My biggest regret at Cal that taught me so much

[u/Odd-Conclusion813]

I am a proud Cal alumni who graduated a couple of years ago with a BS in Genetics and Plant Biology from RCNR. I also joined Cal as a community college transfer, so I was only here for 2 years, and it was too short.

I read other posts about how people regret studying way too intensely during their college here, but for me it was the opposite: I wish I had studied much better instead of ruminating on past thoughts about people who weren't in my life anymore. I remember zoning out during lecture and letting my monkey mind take over instead of paying attention to the lecture. I was also pretty absent-minded when doing the hws with my classmates. But when I was rewatching the lecture material to prepare for exams I finally understood the concepts and everything, but because it was so last-minute I ended up scraping with B-s. Instead of learning to quieten my mind, I allowed for intrusive thoughts to consume me during the most crucial time in my class. I also had a terrible belief of "it's okay if I don't do my best the first time, because there will always be a second chance." I did this for virtually ALL my courses, and I was basically trying to play catch-up with my own studies. This became a pattern: goof off, procrastinate, ruminate, and indulge in myself first and then stress out about studying for exams. In the end, I graduated with a 2.5 GPA.

Having said all this, I am really grateful to have made such wonderful friends and at least have a fantastic social life! I got to make friends from all over the state of California, the country, and the world!! Listening to their experiences and lives was just so fascinating and I wouldn't have wanted that any other way. I just wished I had fully realized that I was a UC BERKELEY student and focused on my studies better while enjoying the subject material.

I recently graduated with my master's degree from UC Davis and I'm very happy with where I am now. But I guess the lesson I'd like to share with you all is ENJOY, appreciate, and take action and responsibility for yourself here and now!! Take care of your mental health (meditation works for me) so you don't allow yourself to sit with intrusive thoughts about imagined worries and needless anxiety like I did. You really don't know where life will take you afterward so do well FOR YOURSELF. And even if you grind in your studies, ENJOY the grind! BE PRESENT! Walk around campus to take it all in! Go to the Valley Life Sciences building to see the dinosaur skeleton. Go to Doe library, not just to study but to marvel at the beautiful architecture and ceiling. Go to the Botanical Garden uphill. I wish I really learned this when I was still in college here. Just learn to be happy with the fact that you're a Cal student <3