College Updates  

So now that the semester is half over, you are probably already dreaming about the breaks that are coming up. No worries about classes, getting to sleep in, and the freedom of doing absolutely nothing. But consider this: what if you spend your break helping others, traveling to a new place and seeing things from a whole new perspective while making lasting friendships all at the same time? If this sounds like an appealing way to make use of your time away from school, then you may want to check out the Alternative Breaks program offered through the Cal Corps Public Service Center.

So, why would you choose to participate in Alternative Breaks? One big advantage of this program is that it occurs during school vacations, when many students do not have other obligations. Alternative Breaks is a program where students take a trip and spend a week over either Winter or Spring Break volunteering in various communities and learning about social issues such as homelessness, poverty, immigration, health care, and sustainability, among others. To prepare for the trip, you will learn about the social issue of your choice either in a DeCal or several pre-break meetings with other participants.

This year, the programs offered are: Kumeyaay Native American Reservation, Cal in MIssissippi: Rebuilding the Gulf Coast, The Border Crossed Them: Redefining the San Diego-Tijuana Border, and Migrant Farmworkers in the Central Valley. Spring Break will be from March 26, 2007 - April 1, 2007.

Applications for Alternative Breaks 2007 are due November 9th. There will also be Information Sessions on October 30 and November 1 at 7:30 pm in 505 Eshleman Hall.

To learn more about the Alternative Breaks program or to download an application, please visit: http://students.berkeley.edu/osl/calcorps.asp?id=1094

So, hopefully, you are now excited about the upcoming breaks and have some new ideas on ways to spend them like never before!

Cheers from your peers!
Maya and Tiffany

Although it may feel like the Fall semester is just beginning, Telebears season is upon us. It's now time to start looking through the massive list of classes and figuring out what you need to take, when you want to take them and how heavy your workload should be. Although there are many options for your potential semester schedule, here are some general guidelines that should make your course selection a little bit easier.

The first priority is to make sure you have fulfilled the University and L&S Essential Skills requirements. The University requirements are the Entry-Level Writing, American History and American Institutions. L&S requirements are Reading & Composition, Quantitative Reasoning and Foreign Language.

If you haven't settled on a major yet, a good idea is to narrow down your interests to 2-3 potential areas of study. Try to pick overlapping prerequisite classes for these majors. But even if these interests are polar opposites, these classes still can be used to fufill a breadth or AC requirement. Remember, balance is the key and try to keep in mind the amount of reading, problem sets and labs that each course entails.

If you have declared or chosen a major, try to take at least 2 major prerequisites or requirements per semester to make progress towards your degree. This is a general rule, but for more advising about your specific major requirements, don't hesitate to contact the major advisor in your department.

To find out more information about specific classes, it is often helpful to talk to students who have taken it. You can also check out the textbooks and other reading materials for the class at the bookstore. Another resource that is great to get a general idea about the difficulty of the class or the professor is the website www.ratemyprofessor.com.

For general advising and program planning, L&S advisors are available on a drop-in basis or scheduled appointments. You can always call 642-1483 to make an appointment.

Happy Schedule Planning!

Cheers from your Peers!

Tiffany and Maya

So now that your fall semester classes are in full swing and midterms are constantly looming in the air, it is often difficult to see the bigger picture outside of schoolwork. However, college is a chance for you to grow as a student and as an individual, and an opportunity to explore future endeavors. With so many resources available to the students, Cal is a perfect place to discover what your true calling is.

The Cal Corps Public Service Center, located in Eschleman Hall, is a great starting point to find ways to get involved in the community. If you are interested in enhancing your leadership skills, volunteering, interning with various agencies, or working for social action, you may want to look into the programs offered at Cal Corps. These include Alternative Breaks, BUILD, Bonner Leaders, Cal in Berkeley, Cal in the Capital, Coaching Corps, Destination: College, GAIN, and Greening Berkeley, among others. For more information and to learn about other ways to get involved, go to: http://students.berkeley.edu/osl/calcorps.asp

The Cal Career Center is another fantastic resource for learning about your options after graduating from Cal. It is located at 2111 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA. There you will find information about graduate schools and professional schools as well as different career paths. You can schedule career counseling appointments, where you can have a career counselor look over your resume and give you suggestions for success in applying and interviewing. You can also take a diagnostic personality test that can help guide you to your most suitable career path.

The Career Center hosts numerous career, graduate and professional school, study abroad, internship, and research/fellowship fairs throughout the year. Make sure to check the Career Center website on a regular basis to stay updated. The website is: http://career.berkeley.edu/

Remember to stay open-minded and have fun exploring!

Cheers from your peers!
Maya and Tiffany

Hey everyone!
This is Tiffany and Maya. We are Peer Advisors for the College of Letters and Science. We will be posting in this blog on a regular basis throughout the year in order to keep you all informed about what is happening here in L&S. Hopefully this will be helpful and make your experience with the College go more smoothly. Enjoy!

We all know that life gets crazy sometimes: midterms, homework, clubs and actually trying to have social life all can be overwhelming. The fact that L&S seems to have a billion deadlines and papers for everything doesn't help. So it is not too uncommon and definitely not the end of the world if you miss the add/drop deadline. If this is the situation you find yourself in, don't panic. There are things you can do:

If you are in a class that you wish to drop but missed the deadline, perhaps the simplest option would be to change your grading option from letter grade to P/NP. The deadline to do this is November 3rd. Remember, you can take any of the 7 course breadth requirements, the American Cultures requirement as well as any electives as P/NP. However, you must take the Quantitative Reasoning, Foreign Language and R&C as well as prerequisites and requirements for your major for a letter grade. Changing your grade option to P/NP if you miss the deadline is a good idea because it will help reduce any stress you may have over the class and allow you to focus on your other classes.

If this does not work for your situation, you can file a "Request for Exceptional Change of Class Schedule" which you can pick up at 113 Campbell Hall or download this PDF to print one out at home. Please read the instructions carefully and include all necessary paperwork and documentation. The personal statement should go over what the extenuating circumstances were that prevented you from making the necessary schedule change before the deadline. Also remember to obtain the appropriate faculty verification. Although there is no specific deadline for these requests, please try to turn these in ASAP. A committee will review your request and decide whether or not to grant it.

Hopefully this helps. In the future, you can always check the L&S website for a calendar of deadlines so that scheduling won't add any more craziness to your life!

Cheers from your Peers!

Tiffany and Maya