Dear baby Anteater,
Congratulations on your acceptance to UCI! The accomplishments that have enabled your success throughout your academic journey are admirable, and I am sure that the future achievements you will fulfill at UCI and beyond are numberless. I want to extend a warm welcome from one Anteater to another, and excite you for the beginning of your undergraduate career. You will make connections with friends and faculty that will last a lifetime, engage in classes and extracurricular activities that will leave a lasting impression on you, and make an abundance of memories that you will cherish far after graduation.
Granted, you may feel doubtful or uneasy about the transition from high school to college, and understandably so. The many changes that the transition entails can be jarring and even overwhelming at times, but there are resources on campus that you should feel free to utilize to enhance your college experience. For instance, some students struggle with the fast pace of the quarter system at the beginning of their first year, including myself. It takes time to get accustomed to how quickly the weeks seem to fly by, so if you find yourself falling behind or in need of help, there are a variety of facilities on campus that can assist you, such as the Learning and Academic Resource Center (LARC) and the Center for Excellence in Writing and Communication. The interactions that I have had so far with academic advisors have all been positive, as they are more than willing to help and answer any questions or concerns that you may have.
“College is what you make of it.” This piece of advice was given to me before I began my freshman year, but I did not fully understand its significance at the time. Now that I have spent approximately two and a half quarters at UCI, I have better grasped the meaning of the phrase. What with the countless opportunities that a college like UCI offers you, taking advantage of the resources at your disposal can drastically change and improve your college experience. So, if a club catches your eye at the Anteater Involvement Fair, join it. If a particular class seems to satisfy your intellectual curiosity, consider pursuing it. If you want to reach out to a peer, faculty member, or advisor, foster that connection. I strive to continue applying this advice to my own undergraduate career, and I urge you to do the same.
Your friendly neighborhood Unaffiliated major,
Sabrina