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taking your time is cool and good

Dear Anteater who has not a single inkling of an idea of what they would like to major in,

If you’re worried about being undeclared and you feel like you’ve fallen behind your classmates because you still have no idea what major you want to choose, I completely understand because those were my very own fears coming into UCI. All my friends were working towards career or major goals in high school already: future engineers, writers, artists heading to college to finally work towards their life’s dreams. I, on the other hand, always had “oh I don’t know yet I’m undeclared” at the ready when people asked me “what do you want to do?” Even though I’d convinced myself that this was the right choice for me and I was being smart with my decision, I secretly felt the aforementioned fear that I was not on par with my classmates for my lack of academic and professional vision. 

Honestly, being a part of the Undeclared program makes it easier to experiment and test out new subjects and classes without the burden of required courses. I was intentional with choosing classes, careful to add classes that I would consider pursuing in the future. Each quarter I chose 2-3 classes that I found super interesting and 1 class I wouldn’t be caught dead doing in the future: in my case that was a physics class. I think finding out what you don’t like is just as important as finding out what you do like. There is no such thing as “wasted time” in college. If you hated a class with every fiber of your being, that’s one major crossed off your list, narrowing down the list of prospects and leading you closer to finding one that you’ll love. The physics class was tough and I did not like it, but now I’m 100% sure that it’s not for me and I can dedicate my time to more worthwhile subjects.

Another advantage to being undeclared is the resources. There’s a special class called University Studies that’s exclusive to the Undeclared students that basically teaches you “how to UCI.” You’re shown how to register for classes, how to navigate the school website, and are given tons of resources on choosing a major that’s right for you. There’s a week of University Studies that requires you to take personality quizzes and career quizzes to help you get a better idea of what would suit you best in your coming years. I would suggest taking University Studies in your first quarter because with all the newness and unknowns of college, it helps clear away a lot of that uncertainty and is a really great starting point in your journey to figuring out what you want to do further down the road.

Overall, don’t be scared of wasting your time or falling behind. You are doing just as well as everyone else and figuring it all out in college is a normal and completely valid thing to do. I’m proud of you for taking your time and I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful first year.

Luv, an Anteater who took her time and is now confident in becoming a Business Admin Major 🙂

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Highs and Lows

I now understand why Calculus 2B is the most failed class at UCI. I just don’t get it; the homework is do-able and I really do understand the material, but when it’s exam time, I totally blank. I think it’s the anxiety that takes over and makes me completely forget the practice problems I crammed just moments before the exam. Or maybe it’s knowing that Lockdown Browser is watching and recording through the camera so I try not to make any sudden noises. During the exam review sessions with the professor or TA, I realized that I took the correct steps to solve the problem, yet I often made small algebraic mistakes that caused the whole answer to be incorrect. And because the exams are multiple choice, there is no room for any error. I was told that before remote learning, math exams were written and graded partly on the work shown and on the final answer. That way if the student has used the correct approach but made a small error somewhere, they would still get partial credit. But now making a small error would mean zero points. Bad news for me and my GPA. 

On a happier note I’m doing well in my other classes. And a few weeks ago, most Undeclared students transitioned out of the Undeclared program to be affiliated with another school of their interest. My number one choice was the Paul Merage School of Business, but because it was already saturated with students, I decided to settle with the School of Social Sciences to hopefully land a major in Business Economics. For the past year, the Undeclared Program has provided a lot of guidance for me and allowed a smooth transition towards eventually declaring a major that I am passionate about. Hopefully my experience is able to help an incoming U/U student.

Alright that’s my little update in the highs and lows of remote learning. Thanks for reading!

Only 2000’s babies can remember these Disney Channel classics. “Hero (Unplugged version)” from the movie Starstruck is my current obsession and frankly the only thing putting me in a happy mood :p Give it a listen and TELL ME it doesn’t make you feel nostalgic

Posted on 1 Comment on 🌱Advice From an Anteater🌱

🌱Advice From an Anteater🌱

Hey future Anteater! 

I hope you are doing well, and I hope you are so excited to start your college journey at the University of California, Irvine!🤗

From what has been announced, it seems like next year will be a hybrid of online classes and in-person classes so I will be talking about both my online experience and my on-campus experience because I did decide to dorm this year. 

I would like to make a disclaimer though: because this year is my first year and it is the first year that everything has been online, I do not know what the “normal” is. 

That being said, I really enjoyed living on-campus. It is extremely beneficial for me to have my own space (because of COVID, everyone was granted their own room) to study and to relax as well. While I was an undeclared student for the majority of my first year, I would consider my classes to be intense in terms of workload. For Fall quarter, I took Math 2D, Bio Sci 93, Writing 39C and Psych 7A. One thing I did learn from Fall quarter is to take classes that are different in terms of subject. Compared to Winter and Spring quarter where I did/am taking Chemistry and Physics classes as well as their respective labs, I was less stressed during fall quarter due to the variety of classes I decided to take. 

