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From The Unofficial Guide to Engineering

Welcome to Cal! You are a student at one of the finest engineering institutions in the world. !!! As former freshmen, we can remember the tide of information heading your way. It is no simple task to sort through all the literature and advice to find your unique path at Berkeley. For the first time in your life, you must take the initiative to begin planning both your academic and professional career. It is up to you to make important decisions that will affect your future. We hope that our experiences will be helpful to you to avoid the pitfalls and take advantage of the college system as you make your decisions.

For those who, like us, have been through trials and tribulations here at Cal, we still extend our help to you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you wish to contribute opinions, advice, or anything else that you feel may be useful to other students.

The Unofficial Guide for Engineering is written for interested high school students, the newly admitted engineering students, and even seasoned college veterans. It contains information about majoring in Engineering, academic experiences, classes to take, graduate schools, jobs, housing, life in Berkeley, and opportunities for research. We hope that this guide will become your first resource when you have any questions about engineering. Of course, it does not replace your faculty adviser, student affairs adviser or any of your peer advisers; however, it is our goal that it will answer most of your questions about Berkeley Engineering. Perhaps the paths we’ve taken will help you pave your own.

Welcome to the Cal Engineering family! Good luck and GO BEARS!

Table of contents

1 Majors 2 Course Information 3 Advising 4 Other Academic Experiences 5 Academic Services 6 Research Opportunities 7 Procedure 8 Graduate School 9 Other Schools 10 Jobs 11 Engineering Societies 12 Housing 13 Life in Berkeley 14 Disclaimer

Majors

1. Bioengineering
2. Chemical Engineering
3. Civil and Environmental Engineering
4. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
5. Engineering Science
6. Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
7. Materials Science and Engineering
8. Mechanical Engineering
9. Nuclear Engineering

Course Information

1. Online Resources
2. Reviews of core courses

Advising

When you have questions about courses and your major, the following sections list invaluable resources.

1. Student Affairs Advisor
2. Faculty Advisor
3. Department Offices and Websites
4. Department Student Services (Student Affairs)
5. Other Advising Sources

Other Academic Experiences

1. Changing Majors
2. Minors in Engineering
3. Double Majors
4. Studying Abroad
5. Transfer Students

Academic Services

1. Exam files
2. Tutoring
3. Computing services
4. Libraries
5. Cheap Textbooks
6. Good places to study
7. Engineer-in-Training (EIT) or Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam

Research Opportunities

Undergraduate research is a great way to broaden your college experience and make preparation for graduate school and future jobs. The forefront of research takes place on campus, and UCB is usually at the head of that forefront. If you ever wonder what good are all the theories you learn in class without applying them, or how real researchers work, then undergraduate research is perfect for you. Numerous programs on campus offer a direct channel of contact with professors who are doing the most exciting research in their fields.

1. Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP)
2. Undergraduate Research Opportunities (URO)
3. Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
4. Haas Scholars
5. Finding Research – other suggestions and tips

Procedure

Just some comments about how to get stuff done around campus, what forms to fill in all that.

1. Petitioning for more units

Graduate School

1. Why go to Grad School
2. How to find a Grad School
3. Letters of Recommendation
4. Personal Statement
5. GRE
6. Fellowships
7. Grad School Useful Links

Other Schools

1. MBA
2. Medical School
3. Law School

Jobs

1. Externships
2. Internships
3. Coops
4. Career Fairs
5. Resume
6. Engineering Jobs
7. Non engineering Jobs

Engineering Societies

Cal has an amazing diversity of clubs and societies. In the following sections, we will provide a brief description on some of the engineering clubs and societies. However, a complete list of engineering clubs can be found at http://ejc.berkeley.edu/index.php?page=societies. Finally, the Office of Student Life provides a searchable database of all registered clubs at http://students.berkeley.edu/sas/student/groupsearch.asp.

1. Alpha Pi Mu (APM)
2. American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
3. American Nuclear Society (ANS)
4. American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
5. American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
6. Association for Undergraduate Women in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (AUWICSEE)
7. Berkeley Innovation
8. Berkeley Solar Vehicle Project (CalSol)
9. Bioengineering Honor Society (BioEHS)
10. California Engineer (Cal Eng)
11. Chi Epsilon (XE)
12. Engineering Society @ CAL (ESC)
13. Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW)
14. Engineers in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS)
15. Epsilon Pi Honor Society
16. Eta Kappa Nu (HKN)
17. Hispanic Engineers & Scientists (HES)
18. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
19. Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE)
20. International Associate for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE)
21. Materials Science and Engineering Associate (MSEA)
22. Pilipino Association of Scientists, Architects, and Engineers (PASAE)
23. Pi Tau Sigma (PTS)
24. Society of Automotive Engineering (Formula SAE)
25. Society of Engineering Science (SES)
26. Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
27. Tau Beta Pi (TBP)

Housing

Probably the most stressful task is finding good housing. Berkeley is notorious for its poor rental market. If you are in a dorm, a co-op, or a fraternity/sorority, you don't have to worry about housing, except figuring out a way to stay in it.

If you want an apartment, we have compiled some tips to make the search as painless as possible; take a look under the Apartments page. If you are still deciding, we have some information on each option to help you choose.

1. Dorms
2. Co-ops
3. Greek
4. Apartments

Life in Berkeley

The San Francisco Bay Area has a diverse group of attractions and many world class restaurants. For example, you can go clubbing in the city, rock climbing indoors, sailing in the bay, and hiking in the mountains. Additionally, the Bay Area is reasonably close to the Napa Wine Valley, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, ski resorts, and Big Sur.

In the following sections, some writers will share their personal opinions on restaurants, attractions and entertainment. We will also provide links to invaluable resources that will help you plan getaways and nights out on the town.

1. Restaurants
2. Entertainment
3. Attractions

Ramona's Cafe, located just North of the intersection of Bancroft and College, has very good and cheap food. Their sandwiches are better than GBC's because they toast the bread and while heating the sandwiches. There's also a nice selection of what you want in the sandwiches. To top it all off, there's even rice bowls, served fresh and hot, for under $5. Good price, good food, and the lines are also usually shorter than anywhere else!

Disclaimer

Information contained in the Unofficial Guide to Engineering is believed to be correct. However, we are not responsible for any errors contained within this document. Always double check with the appropriate advisers before you make any final decisions.

The information found in this guide does not reflect the views of UC Berkeley or Tau Beta Pi.