How to Succeed Academically (UC Berkeley)

Part 2: Surviving as an International Student

Last week, I shared my personal story and some tips on making the most of social life as an international student in America.

You can click the link above or here is a quick overview:

I came to the U.S. in 2013 for college. I spent 2.5 years in TN focusing on academics, not my social well-being, and I became very unhappy. So I set these rules for myself when I transferred to Berkeley:

1. Get involved in clubs ASAP
2. Find friends from your country
3. Don’t be afraid to make (cultural) mistakes
4. Try not to eat quickly or alone, even when busy

These tips were crucial in helping me live a healthier, happier, and more balanced life. Today, I want to talk about something a little less exciting, but integral to your success as a student.

Academic Life: Succeeding in an American Educational System

First of all, I have no idea where your level of English is. You might be so fluent that you’ve been mistaken as a native speaker. Or it might take you days to decipher 19th-century jargon from the 200-page reading due every week.

Regardless of your place in the spectrum, these tips will apply to you. In fact, they will apply to anyone (including non-internationals) pursuing higher education in the U.S. As a senior and as someone who put in a lot of BST (Blood, Sweat, and Tears) to receive a better-than-average GPA, I hope my advice will be of benefit to your successful academic career.

1. Ask a Lot of Questions

A is for Asking.

Back in Korea, asking questions is often frowned upon. In an extremely competitive environment where everyone is trying to up-one each other, most students reserve questions to search for themselves after class. Most lectures are usually a one-way, bombardment of information to memorize, preventing students from critical thinking and engaging in meaningful discussions.

In America, everyone is expected to contribute. In fact, class participation is at least 10–20% of the final grade. So if you want to do well academically, asking questions is not a choice but a must.

I’ve been amazed at the audacity and insightfulness of my peers at Berkeley. Even in class sizes of 200+ students, they do not seem to fear the act of raising their hands to, in a way, stop the lecture to fulfill their personal curiosities. Without a doubt, there have been cases when the question was not applicable to the whole class. But more than often, I was grateful because their questions gave me answers I never knew I needed.

So ask questions. If you’re itching to know something, most of your classmates are probably curious too. And even if they aren't, it’s okay because at least you’re getting those participation credits.

2. Navigate the Syllabus

Subtitle: Know What Your Professor Wants

I cannot emphasize this enough. If your goal is getting good grades, you’ll soon learn that it’s not really about working hard — it’s about working smart.

The first step is to thoroughly read through the syllabus. Most professors go through this on the first day of class and/or post it online (print if so). Some things to highlight are the following:

• Excused Absences: most allow 3. If you miss more, most professors will deduct from the final grade by a significant amount (ex: 1/3 of a letter grade; A becomes an A-). Track your absences throughout the semester so you don’t get hit by a markdown.
• Grade Scale: at Berkeley, an A is usually 93–96. At my previous institution, you had to receive 95+. The grading scale also may differ by the instructor, so check which class might require more effort and which ones might be good with a 90.
• Grade Percentages: see the grading percentage distribution. If your History final grade is worth 50% essay, 45% discussion, and 5% final exam, you should be placing the majority of your effort on writing quality papers.

3. Learn to Prioritize

After you’ve gone over the syllabi for each class, you now have an idea of what’s important. It would be silly to spend a week studying for your 5% History final when your English paper, worth 30%, is due the same week.

Prioritization is crucial not only for a successful academic career but also for a successful life. Learn to balance work, life, and school more efficiently through setting specific goals — do you want to sleep 8 hours while also maintaining an exercise routine and getting good grades? Make to-do lists, save time by wearing workout clothes to lecture, and utilize in-between class times for work. It’s about realizing what is most important to you, making sacrifices, and removing anything that will hinder your goals (ex: going out on weekdays, drinking coffee at night).

college student realities (source: google images)

Automation and habit-formation is the key to maximum efficiency. Here are some productivity tools I use:

• Trello: web-based project management and collaboration app; can use for personal or team projects. You can create boards, lists, and cards and move them around as you complete tasks.
• Google Calendar: best when cloud synced with all other calendars — this is my default reminder/to-do app. It’s the best because it integrates with my Gmail, Slack, etc. and I have my alerts on for important events.
• Productivity Journal: the classic paper journal or a web-based app like Evernote for brainstorming/creative projects/lists.
• Sticky Notes: (available by default on most iOS/PC/Android) I’ve used a lot of productivity apps before, but I always turn back to sticky notes. They’re simple, efficient, and available right on my desktop screen.

4. Use your (Free)Resources On-Campus

When you’re a broke college student, here’s good news. Most, if not all, campuses have free advising and tutoring programs. For example, Berkeley has a variety of programs to satisfy any students’ needs, like the Student Learning Center, Academic Advising, Berkeley Connect, and EOP. Simply find your institutions’ academic programs by typing in Google: “University Name academic resources”

5. Go to Office Hours

Last but not least, go to your professor or graduate student advisors’ office hours. Believe me, they are more than willing to help you. Do you know why? They’re paid for those hours. Well, that’s probably not the main reason professors will help you (hopefully), but in all seriousness — don’t feel bad for “taking their time.” They are your teachers and are there to help you.

Visiting office hours is important especially if you want to build a relationship. You might be looking into graduate school which requires amazing references. It wouldn’t make sense for them to write a compelling recommendation to a student they vaguely remember as being female and Asian. I also read somewhere that if your professor remembers you as a hard-working student, they are more likely to change your borderline grade favorably.

Next week, I will come back with Professional Tips such as networking, cover letters, cold-emailing, CPT/OPT and utilizing LinkedIn.

Sol Bee is a senior media studies major at UC Berkeley. She resides in the co-ops but resettles to Moffitt during peak busy seasons; she is also an avid café-goer and recommends Brewed Awakening/Romeos for peak productivity. Learning about the power of intercultural communication by living in 5 different countries, she wishes to share the power of empathy through her writings.