#mba_undergrad

[myberkeleyadventure]

GRADUATION HAS HAPPENED.

And this is the morning after.

If I’m being honest, I was really cranky and in a bad mood for most of commencement. First, there was just SO MANY PEOPLE. Like thousands of us, crammed in a small area and I felt like cattle. Then, my friends and I kept losing track of each other. Furthermore, there was no service/ wifi/ data/ no calling ability in the area so that was frustrating. And me being a social-media fanatic (not really, but I was annoyed I couldn’t snapchat or text), I tried to reset my phone twice, etc. This whole ordeal drained my battery a lot. 

And the whip cream on top? Finally, when we get seated in the stadium, I check the program to see my name... AND IT’S MISSPELLED.

Sigh.

Then of course, it wouldn’t be Berkeley if we didn’t have a protest during our graduation right? People were turning their backs against the Chancellor to show their support of the labor unions.

Then when we had to walk out of the stadium, again, it was so hella crowded. 

But after that, my friend had invited me to eat lunch with her family who had come to celebrate with her (+2 other Cal friends), which was a great way to destress. Then I spent time with a friend, rested for a teeny bit, then went to the same friend’s graduation at night! Busy busy day.

My graduation is sadly not until this upcoming Saturday--literally the last day graduations could be on so it sorta sucks to have to be in the area longer than I should be, especially when all of my friends are gone and I’ll be alone. :’( 

[myberkeleyadventure]

TOMORROW IS GRADUATION

Okay, I’m writing this blog post as I’m supposed to be studying for my last final of my entire undergraduate career, but oh well!

Honestly, I’ve gone through weird mood changes about graduation. And even yesterday, when I was eating dinner (yum, hot pot) with friends (y’all, make sure you spend time with your friends the last month of your graduation! NO REGRETS), I was really happy about the impending graduation but then legit, halfway through, I sorta got sad. So I think I can summarize my feelings by saying I’m generally pretty stoked and excited about graduation but I will have minor relapses and feel sad about it all--but for the most part, it’s something I’m eagerly looking forward to.

I’m really grateful that I’ll be leaving right after my major commencement because I think otherwise i’ll have too much time to think (overthink), especially since most of my close friends will be gone already (my commencement is literally on the last possible day... At UC Berkeley, we have the general commencement and then a major-specific commencement.), I don’t like my living situation, and there’s really no reason to stay longer than necessary.

So whoo hoo! I’ve been posting a lot of grad pictures on social media (3 instagram posts, 1 facebook album, heh) but YOLO. This is a momentous achievement and I’m super proud of it.

More updates to follow!

[myberkeleyadventure]

My College Experience: A Look Back

With graduation soon arriving, I thought it’d be nice to do a post about my overall college experience (as of now--Spring Break time. I’ll try to blog more!). And honestly, if I had to rate it, I would give a solid 8 out of 10. Yeah, I’ve pretty happy with my college experience!

I arrived as a Spring Admit, so one semester later than all my peers. I felt a little self-conscious about it (I’m not as great as the regular fall admits. I’m inferior, etc) but then realized, literally no one cares. The only thing people care about is themselves, honestly, and how you portray yourself to others is how they sorta see you. So the phrase “fake it til you make it” is honestly kinda true! 

Anyway, so my freshman year I was really proactive (a lot of it was that I felt “behind” since I arrived on campus a semester later than my peers) and joined a bunch of clubs and through going to events, I met people and stayed on good terms with them. Even if I decided not to stay in the club! One of the clubs I joined is a club I ended up sticking with for all four years! My freshman floormates were cool, though not really my particular style. Not sure how to really phrase it properly, but basically they were more party-type than I was. And as a Spring admit and unsure of myself in college and having already one less semester to get to know them, plus really not being a party gal, I felt a little awkward around them. But I was BFFs with my roommate, we actually got along great! Summarizing Words: awkward, unsure of oneself, over-eager

Sophomore year followed. My floormates this time were more aligned with my personality--aka a little party type but not too overboard, and they were nice and cool people. In fact, I would easily include a handful of them as one of my closest friends to this day (they’re in my graduation photo shoot!). I stayed in that one club again, growing in rank and position and making friendships along the way. Honestly, finding a club you like is so amazing because not only do you get to contribute to that club’s cause (whether it’s some sort of volunteer organization, or it’s a health fraternity or something that helps the community or yourself) but you meet other like-minded people. Having a support network is one of the best things! Sophomore year is when I also got really stressed with school and felt pretty clueless about my life and what I wanted to do post-grad life. Summarizing Words: less awkward, more sure of myself, starting to become clueless and stressed about post-grad life/ career goals

Now junior year. For the most part, it was very similar to previous years. I was still social, hanging out with friends often, stayed in the club again (grew to be Director!), grades were average. I was never pre-med as a bio major, so I definitely was not as stressed out as some of my other bio peers were. But luckily, I snagged a great summer internship (people, let me tell you. You gotta work on your soft skills and interview skills!) that helped solidify what I wanted to do as a career. At this time, I was also taking upper-division courses for my major and I found that I greatly preferred them over lame, weeder lower division courses. I also moved out of the dorms and was now living in a house, with a single bedroom to myself. It was nice to have the social aspect of others in the house, but to have my own personal space. Would recommend 10/10. Summarizing Words: no longer an awko-taco, clueless and stressed (at least in first half of semester before having gotten my summer internship), getting in my groove

