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Flash to the Past

Dear Week 0 Self,

You have no idea what you have in store in the upcoming 10 weeks. Everything you thought of when thinking about college? Yeah, you might want to forget all about that. 

It’s going to feel like a lot of weight on your shoulders, balancing between the world of academia and the real world. Just remember, nothing is perfect, you are going to make mistakes, you are going to make tough choices, but you will be okay. It will not always be easy, waking up early will be hard for you, but you should be proud of yourself for pushing through it anyways. 

It’s a learning process, feel things out, try out different methods of studying until you find something that is the most effective. Keep your eyes on the prize, and don’t get so much into your head about things. Look up when you’re feeling down, try to remember that someone went through the same things you are going to go through in the upcoming weeks, and if they got through it, so can you!

You are going to learn so much about yourself, about how you need to plan everything out more, and that night classes aren’t exactly for you! You are going to have a love/hate relationship with your classes. Learn from the trials and errors you come across. Apply it to the next circumstance that arises.

Don’t feel too bad if it doesn’t go as planned, hardly ever does that happen. I know that you are going to have some unexpected troubles, and academics – as shocking as it may sound – will sometimes not be the main priority. The important thing is that you will not give up! You will learn to use your struggles to fuel your passion to persevere. 

Take some time to really ground yourself when you feel like everything is slipping from your grasp. Reach out and talk to people if you need help, use those resources on campus that are free.

Grab some food with a friend, eat some ice cream, go out and have some fun! Celebrate all the small victories because that will keep you sane. I hope you learn to enjoy your time at college, and make new friends or rekindle old friendships. Find some clubs to join, or activities to participate in. If for whatever reason you don’t have the time, not to worry, there’s always next quarter! 

Again, keep your head up! I’m rooting for you, even when it feels like no one else is. Take Winter Break to regroup, and when Winter Quarter rolls around, make sure to apply all those lessons you wished you’d known before starting college!

Try not to compare yourself to others! It will be hard, but troubles present themselves in different ways to each person. 

For now, that’s all I can say, what the future holds is unknown, dark, and mysterious at times, but don’t let that stop you from pursuing your goals and striving for success!

Much love, 

Celeste

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Celebrating Early

Wow, with just a couple weeks left in Fall Quarter, it’s time to start studying like crazy for finals! It is no secret that we are in the holiday season, but along with it comes all the last minute assignments, and so much stress! Always try to find time to take a breather, make some plans with friends and enjoy some food!

Time escapes us so easily, it can feel overwhelming studying back to back, but knowing there’s a light at the end of the tunnel keeps me going. It was about two weeks ago when I realized … Thanksgiving was right around the corner! Finally, a chance to catch up on sleep! I decided the next day to take a break and plan something with a friend and her floor, to just celebrate a little early and have some fun.  

Ever done an Escape Room? They are so fun if you are into solving problems and playing detective! You are given several clues, all leading up to the big reveal, all the while confined to just a room with your friends. Depending on which room you end up in, you could be solving a murder, trying to find some item, the list goes on. It is such a unique experience, and can be a great way to distract yourself from all the studying and homework that will inevitably pile on as the quarter comes to a close.

You know that saying “All good things must come to an end?” Well, I think it applies to bad things too. In this case, the quarter system. If you do not enjoy a particular class or Professor, not to worry, it goes by fast, and you will be done before you know it! Now that is something to be thankful for! 

I only hope that in Winter Quarter I will be able to find a balance with social and academic life, but the more units, the less likely I can have a lot of free time. But don’t worry about me too much! I will definitely be using all my tips I have learned so far, especially the one about planning early. Tune in next time and maybe I will share some more!

Happy Holidays!

Celeste

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New Discoveries

Imagining being so oblivious to the fact that there were faster pathways going from one part of campus to another? Or that you had been taking the longest route to get from point A to point B? Well … that was me for most of this quarter.

 It was a Wednesday at around 2 p.m and I had just finished up with a lecture. I decided to grab a bite at University Center, directly across campus. Now at this point, I usually took the bridge, but I remembered a few days prior, a friend of mine briefly mentioned that there was a hidden Starbucks behind the Social Sciences Plaza. I figured I would take a look into it, so as I make my way there, I verify that there is indeed this Starbucks, the green umbrellas outside giving it away.

In case you were wondering, I’m definitely not a huge coffee drinker, so this discovery wasn’t too exciting. There are plenty of coffeeshops on and off campus to fuel the bodies of procrastinating students or caffeine addicts.

