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2022-2023 Zot Blog: Meet Ian

Hi everyone! My name is Ian Su, and I’m so excited to be part of such an incredible group of students this year! I just recently arrived in Irvine from my hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. Coming from a small private school (with a graduating class of 100) and being surrounded by so many fresh faces this past week has certainly kept me busy. While many people going in the U/U route already have a desired major they want to switch into, I truly am “undeclared.” I haven’t found anything that I’m genuinely passionate about yet, but that’s what college is for, isn’t it?

Being ethnically Taiwanese, I spent most of my summer in the mountains of Taiwan, participating in a summer program run by the Taiwanese government. Here, I taught English to Taiwanese kids alongside other teenagers who shared my Taiwanese heritage. Connecting with my roots in such a manner has made me want to keep exploring this part of me, leading to the next section of this blog: clubs.

Post Anteater Involvement Fair, I still haven’t decided what clubs I want to join. However, I plan to check out some clubs, such as the Blockchain Club, the Taiwanese American Organization, and the INSA dance group (even though I can’t dance). They all gave me free stuff (yay!), and they all have events soon that seem fun to attend. As I write this, I’ll be getting dinner and boba with the Taiwanese American Organization—who can say no to boba?

As a first-year student, I’m not sure what to expect. If every day is going to be as fun as the last few days have been, life at UCI will be as good as it gets. From meeting new people, the concert (my first one), the world record, and meeting even more new people, this has been one of the best weeks of my life. However, classes are about to start, and I’m a little bit apprehensive. I have always been the type to procrastinate, and my friends who went to college have all told me that I need to stop before college. I’ve always told them I would, but here I am writing this blog on the day it’s due (oops).

My biggest priorities this year are maintaining a high GPA, making friends, and having fun. I really am working on my procrastination problem (I swear), and I hope my last two goals can go hand in hand. If you ever see me on campus, come say hi! I’m always open to meeting new people, so don’t be shy!

Thanks for reading!

Ian

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2022-2023 Zot Blog: Meet Teresa

Hi! My name is Teresa, and I’m quite excited to be a U/U student at UCI. I know that there’s a lot of negative connotation attached to the word “undeclared” (indecisive, doubtful, unsure, unprepared, etc.), but I’ve come to embrace the part of that connotation that is true; I’m 18 and fresh out of a school system where I was basically given a checklist of classes that I had to take in order to graduate. Of course I catered my schedule to my interests and explored new subjects outside of class, but I’m not sure I have the confidence to begin taking an uncertain path only to realize it’s not actually what I want and turn around at the most strenuous point.

With that being said, my current major interests are Computer Science and Language Science; I’m taking classes in both this quarter, and I have confidence that by the end of this quarter, I’ll be able to make a better informed decision about how I want to incorporate those two areas into my college studies. In terms of actual career paths, I’m quite interested in the field of natural language processing as well as cybersecurity, though I do anticipate discovering new interests during my time at UCI.

I’m a commuter from Huntington Beach, though I’m still driving on a learner’s permit, so I probably won’t be driving myself to school this quarter (for the greater good… you don’t want to see me on the road). This has provided a few complications as I need to find a ride for anything I want to go to, but I’m still doing my best to be involved in all the activities that interest me. I hope to share my adventures on the blog!

What else is there to say about myself? I got AirPods right before I graduated high school and they honestly changed the trajectory of my life (nothing hits like using study hall time to work on homework while listening to the Animal Crossing soundtrack on the lowest possible volume out of fear that the sound will bleed and someone else will be able to hear “Bubblegum K.K.”). I’ve always liked to fidget with my hands, and I decided to funnel that energy into learning how to crochet. I’m currently working on making something vaguely like a top (it’s like a shawl or a cover-up) and it involves sparkly white yarn and a cool spiderweb-like mesh pattern. I have an 800 day streak on Duolingo and I live in constant fear that I will lose it one day. I’m mainly learning Korean and Chinese (which I studied in high school), although past ventures have included Spanish and any other mildly interesting language.

