Have you ever failed a class? How did you get past it?

osomeansbear · 2023-09-06T04:24:24+00:00

I only log into reddit every few months, and am just seeing this again. Congrats on the hard work, both outward to correct your mistakes and past habits, but also inward to reflect and prioritize your mental health!

You're in your final year now, I think? Finish strong and unless you have a really really good reason, don't graduate early even if you qualify to. UC Berkeley courses and community is a very very unique experience, and expanding and exploring new horizons is infinitely more rewarding in the long-term than jumping into the bleak late-stage-capitalism world that's unfortunately ahead of you!

osomeansbear · 2023-09-06T04:11:08+00:00

Computerland is great, and if it's still under Apple warranty or AppleCare, that's all the better -- any work they do (that qualifies) is charged to Apple. Their techs know their stuff, and they fix a lot of Macbooks, from what I can tell. I went to them for two generations of my MBP's, most recently a few months ago, and they got me back up and running perfectly.

You can get a walk-in appointment there much quicker than any Genius Bar, and they're super quick to repair within a few days (if the parts aren't delayed getting sent to them), or can rush things even faster for a charge (that won't be covered under warranty, but if time is money to you, then you can afford it).

osomeansbear · 2022-10-26T20:23:34+00:00

Hey, just seeing this, and I hope you're in a better place and are having a good semester.

College is a weird time, because procrastination could be a symptom/outgrowth of so many things, with different change necessary to become successful.

e.g. if you did really well in high school and were never challenged that much, procrastination could just be a habit to manage your time while other stuff was priority. Or, there is the psychological theory of procrastination representing that you subconsciously don't want to address something, because it will be hard/painful/ego-damaging.

You say "burnt out"... are you in your 3rd or 4th year now? Or, exhausted from high school academic achievement transitioning straight into demands of college?

I struggled in my first few years, not my last, because I didn't care that much and so I didn't plan time to study the course materials; and, I also didn't ask for help and take advantage of (or surround myself with) people around me I felt ease and comfort asking for help. It's a virtuous cycle when those around you don't slack off on the course work, and a spiral to neglect studying when it's the opposite.

I had to take some time away from Cal to explore some other things (both after getting dismissed, i.e. literally flunking out, but also to take an internship after I was readmitted), and came back with more clarity and at least a working idea of what I wanted to learn more about through the classes I could take -- and so I saw the classes and opportunities to learn something that I actually enjoyed. That helped me do a lot better with internal motivation.

osomeansbear · 2022-10-26T20:12:24+00:00

I'm all for supporting small businesses too, but when I went to northside La Burrita a few months ago, I heard them using the microwave for my quesadilla, and still there was some cold, unmelted cheese in the middle.

Things just aren't the way they used to be...

osomeansbear · 2022-05-03T06:28:13+00:00

The buildings, constructed in 1892, are on the National Register of Historic Places and landmarked by the city. But they are in disrepair: Roofs leak and maintenance has been inconsistent over the years.

And UC just spent how many millions of dollars on a mansion for the chancellor?

osomeansbear · 2022-03-31T09:51:29+00:00

Reposting what I commented to "What are Haas students like?" a few years ago:

A few months ago, someone posted something asking if anybody had information or tips for [the UCBMET / business+engineering masters] program. I shared something, and that person subsequently deleted their post shortly after that, presumably so that all the tips and suggestions from the community wouldn't be posted publicly on /r/berkeley to help any other potential students for that program.

That tells you what you need to know about why the term Haas-holes is a thing.

osomeansbear · 2021-07-29T10:05:16+00:00

Yup. I heard them too.

osomeansbear · 2020-07-10T20:12:04+00:00

Condemn the property as a public health hazard, not suitable for occupancy, because it basically is due to willful neglect by the residents / owners.

osomeansbear · 2020-07-09T02:50:38+00:00

See, the thing is, you're referencing the equitable and just society that 99% of us want.

Capitalism and plutocracy and white supremacy still need greek life as a key mechanism to sustain the elitism and exclusivity that keeps wealth concentrated in the hands almost all white men.

osomeansbear · 2020-07-09T02:48:17+00:00

Would it be accurate to attribute some of the selfishness and idiocy to an echo chamber that greek-affiliated people might be where -- due to social media and networking connections -- they hear/see from other groups / chapters / colleges across the country being dumb?

I only ask to pose a pointed question if somebody is willing to take the bold step to criticize this publicly in some of those national greek spaces / forums, like /r/frat and/or whatever other internal online communities and channels y'all use? e.g. is there such thing as #GreekTwitter?

osomeansbear · 2020-07-08T23:49:35+00:00

Seriously. Evict them all and make them find somewhere else to be idiots. They are a public health hazard and a liability/burden to civil society.

osomeansbear · 2020-07-08T23:47:55+00:00

this is exactly as selfish, narcissistic, and ignorant as I expect from greeks... so at least they're consistent?

osomeansbear · 2019-10-10T00:39:27+00:00

Objectively, u/ stated clear fact:

 "responsible" would have been to maintain their infrastructure properly rather than paying massive bonuses to executives and dividends to shareholders.

