E98: The Insider's Guide to Berkeley Engineering
Engineering 98 is a student-run seminar (DeCal) designed and taught by Berkeley engineering upperclassmen. The course covers everything an incoming engineering student needs to know in a casual class setting. Our goal is to help every incoming engineer gain the wisdom of an upper-division student while making long-lasting connections with upperclassmen and fellow students.
E98 runs only in the Fall semester!
Each section consists of 2-3 instructors and around 20 students - check out our staff to see which section is your best fit!
Feel free to contact us, the E98 Coordinators, at coords@e98.berkeley.edu.
Coordinators: Justin He, Saadhvi Narayanan, Emma Berman
Syllabus
Welcome to E98! We're here to tell you everything we wish we knew as incoming engineering students. E98 is your survival guide to Berkeley Engineering. We'll share our experiences, provide advice, and inform you of strategies and opportunities to help you get the most out of your Cal education—and hopefully your life!
What you can expect from us: As E98 instructors, we're here to be your friends and help you out with whatever issues you might have. Think of us as big brothers and sisters. Questions, concerns, thoughts, whatever—don't be shy to ask us because we were once new to this campus and college too!
What we expect from you: E98 is designed to help you. It's a course that actually helps you with your other classes, and hopefully your life at Cal as well. That said, please take advantage of this time to participate in class, listen to your instructors, interact with your classmates, and get your questions answered sooner rather than later. Never be afraid to voice your concerns in class, as an E98 section is a discussion and not a monologue. We want to get to know you!
Schedule: We meet for one-hour sessions weekly at a time specified by the student's section.
BCourses Website: Click Here!
Be sure to visit the bCourses page for class handouts and general resources, and the E98 page for instructor bios!
Grading: E98 is a 1-unit pass/no pass (P/NP) course. Grading is based on attendance and on homework assignments. Assignments are not graded on a point scale, but marked “acceptable” or “unacceptable” - generally, legitimate attempts to complete the homework are considered “acceptable”.
To pass, a student must:- Miss no more than three (3) lectures
- Fail to turn in an acceptable version of no more than one (1) homework assignment
When lecturers or homeworks are missed due to unavoidable circumstances, alternate arrangements can be made at our discretion. Don't be shy! Dealing with unavoidable circumstances is part of the job. The sooner you contact us regarding issues such as these, the better. If something is preventing you from a satisfactory engagement with this course, let us know so we can take the appropriate steps to accommodate you.
E98 Coordinators' contact information: coords@e98.berkeley.edu.
Calendar
| Week | Topic | Reading | Homework |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction | Mandatory: Share contact info, schedule hangout and picture | Introductions |
| 2 | Extracurricular Activities and Study Skills |
Attend a general meeting of 2 organizations
Attend an office hour |
Extracurricular Activities and Study Skills |
| 3 | Resumes |
Mandatory: Write/revise resume and bring 2 copies to class next week
Attend the Cal Career Fair on September 12-14 or an infosession |
Resumes |
| 4 | Resumes Critiques and Cover Letters |
Mandatory: Send resume to TBP ProDev at prodev@tbp.berkeley.edu for a critique
Bring 2 copies of a cover letter corresponding to an open job position you're interested in |
Cover Letters |
| 5 | Career Fairs and Berkeley Job Portals | Create Beehive and Handshake accounts | Career Fairs and Berkeley Job Portals |
| 6 | Interviews |
Mandatory: Practice answering interview questions
Consider attending the Fall Internship Fair on October 10 (12 pm to 4 pm) |
Mock Career Fair and Interviews |
| 7 | Class Registration and Life After College | Mandatory: Make a four-year plan for your coursework. | Class Registration and Life After College |
| 8 | Professional Etiquette and LinkedIn | Mandatory: Create a LinkedIn profile and connect with instructors and classmates | Professional Etiquette and LinkedIn |
| 9 | Research at Berkeley and Peer Reviewed Literature | Talk to your GSI about research and see if you're interested. | Research at Berkeley and Peer Reviewed Literature |
| 10 | Communication Skills: Technical Presentations | Mandatory: Prepare for your 3-minute technical presentation | Technical Topics |
| 11 | Technical Presentations | None! | None! |
| 12 | Must-Dos and SYPFTTY | None! | Must-Dos and SYPFTTY |
Sections - Fall 2023
All times are in Pacific Time. Sections begin the week of September 4
| Time | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 AM | |||||
| 10:00 AM | |||||
| 11:00 AM | |||||
| 12:00 PM | |||||
| 1:00 PM | |||||
| 2:00 PM | |||||
| 3:00 PM | |||||
| 4:00 PM | |||||
| 5:00 PM | |||||
| 6:00 PM |
Coordinators
Preferably contact all of us at once by emailing: coords@e98.berkeley.edu
Justin He
jhe14@berkeley.edu- Junior, Engineering Physics
- About: Hey everyone! I'm Justin, and I'm honoured to be your facilitator for this coming fall semester. In my free time I like to read webcomics, play games, or do light exercise, and my favourite drink is probably a brown sugar milk tea. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions, qualms, or concerns!
