Monday, June 29, 1998
Take our word for it, UCLA is full of exciting, interesting
opportunities
HELP: Making transition to college life can be easy if you
follow simple steps
By Michelle Navarro
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Welcome to college. Welcome to flavored coffee, four hours of
sleep, study sessions, canned food, evenings with Jack Daniels,
25-cent Diddy Reese cookies and 101 ways to jaywalk. If these
things already sound familiar … great, the transition won’t be so
terrible. If not, read on.
Someone once said experience is the best teacher. While that may
be true and the cliche used oh-so-many times with the folks, it was
also said that a little advice never hurt.
So here it is.
This time Mom and Dad may not know what to say. Only those who
have endured at least one year of campus life could be donned with
such invaluable knowledge. And now that a fresh new batch of
students has set foot on the blessed concrete, the Bruin gurus
would like to offer their advice.
Academia
For those who relied on common knowledge, one night of studying
and extra credit to pull them through the glory days of high
school, those times are over. Here everyone knows the game,
everyone wants to be one-up from the rest and everyone was in the
top of their high school class.
"Prepare to study; prepare to read your things," warned Jerry
Lopez, a first-year undeclared student.
At UCLA you actually have to work, no matter what side of the
campus you are on. It may mean reading 100 pages of organic
chemistry or writing a 10-page paper (not essay) on why the
speakers in two of T.S. Eliot’s poems aren’t comfortable with
eroticism. Either way, procrastination means death by loss of
sleep. It’s cruel.
Time is catalogued by hours – only 33 hours left to write a term
paper on the outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns sea stars and five
more hours to study for the economics midterm. In college, studying
is an art that one must master. It takes great skill to utilize
those precious hours of time to the fullest.
One of the most important factors affecting the quality of
studying is location.
"Try a lot of different places and find what works for you,"
said Stephanie Kettner, a first-year undeclared student.
If even the noise of crickets tends to gnaw at the nerves, try
the reading room in Powell Library. Granted it’s one of the most
crowded places, but at least there are a few rows of study carrolls
to provide a little isolation from the surrounding steaming
brains.
The University Research Library (URL) is a place for those who
crave to be alone when studying. The only downfall is that it is
always three degrees Celsius in there, so you may need to bring a
parka.
"I’m a big fan of URL because not many people go there,
especially the fifth floor," said Brad Brauer, a second-year
electrical engineering student.
"I like Covel Commons," said Amy Goetz, a first-year undeclared
student. "The low hum in the big study lounge keeps me awake, but
at the same time I can’t hear the conversations."
The lounge in Covel is convenient because it’s practically
rubbing elbows with the residence halls, but it may get a bit
noisy. If that isn’t problem, might as well try going down to
Westwood to Jerry’s Famous Deli – one of the few student-friendly
commercial businesses in UCLA’s "college town."
"You can get one coke at 8 o’ clock, and study there the whole
night and get free refills," noted John Brittingham, a second-year
undeclared student.
As for class, a.k.a. lecture, that’s a different story. Showing
up is merely an option, and if one has actually managed to crawl
into the lecture hall – make sure the title teacher is dropped and
Professor or Doctor is used in its place. Never make that mistake –
the professors won’t, come grading time.
Falling asleep is also an option, but snoring and drooling
aren’t recommended. If narcolepsy can’t be helped, bring a recorder
to tape the lecture. Otherwise, don’t bother. Who wants to hear
about glycolysis a second time? Only the demented will take joy in
such sick torture.
If the book and the lecture don’t explain something well enough,
go to office hours. It may be intimidating at first to talk to the
lecture-god, but after a while the realization that they are human
and like to play ultimate frisbee too will make it a whole lot
easier.
"Talk to your TAs and professors, it helps if they know your
name," said Stephanie Stuart, a second-year political science
student and freshman orientation counselor.
Dorm life
Dorms. Gotta love ’em, gotta hate ’em. On one hand, it’s home.
On the other hand, it’s home to someone else too – the
roommate.
This may get sticky. Of course, luck may deliver that long-lost
best friend for a roomie, or luck can turn its back and let hell’s
fury through the dorm room door. It could go either way. Perhaps
the best way to handle that situation is to heed Kettner’s valuable
piece of advice.
"It’s easier when you guys talk," Kettner admitted, "but your
roommate doesn’t have to be your best friend."
There are countless horror stories about first-year roommates.
Just remember that both paid equally for that room; don’t let one
dominate or control what goes on in there. Privacy is out the door,
but you don’t have to be too.
On the up-side, all the times spent in the hall or the floor
lounge, when being in the room is too painful, are good
opportunities to meet others in similar unfavorable roommate
situations.
"Stay in the dorms for two years, you’ll meet more people,"
recommended Brauer. "Yeah, the food sucks but if you leave, you’ll
end up eating out all the time and spending a lot of money."
Dorm hall doors are made to stay open for a reason – so everyone
else on the floor can invade. Take advantage of that, because
chances are everyone there is a freshman and is going through the
same thing. Support can prove helpful at the end of the quarter
(finals).
At the same time, know how to kick everyone out when the end of
the quarter rolls around – or else that may be your last
quarter.
What about food? Today – chicken-fried steak and potatoes,
tomorrow – chicken surprise and mashed potatoes. Get the
picture?
Campus life
A life, it’s good to have one. Whether it be wearing greek
letters or playing the trumpet with that Solid Gold Sound, do
something.
"Get involved, it’s the best way to meet people," Stuart said.
"Find out what resources are there for you. I just found out that
my reg fees pay for a lot of things I never knew."
The UCLA grounds are full of clubs and resources that are
available to students, it would be insane not to make use of them.
Not to mention if students didn’t involve themselves, nothing could
operate.
And, the other campus life … to each his own. From bowling to
chugging, that life is what each student makes of it. College is
also a place to learn about people and how everyone fits into the
scheme of things. For some it will be a wake up call, for others it
will be old news. Both types are here on this campus, and both
paths will cross.
It’s a whole other learning process no one can teach about. It
just comes with getting to know those around the campus.
However there is one word of caution Brauer wanted to share
about that.
"If you want to meet people," he said, "don’t be an electrical
engineer."