Important Questions When Apartment Hunting

So as you probably know, I’ve been apartment hunting this weekend for a place down in SoCal. My move there is coming up and it was time to solidify my living situation. Otherwise, as my dad said, “You could just live in a tent on a beach.” Not sure that would be the best solution…

Anyway, I came up with a list of things that you might want to ask about when looking at/inquiring about an apartment:

Parking – if you’re living in a big commuter area and having a car is the best way to get to work, you’ll want to ask about parking. Something apartments have an included parking space, some don’t and you’ll have to park on the street, and others charge an extra monthly fee for a parking space. It’s always good to ask even if you don’t have a car just in case you decide to get one later!

Laundry – laundry is something you’re going to have to do. It’s always good to know if it’s included in the unit or off site or if you’re going to have to drive a ways to go do it. Most places have coin-operated machines but it’s good to check with whoever’s showing you the apartment and actually take a look at the machines.

Utilities – ask whether you need to pay for electricity and water and trash and cable/Internet. It’s an important thing to think about because it will add up if your landlord doesn’t help you out with some of it. Maybe it’s already included in the rent, maybe it’s not. Ask and see what you’re really paying for.

Neighborhood – asking about the neighborhood is a big thing in my book. I want to know what kind of people I’m living around and whether it’s a safe place or not. At one of the places I checked out this weekend, the person showing me the apartment told me that the cops actually hang out around the 7-11 around the corner all the time. I guess that’s a good/bad thing. Good since they’re near by but bad because…well why are they in the area all the time?

Appliances/Furniture – see if the apartment comes pre-furnished or if you’ll need to bring your own appliances. Sometimes, old tenants can leave behind furniture and it’s up to you whether you want it or not. One of the apartments I saw didn’t come with a fridge so I would have to get my own. It’s not a big deal but it’s definitely something I needed to know before moving in. Otherwise I’d have to eat nothing but boxed food and canned goods for while!

Pets – pets are something that some places are ok with and some places are adamantly against. Even if you don’t have a dog or cat or even fish at the moment, ask to see if anything would change if you did decide to adopt a pet later on. Sometimes it’s a matter of the neighbors not wanting pets or sometimes you’ll have to pay some extra each month for your pet.

These are just some things I would think about when looking at apartments. I’m probably forgetting some things but I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Being a New Cal Grad

I guess I should finally talk about the topic my entire blog is founded on: being a new graduate.

A little bit about where I went to school and how I got there: I’ve been in the Bay Area my entire life. Born, raised, and still here for now. I’ve moved once in my life within the same city because my parents wanted me to attend a more competitive high school. I grew up visiting UC Berkeley because my dad had attended the school for his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and to be honest, it was on my last of list of schools to attend just because I a) didn’t want to follow my dad and b) because I was pretty drawn to the idea of a pretty, private school. My parents’ rule had been: you don’t get to visit the school till you get into the school. Which sounds like a pretty stern rule but if you think about it, it’s fair. Why fall in love with a school that you might not get into? So my second semester senior year, I had the opportunity to travel to Missouri and New York and SoCal (not a state, I know) and set my heart on some pretty expensive schools. When Cal Day came around (Cal’s HUGE open house), I didn’t even want to take the time to visit. I thought I’d seen it all. But my mom woke up a begrudging me on Cal Day (http://calday.berkeley.edu/) and when I walked into Haas Pavilion and watched the Men’s Octet sing and saw the campus decked out in blue and gold, I was sold.

I think secretly, or not so secretly, I was a little worried about straying too far from home since I’ve never been too far from home before. I’ve been away from home before but not for long extended periods of time. Additionally, I was admitted as a Spring Admit and I felt a bit strange not starting school with everyone else I knew. Luckily, the whole Spring Admit thing worked out in my favor and I was able to travel for a full semester while taking classes online at a community college. Traveling abroad let me experience living away from home and I found out I adapted well to it. After starting at Cal in the Spring of 2010, I was pretty used to living on my own and Cal wasn’t too far away from home so if I needed to, I could always make a quick trip home.

