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Get Help Now!

If you ever need help on campus, you should know that there are many resources that exist solely to help you. The main resource that I use the most is the offices hours of various classes.  During these times, they offer tutoring on the subject, and will try to answer any questions you may have. They are really kind to you, and anyone in the class is welcome to go whenever it is open. I have went to the office hours of Math 2B, which is calculus 2, and ICS 10, which has light coding, in search of help.

Math 2B is course that has a high falling rate. It also happens to be a required course for many majors. As the second course in the calculus, it requires you to pass Math 2A to be able to take the course. I didn’t really do outstanding in Math 2A, and was saved by the class curve. I also have not taken any calculus courses in high school, so the material that they sped through was unfamiliar. There was a good push to sign up for LARC, which is the paid tutoring service that has peer tutors that help you out, but I thought that the extra cash you need to join wasn’t worth it. So whenever I was struggling, I would go to the free department tutoring and the office hours of my professor. It was also super convenient, since office hours started right after class. That way I can ask about the materials covered in the lecture right after lecture, when it is still fresh in my mind. I believe it works well, and my grades should be ok, but that depends on when the midterm I just took is going to be graded.

For ICS 10, which is called how computers work, we had to use Javascript, which was something I had never used before. It different compared to the programming languages that I had already knew at the time, such as C++. We had an assignment to create a pig latin translator in that language and I couldn’t get the final loop to work properly. This was back in fall quarter, when I had just started college, so I was scared to go to office hours. However, the person teaching the course was very nice and helpful, and got me up to speed with Javascript really quickly. I highly suggest that if you have any problems in a course, attend the offices hours of that course. Most, if not all, courses have designated office hours, which when used properly, can guide you to success in college.

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A Valuable Resource

Between classes, I usually am in the Anteatery or in my room taking a nap. Because of that I am not productive whatsoever, which affected me faster than I thought as classes became more difficult. The library is a good place to study, but to me it always felt crowded and every power outlet was occupied with someone’s laptop charger. I needed to find a place that was generally less crowded and had good places for computers. That was when I discovered the hidden place. It was near the blood center next to East Food Court. Right next to the blood center was a nice, quiet place to study, use computers to finish work, and as an added bonus, there’s a Starbucks right outside (plus there are plenty of sofas for one to take an easy nap between classes). I am the type of person to work if there is a working atmosphere. While it’s not a program, I always believed in using things around you to your advantage and everything else will fall in places whether you realize it or not. This is a passive resource, and to make the most of it, you need to be active and on top of your self-discipline. If not, at least you will develop self-discipline. The other advantage you will have is you get ahead of your classes which means more time to spend per your choice. Or if you are struggling to catch up with classes because the material is hard, you now have time. I wish I came to know about this place before, because I spend a lot of time procrastinating with my work. It’s not something you can put on your resume or make it a highlight of your college life, but I would definitely recommend this place.

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To Whomever It Concerns

Dear incoming freshman,

You are part of an extraordinary group of students selected to come here.

One of your first concerns may be finding a solid friend group. As someone who is incredibly socially awkward and a commuter, if I can make friends than anyone can. No matter how late it gets into the quarter or even as more pass by, you should never stop going out of your way to say hi to someone new. Especially when you’re shy I know how hard it is to strike up small talk. But questions like their major, what year they are, and what other classes they are taking are some pretty easy ice breakers. You would be surprised at how the random people you initiate a conversation with end up becoming part of your support system.

Another fear may be adjusting to the quarter system. The ten weeks do go by pretty fast and midterms sneak up on you out of nowhere. However, as long as you get your senioritis out of your system during the summer, eventually you will get used to the quarter system’s fast pace. You hear this all the time but try to avoid procrastination. That one nasty habit has killed my sleep schedule and the stress resulting from it has probably shaved a few years off my life. Especially when it comes to midterms and papers, start contributing an hour of your time every day for the week prior the deadline rather than staying up the night before.

There are going to be some very difficult times ahead. Stress from an upcoming paper or midterm may make you wonder why you even chose to come here or feel that you are out of place. But you were accepted here for a reason. It is during these times to also remember balance is important. When everything feels overwhelming, it is ok to take a few moments to step away and take a break. I go to the gym on a consistent basis with friends and every Friday after classes we will grab lunch together and rant about our week.  School is important, but so is your health. When you set time aside to study, make sure you also have more than enough time to sleep and a few moments for yourself to breathe.

