Hello There!

Good evening prospective and current Golden Bears!

I would like to introduce myself.

My name is Jenn, and I am a 3rd-year, junior transfer, majoring in Peace and Conflict
Studies with a focus on Global Governance. What all that means is that my
experience at Cal is unique.

As a transfer, I have already got the hang of going to college. I attended
a "junior" college in Orange County, Southern California, before being
accepted to Cal. The admissions process is different, the moving process
is different, everything is different! For me, it was the perfect
transition. Unlike many of these wonderful freshman I genuinely admire, I
didn't know what I wanted to do right after high school. Going to a junior
college allowed me to learn the culture and gain college experience. So here
I am, at one of the best schools in the world! I never saw this coming.

I am also 22, and quite used to a bit of independence, so I am one of the
many students who live off-campus. I started attending classes during
summer session C (an 8-week session of condensed classes), a little over a
month after my acceptance. Finding a place to live was quite a challenge!
I worked with the Berkeley U-Loop page, roommate websites, and many other
sources for finding roommates and housing. What it came down to was
Craigslist. If you are ever trying to find a place to live, consider using
Craigslist. KNOW Craigslist. You can find inexpensive furniture around town,
and even some free furniture. It's also where I found a place to live. I
didn't have to fly up from Southern California to meet with any landlords
or sign any stacks of papers. So it worked out great for me.

Finally, I'd like to discuss my major. Peace and Conflict Studies, or
PACS, is a major that a lot of Cal students I meet don't even know about.
The name is pretty self explanatory, but in a nutshell, we read policy
reports, theories about war and peace, and many firsthand experiences of
diplomats and peacemakers who have been working with the major conflicts
of our time. I am currently working on a conflict analysis report on
Turkey, which will be my final paper for one of my classes. I chose the
Global Governance focus because it concentrates more on the movement towards an
international community, international law, and the international
authority of the United Nations System. I do really miss the hard
sciences, and, I hate to admit, even math. But I know that what I am
studying is so important, and I am utterly passionate about it.

Stay tuned for next time when I talk about the wonderful Berkeley Farmer's
Market, and some other off-campus gems you must not miss!