I’ve never been good at conclusions, so I’ll leave you with a quote from Lulu Miller’s Why Fish Don’t Exist: “We barely know the world around us, even the simplest things under our feet … we have been wrong before and we will be wrong again. The true path to progress is paved not with certainty but doubt, with being ‘open to revision.’” I hope that in the future I’ll be able to report back with updates on my adventures at UCI!

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2022-2023 Zot Blog: Meet Jaden

Hi everyone, my name is Jaden and I am from the Sacramento Area, but it’s technically Elk Grove where most of my growing up happened.

It’s still weird to say “growing up” because to be completely frank, I still feel like a kid. I turn 18 in September and still it’s a very unreal idea that I am going to be a legal adult. But no matter the legality of, well me, I know that my “growing up” is definitely still happening.

As a phrase, growing up can mean a plethora of things. For example, understanding yourself is a part of that journey so shouldn’t I, as a grown up, know (or at least have a close idea) what career they want to dedicate their lives to. And yes, I know that most kids (kids?) my age are still figuring it out and there’s no rush, yada yada but that doesn’t stop being “undeclared” terrifying.

For me, undeclared isn’t exactly a safe spot as I wait in line to get into my major. I am sure many of us are in that situation which is great, you go and rock that certainty of yours, truly I am envious. But for me, being undeclared is a corner stop to learn and discover what it is that will make the essence of my future. There are too many things that I could imagine myself doing and choosing just one out of the bajillion one of my interests is insanity. It feels like there are all of these fun, interesting and world-changing lives that could belong to me but only one could truly be mine. Nerve wracking right?

To contextualize this, here is what runs through my head when I think about what major I want to be: I love going outside and enjoying the peace of nature so…environmental science? Wait, I dislike math and Environmental Science means I will have to do math. Plus I have never been much of a science person, bad handwriting makes tracking data hard. English has always been a great passion of mine, but what would I do with English?

I really enjoy writing so it’s definitely a possibility. Unfortunately though, I haven’t heard of that many rich English Majors. But again, do I really need to be rich?

I wasn’t very rich this summer but it was still a lot of fun. Despite my sad attempts of applying to pretty coffee shops and libraries, and In-N-Out, most employers want me to be 18 or aren’t willing to hire short term.

But even without a reliable source of income, me and my friends made the best of our three months.

I finally earned my driver’s license so at least I wasn’t stuck at home. Most of my warm afternoons were in the grass of comfy parks, binging my summer reading list and just enjoying the stillness of nature. And when I wasn’t outside, I was catching up with friends and trying all of the yelp-approved restaurants in Sacramento.

But going out every day gets really expensive so my friends and I also had to get creative: lake days, group painting sessions, evening picnics, taking advantage of cheap Tuesday specials at drive-ins, and simply just enjoying boredom in the presence of one another for one more summer.

So that’s how my summer has been and scarily, it’s ending as fast as this whole university thing is coming up. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous but at least the possibilities make this chapter exciting; if the end of this story is happening right now, that means that another’s being written right?

A brand new narrative filled with different people, in a new, big city, and most importantly, freedom from my strict Chinese parents. I can’t wait to see how much I learn.

So that’s me, nice to meet you.

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2022-2023 Zot Blog: Meet Whitney

Pro tip: In the UK, never ask an Englishman if he celebrates the Fourth of July. Do not say I did not warn you… Jokes aside, this summer has been memorable and my favorite because it began by tutoring math to juniors in high school, traveling around Europe, attending SPOP 4, and then spending five wonderful weeks in UCI’s Summer Freshman Edge program. But before I continue, I wanted to give a warm welcome to you, our Zot Blog readers! My name is Whitney Noh (yes, I was named after the famous singer, Whitney Houston), and I am from Glendale, CA. Because I want to pursue a career as a high school math teacher, I hope to eventually become a Math Major through UCI’s CalTeach program. An interesting fact about me is that I have donated my hair (cut 12 inches off) more than six times to nonprofits that created authentic wigs for children who have suffered from hair loss.

