Are you getting involved outside the classroom?
I should have been studying. There were research papers to be written and long books to be read. But when a friend called me up and asked me if I wanted to go with him that night to see Barack Obama in San Francisco, I couldn't say no. I stood in a crush of people, many of them Berkeley students, no more than twenty feet away from a man who may soon become the president of the United States. I was more inspired about politics in one moment than any of my classes so far have inspired me...
Classes, certainly, are an important element of anyone's education. Completing them, of course, is what will get you your degree. But completing classes, no matter how well you do in them, will very likely not be your main sources of friends, skills, or inspiration while in college. Aside from seeing Barack Obama, my experiences at Cal have included volunteering for the Berkeley project, working the summer as a CalSO counselor helping to orient new students to the campus, attending student-choreographed Hip-Hop performances, and screaming my lungs out over Cal football along with the UC Rally Committee.
These experiences have given me the chance to really get to know some of my fellow Cal students, which are some of the most engaging people in the world. They've given me a sense of community and school spirit and connection to my University. They've taught me important life skills like working in groups and communicating effectively. They comprise the best memories I'll have of Cal.
The University of California is about opportunity of every kind. It's not just about the opportunity to sit in classes taught by Noble Laureates, it's also about having the chance to work on research with them. One of my friends worked in the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP) and got to work on a project called "Creativity: Freedom vs. Constraints." Talk about cool. Another friend joined a club for people interested in international careers. A third joined Cal Taiko and spends weeknights learning how to play Japanese drums. These, and thousands of other extracurricular activities exist on this campus. There are opportunities to scream, to dance, to direct, to sing, to research, to serve, to organize, to act, and most importantly, to grow, both as a student and a person.
Go for it.
Anna
L&S Peer Adviser
