The (Not So) Secret Guide to Being a Berkeley Engineer

Getting involved is one of the best ways to make the most of your Berkeley experience. Engineering Student Council co-presidents Laura Viera and Evan Wong discuss how to find the right student organization, balance involvement with academics, and build the skills and connections that can shape your future. episode page

Planning your Berkeley engineering schedule can feel overwhelming. In this episode, ESS adviser Olivia Chan explains prerequisites, course sequencing, and how to build a course plan that keeps you on track. Learn why Berkeley recommends 12–14 units your first semester, how to avoid common planning mistakes, and when to connect with your ESS adviser for guidance. For a transcript, please visit the...

New to Berkeley Engineering? Meet the Engineering Student Services (ESS) advisers who will support you throughout your academic journey. Learn how Golden Bear Advising works, when to connect with your adviser, and why you don't have to figure everything out on your own. For a transcript, please visit the episode page on the ESS podcast hub.

In this episode of The Not So Secret Guide to Being a Berkeley Engineer, we’re talking about finding your community at UC Berkeley. Whether through clubs, classes, or where you live, building connections can make all the difference. You’ll hear from Chimkasinma and Katie, two bioengineering students who interviewed each other about their first-year experiences, self-care strategies, and go-to food...

This week our guests, Mayra Rivera and Jean Nguyen, join us from Engineering Student Services (ESS) to introduce you to ESS advising. Topics they cover are Golden Bear Advising, which takes place this month (June), what types of advising are available in the College of Engineering and across campus, tips for planning your first semester and more. For a transcript, please visit the

In our final podcast of the summer, we speak with Luis Castillo, associate director of student development in ESS, and returning engineering students Andrea Limon, Gabriel Sianez and Rosalind Martinez. They will introduce us to the Center for Access to Engineering Excellence (CAEE), a program in ESS that includes academic support, a computer loan program, professional and leadership workshops and...

Students transferring to the College of Engineering face many changes. Among them, they must learn to navigate an entirely new college environment. To support these students, we asked Heidi Maqueos, program manager for transfer success initiatives in ESS, to tell us about two resources that are for transfer students, by transfer students: the Engineering Transfer Center and Transfer Ambassadors. M...

Are you interested in someday making the leap from student to entrepreneur? This week, we are learning about the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology and its Student Innovation Fellows program. Engineering students Rachel Eizner and Claire Holland will give us pointers on signing up to be a fellow and ways you can engage with this program to grow your entrepreneurial mindset. For a...

We don’t expect students to always know their post-graduation plans. You will spend the next two to four years learning about the many opportunities that await you after graduation. This week, we are delighted to have Kate Zuby, from Berkeley’s counseling & psychological services, here to introduce the Career Library — a resource that will help you explore majors, careers, graduate programs and mo...

Berkeley Engineering students can study abroad! This week, ESS advisor Kendra Van Nyhuis and engineering student Simon Gonzalez share with us the amazing experience that awaits you studying abroad. You’ll learn when to start planning, some of the basic guidelines, and how students can fit a study abroad program into their degree timeline. Plus, Simon just returned from his semester abroad and shar...

You’ve come to Berkeley Engineering, so you can gain the knowledge needed to tackle the world’s most complex problems. This week I’m excited to introduce the Big Ideas @ Berkeley contest. Guests Phillip Dennny, Big Ideas director, and last year’s grand prize winner, Ashmita Kumar, will tell us more about the program, which provides training, networks, recognition and funding to interdisciplinary t...

Mark Asta, executive associate dean at the College of Engineering, joins us this week to discuss what students can do if they don’t feel like they are in the right major. You’ll learn where to find more information about each major, what opportunities are available once you graduate, and whom you can reach out to for support and encouragement. You’ll also hear from civil engineering student Emanue...

Registration is right around the corner and we are sure you have questions about planning, the day of and what happens after. Mayra Rivera, associate director of advising and policy in Engineering Student Services joins us this week to give tips on the registration process and what to keep in mind once you’ve registered. For a transcript, please visit the episode page on the ESS podcast hub.

Our goal in Engineering Student Services is for each student to feel like they are successful and that they belong in Berkeley Engineering. This week we spoke with Marcia Breslin-Cantillana from ESS and current students Alisson Moreno, Zainab Alyosha, Simon Gonzalez, Cezar Carvajal to discuss how the Berkeley Mentorship Cohort gives students the opportunities to know that they belong and have a pe...

Marvin Lopez, the Director of Student Programs in Engineering Student Services (ESS), joins us this week to introduce the programming element of ESS. This includes the programs, resources and opportunities that support a student's success in four areas: wellness, academic, professional and leadership. Like Marvin says, "You can't spell success without ESS!" For a transcript, please visit the episo...