Congratulations prospective Bears, you’ve been admitted to UC Berkeley! You might not have been sold just yet, or maybe you were sold the second you opened your admissions portal and watched the confetti fall (in that case, welcome!). Either way, you’re probably coming to Cal Day this weekend, but you might not know what exactly it is that you’re getting yourself into. Never fear, because we at the Clog are here to give you the lowdown on everything to expect at this year’s Cal Day festivities.

An abundance of flyers and free stuff 

It’s basically like any normal day on Sproul but on steroids. Imagine every club on campus literally on campus (that’s more than 1,000 clubs) attempting to woo you over and throw millions of flyers at you as you walk by. (It will look exactly how you’re imagining it.) Be sure to bring a bag to store this extra paper in (chances are someone will give you a free bag anyway), and best of luck to you, future Bears, because there’s no putting your headphones in and slapping on your RBF to avoid this monsoon of club advertisements (something you’ll learn to do later). Plus, you’re here to learn more about the campus and what it offers anyway, so why would you want to? Insider tip: This is the only time collecting flyers on Sproul is actually fun, so roll with it.

Partygoers

If you wander even a block off of campus on Cal Day, you’ll probably encounter the partygoers. We’re talking students decked out in blue and gold in every way imaginable (see below). We’ll be honest, the frat parties on Greek row are a big part of Cal Day (us UC Berkeley students need an excuse to celebrate something, right?), so if you’re interested in following these partygoers back to the lovely fraternity houses they come from and seeing what Cal Day is really all about, go for it (but maybe leave your parents behind)! We may be the No. 1 public university in the world (according to some ratings), but we’re also secretly pretty high up on the rankings when it comes to partying hard (at least according to ourselves).

Innovative Cal gear 

Speaking of seeing students decked out in blue and gold in every way imaginable, Cal Day brings out the interesting and the innovative when it comes to outfits and ways of showing school spirit. Whether it’s striped blue and gold overalls (on the low end of the innovation spectrum), blue and gold morph suits, blue and gold crocs or a full-on bear suit, innovation is what truly excites on Cal Day. So, if you’re looking to fit right in, don’t just stop by Bear Basics or the student store and wear one of those simple Berkeley sweatshirts. Instead, go the extra mile and find Oski and take his suit because that’s what will really make you stand out and draw a crowd. Who knows, maybe you’ll even become the next Oski!

Seeing every UC Berkeley icon in one place

We’re talking Oski, Chancellor Christ, every iconic UC Berkeley professor there ever was and maybe even Dirks himself. Yes, we said it, Dirks. You probably don’t even know who that is, and honestly, we hardly do either, but we’ll just tell you that he’s a mystical man with a magical unibrow who has his very own tunnels that run underneath the campus. Crazy, we know. And even if you’re not trying to spot Dirks, you’re definitely in luck if you’re looking to snap a pic with the A-listers of UC Berkeley, Oski and Chancellor Christ included. Happy paparazzi-ing, future Bears!

(Hopefully) feeling a new sense of home

The best part of Cal Day is taking in everything UC Berkeley has to offer (sights, sounds and smells included) and feeling a new sense of home. After all, the purpose of Cal Day is to convince you to make Berkeley your home for the next four years (and we think it does the job well). Whether it’s getting jiggy with it to the Cal marching band’s performance of “Fight for California,” our anthem and the thing that gets us hyped for literally anything and everything, or sharing a high five or hug with our favorite creepy bear, Oski, it’s all of the little things that you’ll witness and experience on Cal Day that will hopefully convince you that you’re meant to be a Golden Bear.

Get pumped because Cal Day is objectively the best day of the year, and we hope you end up feeling that way too. Whether you’re totally sold on UC Berkeley already or just need that extra push to convince you to become a Golden Bear, we hope you enjoy the festivities and we hope to see you next fall!