Author: Vivian

Wow. My first year of college went by in the blink of an eye.

Some of my biggest milestones this year: finishing the last math classes of my entire life (hopefully), maintaining decent grades while online learning, getting fully vaccinated, and completing several internships! I got to say… I’m proud of myself for not giving up. This year was rough for all of us and there were many lows but also many highs, but I think we’re nearing the light at the end of the tunnel. Hang in there everyone, I have faith everything will return to normal again soon. We’re getting there.

I think my most impactful class this year has been the honors humanities core series! The theme this year was animals, people, and power, and this course has really changed my worldview. It’s made me think about our responsibilities as humans in our relationship with animals–something I wrote about for my research paper this quarter and am quite proud of. Less often, I find myself blindly consuming meat products, something I have felt guilt about before. I think even insects have garnered my sympathy after this course and I am very much not an insect person. The texts, media, topics, and ensuing in-depth discussion really made me reconsider my part in this complex ecosystem. I highly recommend this course to any freshman. Non Honors students can also take humcore, the discussions are just a little different! As an honors student, I really enjoyed the small group discussions lead by the seminar leaders. I have to shout out to Professor Berghof for being such a supportive and knowledgeable professor! I had him for two out of three classes in the series and really enjoyed being in his section! I don’t think my research paper would have turned out as good as it did without his help. 

Now a little about the undeclared life… I’ll be honest, being an undeclared student is not the easiest thing, but college life was never supposed to be easy. So, if you are coming in as an undeclared freshman, do not fret. My tips for you are as follows. Keep up with the emails and actually read them. I know there are a lot of emails that you receive but missing just one bit of important information can really set you back. Avoid that at all costs! Another thing is to reach out to your advisors; they are there to help you! Go to advising appointments and get things figured out. Lastly, join the clubs that interest you. You’ll get a better idea of what you want to major in and meet like-minded people with similar interests. Personally, I joined several career-focused clubs like Human Resources Association and Business Careers in Entertainment to get a feel for what fields I’d like to pursue. By the way, I’m going to be director of marketing on the BCEC board next year! I’m super excited to take the club to new heights. I highly recommend joining the two clubs I mentioned as they really helped me grow professionally and participate in campus social life–something that is difficult as a remote student stuck in her own home! I met so many great people and it has been an unforgettable club experience this year.

I cannot express how grateful I am to have been able to be a Zotblog writer this year. As someone who started college feeling very isolated from the UCI campus, this internship helped me to feel less alone. I was never much into journaling or writing out my casual thoughts so this was something new and exciting to me. Reading my fellow Zotbloggers’ posts and knowing that they were finding their way as an undeclared student made things feel a little more okay. I don’t know how many people actually read my posts but I think just knowing that a little piece of my life is out there for everyone to read and experience alongside me made things better.

So… I guess this is goodbye. I wish you all the best in life. Things are only going to go up from here!

Your friend,

Vivian

In my humanities class, we are exploring the theme of animals, people, and power. As a result, there has been much discussion about animal rights and the way that we have historically understood animals. For example, Descartes, a French philosopher during the 1600s, held a then widespread belief that animals were purely mechanical beings. He performed operations on unanesthetized live animals to observe their inner anatomy and test their “rationality”. Descartes concluded that although animals could “sense”, they weren’t capable of higher, rational thinking that humans are capable of. For this reason, Cartesian thought justified cruel actions against animals because their reactions to pain were purely “mechanistic”. It wasn’t until the mid-1700s that early animal welfare laws were passed–these were very minimal protections. I was shocked at how far we’ve come from in terms of our philosophical understanding of animals and the laws we have regarding their ethical treatment. 

I am not a vegetarian or vegan by any means although I  have previously tried adhering to such a diet in high school but fell back into my usual diet. My reasons for this stemmed from my concerns for the environment, my health, and because I am a huge animal lover. Unfortunately, it was hard to break the habit of eating meat. Now, instead of being a strict vegetarian, I try to limit my consumption of meat products, especially after learning so much about the relationship between humans and animals in my humanities class this year. I hope to gradually move into a vegetarian diet in the future.

I have so much respect for people who are able to change their diets from omnivorous to purely vegetarian! It truly is a difficult task both mentally and physically. Although great strides have been made in terms of animal welfare since the 1600s, our society still tends to objectify animal lives which is why the meat industry still exists. After we have been conditioned all our lives to think about animals as disposable creatures, it is hard to fight that kind of mindset as an adult. And, as creatures of habit who have grown up eating a certain way, it certainly is difficult to make changes. In class, I have read several texts by modern-day philosophers who are proponents of animal rights and see animals as equals to humans, countering the age-old idea of “speciesism”, which is the assumption that human lives take precedence over that of animal lives. They make really great arguments and I highly recommend looking into Peter Singer’s theory on animal rights and utilitarianism. I had an eye-opening moment learning about the philosophy behind animal rights. This class asked me to reconsider my values. I realized that I too wanted to fight “speciesism” and I needed to reflect upon my actions to match those values instead of blindly doing what I usually do. I hope that you can reconsider how your actions align with your values too after reading this!

Your friend,

Vivian

It’s the week of my psych midterm and I have watched NONE of the lecture videos. As a person who is obsessed with staying ahead of the game, this was my first time being in such a situation. It’s funny because everytime my friend–who is one of the biggest procrastinators I know–gets in this situation, I always give her a hard time for it. Of course, I let her know about my predicament. Oh the irony!

