The Best Decision I Could Have Made

Choosing the university to attend for the next four years is a difficult process full of both excitement and doubt. I, too, felt these emotions that came with the weight of the decision. Thus, to make this choice, I asked myself a crucial question: What is my plan after graduating university. For me, the answer was graduate school with the goal of gaining mastery in my field of chemical engineering with a doctorate. By setting this goal, I realized what I had to accomplish to be competitive during the application process and, therefore, what opportunities to look for in a university. These included strong academics, a recognizable name, research opportunities, and networking opportunities with peers, professors, and professionals. Furthermore, this goal prioritized the characteristics with which I would select a university. At this time, I was invited to join the Campuswide Honors Program (CHP) at the University of California, Irvine, and, to get to know the program, an invitation to Honors Experience Day came, as well. During the visit, advisors and current students spoke about the aim of the program and its curriculum, the opportunities and events offered, and the community of peers, faculty, and alumni. Here, I understood that the CHP sought to help incoming students acclimate to university quickly then to excel and to provide any help along the way. Furthermore, I learned of the emphasis on research through a senior thesis. Knowing that UCI had excellent academics and research, my decision was easily made. After communicating with professors and upper-class CHP students, one main criterion for graduate study became clear: involvement in research. Thus, I set a goal for myself to get involved in research early during my university education.

A few months later, I was a college freshman, anteater, and CHPeer. Another daunting task emerged: choosing and applying for a research laboratory. This was intimidating to me, especially approaching a professor. Nonetheless, the CHP made the task more approachable. While attending the weekly CHP coffee hour, I learned of a quarterly faculty coffee hour hosted by the CHP. Here, professors, nominated by students, are invited so that students can interact and communicate with them. While attending, I got to speak with professors with whom I had courses, such as Professor Shaka, and ask questions. It became obvious that speaking with professors was easy, natural, and far less intimidating. The next step was finding an interesting lab and applying.

Once more, the CHP presented the opportunity! While in the second quarter of the Honors Chemistry Lab course, open to all CHP students, I was attending office hours with the teaching assistant, Sabrina. At the end of the session, she mentioned that my passion for science and attention to detail were strong and that there was an undergraduate opening in her professor’s laboratory. She encouraged me to read about the laboratory’s research and apply. The research focus was a mix of chemistry, biology, and material science and just what I had been looking for! Therefore, I applied and was invited for an interview with the professor and his team. Following great discussions on the laboratory’s projects and topics such as the first documented use of enzymes in The Iliad, which I had read for my Honors Humanities course, I was offered the undergraduate position in the lab! Since then, I have gotten to research DNA cloning, enzyme acceleration, and disease biosensing. After about one year, my research mentor gave me an independent project that has become my honors thesis. Thus, once intimidating goals became an exciting reality!

The CHP has become an integral part of my undergraduate education and experience. Not only has it helped my academic future, but also it helped me form networks with multidisciplinary peers. The latter occurred during those weekly coffee hours and during events, such as quarterly CHP Lunches with Leadership. Therefore, for soon-to-be university students, I would offer this advice: consider your goals following your undergraduate education. It may be graduate school,

law school, medical school, a job, or something else entirely. This helps prioritize what you are looking for. It led me to UCI and the CHP, the best decision I could have made!

By: Christian Alexander Totoiu