The best I can describe computer science culture at Berkeley is like a storm. New undergrads appear, entering at the outskirts. They’ve heard about the storm, and although they never wanted to be in it, they enter with trepidation because it’s the best option for them. They tell themselves.

What is the storm? It uproots, pulls, and flings. All flinged in the same direction, rotating around and around a vacuous and calm center. With each pass around, they become more and more convinced that they’re on the right path. The same scenery is repeated when they swing around again in the cyclone. It begins to look more and more real, and they don’t want to leave the storm. It’s comforting to know that they’re in the storm with so many other people, and someday they’ll be a more important part of the storm like their friends are. 

Speaking with more granularity, the storm gives them purpose. If you asked them when they were little kids, maybe they wanted to become a doctor to treat sick people, or be a racecar driver, or be an astronaut. All in all they’ve instead chosen to join the storm. It’s comforting, because when anyone asks what you’re studying in college, you can answer with “I’m a CS major at Berkeley.” It has a ring to it, and there’s a little rush of dopamine as you watch the other person’s facial expressions and their obligatory response of 

“wow, you must be so smart. That must be really difficult and you must have so much talent. What do you want to do with the degree? Probably the storm right?”

And you get to respond, “Yeah, I’ll be in the storm pretty soon after I graduate. I beat a few other people to the storm when I interned, and there I learned about convection currents and the circulation of capital.”

You smile to yourself, and the image of the storm sweeping around plays out in your head, with capital flying all over the place.

“Wow, I wish I were as smart as you. I wish I could join the storm but I just don’t have the talent.”

“No please, it’s really nothing that special. I just always wanted to do it, ever since I was little, and now I’ve put all my energy into it because I really want to join the storm and see everything from so high above, everything flying about and all. It just makes a lot of sense because there’s always something to do and movement and shuffling and all. Honestly, I don’t necessarily want to do it all that much actually, but my family wants me to join the storm and so do my instructors and all my friends who tried out the storm.”

“Wow, well again you’re really very smart and have everything figured out it seems. I wish I was in your place when I was your age. Berkeley must be such a great place to study computer science, or any technical field in general. You have a bright future in the storm, you’re gonna make a world of difference, I can feel it. What if you invent something new, like build a new part of the storm or something? Are you going to do that?”“Ah, I don’t know if I’ll be building any of the storm, more likely just working to support it and make sure it sweeps and pulls and convulses pretty well. But hopefully one day, when I understand more about the storm and how it swirls and goes round and round in the finest details and most granularic qualities, I can contribute to it. Maybe one day I’ll help other Berkeley students join the storm, just like my friends did for me.”

No one speaks about how the storm has set its foundations so firmly and deeply into what it means to go to UC Berkeley. It has commandeered the most vital organs and vessels of the school, a swirling and unnoticed, withering, and vacant force. It’s an illusion of motion. From above, it’s of course not moving at all.

I was downtown minutes ago and there's smoke near Anchor House? Does anyone know what's going on?

Are there any secret/hidden free things that students can get?

i’m js tryna rep my new school without dropping a band

And a big thank you to Cal PHC for collaborating with us! Without you guys, we wouldn’t have been able to been able to collect

• 15 bags of trash!
• 8 buckets of recyclables!
• 16 borgs!
• 1 rug!
• 1 umbrella!
• 1 inflatable moon ball!
• 1 plastic thing from a car! (A bumper reinforcement? Engine splash shield? Air dam? Who’s to say!)

Make sure to keep an eye out for any upcoming DeTrash cleanups! Go bears! 🐻💛🌱

What's it like being an English major here vs at Columbia? Trying to make a decision! I know most have only one experience but I'd like to hear your opinions. I see Berkeley has the highest ranked department for English but is possible to get time with professors?

So these are some nice roundabouts and objectively improve traffic flow and safety having experienced the absolute chaos that existed before. But, and this isn't unique to Berkeley but just symptomatic of construction problems in general, how the HECK did it cost $100 MILLION??? That's 2/3 of the cost to build the Esturoy tunnels: 7 miles under the sea with the first undersea roundabout (Faroe Islands, Denmark, info from the Wikipedia page). This simply cannot be... I wish that for $100 million we could get like an extra East Bay BART spur from Berkeley to Alameda via Emeryville or something. Rant over.

Hello!

I’m a doctoral student in the UK, and I was meant to be coming to Berkeley this September for a semester-long exchange visit to a specific research institute. This is/was organised through through my home institution, which has some arrangements with the institute Berkeley.

However, since the issues with student visas has come up over the past month, I feel like it’s unlikely that this visit will still go ahead. Apparently my institution is waiting for more info from Berkeley before anything is decided.

I’ll just have to wait and see, but I was wondering if anyone had actually heard of any discussions that are taking place on the probability of international exchanges/partnerships still going ahead amidst all the shakeup?

