While we Peer Advisers are busy working the phones, helping at the front desk in 113 Campbell Hall, reminding you about your scheduled advising appointments, tabling in the DCs, and out on campus in our snazzy, new blue carts to answer questions (yes, people do actually come up to talk to us!), we realize that essential L&S information may not make it out to all of the 75% of total Berkeley students who call the college home. And so we present to you, amazing L&S students (*dramatic drum roll, please*), College Updates!! My name is Sarah and each week I will break down what you need to know and what you may not have discovered otherwise:

* Announcements and Deadlines will keep you up to date on everything that's happening in the college.

* I Didn't Know You Could Major in That! will highlight a lesser known slash awesome major every week that will expand your horizons on what you could be studying at Cal.

* Did You Know? will describe some of the cool programs offered by the university that you may have never encountered, but will do you wonders.

* And finally, we have the Cal Fun Fact of the Week to keep you informed on the history of the best higher education institution in the world (but I'm not biased. . . riiiiiight)

Let Me Borrow That Class!

You've been admitted to Berkeley and you could not be more thrilled to attend football games, go to parties, and take really interesting classes (the latter being the most exciting, of course). However, you are enrolled in only 9 units, waitlisted for 16 and are COMPLETELY FREAKING OUT. First of all, take a deep breath and relax. Secondly, every Cal student has been in this position at least once (most likely multiple times) and not only is it not the end of the world, but there are a plethora of options to bump you up to the 13+ units range to make you a full-time student.

While it may feel like every single class offered this semester is full, that is just not the case. The College of Letters and Science has a nifty search engine that looks for breadth and essential skill courses that still have spots open:
http://ls-breadth.berkeley.edu/search.php

If you are a first or second-year that is just looking for that extra unit or two to get you up to 13 units, a great option is the freshman & sophomore seminar series that provide students with small classes taught by Berkeley professors: http://fss.berkeley.edu

Looking for a unique and fun class that will fulfill a breadth requirement and is taught by a professor who has won teaching awards to boot? It seems too good to be true, right?! Wrong! Look no further than the L&S Discovery courses: http://lsdiscovery.berkeley.edu

Did you know you could get credit for learning how to cook an Italian meal, watching episodes of "Sex and the City," and doing Israeli folk dancing? These topics are just a few among the many Democratic Education at Cal (DeCal) courses you could take. Most are 2 units and you have the liberty to take them P/NP. To check them out, go here: http://decal.org

If you like doing community service and making all of the rest of us look bad, you can get credit at Cal for being the good Samaritan that you are. Education 97 & 197 courses provide the opportunity for you to earn college credit while tutoring in local K-12 schools: http://gse.berkeley.edu/research/eco/ap/ed97/all_sections.html

In addition, Social Issues, Social Action is a course sponsored by the Cal Corps Public Service Center that is ideal for students interested in social action and awareness:
http://students.berkeley.edu/osl/calcorps.asp?id=1081

EDD, Say What?

Being the super on top of it Cal student that you are, you know that you have until the end of the 5th week of instruction to drop and add classes. However, you may not know that some impacted classes are designated as "Early Drop Deadline" (EDD) courses. These classes are Arabic 1A, Biology 1A and 1AL, Biology 1B, L&S C70V, Persian 1A, Physics 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B, C10, Sociology 3 & 3AC, and Spanish 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8. If you are enrolled in any of these courses, remember that you have until the end of the 2nd week of instruction (Friday, September 5) to drop these classes.

The Political Economy major studies the intersection of politics and economics and how it affects society, culture, geography, and demographics. It is an interdisciplinary major, meaning that you don't have to just take Political Economy classes to fulfill major requirements. The major mainly draws from Asian Studies, Development Studies, Latin American Studies, Middle East Studies, and Peace and Conflict Studies. Political Economy is ideal for students who are interested in global politics and the international political economy. Not only is the Political Economy major fascinating, but those of you who choose to study the topic will be able to school all of the rest of us with your knowledge of the world. So, while Berkeley offers the traditional Political Science and Economics majors, Political Economy is just as excellent, if not more unique, of an option.

Not only do we have a campus Career Center, but it has a variety of helpful resources for students. One really interesting tool is called, "What Can I Do With a Major in...?" which give students ideas about possible careers following graduation. So, while you contemplate whether you want to major in Public Health or Comparative Literature, check out this resource to see where that major may lead you: http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm

The Bancroft Library houses the Mark Twain Papers and Project, the world's largest collection of Twain's writings, photos, letters, and scrapbooks. How do you like them apples?