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Near-end First Year Experience

Dear U/U Student,

Congratulations! You made it into UC Irvine! You might be excited/nervous about going to college or looking forward to building your career or brimming with questions. To me, it was imagining what my first-year experience would be like.

Now that I am in my near-end of my first year of college, there were several moments, events, and tips I experienced as a first-year U/U.

My first lesson: try. Back in high school, I never actually tried anything new, which led to some boring years of high school. Coming into college, the first interest was applying into a business fraternity. I went to every event hosted to hopefully get selected for the interview. I was rejected. I was really devastated that time, but looking back, I think it was a wonderful and necessary experience. When networking with members, I made friendships I probably never would have met. Another example: U/U office sent out an application to apply to be a Zot Blogger by submitting two different answers to their prompts. Thinking I got nothing to lose, I applied. Two weeks later I got an email saying “Congratulations on being accepted as a Zot Blogger!”. I was shocked, because I never gave it too much thought, and answered honestly, without worrying whether I would get in or not. My point here is that I want you to try something, anything without worrying about anything. Don’t expect anything and try, and enjoy surprises from life you probably never imagined. True, some surprises will never be pleasant, but there is always a silver lining if you know where to look.

Another lesson, more of an insider tip: explore. This one ties a little bit into the first lesson, but the main idea is I want you to know that your education is not limited to the courses you take. This is college, meaning there are organizations and clubs and research opportunities you should take advantage of. Mark Twain once said, “Don’t let schooling interfere with your education” and he is right. School is just scholar learning, which is necessary, but education has no bounds. Explore talking to people, because each person you make friends with is bound to teach you something you never thought of. As a U/U I felt that those with majors are already learning things I haven’t, but that is not necessarily the case. For one, it helped me discover what I was interested in studying further and what I was not. Back in high school, many people told me taking economics was not worth the effort, but after taking an econ class (which I would have never done if I had a major) I am now working on minoring in Economics. I am not saying that having a major is bad, but my point is to explore what this university has to offer.

I know it’s not your ideal starter pack for success in college, but I truly believe if the above is done right, your college experience will be worth remembering.

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Taking Advantage of FYEP

As many of you readers begin to SIR to UCI, you’ll begin the process of applying for housing. With so many different choices, I understand how difficult it can be to choose. I personally didn’t even know that there were differences between dorms aside from the obvious differences between Mesa Court and Middle Earth. When the application website told me to decide a housing option, I was taken aback. There were dorms that were researched based, outdoor/exercise based, and one that was even centered around video game players. In the end however, I decided to choose the First Year Excellence Dorm. I found the idea of extra assistance and counseling for undeclared students like myself very attractive, and I’m really glad that I made the choice that I did.

The FYEP dorm for Middle Earth this year was Grey Havens, and it has offered a ton of opportunities and resources to help me succeed as an undeclared student trying to transfer into business administration. I know it probably sounds like I’m trying to sell FYEP to you, but I’ve honestly found it incredibly helpful. One of my favorite parts about living in the first year hall is that every Thursday, undeclared/undergraduate academic adviser Andrea Licata comes to the dorm and provides counseling to whoever wants it. Normally, you have to go to the undeclared office and schedule and appointment to meet with a counselor, but FYEP makes it super convenient to meet up and discuss next quarter’s schedule or any other issues. Knowing what classes to take can be pretty confusing, so having Andrea there to help us whenever has taken a big burden off of our scheduling confusions.

One of  the other cool things that we had was the philanthropy project. It’s basically a voluntary project where you and your dorm mates help to organize and execute a philanthropy/community service oriented event. I know you’re probably thinking, “Dude I already have so many other obligations and responsibilities. I thought community service ended in high school.” To be honest, that’s what I thought when I first heard about the project too. I was reluctant,  but after going to the first meeting I kind of liked the sound of it. It not only serves to better the community, but it also helps to get something on your resume, which is likely relatively barren at this point in your college career. For us, we organized a roaring 20’s themed dance party at Brookdale Senior Living, and it went awesome. I was initially worried that we wouldn’t have enough participants, but the event ended up going really well. If you choose to go for FYEP, I urge you to at least check out the first meeting for your philanthropy project. You may find it to be a lot more interesting than it seems.

I’m sure that all the other dorms offer a lot of great things for you incoming freshman, but for undeclared students specifically, I would absolutely recommend choosing FYEP. It’s helped me to become way more acquainted with my counselors and undeclared peers than I would have otherwise.

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For Those Moments Where You Feel Like Your Essay is Trash

The Writing Center is a resource that I try to take advantage of as much as possible. The reason being is that instead of awkwardly asking your roommate or friends to read your flaming trash can of an essay, you can ask someone who is contractually obligated to tell you what’s wrong with it so you have a chance to turn it into something that will get you that A. Because we all know the first draft is the worst draft. That being said, there obviously those of you that can write an A grade paper on the first try so kudos to you, I unfortunately am not one of those people.

In in the Fall Quarter, I was taking Writing 39C which is the last lower-division writing class that everyone has to take. While in Writing 39C there are two projects that involve a lot of writing and will pretty much be your ticket out of that class with an A or with a just passing grade. My writing professor actually recommended everyone in the class to go to the Writing Center at least once so I took him up on that offer. After setting up an appointment with an experienced professional, full time writing specialist, my essay got ripped apart but I ended up getting a better grade in the end for it. For those of you who are planning on going this route, a word of caution: definitely set up the appointment way before the deadlines of your essays because they will go in depth about your writing so there may not be enough time for you to implement all the recommendations if you set the appointment too late. Oh and I almost forgot to mention, the Writing Center and all its services are FREE for UCI students. Yes that’s right ladies and gentlemen the price of getting professional help is zero dollars.

