Tag: 25-26: Dionne

Dear 10 weeks ago Dionne, 

When you first unpacked everything into my dorm on Move-in day, I know you only had one preserving thought in my mind: “Will I be able to survive in college?” Now, “survive” is a rather cutthroat choice of language, however, I know, sitting in your dark room, you were feeling extremely overwhelmed, looking at the place we would call home for the next year. 

Now, I would like to comfort you by saying that you have managed quite well so far! Somehow we’ve tackled everything from analyzing current globalization issues, to making friends, to even remembering to do our laundry once a week (which is quite a feat).

However, I would like to supply you with some advice that might have made our experience a bit more enjoyable, especially in the beginning: 

1. Go to bed before One a.m.

While the constant influx of homework makes this challenge nearly impossible, going to bed early will benefit you greatly the next day. Every time I’ve gone to bed past one a.m., I have felt unmotivated to get out of bed, and that entire day, I’m desperate to crawl back into my warm, fuzzy covers. 

2. Planning the week in advance.

College, especially with a fast paced quarter system like UCI, makes it difficult to fall behind — because once you’re behind, it’s extremely hard to catch up. Creating a weekly to-do list of everything that must be done by the end of the week, as well as daily to-do lists will help you stay organized. Personally, I enjoy using Notion, where I can create a page to log all my assignments, the date their due, as well as the class it’s for. 

3. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

Especially during that first week of college as a freshman, everyone is desperate to make new friends, so don’t be shy! Personally, I was extremely lucky as I had a friend during SPOP who helped me make friends, but just don’t be afraid to strike up a friendly conversation 🙂 

4. Find out the shortest way to get to class.

The biggest mistake I made during my first couple weeks is not figuring out the fastest way to get to class. While I like to get my steps in, commute time will really wear you down, especially doing it every day. I think during my first couple weeks I walked, in total, everyday, close to 15 thousand steps. 

5. Prioritize having a work-life balance!

This quarter, I feel like I refused multiple opportunities to hang out with friends because I used the excuse of “homework.” While homework is important, it’s also important to make sure your life is balanced. Friends are just as important as a homework assignment, too. On top of this, make sure to not forget to include physical activity into the week! While walking around campus is usually plenty of exercise for me, on days where studying can last up to six-seven hours, it’s crucial to go on a short walk, get some fresh air, or at least take a stretching break!

10-Weeks-Ago Dionne, I think you’d be proud of the progress we’ve made—how much we’ve learned, how much we’ve grown, and how much we’ve adapted to college life. Going into next quarter, I hope you continue building these good habits: planning ahead, staying active, and putting yourself out there.

I’m proud of us, and I can’t wait to see what the next quarter has in store.

Sincerely,

Present Dionne

Imagine burgundy table runners, gold balloons, the delicious smell of pesto pasta, and warm chicken wafting through the air as you listen to airy jazz music and warm chatter.  That’s what I was greeted with when I arrived at Ascend’s “CareerFlix” Mixer. 

As part of the Intern Board, I was charged with helping set up the event. While we were worried the rain might discourage people from coming, surely enough, people started streaming in, holding a wet umbrella in one hand and another to take a picture of our QR code to sign in for the event. 

Around seven p.m., the event began. The president of Ascend @ UCI gave a short welcome before splitting up into four “breakout” groups, held simultaneously in four different rooms: a tech room, a consulting room, a finance/accounting room, and lastly, a general panel. The students and around fifteen professionals, ranging from consultants to managers and even an engineer from Microsoft, were split into these four groups. 

The panel was the most formal discussion out of the four — an interviewer asked questions to two professionals, each of who have been working in their careers for quite some time. For me personally, it was interesting hearing their perspectives on their respective industry, especially given their plethora of experience and knowledge. 

In the three other rooms, the discussion was more casual; professionals chatted with a rotating, small group of students who were curious about their industry and wanted to know more about their jobs. I learn that some worked in larger companies in their industry, such as Deloitte and BakerTilly, while others worked at more local firms, such as Provencio Capital. Again, while taking short breaks during my internship to listen to these conversations, I was able to grasp just how passionate these professionals are about their work and how committed they are to inspiring the next generation, like myself, to their industries. 

After about an hour and a half of these groups, everyone joined back together to enjoy dinner from Chicken Maison with some refreshments and dessert. During dinner, this was an opportunity for students to open a network with perhaps professionals they had an interest in or professionals they didn’t have the chance to talk to before.  

Overall, it was a memorable night that brought people together and, in my opinion, will open many doors for future opportunities. Leaving the event, I felt both motivated and grateful to be part of such a supportive and inspiring community.

If interested, here is the link to Ascend’s Instagram page, where you can check out what the event looked like! https://www.instagram.com/ascenduci/

When I called my college freshmen friends as a senior in high school, the one complaint I heard the most was, in fact, the dreaded, infamous midterm season. Entering my first week, I vowed to myself that I would not try to recreate the traumatic experiences that my friends told me about. 

Personally, I get rather anxious over tests. To overcome this, I always try to study at least a couple of days in advance of my test. Luckily for me, all my midterms were consecutive, so I could just get all of them done in one go.

I started my midterm studying by doing some light review on the Friday before my midterm week for my Economics test. Even though I did all the Economics homework for my class, I still did not feel entirely prepared for the test and wanted to make sure that I fully understood the material, since my test was worth 30 percent of my grade. However, I really started, I like calling, “deep studying” on the following Monday. 