Saadvhi Narayanan
saadhvinarayanan@berkeley.edu- Sophomore, BioE
- About: Hey, I’m Saadhvi! I’m currently studying BioE with a computational biology concentration. I love reading, especially mysteries, historical fictions, and fantasies, and singing in my free time! I’m always open to adventures, from trying new foods at Trader Joe’s to traveling across the world.
Emma Berman
emma.berman@berkeley.edu- Sophomore, BioE
- About: Hi! My name is Emma Berman, and I am a second year studying Bioengineering with a focus on Cell & Tissue Engineering. I love spending time with my family and friends, going to explore new places, and cooking and baking. I'm excited to meet all of you :)
Instructors
Section information and Class numbers (CRNs) will be updated once we get them. Information subject to change (this is unlikely and we try not to).Section 1: Mond 11 AM - 12 PM Pacific, Class #28983 - Room: Wheeler 120 (30 seats)
Jacob Quisumbing
jacobquisumbing@berkeley.edu- Sophomore, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IEOR) + EECS
- Involvement: PASAE, IISE, ISPMA of Berkeley (New Club!)
- About: Hi! I'm a sophomore studying IEOR and EECS from NJ. I started off in civil engineering but now my main academic interests lie in data analytics, math, and circuit design. Outside of school you can find me lifting, swimming, cooking or binging TV dramas.
- Contact me about: Engineering coursework, class scheduling, four-year plans, extracurricular activities, or anything else to do with navigating the ins-and-outs of Berkeley!
Alan Bao
alanb@berkeley.edu- Junior, EECS + Engineering Math and Statistics
- Involvement: Society of Engineering Sciences, Political CS, Engineering Student Council, AFX
- About: I have awful spending habits lol anyways please play me chess https://friend.chess.com/7PyQa
- Contact me about: Life, Chess, Animals, Shopping, Exercise, Engineering
Section 2: Mond 4 - 5 PM Pacific, Class #28984 - Room: Dwinelle 130 (30 seats)
Allison Lee
alee02@berkeley.edu- Junior, BioE + MCB
- Involvement: BioEHS, Bioprinting, BMES, SLC
- About: Hi, I’m Allison! I’m studying BioE with a cell and tissue concentration and MCB with an immunology concentration. In my free time, I enjoy exploring new food, watching dramas and anime, and playing tennis.
- Contact me about: Anything!
Yujin Huh
yujinhuh26@berkeley.edu- Sophomore, Energy Engineering + EECS
- Involvement: SWE, AWE, SHAC, ESC
- About: Hi everyone! My name is Yujin and I am currently a sophomore here at Berkeley. I am from Walnut Creek, CA and I love the Bay Area! Some of my hobbies include running, hiking, knitting, and spending time with my family.
- Contact me about: Feel free to contact me about Energy Engineering or anything and I look forward to talking to you soon!
Section 3: Wed 2 - 3 PM Pacific, Class #28985 - Room: Etcheverry 3111 (30 seats)
Xavier Macalalad
Xavierbayani@berkeley.edu- Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering
- Involvement: Philipino Association of Scientists, Architects, and Engineers
- About: Hi! I'm Xavier and I'm from Southern California. I like growing plants, reading alternate history, and hiking
- Contact me about: Mechanical engineering, work/life balance, and existential crises concerning engineering majors
Gursimar Virk
gursimvirk3@berkeley.edu- Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering
- Involvement: Berkeley Lightweight Rowing and ASME
- About: Hey I am Simar. I am from Fresno Ca. I am currently a sophomore. I enjoy working on cars and urban exploring.
