As I begin my 2nd year at UC Berkeley, it’s time to reflect on the new things I learned after my 2nd semester (Spring 2022). For my previous reflections post, click here.

🚫 Disclaimer

I’m one (EECS) student at UC Berkeley so take my advice with a grain of salt.

1. You can choose your own priorities

One thing about going to college that is different from high school is that you are pretty much on your own. You’re living on your own (possibly for the first time) and there isn’t really anyone to tell you what to do. Well yes, there are courses you have to take if you want to get your degree, but other than that, it’s up to you to figure out your interests. This can be both freeing and very scary – what if you choose the wrong thing? What if you end up “wasting” time on a club you end up hating?

What I realized in my second semester (continuing off from a very busy first semester) is that you should give yourself permission to cut out activities in your life that you don’t care about to focus on the things you do care about. You don’t have to do everything. In fact, you shouldn’t, otherwise you’ll end up with burnout (which I’m beginning to feel only after 1 year of college). You are no worse or better than your peers for picking and choosing your battles.

2. Take advantage of free and discounted stuff

Since Berkeley has this, I’d assume that most other universities have this too: Access to free software, discounts, etc. For example, with your @berkeley.edu email, you can sign up for WSJ+ (which I mainly use for the monthly free ebook and audiobook), Adobe Creative Cloud, and more. You can also get a lot of educational discounts, such as free admission to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art or free Personal Pro plan on Notion. If you’re a Berkeley student, I highly recommend checking out software.berkeley.edu to see what you’re eligible for.