Don’t let those old habits follow you into the new year and new semester! With the syllabus-reading, schedule-rearranging, and textbook-exchanging routines of the first week of class done, it’s now time to buckle down and start this year off the right way. As Berkeley students, we’re accomplished, intelligent, and active… but as humans, we all know that we’ve made mistakes and are prone to falling into destructive or boring cycles. To help you properly begin this semester and keep it fresh and exciting, here is a list of New Semester Resolutions tailored especially for Cal. Roll on, you Bears!
1) Try a new group exercise class at the RSF. You can join these classes at any time throughout the year, but why not start now and become a regular participant? The types of classes range from yoga to kickboxing, swimming exercises to Bollywood dancing, abs and back workouts to tease aerobics! Try a new one every time you hit the gym!
2) Aim to arrive to class on the hour, not “Berkeley Time.” Instead of cutting it close and leaving for your 10am discussion at… 10am, why not try getting to class AT 10? You can spend those ten extra minutes finding a good seat, freshening up on last night’s readings, and even meeting and getting to know those classmates you wouldn’t have had a chance to speak with otherwise. Surely you can cut ten minutes out of your morning routine or sacrifice ten minutes of sleep. And if you tell yourself that class actually starts on the hour rather than ten after, you can help avoid arriving late if you ever run into any obstacles along the way (or if you just have a terrible habit of always running late!)
3) Attend a sporting event you’ve never watched before. Cal has 13 men’s and 14 women’s intercollegiate sports teams, not to mention even more club and intramural teams. Have you seen all of them? Several water polo and tennis events are held in Berkeley as well as events against Stanford like Men’s basketball on 1/29 and men and women’s gymnastics on 2/12. See full schedules at http://www.calbears.com. Take some time away from your studies and go support your Golden Bears!
4) Branch out from the GBC, Asian Ghetto, and Chipotle. Berkeley’s food culture is one of the most unique you’ll ever encounter. Try going further down Telegraph and try Pasta Benne, or down College for Zachary’s Chicago Pizza; venture up to the north side and eat at Celia’s Mexican Restaurant, or the Heart Food Court (north side’s version of the Asian Ghetto); or cruise along the west side of campus for the endless choices of restaurants along and in between Shattuck and Oxford, like CU Sushi, Sunny Side Café, or the Gourmet Ghetto. Your stomach will never be bored.
5) Expand your artistic horizons. Join a performance group on campus, such as the newfound AFX Dance team, or the improv and sketch comedy group jericho, or the philanthropic Theater for Charity. Attend a show at Zellerbach, or any performance that a student group puts on. Berkeley is full of some of the most creative and talented people you will ever meet, in singing, acting, dancing, music, and pretty much any kind of art you’ve ever heard of. So instead of breaking out the beer pong table this weekend, try exploring what our campus and its students have to offer––there’s more to this school than you probably think.
6) Be a good Samaritan. We’re already good students. Now it’s time to set aside some effort for other things besides our grades and resumés. Volunteer at the Berkeley Food Collective, or help kids, your peers, or your community through campus organizations such as SAGE, Autism Speaks, Student-to-Student Peer Counseling (SSPC), and The Berkeley Project. You will do some good and feel good while doing it.
7) Give your study habits a makeover. While you’re off maximizing your experience here at Cal, don’t forget about academics! Academics are what you’re paying for. Find new study buddies and join them in a new study spot. Did you know our campus has over 20 different libraries? Check out their hours at http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/hours. For some, it’s easy to fall into a hole of procrastination and fruitless studying when it’s the same routine day after day. A new environment can stimulate your mind and encourage you to do work! If libraries aren’t for you, try the many cafés on or around campus, the Multicultural Center (in the MLK building), or the simple outdoors on a nice day.
From us at Her Campus Berkeley, we wish you all a semester full of brilliance, enlightenment, and memories. Here’s to Spring 2012!
Photo source: http://www.appforhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/list-of-New-Year-…
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UC Berkeley chapter.