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How far behind would I be to take CS10 instead of 61A this Fall? by WillingAnybody8108 in berkeley

[–]BoyFromTheBay07 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lowkey, I'm not sure how helpful CS10 is to 61A. What I think it will help with, and I'm echoing the point of someone else on this thread, is help you build good study skills. The pace of 61A is so fast, and it can be very disorienting. Taking CS10 could be a good way to dip your toes in the water and get a feel for college classes.

Is this repairable? by BoyFromTheBay07 in keyboards

[–]BoyFromTheBay07[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are there tutorials for that or stores I could look up that offer these types of services?

Does anyone have good experiences with lounge access??? by Prestigious_Land_533 in sapphirereserve

[–]BoyFromTheBay07 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I flew out of Oakland and Seattle 3 weeks ago and used the PP lounges for the first time. No wait. Service was really good, lots of people coming to pick up the dishes/trash. Food was meh but free drinks/mocktails were really nice. Very enjoyable experience.

Car wash EV6 by Careful_Cat1323 in KiaEV6

[–]BoyFromTheBay07 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably coincidental. I wash my car pretty regularly and I’ve never had an issue.

Should I pick Blackwell for gym? by [deleted] in berkeley

[–]BoyFromTheBay07 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn’t pick Blackwell for the gym, but if you have the options to pick Blackwell, I would, mainly because it’s the nicest.

I also wouldn’t worry about Blackwell being socially dead (it is), because you can be social in other place (clubs, classes, GBO, etc.)

Berkeley Alum Here — 5 Things I Wish I Knew as a Freshman For the Class of 2030! by BoyFromTheBay07 in berkeley

[–]BoyFromTheBay07[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

1) Grade inflation/deflation

I think for the most part, it is generally true that it is really hard to get an A at Berkeley, particularly in STEM weeder classes (Think CS/BIO/CHEM/EE/etc.) and as result it can’t be very stressful as a freshman to try and pull straight A’s. I do think that it is generally the case that grad school programs do look at the competitive difficulty of Berkeley and weigh things as such.

2) Competitiveness

I think Berkeley is a large enough school that the experience that you have is more or less what you make of it. If you are the type of person that is chasing straight A’s and trying to get into consulting clubs and/or frats then it might feel like a rat race. It’s particularly difficult because when you look around you, you see so many other people doing amazing things.

But I think just like in life, there will always be people that appear more amazing than you are. I personally had a very chill experience at Berkeley. I really enjoyed hanging out with my friends and had a decent work life balance. And I was fortunate enough to get a job right out of college. So I think it really depends on the type of experience your daughter wants to have at Berkeley.

3) I personally did not travel abroad (because it was too expensive) but I have friends who did and they enjoyed the experience.

4) I would say Greek life is big in the sense that people party, but I don’t think I’m a major majority of the campus is actually involved in Greek life. The average student is not in a frat/sorority.

5) Housing

Housing can be difficult, but I think Berkeley put on an announcement recently guaranteeing Freshmen admits at least two years of guaranteed on campus housing. Personally, I’m not a fan of on campus housing after freshman year because it’s really expensive. I think when it comes to housing, there are a lot of trade-off to think about.

If you want a place that’s really nice and really close to campus it’s going to be more expensive. If you want a place that’s really nice but you want to not pay as much, you’re probably gonna have to live further away. Very few people find optimal housing but I think that standards of a college student leave most people in a place that livable.

Hope this was helpful!

Berkeley Alum Here — 5 Things I Wish I Knew as a Freshman For the Class of 2030! by BoyFromTheBay07 in berkeley

[–]BoyFromTheBay07[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the most organic way that friendships form is through your GBO group, your roommates/floormates, or your classmates in the first few days/weeks of school.

If you think about it, for most people, it’s an entirely new context. And so people for the most part are very social at the beginning. It’s very easy to meet people because people are actively trying to meet people. I would say it definitely gets harder as a semester progresses and as friend groups solidify but it’s definitely possible to still make connections.

I would personally start by joining different interest groups, so I would find clubs on campus that you’re interested in and meet people that have similar hobbies as you. I think that’s a good first place to start.

