From PREP 2018 To You

"★ ᕦ( ᐛ )ᕤ GROWTH MINDSET ᕦ( ᐛ )ᕤ ★ You can reach out to me at ashzhang@berkeley.edu for any questions, concerns, etc. no stupid questions, no judgment. ★ Get 8 hrs of sleep, especially with exams soon. ★ Use past exams to study for midterms & finals. For CS, do all the past exams for your professor. Practice problems are more effective than reading stuff over again, unless you don't understand a concept fundamentally. ★ Go to lecture in person. Yes classes are webcasted, but it's not the same - in live lecture, you can ask questions directly to professor, and you can hear the questions other people ask which can be insightful. Also it forces you to dedicate time to that class. ★ PREP will give you a head start in CS - take advantage of that as much as possible - read ahead, do HW probs ahead. If you stay ahead of the class, the lectures will be easier to understand and you can get through HW faster. ★ If you are under 19, consider applying for a youth Clipper card - you'll get half BART fare. You'll have to provide proof of date of birth. ★ If you're unfamiliar with BART, try to buddy up with someone from bay area - they'll probably keep you from getting lost :) ★ If you're planning on travelling more than a few blocks away from campus via AC transit, double check on Google Maps first. Sometimes the signs on the bus are flat-out wrong - once I boarded a 51B "Rockridge BART" bus that was literally going the opposite direction. ★ Don't feel like doing a certain HW? I like to do "productive procrastination" where I do work for another class even if it's due later. That way I accomplish something while still getting that wonderful feeling from procrastination :) obviously use your judgment, maybe don't do this if CS autograder is due in 10 mins or something ★ Sometimes the CS professor will throw out a tidbit, like "here's how something works under the hood, the interpreter does XYZ so ABC happens, which is cool but you don't need to know this for the exam" - they're right, it won't show up on the exam. But write it down anyway because it's pretty cool, and also interviewers like it when you show that kind of deeper knowledge (at least mine did) ★ Go to DeNero's office hours and pet his dog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111 ★ If your schedule allows, check out Citris Research Exchange talks - there's free lunch if you sign up on eventbrite in time, and you get to hear about pretty cool topics and ideas. ★ Sheng Kee's is delicious. If you don't know what to get, get the HK pineapple bun 

★ PREP PREP PREP PREP PREP PREP PREP PREP PREP PREP PREP PREP PREP PREP PREP " - Ashley, Team Sapphire

"Compare yourself to no one. An essential cliché among many that will be repeated to you throughout the semester, and your career at Berkeley. The admissions team chose you because you were unlike anyone else, and based on their stellar judgement, know that you not only have what is takes to survive but thrive at Berkeley. Don't forget to be an individual. Talk about your passions, give them air to breathe, and allow the feedback of others to nurture them. Join clubs and organizations, not only in STEM, but for things you believe or identify with. Berkeley is a playground for intellectual and personal growth, and we are all here to support you in your journey. Embrace the difficulties you encounter, because they will make the victories so much sweeter, and more than anything stay loyal to GROWTH MINDSET. Now for the harder truth: There will be people who barely study, party every weekend, and ace all their exams. And there will be other people who study every day, and go to study sessions, and are still a standard deviation away from the former type of person. And so this is where we come back to my first point of emphasis: COMPARE YOURSELF TO NO ONE. We all have our own way of learning new material, and we all have our own path to success. The most important thing is discovering what that method is, and optimizing your performance not only as student, but as a growing individual in a vibrant and stimulating environment like Berkeley. PREP is your greatest resource among many others at Berkeley, and whatever you do, don't take these incredible individuals for granted. Welcome to Cal, and don't lose sight of the things you came to Berkeley to accomplish regardless of GPA drops, obstacles, and other character-building exercises along the way. And if all else fails, GO BEARS!!! " - Natalie, Team Diamond

"-Your first semester is prime time to meet new people, make new friends, build a network, etc, so try to put yourself out there and meet new people! PREP is a great start :). Clubs are also a good way to do that. However, don't do too many, cuz you also want to get used to Berkeley's curriculum. I'd say 1 or 2 clubs is a good start, if you want. 

-Take 12 or 13 units your first semester, and build up those units in future semesters. For me, I took 12 my first semester (2 techs), did well, took 13 my second semester (3 techs) and did even better! Avoid 8 AMs, as well as classes that end super late! If you feel lost in your classes, go to your discussion section, tutoring in CAEE, your professor's OH, your GSI's OH, and/or deep dives. Take advantage of those resources!  If you need to find a good GSI, I would recommend section hopping, which is just going to different discussion sections and staying with the best GSI.  Always go to lecture in person, even if the professor is terrible, and even if there's course captures; you absorb more information when you're present. Don't let something as stupid as enrollment get in the way of the classes you want to take!  Study for midterms about a week in advance. 

-Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep per night, and eat 3 meals a day (no, not snacks, I mean full on meals), especially during midterm season and dead week. You learn/retain more when you're healthy! 

-No matter how your first semester goes, this will be a learning experience for you. You will learn more about yourself, what you excel at, what you need to work on, how you learn, and especially how you don't learn. Remember to have a growth mindset and to use your experiences and the lessons you learn to constantly improve yourself, both personally and academically! "    -Tyler, Team Ruby