As previously mentioned, my summer was eventful and full of stories. After traveling around Europe, I came home in time for SPOP 4! Something interesting that occurred during orientation was at 12 a.m. in the morning. My friend and I noticed a raccoon staring at us behind a tree. As we began our walk around the campus, it started to follow closely behind us. We ran to my dorm building and promptly closed the door behind us. It was quite unnerving!

While in UCI’s Summer Freshman Edge program, I spent five weeks living in the stunning Middle Earth Tower and experienced a glimpse into student life at UCI. In my upcoming blog posts, I look forward to sharing my experience in this program and giving tips in my upcoming blog posts. The program encouraged me to be excited about the upcoming school year and learn how to balance my academic and social life. One unforgettable moment was when we experienced a black out. My friends and I wanted to make light of the situation and started banging on people’s doors and saying, “FBI, come out…there are lights on the sixth floor!”

Although I am nervous to begin my first year at UCI, I look forward to immersing myself into the campus culture and taking advantage of all the resources and opportunities available at this prestigious university. While I hope to gain clarity while exploring UCI’s CalTeach program, I also hope to build strong relationships with professors and friends, take advantage of the resources and opportunities at UCI, and enjoy each moment at this institution. I hope that as I share, my experiences will resonate with you as we all are navigating a year as an Undeclared Major. We are on the same boat, and I hope my blog with my stories and moments of vulnerability will help you get back up on your feet and pursue your goals. We each have a special place at UCI! I am excited to begin this journey with you all!

Zot! Zot! Zot!

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2022-2023 Zot Blog: Meet Nick

Words are silver but action is golden a twist on the quote “ words are silver but silence is golden”, I accidentally misheard from my parents as a kid has been a principle that I have followed for years. Rather than the original message of not doing anything is better than doing or saying too much at all, I took my version as you could say all you want of plans and promises of grandeur, but none of that really matters unless you actually take action and really get to it. Don’t just say that you will go for the opportunity, really go all out and make that opportunity yours and make the best of it. One by one, using each golden opportunity to pave out your own “golden” brick road.

Hello hello everyone and welcome to my first ever Zot Blog! I am Nicholas Chou, an incoming freshman and I want to be a psychiatrist. Also I hope you enjoyed the little story about the quote and what it means and tells you a little bit about me, I think I’ll try to incorporate it into my blogs, something that means a lot to me, something I follow, or something that would sum up that specific blog. I’ll also try to tell my blog like I’m sharing a story because I really enjoy its free form and casual way I can personify my thoughts, experience, and advice I pick up each month.

Alright back to me, I am currently undeclared pushing to get into psychology/psychological sciences! I love learning, especially when I really like the subject. I also really enjoy trying all sorts of new things. This summer break being the longest (and hottest) I have ever had. And being the end of my 4 year high school experience, I decided to spend it all to relax and prepare for UCI. I’ve picked up a lot of hobbies. I’ve tried learning guitar, mahjong, karaoke, cooking, woodcarving, thrifting, gym, rip sticking, rock climbing, dragon boating, and much more!

Once my school year starts, there’s a lot of things to get used to, living outside of my house, the quarter learning system, and getting used to the new environment. I’ve got lots of plans for coming into UCI. But worrying about every little detail of something new is something I and I noticed others often do. But what I’ve learned is that ultimately I could plan all I want, I could try planning to the very second of each event, but ultimately; things often don’t go to plan. Oftentimes there are things you didn’t expect, things you didn’t account for, or things that didn’t happen at all. So what I’m trying to say is, if you are stressing about this new experience we are all about to go through, don’t. Don’t worry about it, you’ll be fine; you will be alright.

Overall, I am happy to be starting off on this rollercoaster of college I’m strapped in for and I hope you’ll stick around for the ride.

Have a great day.