winter qt :)

HELLOOO EVERYONE !!! WE DID IT !! One quarter down, two more to go!

Fall quarter, my first quarter in college was undeniably a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences as everyone could imagine. It was characterized by the tangible stress of adjusting to a new academic environment, the thrill and excitement of embarking on a new journey, the inevitable anxiety that comes with facing unfamiliar challenges, and moments of peace amidst the chaos. From figuring out the most efficient study methods to balancing social activities and academic responsibilities, each day presented new challenges that tested my adaptability and resilience. 

However, amidst these whirlwinds of classes and overload of assignments, there were also moments of tranquility and peace. These were the times when I found myself settling into the rhythm of college life, appreciating the growth and learning opportunities it presented, and taking time to reflect on my personal and academic journey. 

As I progress into the new quarter, I’ve gained a clearer understanding of my workload and productivity levels, enabling me to plan more effectively. To keep me accountable this quarter, I’ve downloaded Notion, an app designed to help structure my days, maintaining organization, as well as accountability. This tool isn’t new to me; I utilized it back in high school. However, during the last quarter, I found myself too unmotivated to organize my schedule properly. Now, with renewed focus and a better grasp of the demands of college life, I’m committed to using Notion. Also, since I am continuing with my bio + chem classes, I have now dedicated a specific day each week with my friends to review the course load. We would review the lectures, complete practice problems, and quiz each other. I found that this would significantly help me reduce the amount of stress before exams, and I would actually be able to understand the material.    

I’m so glad that during the fall quarter, I ended up finishing finals early and was able to go home earlier than most. I feel like the winter break really helped me because I was already feeling the onset of burnout and a deep sense of homesickness. I loved being surrounded by my friends and family, especially for the holidays. During break, I was finally able to relax, and be able to watch the shows I put off during school and spend time with my friends. This period of relaxation and detachment from school responsibilities was essential for recharging and preparing myself mentally and emotionally for the upcoming challenges of the new quarter.

For this upcoming quarter, my goal is that everyday I remain on a consistent schedule and ensure that I get a proper amount of sleep. Furthermore, I also need to set limits for my social media apps, especially tiktok. 

THANK you for reading !! Good luck this quarter !!

here is a little overview of my notion 🙂

Lindsay

Thoughts On Winter Quarter

Hello everyone, it is Jack here again and I hope that everyone had a great winter break! As winter break comes to an end and the winter quarter begins and as many Anteaters take their first steps back on campus for 2024, I would like to write about my fall quarter and how it has impacted my beliefs for the winter quarter.

My first quarter, as it was for a lot of people, was a time of learning for me. Not only learning about subjects in the classroom, but about how the school works, all of the activities and events that are available for students and about Irvine and Orange County in general. It was a new experience my first few weeks as I had never really been to the school or area before I attended orientation and since my orientation was only a day, I still did not know much about the campus. Now that I have been here for a quarter I know a lot more about how the school operates and what exists on campus, but I still believe I have a lot more to learn about it. The point of this being that I felt rushed the first few weeks as I moved in, then there were some large events the first few days and then school started immediately after. One of the things that I considered to change this quarter was the preparations that I made. One of these preparations was the amount of time that I spent at school before the quarter started. In the fall I arrived the day before everything started to begin and now in the winter I have been here for around a half of a week before instruction is to begin. This has allowed me to sort out whatever I had left on campus from the fall, to get proper preparation for the winter and to be able to feel adjusted to what life is like on campus before everything begins for the quarter.

I am excited to continue on my undeclared journey this quarter as I take some courses which are in different subjects from the ones which I took in the fall. This also makes me excited to meet new people who are studying in these subjects as I was able to meet a lot of people in my residence hall as a result of them being in my courses last quarter. There are a lot of exciting activities which will be taking place near the end of the quarter, so I hope I will have the opportunity to share them.

These are just some of my thoughts coming into the winter quarter. I hope that all students have a good start to their winter quarter and everyone else has a good start to 2024! Zot Zot Zot!

How Will Your Journey Play Out?

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!

Find Your Event At UC Irvine

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!

Time Flies – Midterm season #2

WHAT’S UP EVERYONE !!!

In my previous post, I delved into the challenges of my recent midterm experience, which was far from enjoyable. Now, I’d like to discuss my approach to preparing for the upcoming midterms, armed with the lessons learned from the previous round.

I’ve already created a study schedule for two of my crucial classes, chemistry and biology. Hopefully I follow through with it because my grades will reflect this. While it’s truly disheartening to face another set of midterms so soon, I am determined to approach them with a more strategic and confident mindset. Despite feeling somewhat unprepared, I see the upcoming three-day weekend for Veterans Day as a valuable opportunity to catch up on my classes and intensify my midterm preparations.

Although, recently I’ve been grappling with a severe cold that has taken a toll on me throughout this past week. This illness has hindered my ability to attend some classes, reaching a point where I found it challenging to even leave my bed without feeling nauseous. Fortunately, my roommate has been a tremendous support, providing me with a stash of essentials – cough drops, cough medicine, throat soothing remedies, honey and lemon water, and copious amounts of soup. I have been surviving off of cough drops and soup. Lots of chicken soup. I hope that I can recover soon because with midterm season approaching once again, I’m not sure how I’ll be able to survive in this state. 

At the moment, I’m still learning about more effective ways of studying rather than spending hours on end mindlessly studying and in the end, not retaining anything. For my upcoming exams, I am going to utilize a whiteboard and brain dump everything I know about a certain topic, and for the areas I missed or am struggling with, try to focus more on those missing components. Furthermore, I am also going to try ensuring I am constantly completing practice problems. Practice problems are the key to succeeding in that you’ll be ready for the type of questions that will be asked. Something I enjoy utilizing is that I set a timer every hour to take a ten-twenty minute break, like the Pomodoro technique. In this break time, I utilize it to get my heart moving, while providing a break for my brain. I would go outside and complete a walk, a quick jog, or even stretch in my room. 

Some of my late night studying snacks include celsius mixed with chips. Not the most ideal or healthiest mix, but when I’m stressed, this is something I continue to indulge in. Although, hopefully this time around I won’t be staying up late, and actually getting a good night’s rest.

As always, good luck with midterms :’) !!! Put your mental health first and HAPPY THANKSGIVING (in two weeks) !!