Senior year. Ah! The last year! I decided to move out of my house to an apartment with my friends. One of their apartment-mates had moved out so I took her place in the double room. It sounded like an ideal situation: living with friends my senior year, close to campus, (slightly) cheaper rent. But long story short, my roommate’s boyfriend is over here so god damn much so I regret moving. Otherwise, life is going great. My schedule is lax, I’ve finally found my groove, I’m much more confident about myself and what my plans are post-grad. I’m so glad my last semester at Berkeley is a relatively low course load and easy schedule. That helps with the job-hunting process, and also just in allowing me to enjoy and appreciate my last semester here. But I am also hella ready to leave this place because... 

It’s been like, 4 years and I’m just mentally ready to get out. I am moving to Southern California (where I’m from) post-graduation, so what’s not to look forward to?! Can’t wait to be near my family again, to be in warm, sunny climate, and to have a job I enjoy.

I hate how often my roommate’s boyfriend is over... I literally want to leave my apartment ASAP.

It makes me feel a little weird to be SO eager to move out. As if I don’t have any friends that I’ll miss or something and that I’ve just been “fake friends” with people these 4 years. I would argue that a lot of the people I interact with is more of a situational friendship and the friends where I’m actually really close to and confide in and would want to continue talking to is probably just a handful. And with those friendships, I know that distance is not going to kill it. Also, my mentality is that this change is going to happen no matter what your attitude is (dreading it, eagerly awaiting it, etc), so you might as well prepare and embrace it and make the most of your time while here.

And to be honest, I’m so excited to leave. I’m so excited for life after graduation. I’ve already started packing and doing a lot of spring cleaning and tossing stuff out. All I really have left to do, come May, is pack my closet clothes, sell the little furniture I do have (I already have friends interested), and toss everything else. Quite frankly, I have very minimal stuff in my room. I’ve already torn down my wall decorations, donated a good portion of my closet, etc. I’ve been keen to start the move-out process early so that when it’s May, it’ll be a very easy and seamless transition. I’ve been mentally ready to leave since the beginning of this month.

Summarizing Words: ready to leave and graduate, done and over college, excited for the future.

[myberkeleyadventure]

It’s April!

Officially one month left until graduation month!

Overall, as I’ve mentioned earlier in my previous posts, I’m pretty content with my college experience. Minus a few blips here and there, my 4 year college experience has been a solid one.

As this chapter of my life wraps up, I’d like to write my “goals” for this last month of graduation:

Finish strong! Academically wise and otherwise. Don’t be a sloppy friend and don’t get bad grades.

Make sure to cherish my true friends and spend time with people I care about before I graduate because hanging out with them after graduation will be much more difficult. I say “true” friends because honestly, I’ve realized that most friendships are situational and the number of friends I will regularly speak to after graduation is like, 5. The number of friends that I am on good terms with and can see myself doing a catch up talk here and there are plentiful.

Don’t leave things on bad terms with anyone (within reason). Or at least make it “neutral” terms. For example, I am decent friends with my roommate but I don’t really see myself talking with her post-graduation. Even now, we don’t really message or text each other and in-person, we get along well and can talk easily but honestly, I don’t foresee this friendship being very strong after graduation. And I’m okay with that. Likewise for my housemates. I honestly think I’m so emotionally detached and so emotionally ready to leave for graduation that the transition will be seamless. But who knows, maybe I’ll bawl my eyes out later or something. 

Whoo hoo!

[myberkeleyadventure]

Rant

I hate that my roommate’s boyfriend is such a visible part of my life. I hate his nearly everyday presence in my room. If he’s not sleeping over, he’s still here for a couple hours while my roommate socializes and showers before leaving to his place. I would have never moved here if I had known how often her boyfriend would be over. Yeah, my last place wasn’t perfect but it was better than this.

And it’s not even that he’s being rude or inconsiderate when he’s here. They are both nice people. I am just irritated with his literal presence in my room. And how often it is. He sleeps over half the week, and the other half, he’s here for like 2-3 hours. I can’t even avoid them because they get home so late after work and having grabbed dinner, and then she needs to shower, so they leave sometimes as late as 9 or 10pm. I think it is reasonable to grow resentment towards someone who is regularly in your room who is not your roommate.

Honestly, I think I wouldn’t be nearly as irritated if he slept over 3 days a week but during the other 4 days, he doesn’t stop by the apartment, or if he musts, his stay is within an hour. Like a quick grab-n-go thing, not a “let’s go watch a couple episodes of TV and eat dinner” thing.

But graduation is fast approaching so I don’t think it’s worth to ruffle up their feathers and start drama. But I can tell you one thing: this is one of the main reasons I want to graduate and just leave already. Also, pro-tip: Have very strict rules about how often significant others can be over, if you decide to have a roommate. But better yet, just get a single room to yourself and get housemates. Don’t get roommates. But ah, we can’t always get what we want, can we?  Edit: Just wanted to clarify that my apartment doesn’t have a living room sadly, so when the boyfriend is over, he is literally in my space!