Graduating from Cal has given me a broad education and new insight into so many things. Despite it being known as a highly liberal college, one of my favorite professors, Professor Dan Schnur (@danschnur), was a Republican but taught his political science class with such non-partisan bias that you could never tell. He could play Devil’s Advocate to both sides and it was evident that he loved politics and not partisanship. I’ve learned about Southeast Asian politics and campaign strategies. I’ve met international students and students who write bills. Being at a large, public school has given me the opportunity to branch out and meet people in an expansive way.

California Memorial Stadium on my graduation day. 

I dreaded writing this post because everything I say sounds so hopelessly shallow. I’m not even sure how to explain why I’m so proud to be a graduate of the UC Berkeley class of 2013 but telling people that gives me an innate sense of pride. I wanted to start this blog so I could convey a sense of what it’s like to be a new graduate but at the moment, I’m not so sure what that means myself. Hopefully with more posts to come, I’ll get a better idea of what it really means to be a graduate of 2013.

Skills to Pay the Bills

I came across this article (Class of 2013: Master These 15 Simple Skills) while updating my LinkedIn profile this morning and gave it a read. I think a lot of these things are particularly relevant and while some of them apply more to new grads, others are great skills to hone regardless of your age. Here are my top three favorites from his article:

1. Pursue your passions – this seems to be the quote of the year. I heard it at my commencement from both the keynote speaker (Steve Wozniak!) and our young alumna speaker (Brianna Keilar). They both stressed the importance of doing something you love and doing work that doesn’t feel like work. We’ve heard it all before: about how our generation has it tougher than ever when it comes to finding a job and how most graduates have come to settle for any job, much less fathom finding their “dream job.” But why settle for 8 hours of mediocrity a day? The mounting pressure to have a job secured by the end of graduation often means graduates aren’t finding jobs that they love, but instead, jobs they qualify for. The bottom line is, time isn’t the problem anymore. Spend the time to find what you love and work won’t be work.

2. Take care of yourself – I’ve never had much trouble with my health in terms of weight and exercise. In high school, I was part of a competitive dance group and we practice 10 or more hours a week. In college, I was again part of the dance team so I had my exercise taken care of for me. After the dance team season ended my senior year, my lifestyle became instantaneously more sedentary. I have, however, discovered yoga and running and of course Lululemon, and so I now have to be the scheduler of my own exercise regime. I’ve never had much freedom in my workout regime and it’s both daunting and thrilling. Taking care of yourself is key because without a strong bill of health, you can’t work to your full potential and it’s often a piece of advice that is overlooked.

3. Write – “Writing is a lost art - and the truth is, no matter what your job, industry or career, it's beneficial to become a better writer.” As I’m writing this blog post, I’m coming to realize how much I love writing. It’s been easier writing almost 500 words in this instance than some of my papers in college. In a letter I wrote to myself at the end of my senior year in high school, I emphatically stated that I loved writing. After taking a few classes in college, I really struggled with certain paper topics and it was mostly because I couldn’t immerse myself in the topic. But when I took a class on southeast Asian politics, those papers came so easily to me. Five pages took me maybe 5 hours time and I wanted to sit and edit it all day. I guess writing goes back to pursuing your passions. If you love what you’re writing about, it’s not hard at all.

Those were my favorite pieces of advice from Dave Kerpern’s article. What about yours?

Not only am I blogging more, I'm also going to attempt to sharpen my Photoshop skills. So bear with me.

After the Diploma.

So call me impulsive but I went ahead and did it: I bought a domain name and I’m committing myself to a full year (at least) of every day (ok let’s be real, almost every day) blogging.

What about, you ask?

Well, I’m taking a giant step in my life. With graduation just barely behind me, I’m out of my comfort zone. 16 years (17 including kindergarten and why not tack on 2 more years of preschool) of education later, I’m not a student anymore. No longer will be I being attending class and studying for midterms and finals. No longer will I be making those colorful study guides that I obsessed over and cramming buckets of information into my head only to be forgotten right after a test was taken. No longer will I walk on the UC Berkeley campus as an undergrad. I’m now an alumna!

So I’ll leave you with this question since I don’t want my blog post to get too long: What’s your favorite college memory? Doesn’t matter if you’re still in college or just want to reminisce, like me. Mine is performing halftimes in front of tens of thousands of students with my best friend standing right next to me! More on that later. Thanks for reading!

My sister and me at commencement. Hint: I'm the one in the grad cap.