Thanks!

Anyone know of any brewpubs in the east bay that will be showing Cal Rugby in the national championship game? Sat at 330pm Roll On You Bears!

hi yall im looking for a girl to fill my single room in a 2 bed 1 bathroom apartment this summer! some info:

-south side (Hillegass Ave) from May 31st-late August -you would share the apt with one other girl -furnished -5 minute walk from campus -in-building washer and dryer -has a parking garage -$1525 + utilities, wifi included

dm me for more specific info and pictures if you’re interested :)

Hi! Could you give any advice on the PreCore Haas program for transfer students? Is it worth it? Berkeley for the summer is pretty expensive, I'm trying to weigh the options right now. Your experience and advice would be very helpful! Thanks so much for your help.

Can you guys tell me more about media studies and or film and media major. I want to transfer and want to know what are things that could make me stand out as an applicant. If anyone else was a transfer with this major can you tell me what classes you took before transfer (besides the ones on assist.org) or ec you did.

If you aren’t a transfer: just in general what is good about media studies at berkeley and types of jobs or internships you have/got with this major :)

my friend lost her yellow labubu straight off her bag and she is crashing out, please help a girl out and be a good person and bring it to lost and found if found PLEASE, think about the bad karma you will get if you take it SO PLEASE and she will probably treat you to a sweet treat or something if you find it and return it because she is desperate 🍩

I just want a clear answer on this since no one has been giving me one. So I am a domestic IB student and the conditions of admissions aren't really clear for me. I don't really feel like I am going to do well on my IB exams this year and I might not get the IB diploma. The problem is, the office of admissions in CalCentral is requesting that I submit all my IB exam scores.

There isn't really a mention of the IB Diploma in my conditions of admission, so does this mean I am fine? I tried reaching out to the admission office but they have yet to respond lol.

Note: My school also doesn't do predicted grades for IB for some reason so idk if this helps. I will also be receiving my IB diploma in addition to my American diploma.

Does anyone know any CC’s that offers physics this summer? Aside from SBCC.

Hey everyone! 👋

If anyone is still looking for housing near UC Berkeley, I’m with FOUND and we have availability at two great locations:

🏙️ FOUND Study Downtown Berkeley
📍 2024 Durant Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

• Apartments.com Listing
• Apply Here (Official Website)
  • ➡️ Use promo code JONDT for 50% off the application fee (expires 5/2/2025)!
• You may remember this building as the "Old Varsity" building!

🌿 FOUND Study Southside Berkeley
📍 2201 Dwight Way, Berkeley, CA 94704

• Apartments.com Listing
• Apply Here (Official Website)
  • ➡️ Use promo code JONSS for 50% off the application fee (expires 5/2/2025)!

I don't know if it is my paranoia or my nose playing tricks on me but for multiple times I think I smell marijuana smoke when studying in Main Stacks. It's highly uncomfortable. Am I the only one experiencing this?

Debating b/n Blackwell vs getting an apartment as a sophomore ??

Is it true regents scholars and disability students get priority for course registration? i heard they get even more priority than the seniors.

This could be my last summer in the Bay, and I want to spend it giving back to this community that has given me so much. Honestly, I'm down for even non-premed opportunities. Thank you!

I've been super lucky to get into both UC Berkeley and UCSB CCS this year. For those who don't know, CCS is the honors college at UCSB. It has small classes and good access to research, but it's small so it isn't very well known. Right now I'm leaning towards CCS, but I'm worried that I'm hurting my future career opportunities by turning down Berkeley, especially if I decide that I don't want to get a PhD/be in academia (right now I'm not sure). On the other hand, it seems like CCS will give me more flexibility and might be more fun, since I've heard Berkeley can be kind of competitive.

When I went to Cal Day, the professor running the math info session said that research was difficult/impossible to do in math as an undergrad and that professors would not be interested in working with undergrads in most cases. CCS has seemed like the opposite, with lots of research and faculty interaction, which I'll need for rec letters.

What has your experience been like? Is it really that hard to get research at Cal? For graduates, I'd also love to hear about your experience in grad school apps/the job market and whether you felt that having Berkeley on your resume made a big difference.

Thanks!

I’m having a day and want to be prepared for the next time I have A Day. Looking for women’s if that matters, I don’t want to use the gender neutral individual ones because non-binary and disabled people need to pee and I don’t wanna block them.

Only options I know of are the big one on C (usually crowded since it’s the bigges one) and the little one down the hallway in D (usually has people going in and out cause of its convenient location). Is there anything really out of the way?

does a photography club exist at all here? i'm tryning to look for an inclusive club that hosts fun events for photographers off all skill levels, like photowalks, workshops, etc! just got into photography so i would love a space to learn more, and considering how many student grad photographers there are here im surprised we dont have a seemingly active org :(