why isn't love enough?

This is basically how I look all the time: curly hair (way too lazy to straighten it), bags under my eyes, leggings, a flannel shirt (or an AA Deep V, not going to lie, I totally live in them) and an energy drink in hand. I used to be a big fan of Red Bull but as of late I've definitely been drinking more Monster...I wonder why? ;) Probably because that's all they sell on campus...probably. Anyways...

I had my first Berkeley midterm yesterday and despite the fact that I studied really hard, I don't think I did as well as I wanted to. It was a really hard exam, I thought, and it didn't help that I totally blanked the first fifteen minutes of the test. Ugh. There's nothing I can do about it now, so I'm just trying to enjoy my weekend, but it's still frustrating whenever I start to think about it.

However, the rest of yesterday was awesome! My American Studies 110 class was really interesting and got out early, and then my discussion section was cancelled, and THEN I got my birthday package in the mail from my parents! And they really outdid themselves...not only did they get me the first season of True Blood, but they bought me three books (a book of witty quotes, Rebel Without A Crew by Robert Rodriguez, and Scorsese on Scorsese by Martin Scorsese) and two documentaries on filmmaking (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese through American Movies and Cinematographer Style). Thanks guys, you are the best :D

All I have to do this weekend is read...A LOT. So far, I've caught up on Glee, watched two episodes of True Blood, and watched Closer. Right now I'm watching part of Empire Records and in twenty minutes I'm meeting up with some friends and my roommate to go to a screening of The Hangover at Wheeler...for only $3! So much for productivity.

Also, all prospective transfer students should read this article in The Daily Bruin about the increase in difficulty transferring. I will try to do some more research on this and let you know what I find out!

tricks are for kids.

The school year is over, and my time at a CC is done. It's ridiculous how fast these two years have just flown by! I'm in a state of shock that I'm actually done--like, as of now I can read what I want, watch television, sleep...it's amazing. The banquet for the Scholars program is tonight and after that I am totally and completely free. I cannot wait.

ANYWHO. The most common question I've been asked are ~tips for community college~ and luckily for you I've got a list!

• HAVE A PLAN. I cannot stress this enough, have a plan! Plan your major, what classes you need, what semester you're taking them in...and try to change it as little as possible. It's ridiculously easy to get sucked into your community college and stay there for a few years, but you don't want that!
  
• Research the schools in your area, and find which has the best transfer rate.
  
• Look to see if whichever school you apply to has a "Scholars" or "Honors" program--not only are the classes higher level, but being a part of a group of kids within a program who are taking similar classes to you is a great asset. Also, it looks GREAT on college applications.
• Get to know your counselor. They see a lot of students and it's easy to just be a number to them, but if you make an effort to know them (and bring them chocolate!) they'll make an extra effort to help you.
  
• California students! Your new favorite website will be www.assist.org. Here, you can enter the name of whichever community college you're at, the name of the school you want to transfer to, and your major, and it will tell you all of the specific classes you need to transfer. It's is extremely handy, especially since different schools require different classes for the same major.
  
• If you're not in California, talk to a counselor at your school and see if you have the equivalent to www.assist.org. It WILL save your life.
  
• If you're attempting to get an AA degree (which is not required for transfer, but always looks good), that requires certain classes, so make sure you take those alongside the GE classes you're taking. Don't leave them to the end!
  
• IMPORTANT: make sure you take ALL the classes you need for your major before transferring. Colleges look at your GPA and your major classes FIRST.
• Don't leave your personal statements to the night before.
• Have someone you trust look over your personal statements, but don't let too many people read them...you'll get conflicting feedback and that makes it harder to edit.
  
• Try to keep at least a 3.0 (B average) if not higher. GRADES MATTER, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You're not going to have as good a shot of getting into UCLA with a 3.1 as with a 3.9...just the way things are.
  
• Try and get involved...it's hard to meet people at community colleges but this really helps out. Also, again looks great on transfer applications.
• Find someone to talk to, who knows the system and can share tips on your specific school.

Hope some of these help...I'm sure I'll think of more later!

xo
Andrea