Overall, thank you for choosing to come here. These upcoming years will be hard. But they will also be some of the best years of your life. Congrats on becoming an Anteater!

With love,

Addie

 

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A letter to an incoming U/U student

Dear New Anteater,

First, you have just been admitted to the University of California, Irvine as an Undergraduate/Undeclared, and you cannot even imagine how lucky you are. You might have already been discouraged by that fact, but I am not trying to tell you that it is not that bad, instead, I want you to understand that it is even better than being admitted directly to a specific school within the University with a specific major.

I want to address all the negative things you might have heard or read somewhere right away so we have it sorted out and don’t come back to it later. There certainly are some difficulties when signing up for classes required to declare your intended major because they are extremely popular and students who were admitted with a major can enroll right when their enrollment window is open without having to wait until the fee deadline and restrictions lift, but I do not know any undeclared student who wasn’t able to eventually get into the major they wanted to. They might have declared a major that is different from the one they wanted when applying, but this is because they changed their mind while trying other fields, and not because they were not able to take required courses.

The main reason why Undeclared is the best option for you is, obviously, because you are free to take any courses and to try anything you want. And this is so cool because you have another chance to decide what you want to be in the future. You can also try the major that you wanted when applying to college in real life and maybe change your mind about it. In this way, you are protected from the situation where you realize that you do not like your major at all when you’re in your junior or senior year and cannot really do anything about it. Undeclared is really a perfect opportunity to define your future by yourself being able to actually try things on your own instead of looking for someone’s opinion or advice.

Being an Undeclared student gives you access to your own helpful academic advisors, just as you might expect to have in other departments. These people are ready to help and advise you and work hard to meet your expectations and make sure that you are doing great! Also, if you worked hard enough to earn a 3.5 GPA in a quarter and made it to the Dean’s Honor List, you will be invited to a nice reception, where your hard work and accomplishments will be praised and appreciated.

I wish this has been enough to persuade you to think that Undeclared is a good thing. I will be really happy if you decide to join our warm and friendly Anteater family at the best campus in the world this upcoming fall. Looking forward to seeing you on the Ring Road!

Best wishes,

Nick

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A Letter to You

Dear incoming UCI Freshmen,

First of all, congratulations on your acceptance to the University of California Irvine. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get here, but now you are here. If you are reading this, that must mean you are interested in the undeclared life at UCI. As an undeclared student at UCI, I find this lifestyle challenging, but not difficult. Sure, some classes are harder to get when you are Undeclared, but it isn’t impossible to get them. That is especially true for the computer science classes. These classes are in high demand, meaning that if you cannot initially get in during the first few weeks of each quarter, getting in would be impossible. Computer science is a major that everyone wants to get into, and if you couldn’t get admitted into the major when you applied here, I get it. I am in the same boat as you. However, being undeclared has its perks, such as being able to attend this school. All jokes aside, being undeclared means that you don’t have to be tied down to the classes of a certain major, allowing you to explore. Some classes restrict certain courses to certain majors, like if you are a physics major, you are not allowed to take any of the lower division easier physics classes, which you can as an undeclared. This also helps you find a major, since you can get a taste of how each specific major classes feel, and decide later what to declare.

Now about me, as an undeclared student living on campus. My favorite part of this experience is the roommates. We decided for no reason what so ever on a Wednesday night to eat ramen at around 2 am, then eat a whole fresh avocado by itself, and then proceed to go skating around the resident halls. It was the wildest night we had and we still had class in a few hours. For that problem, I simply had to deal with it. Sometimes you would just have to force yourself up with an alarm or two. Other problems that might arise can be dealt with using proper channels of communication, such as emailing a professor or directly talking to a roommate. If you find yourself living in Mesa Court, a major facility you might take advantage of is the study hall right across the Mesa Court mail room. Your key card can get you in and it is usually quiet, making it a great place to study. The easiest way to navigating this campus is to know where each educational wing is where. These serve as general landmarks, making finding your classes easier. U/U staff are also a great resource to use when you are confused. They are located right next to a Starbucks and the campus book store. They are there to help make your transition to the college setting smoother, giving even more tips and tricks along the way.