My Exciting (and scary) First Weeks at UC Irvine

First off, I can’t believe that I have already completed 4 weeks of my first quarter at UC Irvine! Experiencing the quarter system, it was like everything that has happened so far went by like a blur, especially when you are busy most days catching up on readings and studying (biology and chemistry are killing me :D). There were so many new things that I’ve learned and experienced while living independently on campus, and I can’t wait to share them with you all in this post!

First Weeks Settling In (photo dump)

Here is me all settled in on the right side of the room. Looks like my roommate (on the left) is REALLY settled in too!

First Day of School Pic taken by my RA!!!

Me hanging out at the William R Mason Regional Park (less than 2 miles away from campus). It is a very open space with many paths, including a huge pond. The grass is so soft that you can sleep on it. There are also a lot of wildlife like ducks and turtles that you can observe. The sunsets are the best part, but that’s when it starts to get EXTREMELY cold.

This is a scenic spot and hiking area not too far from campus called Turtle Rock Viewpoint trail. You get a good view of Irvine and the UCI campus. I took this when there was a huge and dense cloud overshadowing the sunset and the rest of the city, but I think it still looks cool because it is like a huge cloud wall.

Trying out a restaurant in Irvine known for their Japanese Curry! This spot is called CoCo Ichibanya which is far from campus, so you’ll need a car to get there. I got the chicken katsu curry with vegetables over rice, a very tasty and hearty meal. Just look at all the steam wafting from my dish…

My Club Involvement

All pictures taken by The Hiking Club by UCI photographer, Nicholas Wilson.

**Bommer Ridge Trail** *October 26, 2024*

These pictures are from all of the hikes that I’ve been on so far. Most trails are usually dirt and have good amounts of inclining hills. We have had a great mix between beach trails and inland trails so far! The Hiking Club at UCI does weekly hikes on Saturday mornings, mainly around Orange County. These hikes range from beaches, to hills, to rocky areas, to desert-like areas, and many more. Trails start off easy at the beginning of the year, then start to progress in difficulty by the end of the year. Joining this club is a great way to stay active and meet new people! So, if you or any friends you know who would be interested, make sure to attend one of the Hiking Club meetings every Monday from 5:30-6:30PM at Rowland Hall room 188!

Midterms!

My first midterms week was probably one of the most stressful things that I’ve experienced so far and the anticipation of them coming up frightened me. My advice is to NOT BE AFRAID! I feel like fear is the biggest factor in negatively affecting your test taking performance, which is what I think impacted me. Going into the exam room thinking more positively and being confident will help keep your head in the game. Knowing that I didn’t do too great, I might have some ideas on what I can tweak to perform better for the next midterm.

Things I will avoid when preparing for an exam:

I feel like the one thing that affected my learning/studying process was not having an effective study plan or utilizing my time efficiently to try out new study methods. I never had a set time of day for a study routine. I was often distracted by my phone, and I barely practiced studying methods like active recall or spaced repetition. I also didn’t fully utilize my resources, such as office hours, TAs, and classmates. I felt like I didn’t seek enough help, limiting my comprehension of the material I was learning.

What I plan to do for next upcoming midterms:

For the next set of midterms, I will be setting an effective study plan, where I will choose specific times throughout the days of the week to study and setting breaks in between them. I will also practice the study methods that I think have worked for me in the past, like spaced repetition and active recall. I will try to practice a bit every day, testing myself using flashcards to help me learn and memorize the material. I often study with other friends and classmates as well, so I might try the teaching method, where I will do my best to convey the material I learned to my peers.

Campus Spaces for Studying

Here are some studying spots on campus that I’ve found and stuck with since week 1!

This is one of the many study spots in the Student Center, located on the 1st floor. This area can be a bit loud sometimes because it is near entrances and can be a heavy traffic hallway since people need to go down it to get to other areas in the Student Center building. I recommend using headphones or earplugs in this area if you can’t stand background noise. The seats are comfortable and there are enough charging ports for everyone!

This is another study space that is near the UCI Center of Black Culture located in the Student Center. It is a lot more private, and quieter compared to the study space above, with a very minimal amount of people walking by. Unfortunately, there are a limited number of these study pods that I was working in, but there are many other open study areas nearby! This area also has both snack and drink vending machines just in case if you ever get hungry or thirsty.

I also recommend visiting the Anteater Learning Pavillion (ALP)! I don’t have pictures of the area, but it is an open study space that also has private study rooms, which is great for group work. Keep in mind that there are also a few lecture halls at the ALP, so it can get kind of crowded and noisy before and after lectures.

Conclusion

Well, that has been my UCI experience so far! I really enjoyed exploring the many different parts of Irvine and navigating through college independently. I got off to a bit of a rough start with my academics because of midterms, but I think I have a good idea of what I need to work on to prepare better for the next one. I enjoy the Hiking Club that I’ve been a part of so far and I look forward to many more hikes and meeting new people! I am also thinking of changing up the study areas a bit and try out areas like the Science Library or the Mesa Study rooms. If those don’t work for me, I will always stick with the Student Center as my primary study spot!

Thank you for reading my blog and please stick around to read even more of my Zot Blogs!

All the best,

Lucas