I also joined one organization on campus which is ASUCI, specifically their Student Services office. I interned in their Content Creation commission and they are all super welcoming. I did plan to join more, but looking back, I’m glad I didn’t because, at that time, I was still unsure about what I wanted to major in. So, don’t panic about not doing a lot; I know it seems like you have to join a lot, but also keep in mind that this is your first year. It will take some adjusting especially if you are going from a semester system to a quarter system. 

Speaking of the quarter system, I know it seems intimidating, but it’s very easy to adjust, in my opinion. I originally did like the quarter system; I felt like the semester system was very slow for me and I could forget information easily, but everyone’s different so take that with a grain of salt. 

Another tip I have is that because the quarter goes by so quickly, if you need help and/or you’re stuck on a concept in class, do not hesitate to find help from your professor, TA or go to LARC. Keep in mind that you may need to adjust how you study for each class, and do not be too hard on yourself if you go badly on one test. There are more tests, midterms and the final to improve!

I also decided to work during my Spring quarter and… that has been quite challenging. It is my first job and I am taking two labs this quarter so I felt very overwhelmed. Not to mislead you though; I do have time for everything I have planned for myself and that is due to just managing my time and acknowledging my priorities. One thing I would recommend to do before starting college is to make a list of your priorities. I think we all have an idea of what we want, but it reinforces it when you write it down because I think, in general, it is easy to forget if you just think about it from time to time. My priorities from the start of the quarter were getting good grades in my classes, making the most out of my on-campus experience, and having time for family and my good friends. I would say I accomplished all those goals (then again…it is the sixth week of Spring quarter so I’m almost there). In the end, it is important to know that as long as you try your best, it will all work out in the end. 

In terms of actually dorming, I know a lot of us go into it wanting to make a ton of friends and, this year it was hard because very few of us were dorming, and classes, where you would typically make friends, are online…as we all know, making friends online can be very awkward and intimidating. To this, I will say that you don’t need a lot of friends; just a couple of people who appreciate and understand you. I did not hang out with a lot of people, and that was because I simply did not have the time to. For example, this quarter, I am taking 16 units which includes two labs (if you don’t understand the emphasis on labs…it is okay; just know it is very time consuming especially the chem labs😭), I am working in a lab, I am in a school organization and I am prioritizing going home as much as I can. There are some people who do not understand this, and I respect that, but please know, there will people who do acknowledge your priorities and will not hold them against you. 

Last, but not least, there will be times where it feels tough and it’s completely normal. Three quotes that helped me through my first year are (actually there are several more quotes, but I’ll spare you and just share these three):

  1. Don’t give yourself a reason to regret anything. 
  2. Staying positive does not mean to always be happy; it means knowing better days will come on the worst of days.
  3. “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison

If you do have any questions about anything at all, please feel free to reach out on Facebook messenger or Instagram (@mia_dimalanta)!

I wish you the best! Take care!🤗Zot zot zot!

Sincerely,

Mia 

P.S. take advantage of the fact that our UTC (University Town Center) is walking distance from our campus…UCSD students have to drive to their UTC🤪Also, Cha for Tea >>>> ShareTea

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I failed that exam… Psych!

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

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my plan to battle self sabotage

I AM RUNNING OUT OF GAS

I’ve noticed a trend throughout my last two quarters of college. Every time around weeks 4-6, without fail, I stop taking my classes seriously. I consider myself a pretty studious person with good study habits. Homework is finished on time, tests are studied for, and altogether we have one happy, healthy Charlotte. However, that palace of health and wealth I work so hard to build has a typical lifetime of 5 weeks. Once that time is up, I am buried in it’s rubble.

I am coping with this unfortunate situation I find myself in for the third time this school year: I turn the volume of my suffering down to 3 and drown it with music by the Carpenters and the wonderful sound of adding things I’ll never buy to my Amazon cart. 

If there was any time to break that vicious cycle it would be now. My admission to the future major of my choice (Business Admin) relies very heavily on the grades I earn in the classes I’m taking this quarter. 

Solutions to my predicament:

  1. A ritual maybe?— I’ll burn incense and prance around a fire tindered with old school work, hoping an entity sees my fiery scrabbled mind and takes a fire extinguisher to it. 
  2. Use reverse psychology on this cycle pulling the strings of my life— become the healthiest and most productive I’ve ever been all quarter. I’m talking the works: waking up early every morning, eating breakfast, working out, doing school work, etc. If I do the complete and utter opposite of what this cycle of life has for me, perhaps it will get confused and simply quit; thus solving the predicament. 
  3. ???just learn discipline??? Understand that motivation comes and goes, but good habits and discipline are a constant.

lol I think I’ll continue to live my life convinced my situations are completely outwardly managed; out of my hands, and out of my locus of control. thank u very much. 

Predicament solution #2 is looking pretty good if I do say so myself. Maybe it sounds like a bad idea— I’ll get burnt out of being healthy and productive because I did too much too fast— but I am young and I can afford to make the mistake of getting tired from being too healthy and productive. (Okay, I’ll definitely ease into it so I don’t overwhelm myself. This is all such big talk I know I’m not game) 

This better work

Maybe I’ll do a ritual to bless the blueprints of my new and improved palace of wealth and health