Now you are probably wondering, where can I find such a GREAT and FREE resource? Well dear reader, I’ll tell you. There’s a place on campus called the Ayala Science Library which is across Aldrich Park from Middle Earth Housing. As for future Mesa Court residents you are going to have to walk a bit further. After a quick Google Search I found a nice map that highlights where Ayala Science Library is.

The Writing Center should definitely be something everyone tries at least once since they offer more than just writing help. Some other services they offer are drop-in peer tutors, help with scholarships, and even email consultations. All of which are FREE by the way since the good folks at UCI understand that we as students, are BROKE 100% of the time.

Zot On Anteaters!
Josh

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Summer Bridge

 

Summer Bridge is by far one of the most amazing programs I have ever been a part of and I would highly recommend it to any incoming UCI freshman. It’s a program specifically for first generation, low income students to get adjusted to living on campus and taking college classes. Participants get to take two college classes, Bridges to Success and the Making of Modern Science, that covers one GE, to get used to the fast pace and rigor of college classes on the quarter system. These classes were super beneficial to me the eight units, boosted me up to sophomore standing, resulting in an earlier registration window which meant a better schedule and better professors. It also helps that every Summer Bridge student takes the same classes so you can talk to your housemates about the assignments and work together to succeed.

One of the best parts about Summer Bridge is that it is completely free, making it possible for low income, first generation students to make the most of their college experience, without worrying about the cost. Everything is covered from the housing in Arroyo Vista to tuition for the classes. It even includes $450 zot bucks to cover food throughout the summer and a bus pass to get to and from campus. These benefits also extend beyond the program, following you throughout your freshman year. During the year, there are still workshops that work on skills like time management and talking to professors where you can gain skills to excel in college. You also get a peer mentor to help you throughout the year with any questions you may have and a group to bond with. In addition to a peer mentor, you also have a personal guide, either Tamekya or Janet, that checks up on you once a quarter to support you and make your transition smooth. Other benefits during the year include free LARC (usually $110 each quarter), a free book loan program, the opportunity to rent chromebooks, and access to free writing tutors. Summer Bridge offers so many benefits and provides amazing support to its students. But by far, building community is one of the most important parts of Summer Bridge for me.

Moving away and starting college is challenging enough, but when you are a first generation, low income student, it is so easy to feel out of place without a sense of community. Everyone in the program comes from similar socioeconomic backgrounds which makes it easy for you to relate to each other. A majority of people I met were very down to earth and humble due to where they have come from and share many of my values because we realize how lucky we are to have the opportunity to go to college. Because of this, it’s so easy to build a genuine relationship with other students in the program and have a support system that understands many of the issues you may face. This extends to the staff as well, everyone is really adamant about helping you succeed and wants you to do well. This support has gotten me through so much during this first year and I am eternally grateful for this program, hoping to do anything I can to give back to future Summer Bridge Students.

Thanks to Summer Bridge, I was able to ease into college better and get a head start. It helped me to build a community of support that I can relate to and confide in. Additionally, I have so much support from the additional resources available to me through Bridge along with connections to other programs like TRIO! Incoming freshmen: please sign up for Summer Bridge and do not miss this amazing opportunity!u

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Dear Week 0 Nancy

Dear Week 0 Nancy,

You’re going to love week 0 so so much. Don’t miss out on the hypnotist show because that was so crazy and I’ve never seen anything like that. Take advantage of the Anteater Involvement Fair and get involved in clubs. Go to all their week 0 events and get free food and meet new people! Be a little uncomfortable and go to the dance workshops, even though you have two left feet. There’s so much free time during week 0 because you don’t have classes so take advantage of every second, because there isn’t going to be another week like this.

Please don’t fall behind. I know you’re gonna do it, but please try not to because ten weeks goes by SO fast. Before you know it, it’s midterms season and it’s gonna be crazy. You’ll be okay though because you have an amazing group of friends in your hall to help you cram for bio and chem which helps so much when the final comes around. I didn’t skip any classes this quarter, and I’m glad I didn’t because you need to go to class. Don’t kid yourself, you’re one of those people who needs to have a teacher explain it to you. Also, please read your bio textbook, otherwise the lectures will make no sense, learned that the hard way.

Take advantage of late night! Having Pippins and the Anteatery open until 12 is honestly a blessing, especially if you plan on staying up late, which you will. Pippins usually doesn’t have much, but it’s only an 8 minute walk across campus to the Anteatery. Take some of your hall mates and it’ll be your own little adventure/study break.

You don’t think much of it now, but you’ll love your card holder phone case. Honestly, I had to survive without it for a week because I broke it, but it’s a lifesaver. Always having your credit card, ID, and room key with you is the best because you never have to worry about remembering to grab any of those things. The week I broke it, I got locked out three times and couldn’t eat because I didn’t have my ID. I ordered one right away!

It’s only been a quarter into the school year but I’ve grown and have so much advice to give. Like for high school, please take as many AP classes as you can handle! I regret not taking more because more AP credits gets you a higher standing and earlier registration windows to make sure you’re on track!! It doesn’t sound like a big deal but when your friends are scrambling for classes, you’ll be thankful you took so many and entered UCI as a sophomore.

Wrapping up this quarter was hectic, but now I get to enjoy my three weeks off before winter quarter starts and I take classes for my new major, business economics! Wish me luck and happy holidays!

Sincerely,

Nancy