Some thoughts during the vacation in UC Berkeley

Jianing Meng, 2016 Chemistry

The summer study at UC Berkeley has come to an end. I gained a lot during this summer and I was moved and grateful for what I saw and heard.

Simplicity and reasonableness were my first impression of Berkeley. It was late at night when I first arrived at Berkeley. I did not pay any attention to the surroundings because of the cold until I walked into the room which would accompany me for the whole summer. The area of the whole room is not big, but each corner in the space is used effectively. The wooden furniture with orderly display gave a sense of sweet to me.

    Rigorous and realistic is my further impression of Berkeley. The most important person who motivated me to know more about Berkeley was Jennifer, my lecturer in Greek mythology, a typical American. In the first few classes, I had little communication with her. I even could not recognize her immediately on the way. It was the first paper which she asked us to wrote that broke the situation. I finished the corresponding content quickly and submitted the homework through email. However, she advised me to modify the paper and gave me lots of suggestions. All the uncertain words were deleted. The viewpoint was presented in the most vital position, followed by analysis and argument. The structure of the article was changed to be concise and clear. After solving the problem of structure, she asked me to pay more attention to the content. From the imagination of the scene with analysis of the characters and the revelation in Greek mythology to the secular world, each point of view was put forward with efficient evidence. Besides, the analysis of each view must have continuous reasons. After changing the article for many times, she finally accepted this paper as a final edition. When I finally read my paper, it was more like a scientific article rather than an interesting story in the Greek mythology. The later communication with Jennifer made it clearer to show the rigorousness for the academy in America which I need to learn more from them. Supported by a strong rational and logical background, they care more about evidence supporting their views.    

I usually went for a walk with my friends in my spare time on weekends. We went to the Golden Gate Bridge, a famous scenic in San Francisco at that time. Fog blanketed the entire Golden Gate Bridge so we could not see it clearly in a distance. We walked on the bridge to feel the wind blowing from the sea and try to think what actually we wanted to get. On the road from Golden Gate Bridge to the Art Palace, people riding or running along the coastline can be seen everywhere. They fully enjoyed the endless wealth brought by sunshine and nature.

    It was an intense and substantial summer living in Berkeley. From the initial hesitation about the course I chose to the final acceptance and enjoyment, this precious experience made me learn more about lives and believes, and I began to think more about my goals and directions. I would like to thank the college for providing me with an excellent platform to see more opportunities and challenges. I would also like to thank all my friends who have been with me for over 40 days. It is you who show me that excellence is not simple. Thank our teacher Du for her hard work, thank the unfamiliar or familiar people encountered in the journey, thank my parents for their silent support, and finally I want to thank myself who never gives up.

Good time is always short just like all the stories have an end. I hope it is not just an end but also a good start for my life.