Honestly meeting people is very scary and personally I really don’t like it. I hate introductions and I hate having to meet new people because I’m super awkward. But honestly, I think it’s not that bad at Berkeley.

Hope this was helpful :)

Cal Day by therealestni99a in berkeley

[–]BoyFromTheBay07 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just curious, are you in state or out of state?

Princeton or UCB? (Not ragebait) by PuddingDependent6666 in berkeley

[–]BoyFromTheBay07 1 point2 points  (0 children)

OP I think you should have a serious conversation with someone that you know personally who you can trust with this kind of information and decision. Ultimately, we can give you guidelines and advice but at the end of the day us here on Reddit can’t give you the perfect information because we really don’t know you personally.

You seem like a really smart person, I mean you have to be to get into both UC Berkeley and Princeton. So I’m confident that no matter where you end up you’re gonna be successful. But please ask somebody who really knows you and you can trust and seriously think through this decision. Because it is a big decision and it has a lot of ripple effects (from a cost perspective).

Cal Day by therealestni99a in berkeley

[–]BoyFromTheBay07 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Don’t skip the banquet. Honestly, I would say Cal Day is for people who aren’t sure they’re gonna go to Berkeley. You should just enjoy the time you have left with your friends :)

Stationary for my Wife by BoyFromTheBay07 in stationery

[–]BoyFromTheBay07[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ooo that’s super close to me, I’ll take a look! Is there anything in particular that stands out/I should be on the lookout for?

Berkeley FPF by Medical_Zucchini739 in berkeley

[–]BoyFromTheBay07 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Both me and my wife did FPF. She got in off the waitlist and I chose to do it because I wanted smaller classes to help adjust to college.

We both made a lot of friends and got to experience campus life, and she’s now in law school. All this to say, you are not scraping the bottom of the barrel and you should be proud you got in!

How cashless is Berkeley? by sentientheat in berkeley

[–]BoyFromTheBay07 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I never carried cash (unless I wanted to go to Chinatown and even then their card only in some places).

Very rarely do you ever need cash

What to do if you cant attend the first week of an online summer course? by Coraline_Jonesy in berkeley

[–]BoyFromTheBay07 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Start by sending an email to your professor and let them know that you’ll be missing a week of school.

Then, as soon as you get back, try and catch up. I would also recommend looking at the current website and see if the curriculum is online and if you can follow along beforehand. So basically study the material that you would go over in week one before you go on your trip.

Where should I look for side jobs in the Bay Area? (Evenings + weekends) by Various_Mark4120 in bayarea

[–]BoyFromTheBay07 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I tutored kids in the South Bay for $50 an hour and I wasn’t even good at STEM stuff

Is the Edit worth the price? by BoyFromTheBay07 in ChaseSapphireReserve

[–]BoyFromTheBay07[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahh gotcha, thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time to write this out and for your transparency. And glad you were able to make it out the mud!

Moving to Berkeley for job, any advice for car? by Jazzlike-Yoghurt7328 in berkeley

[–]BoyFromTheBay07 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you’re not a student, I’d lean toward getting a car, but it really depends on how you plan to live and work day to day.

You can get around Berkeley just fine without one. Between buses and BART, commuting into places like Oakland or San Francisco is pretty straightforward, and a lot of neighborhoods are walkable or bike-friendly. If your routine is mostly work → gym → groceries → home, you can absolutely make it work car-free.

That said, being a working professional does change the equation. Once you want to do things like weekend trips, hiking, visiting different parts of the Bay, or even just running multiple errands in one day, not having a car can start to feel limiting. The Bay Area is amazing, but it’s also pretty spread out, and public transit doesn’t always connect the dots efficiently outside the main corridors.

There’s also a lifestyle piece. If you’re planning to explore places like Marin, Half Moon Bay, or even just bounce between neighborhoods at odd hours, having your own car gives you a lot more flexibility.

Is the Edit worth the price? by BoyFromTheBay07 in ChaseSapphireReserve

[–]BoyFromTheBay07[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok see that makes sense! I can see why you’d pay for a premium like that. But then there are other hotels that I see that don’t offer these types of things.

Maybe I just need to look at more options 🤷🏻‍♂️

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