A new course in “adulting” offered at the University of California, Berkeley, that teaches students basic life skills like “self-care, self-love and sleep” has gotten so popular that it’s having to turn hundreds of students away.
Students Belle Lau and Jenny Zhou launched the class in adulting last year with only 30 students in attendance. This spring, the class will be full with 80 students and an additional 200 had to be turned away, KTVU reported Tuesday.
Ms. Lau said the class will feature guest speakers on topics like managing time and money, fitness, nutrition, mental health and improving relationships.
“Self-care, self-love and sleep,” she added.
Ms. Lau said she was inspired to create the class after she moved to Berkeley from out of state and found herself struggling with the pressures of college life.
“I felt stressed to want to accomplish so many things within a 24-hour day that I would feel helpless,” she told the student-run Berkeley High Jacket. “I know that I am definitely not the only college student who feels like this and thought it would be a great idea to have guest speakers come in to tell us ways to address and manage our stress without burning out or breaking down.”
It seems many students are thankful for the help.
“I want to feel prepared, like I know what I’m doing and I know how to be an adult,” 21-year-old Allegra Estrada told KTVU. “You can know as much as you want about physics or biology or English but that doesn’t help you when you need to do taxes or figure out what to eat.”
“It’s harder to budget when you’re not living at home because you have a lot more expenses,” said 19-year-old Lauren Frailey. “I’m excited to learn how to manage my time better and that will definitely help me manage my stress as well.”
The course is on a “pass” or “no pass” basis and is part of the DeCal program at Berkeley, which allows students to create and teach low commitment and unconventional classes, the High Jacket reported.