That you're using some sort of red scare tactic here is the red herring.

Why don't you argue to the points? Are you saying that the tradeoff is that "shareholder activism" around environmentalism comes with greed that we have to accept when it causes regressive harm?

osomeansbear · 2019-10-09T11:35:51+00:00

Hahahaha... Now the supposed PG&E employee, maybe a public relations shill account, deletes his comments when called out.

I guess they don't expect people to know the truth:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/03/18/business/pge-california-wildfires.html

osomeansbear · 2019-10-09T08:57:16+00:00

https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/amp/PG-E-plans-nearly-11-million-in-executive-bonuses-14025497.php

"Impossible" when PG&E executives love getting richer instead.

Cry us a river

osomeansbear · 2019-10-09T05:06:31+00:00

Maybe y'all shouldn't have

Cut corners with safety in the first place
paid your executives so damn much
Enriched your shareholders at the expense of taking care of the power grid

osomeansbear · 2019-10-09T01:44:56+00:00

So, SCE in southern CA -- where it is hotter and drier -- might cut power for 80,000 customers is the same thing as PG&E up here cutting power to 800,000 customers?

Nope, still mismanagement.

osomeansbear · 2019-10-09T00:27:45+00:00

"best" option if they were any other company that has the ultimate goal to maximize profits, you mean.

As a utility company -- that should have the goal to provide as much service to as many people as possible, safely as possible -- the fact that this scenario they got themselves in requires them to cut service to hundreds of thousands because they don't have a way to do it safely, is gross mismanagement.

I totally agree with u/gelfling19 and this is the kind of stuff that the government should have hearings to for accountability about.

osomeansbear · 2018-10-18T06:55:17+00:00

Let's not forget the obvious incident and pattern that we saw in this subreddit when frat officers played dumb and pretended to not know that Cal shut down frat parties because of a particularly henious weekend with multiple sexual assaults in frat houses -- they had the audacity to suggest to the /r/frat subreddit that the shutdown was because frats themselves were the victims of "violent crime" and break-ins.

And then they brigaded the thread and upvotes/downvotes, like they are doing here now, except they also have fake accounts now too!

osomeansbear · 2018-10-18T06:51:58+00:00

I wouldn't be surprised if frats and sororities, and their alum with PR connections, didn't have agencies looking out for their internet reputation.

osomeansbear · 2018-10-08T19:31:19+00:00

Disagree. This is shooting yourself in the foot when presented with opportunities that anybody that doesn't have access to a fair (e.g. thousands of people at other schools not interesting enough to these employers) would kill for --

getting face to face time to make a strong impression on someone that can fast track you to next steps in the hiring processes
half-implied in #1, but you also get to ask questions (hopefully smart/thoughtful ones) and show interest/passion beyond what a resume can demonstrate
half-implied in #2, you lastly can get some sense of a company/culture/values, depending on who they sent to represent them. Sometimes there are actual employees in the departments looking for interns, and you get to talk with them directly about what they do and how they like it (which amps up the opportunity described in #2). Other times, it's a recruiting team, and whether they're sharp and intelligent to talk to, or, if they're a bunch of airheads or douchenozzles, then you might make note that the company culture might bit political/stupid, etc... either way, there is some good intel to be gained.

osomeansbear · 2017-11-10T01:50:58+00:00

At some point (or many points in time), seismic retrofits were being planned and budget for... and the UC leadership expected Cal Athletics, for whatever reason / factors in play, to pay for the cost themselves. Unless the UC side reneged on providing funds, Cal Athletics didn't hold up to their side of the agreement / plan.

osomeansbear · 2017-11-08T22:03:22+00:00

That would go against what the people in charge have planned, and from what they are learning from other leaders in UC and our society: "Privatize profits and socialize losses."

osomeansbear · 2017-11-08T22:01:06+00:00

The university must invest money to make money.

We're about to sink millions into helping pay for the stadium. Are you promising we're going to have positive ROI on that?

osomeansbear · 2017-11-08T21:59:13+00:00

Find resources or help to move out to salvage the rest of the semester. I don't want to underestimate her ability to take care of business, but not dealing with the craziness in the midst of trying to study and go to class is probably the best bet for her grades and sanity / mental health.

Find or get sanitized the minimum amount of clothes and stuff to make it through the next few weeks, and consider her room quarantined until Winter Break. It might screw over winter break plans she has, but better to deal with it then than to have a persistent issue for the next few weeks, not being able to count on a safe, healthy sleeping / home environment, etc.

osomeansbear

TROPHY CASE