Ever since I was a young girl, I have always loved to keep myself busy with a book or movie whenever I had free time. Those days seemed endless because I was able to allow the book or movie to completely absorb myself. As I grew older, unfortunately, I had less and less time over the school year to indulge in a good book. Homework, studying, and exams took over the majority of my time, and I was left with little to no free time. This is why whenever summer breaks rolled around, I would always cherish these days with a good book or movie to keep me company. Below are just a few of my favorite reads/watches that I enjoy immensely and would reread or rewatch over and over again.
Author: Alice Kane
Hi-ya! I'm Alice, a third-year undergraduate student studying both English and Conservation and Resource Studies here at the University of California. I grew up in the bay area and always dreamed of coming Cal - and here I am! Studying two completely different fields of study can be challenging, but it's an unbelievably rewarding experience. I get to learn about the world from some of the most brilliant professors, from both a scientific and artistic perspective! In the times I'm not studying, you can find me writing, reading, and/or eating at the Free Speech Movement Cafe or on memorial glade, spending time with good friends, at a national park, or petting dogs on Sproul! Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you around campus sometime soon. Go Bears!
Life as a Premedical Student
If you are a premedical student like me, then trust me, I understand how overwhelming it can be at times. Sometimes, you may feel lost or do not know if you are on the right track or not. I can completely relate, and this is also why I would like to share some of my tips and tricks as to how to prepare for the medical school application process.
How to Meal Prep Effectively as a College Student
For a college student, finding places and ways to eat is always going to be on the mind. Of course, freshmen at Cal who live in the residence halls are provided with meal points, as well as other students who also choose to purchase points. These meal points become very useful and convenient at nearby dining halls or cafes. However, students who do not have meal points would need to find other ways. Apart from eating out, which is always an option, I also enjoy meal prepping and cooking my own food in the kitchen as well. On weekends, I love shopping at Trader Joe’s and coming back home with two large bags of groceries. When I meal prep, I like to alternate vegetable and meat options I use each week. Below are some tips and ways in which I like to meal prep.
Who are you
I think one of the most important questions in college is to figure out who you are. I’m personally from a very sexist region. When I was young, people constantly told me that because I’m a girl, I would never achieve great things. Even though I tried really hard during high school and got into Berkeley, I still don’t have a lot of confidence in myself.
During the first week of school, I saw so many people going to different social events. I was scared. I am not a very social person and I tend to be very shy when I meet people for the first time. However, I thought I was supposed to follow the crowds and pretend that I’m a social person in order to join as many events as possible.
Ways to Destress and Feel Good about Yourself
It is no secret that college students are busy. These days, there are so many things that are expected from us. Not only do we have to stay on top of homework assignments, projects, essays, and other deadlines, we also have to allot time in our crazy schedules for studying. Otherwise, we would be in danger of falling behind, which would be stressful when midterm seasons roll around. Although this challenge allows us to grow and become stronger versions of ourselves, sometimes, it can be quite overwhelming. We become so caught up in the workload that we forget to take care of ourselves. Taking care of ourselves is extremely vital. In my opinion, our mental health is as important, if not more, than our physical health.
How to Manage Your Time
Have you ever been stressed out about the number of things that must be done every single day? Have you ever found yourself forgetting events or rushing to finish a homework assignment? Believe it or not, each day, there are way more students than you could ever imagine struggling to complete their daily tasks.
A lot of the times, students say, “Where did the time go? If only I had a couple more hours, I would be able to finish what I had planned to accomplish today.” I know from my own experience that whenever I encounter this problem, it is usually because of poor time management on my part. Ever since I started college, I suddenly realized that there are too many places to be and things to do for me to keep track of them in my own head. I realized that I needed to use another system that would keep me more organized.
Here Comes the Sun (Doo doo doo doo…)
Spring has sprung, girls and boys! (Though much earlier than anticipated.) And contrary to popular myth, UC Berkeley is not constantly smothered in fog and cold and sadness. Sure, I’m also grumbling about losing an hour of sleep, but we have finally left Frozen behind and moved on to Frozen: Spring Fever, and I for one am more than ready to spring into springtime. (Are these dorky plays on words properly portraying my excitement?) And even though it is midterm and project season still, and though I like to consider myself a good noodle student, entering into this new season of sundresses and patterned shorts, blooming buds of springtime flowers, pollen drifting in the wind, and a truckload of Claritin, I decided to document how I’ve been soaking up my vitamin D this past week (and I’m sure many other Cal students too).
Let’s Get Organized!
Let me tell you something kind of ironic. One of my favorite hobbies is looking at blogs of people who are just really organized though I, myself, find it hard to keep things very organized; for example, my closet looks like the aftermath of a natural disaster 75% of the time. But I know that I’m not alone in this hobby! There is an entire category of these blogs called “Studyblrs”, with aesthetically pleasing photographs of things like diagrams, bullet journals, and notes color-coded in possibly fifteen differently-colored gel pens. So, of course, scrolling through these organization prodigies with far greater hand-writing than I could ever dream of achieving has become a vicarious kind of pastime. But here’s the irony: when I would get a little too stressed or overwhelmed by classes, I’d choose to ignore the work in favor of the distraction of scrolling through blogs owned by people who weren’t ignoring their stress … by staying organized?
This year, I finally made the connection, and have transformed the fun of organization into a tool to actually aid me in staying on top of my studies. And it’s rocked. So to you all, reading this blog – past, current, future, or honorary Golden Bears – I want to share with you a few fun ways to keep your (most likely multiple) responsibilities on track!
Powerful Protests Counterbalance Powerful Positions: Student Demonstrations Are Tethered to a Rich Campus History
The freedom to speak, to stand up for what we believe in, is an integral part of UC Berkeley. This usually manifests itself in the form of protests, a unique and well-known aspect of our campus. And lately, news of them has been popping up everywhere. The 2016 presidential election affected the student body deeply, as it has been one of the most controversial and emotionally charged in our nation’s history. The results of the election were, of course, the highest point of emotional fever. And, to top it off, the recently proposed tuition hikes for the university and the sexual assault policies of universities across the country have left many students feeling powerless.
The Gift to Sing/The Gift to See
Here at UC Berkeley, the number one public university in the world – yes, I’ll take any chance to say that – we are offered opportunities that are pretty special, and ones that are offered to us alone. Usually when we think about these kinds of things, the first thoughts that pop into our heads are the incredible chemists, physicists, astronomers and physicians that work on our campus, that are always on the edge of the newest discovery in their fields, making waves in the scientific community. However, though not as often basking in the spotlight, our bank of resources is not limited to the sciences; we also have a wealth of rare and remarkable literature at our disposal.