 It was the moment I looked ahead and realized that I could end up at University Center that sparked my interest, since I typically grab a quick lunch from there. They have fast-food chains, sit-down restaurants, and so many other amenities. You may be wondering why this is such a big deal to me. Having this shorter route to grab lunch saves me half as much time, meaning I have more time to enjoy a meal between classes, and less time walking. And if you’re someone like me who likes to be early to class, this shorter path would definitely ensure that getting to class more than a few minutes early would be possible.

So, I guess the biggest lesson I learned is to explore as much as possible! You never know what you might find. 

Till next time,

Celeste 

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Midterm Madness

I can recall vividly the first moment someone ever told me to never second guess. It was in my second grade classroom, and my teacher was going over preparations for a small quiz we were going to take as a class. She tells us to never second guess on a question because we usually are right the first time around. This advice has stuck with me and I have always tried my best to stick to this rule. 

Buttttt …. c’mon, who am I kidding. Anyone who knows me knows I overthink … a lot. A switch goes on in my mind and I’m left with worries and doubts, questions of  “Is this really the answer? Are you sure it’s not B instead of C? Why are there so many A’s in a row?”

Skip to me sitting in my assigned seat in the front row, there’s 5 minutes left on the timer displayed on the projection board for my exam. I’m almost finished with bubbling in my answers, but it’s when I start going over them that I begin to doubt myself. It all goes downhill from there. No longer is the rule of not second guessing in my mind, all reason I once had is just thrown out and replaced with a flurry of worries. If you haven’t guessed it by now, I should note that I did – shamefully – change some of my answers because I second guessed. Oh, and Spoiler Alert: My first choice was correct on most.

 I knew as soon as I handed in my exam that my fate was sealed. Brushing past the crowd, I started to feel this heavy weight and the reality of what I did sunk in, but nothing but time would tell what would happen. Eventually, my score comes through, and although it was not an ideal score, I knew that I did my best … even if it wasn’t my best. 

But hey! There’s still time to improve, and it’s important to take a step back, acknowledge what you did wrong, and find alternatives or different methods on how to study and how to practice to feel more confident the next go-around. As frustrating as it is to change a correct answer to the wrong one, it’s a testament to the amount of work one puts in. This is the push I needed to really consider the issues I am having with the material, if any, and reevaluate my understanding on all the information. Let’s just hope that the next set of exams, I can firmly pick an answer and stick with it. 

Wish me luck! 

Celeste 

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New Beginnings

Hello to all the ZotBlog readers! My name is Celeste Mejia and I am a first year undergrad here at UCI! Currently I am undeclared, meaning I do not yet have a declared major, hence the term undeclared, but I am definitely leaning towards being a Biological Sciences major. Like others my age, I enjoy bingeing Netflix shows – new or old – and love watching all kinds of videos on YouTube ranging from skincare videos on Harper’s Bazaar and Allure to fashion videos on runway shows, and of course, how could I forget about watching Trevor Noah on The Daily Show. This assortment of entertainment keeps me sane while all the commotion of the first week of school gets everyone rowdy for meetings, classes, and other festivities going around day and night on campus. 

It is important to note that I am a commuter, so I live off campus and have to make a little drive or take the bus to make it to UCI. Also important to note, this is NOT a horrible thing. I say this because I have lost track of the amount of times other first years say “dang that sucks,” with a look of pity on their face. It just so happens that I get to experience college a little differently. But hey, I have a room all to myself, sooo … who’s really winning in this scenario? That can be left up for debate. 

All jokes aside, I do find that commuting has come with its perks. I have access to go anywhere I want, and the benefit of growing up in Orange County is that I am familiar with all the best places to go to. I have also been able to explore campus outside of class time, and know where almost all buildings, little snack shops, water-refilling stations, lounge places, outlets, and most importantly, where the restrooms are! Might sound weird, I know, but as a commuter, I have to know where all the readily available resources are. 

Classes have been pretty manageable, I really like my professors, and I have met some nice people along the way. Definitely something I hope to improve on is my socialization. It always seems like there’s not enough time in the day to meet up with people when I have readings, quizzes, and practice problems to do. Overall, these past two weeks have been an adjustment: I have already begun to change my study habits and I am still working on trying to find a more efficient method on how to organize my to-do’s of the day. 

This fall quarter I am taking it easy, testing the waters, and so I am holding off on joining clubs, I think I already know what I would like to join, but that is to be saved for a later date. Right now, all I can think about is the fact that my first ever midterm – yes, you read that correctly, MIDTERM – is next Friday. May the biology gods be in my favor. 

Till next time,

Celeste