In my deep study sessions, which usually can last up to six hours, there are a couple of essentials I need to really focus. One thing I like doing is making sure my desk is a good place to work, meaning it’s clean and organized. I also like to write down what I have to do today in order to feel satisfied with my studying. Personally, I always need a snack to incentivize me to study. During my midterm week, I think I ate half of the snacks in my snack box, which was definitely out of stress, not hunger. My favorite snack that I munched on while studying was these vanilla meringues from Trader Joe’s. They were so addictive, once I had one, I couldn’t stop myself from eating another! My other contenders would be the Trader Joe’s “talkis,” as well as the peanut butter cups (also from Trader Joe’s). While I usually like to keep my diet on the healthier side, I knew that I needed it as an incentive to get myself to focus. 

For Monday through Wednesday, all I really did was eat, walk to class, study, and sleep. While this is not the most sustainable way of living, I had to remind myself that this was only temporary. I think what’s really important to not feel overwhelmed is to space out your studying, instead of cramming all on one night. Though I guess I should take my own advice, considering that I stayed up on Friday (yes, Halloween), studying until 2 am after hanging out with my friends…do what I say, not as I do! 

I’m happy to report that my first midterm season was not terrible. I really appreciate myself for studying in advance, so I wasn’t stressed out the day before the test. Still, there’s barely any time to celebrate — before I know it, I’ll be writing about finals week!

Here’s a link to my favorite studying playlist! ↓

I’ve always been interested in joining clubs at college, so when the Anteater Involvement fair rolled around during the first week, I eagerly checked out what UC Irvine had to offer. 

Unlike my small high school, which had a culmination of fifteen clubs in total, I was pleasantly surprised at the wide variety of clubs at Aldrich Park. I remember peering down at the top of the hill, amazed at the number of white tents packing almost every inch of the grassy slopes. 

After shuffling through my handouts, I ultimately decided to choose Ascend @ UCI, Women in Leadership, and UC Irvine’s Book Club. 

Ascend @ UCI: 

The first club meeting I attended was at Ascend @ UCI. Even as a shy freshman, everyone greeted me with such enthusiasm and genuine passion, so I felt included immediately in this community. In their second meeting, I was even able to personally connect with board members, who offered me helpful advice on my freshman year. Their authenticity and mission compelled me to become more involved in this vibrant community, where I have applied to join their family program, and hopefully more in the future! 

Women in Leadership: 

Unfortunately, due to a conflict, I was unable to come to the first official meeting, but I made it a top priority to come to the speaker panel, hosted during the second week. There were three panelists, all in different professions in the business industry. They provided insight about their profession, personal life, and how to create that perfect “work-life balance.” Besides the compelling panelists, I was also amazed at the professionalism shown by Women in Leadership’s board members, who navigated and handled each question with such grace and ease. 

UC Irvine’s Book Club: 

The last club meeting I went to was the book club. Our first meeting was more of a social, and then the board members announced the book for this quarter: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo! I’ve enjoyed reading her books, so I was excited to read this one, whose themes fit perfectly into the spooky season. In the following club meeting, we dissected the first three chapters and overarching thoughts. 

Whether you are a first or fourth year, I believe joining the clubs here on campus will add tremendous value to your college experience.

Hello! My name is Dionne. I am from Santa Barbara, a small town located along the coast of California. I am attending UC Irvine this year as an Undeclared Major, with an interest in Business Economics and Business Administration. Some fun facts about me are that I enjoy drawing, singing, going to the gym, and writing fiction in my free time.

For my blog, I will be delving into the details of SPOP, which stands for Student Parent Orientation Program. The orientation, which is a 2-day, one-night program, consists of signing up for classes, learning about the resources available, getting a feel for the campus, and, most importantly, meeting new people and having fun! I was in the last orientation group, which was SPOP #10.

Day 1:

Unfortunately, for morning-haters like myself, the check-in time was 7:30 am — so as I said my final farewells to my family, I groggily looked around for information to receive my room keys and other information. Fortunately, the SPOP staff woke me up with their cheerful chatter and enthusiasm. After being given my room key to my hall, Bahia, I unloaded all my belongings into my dorm. My hall quickly met up before we headed over to a large lecture hall where we digested what SPOP entailed, and also learned how to properly zot! Afterward, we were left to our individual majors to learn how to properly register for classes, and then were able to try the food at the Anteatery, which is one of two all-you-can-eat dining halls here on campus. I was pleasantly surprised by the abundance of options to choose from, especially the dessert section. Course registration followed, and while it wasn’t particularly difficult, being in the last SPOP left limited options for some classes I was interested in taking. The rest of the day involved fun activities, such as creating a hall chant, going to the Talent Show, and competing in the Hall-Olympics.

Day 2:

The second day was more focused on learning about the resources available on campus, and it included different sessions of programs. I appreciated having these resources as I had never heard of most of them prior to coming to SPOP! I particularly enjoyed the Semester Abroad program, as it’s something I’m interested in doing later in my college journey. In the free time we were given, my friends and I explored University Center, known as UTC, and explored the different shops and restaurants. After attending a few more events, it was finally time to say goodbye to Irvine until the fall quarter commenced!

Overall, I had a wonderful time at SPOP and am grateful for all the memories it gave me. One of my worries during this experience was that I wasn’t going to make any friends, but I am happy to confirm that it was quite the opposite. I believe that SPOP is designed for individuals who are on the quieter side, like myself, to have the ability to meet new people easily. After this incredible experience, I’m so excited to see what the fall quarter entails!