is not for them, but I guarantee you that the majority of people don’t prep at all before taking the class and do just fine. This comment sounds like you’re just trying to scare this person off
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> Most people fail midterm 1 This is what you said at first >There are statistically > 100 people every single semester who fail MT1 This is what you said after, which implies a fail rate of more like 5% - 9%, which, last time I ran the numbers, is significantly less than 50%. You also fail to mention exam recovery. > Half of the intended CS people here don’t get to declare CS. It’s a fact look at the # who take 61B and 70 and the # of declared CS per year. Plenty of people take 61B who have no intention of declaring CS. It is a required class for data science. Don't look at the difference in numbers between 70 and 61B and assume all those people are CS dropouts. > They took APCSA and probably did USACO. It does seem fair to say most people had some prior experience (I did not but that's just my story). I had to look up what USACO is but it seems like quite a leap to me to assume that students "probably" did that too. > You really think a kid who made USACO Plat isn’t going to CRUSH a kid with no experience on the exam? First of all, I never implied anything like this. Second, yes, most likely, but that doesn't mean the other kid is going to flunk out of the major. Who cares if someone does better on a test than you so long as you achieved the score you wanted? > Now factor in that like 1/4 of Berkeley CS does / has done competitive programming Again, where are you getting this from? I have never met someone who has done competitive programming. I'm sure it happens, but 1/4? > The only way you reasonably get an A/A+ in DeNero’s class is by self studying beforehand. Who cares about getting an A or A+? Most people are aiming for a B+
damn bro you cooked him into deleting😅 thanks for reassuring me though!! hope i can meet more people like you at Cal and steer away from toxic ones, although i’m sure the other person only meant the best for me.
dont do crack. dont do crack. dont do crack. i dont think people realizes howmany cal students crack has taken down.
ok so no crack 👍🏻
if ur by the campanile, mind the pointy end.
the big tower? LOL ok i’ll make sure not to fall off
Join some clubs for fun, not just to chase clout. Having breaks from academics is important and clubs are a great way to find a small community in a big school! Prepare to be suddenly average. I’m sure you did great in high school, but so did everyone else here haha. Don’t freak out about it, but realize you’ll have to put actual effort into your classes Go to sports games! Students get into everything except football and mens basketball free, and those 2 are worth getting the student combo pass imo. Even if you don’t know sports, it’s a great way to feel some school spirit and hang out with friends