- Contact me about: If you have any questions about the course, four year degree planning, or hands on skill questions.
Section 4: Thurs 4 - 5 PM Pacific, Class #28986 - Room: Dwinelle 215 (30 seats)
Alyssa Umino
alyssau@berkeley.edu- Junior, EECS
- Involvement: HKN, IEEE, AWE, ESC
- About: Hi, my name's Alyssa and I'm really excited to be a returning E98 instructor this Fall! I took the class myself my very first semester at Berkeley, and I want to give back by teaching my very own section. I'm currently a third year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. My other academic interests include psychology and botany, though I've also done work with printed antennas. In my free time, I love to play volleyball, hike, and read.
- Contact me about: I would feel comfortable being contacted about EECS, sports, research, industry, housing, womxn in STEM, life, etc. Very broad question, in general I'm open to talking about anything!
Vaidehi Dandekar
vdandekar@berkeley.edu- Junior, BioE
- Involvement: BMES, BioEHSC, IM Sports, AeroSAE, BioEMP
- About: Hello! My name is Vaidehi Dandekar, and I am a third-year Bioengineering student here at UC Berkeley! As I've been able to explore Bioengineering at Berkeley, I have truly come to value the academic, as well as non-academic endeavors I've been able to participate in. In general, I'm a pretty athletic person, and love to exercise and be outdoors! I play softball, soccer, tennis, and have recently gotten more involved in swimming! I'm super excited to be teaching E98 and helping incoming engineering students find their way at Cal and make the experience their own! I look forward to meeting everyone soon, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns! Go bears!
- Contact me about: Bioengineering, BioEHSC, Classes/Scheduling, COE Requirements
Section 5: Fri 3 - 4 PM Pacific, Class #29553 - Room: Dwinelle 215 (30 seats)
Soumik Chakraborty
soumikc@berkeley.edu- Senior, EECS + Business Administration (MET Program)
- Involvement: The Berkeley Group, Chris Kindness Award, Student Advisory Council on Undergraduate Education, Berkeley SkyDeck, Course Staff (Haas), Data Science Undergraduate Studies Curriculum Support Team, Nonprofit Volunteering
- About: Hello! I'm a senior studying EECS and Business from Portland, OR. I'm really passionate about technology, entrepreneurship, and social impact. Outside of my professional interests, I enjoy biking, swimming, and playing tennis. I also love watching Bollywood movies and taking care of my fish tank. This is my second time facilitating E98, and I'm excited to meet you all!
- Contact me about: Coursework, class scheduling, extracurriculars, resume/LinkedIn advice, interview prep, building your personal brand, staying balanced, entrepreneurship, biotech/smart devices, consulting, social impact, and literally anything else!
Eric He
heeric@berkeley.edu- Junior, Nuclear Engineering + Aerospace Engineering
- Involvement: heeric@berkeley.edu
- About: Hi! I'm from Toronto, Canada and I'm a third year nuclear engineering major. This summer I did a research project on nuclear fusion in Tokyo, Japan. I enjoy cycling and running in my free time.
- Contact me about: Any questions including research internships, scheduling classes, or class advice!
Resources
Enrollment Procedures
Each section is capped at various number of seats (see individual sections for details) and based on first-come, first-serve basis. Students who register in full sections will be placed on a waitlist.
DeCal registration usually start sometime the week before, the week of, or the week after the Adjustment Period (or in other words plus or minus (+/-) one week), which is normally around the start of a new Semester (August for Fall, January for Spring). This is the general timeframe when ALL DeCals open. Check your CalCentral registration date for the exact date of your Adjustment Period.
Our registration opens when individual sections open. If there's only one E98 DeCal section, that just means the DeCal itself, but not it's individual section, is opened. Please wait for when individual sections open during the time when DeCal registration starts.
When DeCal registrations open, enroll in the DeCal just like any other regular Berkeley class. Find us in the CalCentral enrollment center by setting the Subject as "Engineering" and Course Number "is exactly" and "98". Select from any of our sections as listed above!
Syllabus
Weekly Handouts
Contact
Feel free to contact us, the E98 Coordinators, at coords@e98.berkeley.edu.