Year: 2023

Hello everyone it is Jack here and I am back for the last time this quarter to share a post which is a reflection for myself, but others may use it more as a guide of what to expect and to plan for when attending UC Irvine for the first time. Without any further introduction, on to the reflection.

Welcome to UC Irvine! You are about to begin a journey like no other at this point in your life. A point in life where school and personal life combine and are mixed together. A point where you may have done a lot in high school, but it seems like you are still spending more time that you did in high school on less. A point where you may want to consider every commitment you make as if to not overdo yourself or even make yourself less inspired that you were to be here. This journey will have some aspects which you have inspected, but some others that you can not plan for. No amount of advice or experience shared can fully prepare you for this journey as the only person who will know your path through this journey is yourself as no one else has been on and will likely be on the same journey that you are about to begin. This is because you are unique and the decision you make everyday will guide your journey into something personal and into something unlike no other.

Something that you must know prior to the start of this journey is that everyone is not an enemy or someone who expects perfection from you. There are many people who will look to help you and add some personal aspect to the journey you take. All that is expected back from you is the help and friendliness which was given to you to be spread to someone else. Possibly you will help to guide one of your peer’s journeys in a specific way. Maybe you should consider how many opportunities you will have to do what you want to do. What is up to you is if you use those opportunities and try to make something of them. There may be a lot to consider on your first day, week or even quarter at UC Irvine, but make sure you consider every major decision you make to a significant degree as some may take too much of your time away, or be of little interest or use, but at the same time it may be a chance to try something new, something which was not planned and possibly something which will interest you. All decisions will not have as clear of an outcome as they have had before.

Taking this reflection into my next quarter I will have to see if all that I wrote about opportunities stays true, but something which is true about UC Irvine is that you will have many opportunities to do different things, but you have to take them and act upon them.

Anyways, this is my last post this quarter and I hope everyone has a good winter break with their families and friends and that they are well prepared for finals. Next post will have some general tips about attending UC Irvine, but until then goodbye everyone and Zot! Zot! Zot!

Hello everyone, it is Jack here again and I will be discussing events at UC Irvine in this post. As there are so many events which are held within the school either in-person or online, in residence halls, in communities, in different schools or even in the middle of the school, there is bound to be an event for everyone. While so many different groups host events, I would like to showcase one in particular to give an idea of what events are like at UC Irvine. 

The one which I will be showcasing is the Holiday Study Kit event hosted by the Center for Student Leadership. There are a few reasons I have selected this event to showcase. One of the reasons is that I was informed that the event was taking place, the day it took place. This is just to give an idea that there are events which are happening all of the time and all throughout campus and there is most likely an event every day that there is instruction and you can find these events if you look hard enough. Another reason I selected this event is because this event is hosted by an organization which people may not typically think hosts events. Usual participatory event hosts are resident advisors, RHA and ASUCI, but there are many events which are hosted which give students a chance to spectate and these events are typically hosted by the arts department and the UC Irvine Athletics. Of course as I am showcasing here there are many other organizations which host events, but these are some groups to get your search for an event started.

I had to register for the Holiday Study Kit on Campus Groups prior to the event. Most events will require some pre-registration or have a check in process, so make sure you research that aspect prior to the event. If you can not find anything with more information regarding registration, then you are more than likely able to show up to the event and more steps will be given to you upon arrival.

Once I arrived at the event I was able to paint a stocking and fill the stocking with an assortment of goodies. Recently I have noticed that there are a lot of painting events as I have also recently attended an ASUCI tote bag painting event, but with so many organizations trying to host so many events, there is bound to be overlap between events.

I had fun at the event and I am sure that everyone could find an event which they would enjoy if they looked hard enough. There are hundreds of clubs and organizations on campus and if you find one that fits your interests, then you are bound to find some event that they are hosting which also fits your interest. This event however was specifically for freshman and transfer students, so if you are a current freshman or junior who is a transfer student, then make sure to look out for more events which are planned by the Center for Student Leadership.

That is all for me for now and I hope everyone continues with their strong preparations for finals! Zot! Zot! Zot!

Hello everyone, it is Jack and I am back to tell you about the midterm experience at UC Irvine! While this post may not include descriptions of events that some may find fun, it will still provide some useful information surrounding the academic life at the university. Without further introduction, I would like to welcome everyone to the midterm or should I say quarterm experience at UC Irvine!

The first question some may have is, “what is a quarterm.” Well it is a name I have given to midterms at UC Irvine, because in my experience there are three to four of them in certain classes. The disclaimer I will give here is that this is just something I have found in my experience at the university as most of my friends and I are taking science classes where I have found that those classes have multiple midterms compared to classes in other disciplines, which seem to only have one. These quarterms are something that a student must be prepared for as they happen suddenly and at a fast pace. Having only ten weeks per class and then having four midterms, results in an average of a midterm every two-and-a-half weeks. Then having the fact that some classes only meet twice a week and one of those classes is taking the midterm, students may only have four class periods of actual instruction before a midterm exam takes place.

However, there are many resources for these classes which students can use to prepare for exams and although there is not a lot of in-class instruction time, these classes with multiple midterms tend to use in-class time for a review of content, rather than an introduction of content which takes place as homework.

But there are still classes which have the traditional single midterm and final and this midterm can take place in a variety of forms. For example one of my classes has a single midterm and students had the option to take the midterm in-person or to take it online. Usually the option of taking exams online comes with a fee which students must pay, but the in-person option is one that I have seen professors and other instructors prefer the most.

Being in my first year, I am in many classes with other first-year students and something that I see other students realize is the idea that the rules for exams and the content that they are required to know is concrete. I have been in a midterm where tens, if not over a hundred students have been thrown out for not following a professors instructions, students assuming that they could take an exam at home, even when an exam seating chart has been created and other students who assume that certain exams (not midterms) are optional. This is not something against students, it is just an observation that I made at how sudden some students have to follow new rules that they are not accustomed to. Also at times, there are some instructors that could make their policies more understood or less challenging to follow.

I have completed two midterms up until this point, but I have two more this week. The general content of midterms is not the most entertaining so, I decided to share some advice in this post. I hope everyone does well on their midterms and exams at UC Irvine and elsewhere!