Dear future Anteaters,
First of all, a huge congratulations for committing to this special university! You should give yourself a pat on the back for all of your hard work! (Also, enjoy your last couple of months of your high school senior year as well:))
Although I was an Undeclared major for about two weeks, I want to still reflect and share my tips and advice from this year. This first year in college will always be a core memory in my life life as it was not only a new chapter, but I feel like it was the year that I learned the most about myself and started taking steps toward my journey to my future career. It has been an exciting year and experience in college. I am grateful for my friend group, the UCI CalTeach program, and club organizations on campus. I want to emphasize the importance of getting involved on campus, as it will help bring a healthy balance of school and the social aspect of college.
While I know it is quite early on to decide what major you are interested in, I want you to know that you have the support of your Undeclared Advisors, and that they are there for YOU. Please, take advantage of them, especially because their offices are on campus in Aldrich Hall. As an Undeclared major, you have the opportunity to explore different majors and take a variety of classes. The advisors are there for schedule planning and will answer any questions that you may have. In college, one of the best pieces of advice I would give to you is to not be afraid to ask for help. It is important to advocate for yourself and ask for help because it can relieve stress and give you insight and clarity in different situations.
Another piece of advice would be to attend office hours that are led by your professors, TAs, and Learning Assistants. If you are interested in Biology or Chemistry, there are General Chemistry Peer Tutors and they are wonderful tutors because they have most likely taken the same professor and understand the same material that you are learning in class. They also lead helpful midterm and final review sessions. In my experience, attending these office hours have helped me understand class material in a smaller setting and there are usually no more than fifteen students in these office hours (which is way smaller than the 100-300 student lecture halls! )
I cannot believe that this quarter is coming to a close, but I just wanted to again say a big congratulations for committing to this university!
#ZOTZOTZOT