[myberkeleyadventure]

What I’ve Learned Living in An Apartment

Having a clearly defined housemate contract is very important. Sounds cheesy and maybe unnecessary even initially, but it’s actually very important. Have everyone in the living space come together and talk through issues together that may come up. Have this in WRITING and send it out to everyone for transparency. (Especially important regarding guests and boyfriends!)

Having a set schedule for cleaning is important too. For example, our apartment switches off on cleaning the bathroom and kitchen every week. Makes the apartment more livable.

I’ve learned that I like my space and privacy. I used to live in a single but now I live in a double with one roommate. She has a boyfriend. So it’s basically a triple half the week. Would I have agreed to living in the apartment if I had known how often the boyfriend would’ve been over? I’m actually not sure... Everything else about the apartment, I love. Including the people I live with (and the social aspect that comes with it), the location, the price, etc. But I’ve definitely learned that I like my space and don’t like my privacy to be invaded if it doesn’t need to be.

Cooking and managing a grocery budget is important. I used to be like “whatever, i’m grocery shopping. This is money I need to spend” but the reality was that I was spending a lot of money on grocery shopping and I had to be better with budgeting. Grocery shopping was actually one of the main things eating up my credit card bill, because I wouldn’t watch what I was buying.

I like to study in silence. Even though my roommate is not particularly a loud person, she is a social person so working at home can be a little unproductive. Also, when her boyfriend is over half the week (as per housemate contract; it used to be all the time so I will gladly take the 3 days a week over 7), I can hear them giggling while watching videos even if they’re wearing headphones. (We don’t have a living room--one of our rooms is a converted living room.) So now I study when she’s out, or just at a library.

I’d want to live in a single and not have a roommate. I think the ideal situation would be me in a single room in an apartment so that I would have privacy to myself but if I wanted to socialize, I’d still have housemates. I don’t mind that my roommate has a boyfriend, but I don’t particularly enjoy that he’s such a visible and big part of MY life. Because 1) I basically have a third roommate when he’s over when I signed up for a double 2) sometimes I feel like I’m a third wheel within my OWN room. Like I’m intruding on their space and that they would rather not have me in the room (obviously). 

Just a couple things I’ve really noticed over time from living in the apartment! 

[myberkeleyadventure]

Senior Year, Fall Semester is OVER!

Whoo hoo! I’ve been finished with finals for a couple of days, and it honestly feels great. Just waiting for one more class to release their final grades (2 of my classes already submitted final grades... I was like, damn that’s quick. But overall pretty content with my grades :) )

Some quick reflections I want to say as I only have one semester left and I’m getting sleepy:

Damn, time flies. Like I know, this is SUCH a cliche saying but it really does. Okay, cliche saying #2: “It does get better” and trust me, it does. I remember thinking freshmen year and being sorta star-struck and anxious about college and also going like “Ah! Who are my friends!” or “Ah! School is so hard fml” and things like that, but really, as you go through college, it sorta all falls together. And if it doesn’t, really, it’s not a big deal and just know that there are resources for you. If you’ve been keeping up with my blog, you’ll know that I have gone to the Counseling center for therapy sessions when I was incredibly stressed and anxious my sophomore year. Mental health is real! And I’m not embarrassed to admit I’ve gone to the counseling center either. Sometimes it’s nice to have an outside, unbiased source just hear you vent.

Cherish your friends and connections. Show gratitude and be thankful for little things they do for you. I think it is easy to just “expect” that your friend will save you a seat in lecture, or that they will send you their notes if you miss class. Or if you have that one friend who keeps bugging to hang out and it’s like “omg so annoying/ clingy”, just change your mindset and be like “wow this person really wants to spend quality time to get to know me more” (unless they be creepy or something). Basically, don’t “expect” anything and remember to always be thankful for the things that people do for you and to be kind. A supportive network of friends and family is AMAZING. (Also, “connections” just meant like anyone you meet and interact with. Did not really know another word for it . Didn’t mean to sound all network-y and business-like lmao)

Be smart about your money. Okay, this isn’t a super “ah senior year” feels tip but seriously, this month it’s only been 2 weeks in and I’m spending like crazy and it’s like uhhhhh whyyyyyy. 

That’s it for now, I’m going to sleeeeeep!! Good night!!! 

[myberkeleyadventure]

Quick Update

Hello everyone, just a quick update for y’all.

It’s dead week right now (week where there is no instruction and right before finals week) so I’ve just been studying! I have 3 finals to study for (or, 2.5 since I PNP one of my classes. Just need to pass the class so don’t need to put in that much effort). So that explains why I haven’t been active and posting so much! Hoping to post a few good posts later, including maybe a “Reflection” post or something. I think most of you who follow this blog is in it for the glimpse of college life. Is there anything you’d want me to answer? Relationship advice? Studying advice? I’m still learning everything myself but happy to help if I can.