and so it begins.

Today is the first day of my new job (a receptionist at Berkeley Hillel) and class. It's finally hit me that I'm going to Cal, that I've actually accomplished something I'd only dreamed of. This is what accomplishment feels like, kids, and it's the best feeling in the world.

happiness is a new apartment

So, I'm here, and I've got to say, I'm in love. I don't feel homesick at all, because this place already feels like home. My apartment is amazing (I'm sure I'll get around to posting pictures soon), my roommates (so far) are chill (though I've only met one of three, so far), this city is beautiful, the food is delicious, the campus is gorgeous...love all around. I can't wait to start classes, but at the same time, I'm enjoying having a week to just explore. If you read my joint blog with my best friend Josephine (found here), you'll see my list of top ten things about why I moved to Berkeley, at least so far. I'm so happy to finally be here, it's honestly everything I've ever wanted. I'm so ready to start! Community college was great, and it's so worth it when you end up exactly where you wanted to be. So, so worth it.

Anyways, I'm off to explore campus with my new friend (we're going to go find our classes so we don't get lost the first day, ha!) but I'll post a thorough update soon. Oh, and also, I realized I have emails I haven't responded to yet...I'm SO sorry, between the packing, vacation, more packing, and moving, I haven't been good about getting to emails. I will respond soon!

xo

moving, part one

I'm moving TODAY. I'll be boarding a plane in about seven hours...

I cannot believe this is actually happening.

almost there

I move in August 17th. It's so soon! Especially since I'll be out of town from August 8th-15th. The 16th is for seeing my best friends one last time and going to go see the Gin Blossoms in concert (despite what anyone will tell you...the 90s will never die! at least, in my heart). I'm almost all packed, there's just a few things missing...honestly, the hardest part is going to be saying goodbye to everyone I love.

But that's then and it's now, and right now I'm just dealing with things day by day. That's how you've got to do it! Otherwise, everything is really, really overwhelming, haha.

orientation and related musings.

I had written up an entire blog about CalSO (the new student orientation) but I deleted it; it felt too wordy without saying anything. CalSO went well, it was a long (12 hour) day with WAY too much information but by the end of the day, I was sure of a few things:
-I desperately want to be a Media Studies major
-the campus is ridiculously hilly
-there is SO MUCH to learn
-the people there really, truly admire transfer students, and will do anything to accommodate them and make sure they don't feel left out
-the College of Letters & Sciences having a 13unit minimum is seriously weird (why not 12??)
-good shoes/socks are a must
-a LOT of cute fellas
-community college DID prepare me for Cal
-I'm going to be okay living there
-I made the right choice regarding what school to go to

This summer has flown by, and to think I only have a month before I move is ridiculous. There's so much to do and not enough time! Also, the fact that I know the next time I'll be in LA will be Thanksgiving makes me want to explore my city even more.

I've been thinking about the way things panned out a lot lately. I didn't want to go to a community college, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20 and I can definitely say that going to a CC was the best decision I've ever made. If I didn't, I'd be at CSUN or at the Los Angeles Film School...definitely not on my way to the the best public university in the country. Not that there's anything wrong with those two options, but they just weren't right for me. I've met some of the most amazing and some of the most terrible people the last couple of years, and both sets have taught me valuable lessons in honesty, compassion, kindness, and group leadership. It was a hard couple of years, not knowing where I was going to end up, but the uncertainty was totally worth it.

To any of you going through the CC system...don't give up. It's a good system, once you know how to navigate it, and it's one that's there to work for you. Trust me, you'll make it, and you'll be a better person for it.

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

ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.

In the fall of 2009 I'll be attending the University of California, Berkeley. I can't even begin to describe how absolutely thrilled I am to have this opportunity, and I can't wait to move up there and start afresh. I've worked extremely hard to get to this point, and although it wasn't an easy decision, it was the best one I could make.

These last few weeks have been tumultuous, to say the least, but I only have a week of class and finals left so there's no point in worrying about people and things that I can't change. It's been an interesting two years, to say the least, and even though I'm not leaving community college with many friends (most lost due to politics, sadly), at least I'll have the memories. I've learned more about myself than I ever could have imagined--cliché, I'm sure, but true. It's been a tough road, but it's nowhere near over--I'm just starting on a new path now. Hopefully, everything I've learned the past two years will be put to good use in the coming years.

Anyways. This blog will serve to show my adventures in transferring to anyone who's interested--from moving to roommates to the cold (after living in LA my entire life, the constant bay breeze will be an interesting experience) to new classes--this'll document it all. Due to the economy and the rising cost of higher education, I feel as though many more kids are going to have to go the route I did, and go to community college first and then transferring, and maybe this'll help answer any questions they might have. This blog is for my friends, my family, and anyone else who cares: read my adventures, learn from my mistakes, and enjoy the ride.

I just bought my plane tickets for move-in day...I'm so nervous! But more than anything, I'm excited...bring it on!

xo
Andrea