Before you call me out on being a second-class pupil, let me explain how I got here and give me a chance to defend myself. In my senior year of high school I took AP psychology, so I assumed that I would be able to get by just reading the book. I had a really great psych teacher so I still remember a lot of the material; you’ll find out if this is true or not soon! My plan was to skim the book and take notes. In addition to the material being review for me, the midterm was going to be open-book. This was gonna be a cinch I thought! One week, two weeks, three weeks, and finally four weeks pass by as I ignore the lectures being posted to the class files in Canvas.

That brings us to the week of the psych midterm. A sense of dread falls over me as I review the homework I’ve done so far. “Maybe I know and remember less about psychology than I think,” I thought to myself. I sit frozen in front of my laptop wondering if it would be worth it or not to watch four weeks worth of lectures within the span of a couple days while reviewing for the midterm. Gulp. 

Eventually my neurosis took over and I found myself watching all nine lecture videos at double speed, frantically typing into my google doc what I could comprehend. Luckily, these lecture videos never exceeded more than 45 minutes. I was able to get through them speedy quick with the handy 2x speed button. I highly do not recommend this.

And at last, it was time for me to take the midterm. With my reading and lecture notes printed out and by my side, I dove headfirst into the exam. Surely I could pass now that I had done everything I was supposed to?

Pass I did, with flying colors too! Somehow I managed to ace the exam despite my lack of motivation and frantic catch-up. Perhaps I did retain that psych knowledge from high school! Or maybe it was the lectures that filled in the gaps of my knowledge. Could it have possibly been a combination of both? We’ll never know…

I guess the moral of the story is just to stay caught up with the class as it is not worth the pre-exam mental breakdowns. This is common sense but being a college student means lacking common sense when you most need it. I know I definitely won’t be making that same mistake twice! Best of luck in your future exams!

Your friend,

Vivian

In high school, you might’ve taken a personality test called the Myers-Brigg’s Type Indicator (aka the MBTI test) to help you figure out who you are as a person and what kind of career paths may suit you best. This test is a self-survey that asks you about aspects of yourself in order to gauge what kind of personality you are, defined by four letters. This test measures your levels of Extraversion/Introversion, Intuiting/Sensing, Feeling/Thinking, or Judging/Prospecting. The first time I took this test was in junior year of high school when a friend sent me a link to the 16 personalities test. I thought it was pretty neat and learned a lot about myself after discovering my “type” (INFJ [Introverted, Intuiting, Feeling, Judging]) and reading my type profile. I often find myself easily understanding other people but having trouble figuring myself out (actually a common trait of INFJ’s) so this test was a really cool way to get to know myself better.

A couple months ago, I really dove deep into this test and found that there were actually communities all across the internet surrounding this MBTI test. One of my favorite things about the MBTI community is all the memes that people create about the types and the stereotypes associated with them. They’re hilarious and relatable at the same time. Diving deeper, I began reading lots and lots of articles about cognitive functions and personality psychology. It became a fun pastime and a good way for me to feel more connected to myself and others. Of course, this test doesn’t reveal everything about a person. We’re all unique and it’s impossible to categorize people into 1/16 personalities, but I feel that this test gives some useful insight nonetheless and is most importantly fun! Especially with the pandemic, where I’m trying to understand people through a screen, it can help for me to “type” them and figure out their communication style through their MBTI type. I’ve gotten pretty good at guessing people’s MBTI types! Anyways, maybe take the test if you get the chance. It might just help you understand yourself a little better!

Hoping you’re all happy and healthy!

Your friend,

Vivian

P.S. Here’s a little graphic that sums up MBTI in a nutshell if you’re interested 🙂

I’ve always felt a sense of peace when in nature. With the chaos of class enrollment and the stress of figuring out my career/major. My family’s trip to Yosemite over spring break was a welcomed getaway from the overwhelming deadlines and to-do’s of society.

That feeling of being in the car listening to my favorite tunes as the buildings gradually meld into towering trees is one of the best experiences. It gives my mind a chance to truly relax without being fixated on what I need to do next. Productivity is really great but as an individual prone to burn out, it can get real tiring. The lack of crowds and industrial noise puts my mind at ease. Unlike society, the wide open sky and rumbling rivers expect nothing from you; all of my stress dissipates and I can focus on the here and now for once. For that reason, visits to national parks are invaluable to me. I strongly recommend getting in touch with nature if you’re ever feeling overwhelmed. It truly is the best kind of medicine to soothe your psyche.

With the resumption of classes, my brain is once again filled with dates and tasks. It’s not all that bad though! I recently signed a lease for an ACC apartment for the next academic year. That’s right. It’s official: Vivian will be going to campus in the fall, WHOOHOO! There’s definitely some nervousness with being out on my own but also a good mix of excitement. I’ll definitely be looking up online “survival guides” to prepare for this transition. Luckily, one of my friends has already gone to school in-person all the way in Illinois, so I’ll definitely be asking her for advice! I hope anyone who has applied for housing gets their first choice and the best of the best roommates!

Your friend,

Vivian

P.S. I really love listening to this one folk-rock band called The Strumbellas when visiting mother nature. The vibes are just really perfect. I can’t explain it but definitely check them out! Here’s one of my favorite songs: