Telebears is beginning! Check your Bearfacts (http://bearfacts.berkeley.edu) to see what times have been assigned to you for Phase I and Phase II. Phase I began October 20th and ends November 11th. Phase II begins November 13th and ends January 11th. To research for next semester's classes, go to http://schedule.berkeley.edu.

Are you in a class that is giving you a little too much trouble? You may want to consider changing the grading option to P/NP. The last day to do so is on Halloween (October 31st), and keep in mind that once you change the grading option to P/NP, you cannot change it back to a letter-grade.

The major in Near Eastern Studies examines languages, literatures, and civilizations of the ancient, medieval, and modern Near East. Some of the topics covered in the department are Archaeology, Art History, Assyriology, Egyptology, Hittitology, Iranian Studies, Judaic and Islamic Studies, Comparative Semitics, Turkish, Hebrew, Arabic and Persian. In addition to the awesome array of subject matters to study, the department is small and personalized, which is a perk in such a large research-driven university. It is also important to note that Near Eastern Studies has three emphases (Near Eastern Language and Literature, Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern Art and Archaeology, and Near Eastern Civilizations), as well six sub-emphases. If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you may want to consider the major! Go to this website to do more research on this innovative and compelling field: http://neareastern.berkeley.edu/index.html.

Cal has owned a beautiful botanical garden that is nestled up in the hills of Berkeley since 1890 (located on 200 Centennial Drive and is accessible on the "H" Bear Transit Line, which is free for students.) Spread over 34 acres, the garden also boasts 12000 different kinds of plants from all over the world! So, while the sun's still a-shinin' in Berkeley, a day-trip up to the botanical gardens sounds like a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

Not only are Berkeley students brilliant, but they give back to the community in significant numbers. Since the Peace Corps was founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, Cal is the only school in the country to have sent more than 3000 of its students across the world to volunteer for the organization.

Telebears appointment times have been released! Check your Bearfacts (http://bearfacts.berkeley.edu) to see what times have been assigned to you for Phase I and Phase II. Phase I begins October 20th and ends November 11th. Phase II begins November 13th and ends January 11th. To start researching for next semester's classes, go to http://schedule.berkeley.edu

If you are considering withdrawing for the Fall 2008 semester, keep in mind that October 17th is the last day to withdraw before the "Semester-out" rule is imposed. This rule means that if students withdraw after the 8th week (October 17th), then they will be ineligible to enroll at Berkeley for one semester.

Contrary to popular belief, the Geography major does NOT entail being able to identify all of the countries in the world on a map. The department describes the major as "providing a broad-ranging perspective on the human transformation of the face of the earth." If you're still like, "huh?" let me break it down for you. Geography studies the natural environment, natural resources, cartography, and how population dynamics are affected by cultural, social, political, and economic structures, to name a few. The major allows for specialization, which enables students to focus on the area in which they are most interested. To learn more about the program, visit the website: http://geography.berkeley.edu/ProgramCourses/Major/undergrad.html

All of the cool photography that you see around Dwinelle Hall is all part of the larger "Campaign for Berkeley," which aims to raise $3 billion for the university by 2013. Since its launch in 2005, the campus has already collected $1.3 billion. The goal of this campaign is to enable Berkley to retain its pool of talented and award-winning faculty, maintain its status as a prominent research institution, and continue to fund opportunities for students.

There are more than 130 academic departments and an additional 80 "interdisciplinary research units" at Berkeley. Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) is the most popular major, with 917 degree candidates, and Political Science and Electrical Engineering/Computer Science (EECS) round out the top three.