By Hemesh Patel
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
[email protected]
Many students who graduate from UCLA will leave the university
with a sense of sadness, anxiety or even fear.
Graduation evokes mixed emotions from students ““ many feel
sad because they are leaving behind a set routine while venturing
into an uncertain future, said experts from the Student
Psychological Services.
“Graduation is a time of excitement ““ it’s a
major milestone where students are honored by friends and
family,” said William Parham, associate director of clinical
services at Student Psychological Services.
“But the reality is that they’re leaving an
environment they’ve been a part of for four or five
years,” he added.
Kristen Lee, a fourth-year biology student, and An Ngo, a
fourth-year psychobiology student, have been roommates for two
years. As the two prepare to pack up their belongings, they realize
neither of their lives will be the same as they begin to go their
separate ways.
“It’s kind of like walking out of someone’s
life,” Ngo said. “Soon the rooms will be empty ““
even though we are friends, we won’t be living
together.”
Ngo established a familiar environment for herself at UCLA and
said she is afraid of leaving the university.
After Ngo graduates, she plans to look for a job. Lee will
attend optometry school.
Lee said she will miss the benefits of having friends close to
her in a college city.
“Back home, it will be hard to get together ““ all
communication will probably be through e-mail,” Lee said.
Ngo expected that the further away she and her friends move
apart, the more impersonal their contacts will be.
Many students feel a sense of uncertainty because they
don’t know what they will be doing in the future.
Students who have a solid new goal after they graduate may have
an easier time adjusting to the transition.
“I’m apathetic about graduation,” said Lauri
Green, a fourth-year evolutionary biology and ecology student who
plans on getting a doctorate degree in biology. “It seems
like small potatoes compared to the challenge of obtaining a
Ph.D.”
For those who are not as certain about their futures, the
transition out of UCLA may not be so easy.
“Our entire lives thus far have been a wonderfully
structured school environment,” said Brie Altenau, a
fourth-year biology student currently looking for a job.
“It’s the beginning of a major change in our lives
““ it’s a big unknown and there is a lot of uncertainty,
so it’s hard to be excited because it is scary,” she
continued.
Parham suggested the celebratory period of graduation will also
bring feelings of anxiety to students.
Graduates are leaving a support system, and those who
don’t have something to do after they leave the university
may be vulnerable to being depressed, Parham said.
Graduating seniors are not the only ones who have these
concerns.
Some students leaving the school for the summer also may feel
this way, he said.
Officials advise students to plan ahead and use resources at
UCLA, such as the Career Center, earlier on.
“Change is the one experience that is guaranteed to
happen,” Parham said. “We literally change every minute
of every day.”
For soon-to-be graduates who have established a solid routine
over the past few years, they will miss the small things.
“I’ll miss having Kristen tell me my cooking is too
salty ““ when it is not,” Ngo said. “I’ll
also miss climbing over people to find a seat in our large lecture
halls.”
One thing Ngo fears the most is losing touch with the friends
she’s made at UCLA.
“I’m afraid of losing the close relationships
I’ve built here,” she said. “I feel a lot of
people have significantly touched my life.”
To make an appointment with Student Psychological Services, call
(310) 825-0768 or (310) 825-7985.