Posted on

UCI Resources

University of California, Irvine is not just a great place to go to college to, but also a great resource center. UCI students are offered free access to a lot of useful services, clubs, and resources that can both help with studies and to make life happier and more social. I would like to talk about one of those today.

I would like to tell you about the Writing Center. As you might have already heard, UCI has one of the best composition programs in the nation. Moreover, some classes require written projects that usually require good research and writing skill. UCI offers a free help with writing assignment through the Writing Center. Writing Center itself offers several different ways of help and assistance. There is an option to schedule a one-hour-long appointment with a professional teacher who could answer all the question you might have regarding your work. I personally had that experience and I can tell that I was very helpful.  We went over my nine-page-long draft checking for grammar and composition mistakes. The tutor was also a very nice and approachable person, who was clearly there to help but not just to seat and pretend to be doing the job.

Writing Center also offers peer help which sometimes also very helpful. The thing here is that peers might be able to spot some unusual mistakes problems that teachers might not. Also, peers can give an advice on how to tackle certain problems in classes in the best ways. It is also a great place to find new friends and acquaintances.

I have visited Writing Center several times and can confirm that it is definitely a helpful resource. Probably one of the best UCI has to offer! I also think that the Writing Center itself could be a reason for #UCIYes!

Posted on

A Commuter Friendly Club

Coming into freshman year, one of my initial concerns as a commuter was finding a way to be involved with anything on campus. Of course with the hundreds of clubs offered at UCI the problem wasn’t that there was nothing that interested me. It was more of how a majority of their meeting times always fell from 6 to 9 at night. So unfortunately, especially when I have to leave campus by 3 to make it in time to pick up my sister from school, I found my options for the clubs I could join fairly limited.

Luckily I was able to stumble upon Irvine Christian Students. There are several Christian clubs on campus but this was the only one I found that holds their corporate group bible studies every Wednesday from 12 to 1 in one of the Student Center Rooms. And if you are unable to make that meeting time due to your class schedule, the staff of the club are flexible and also hold small group bible studies when you can be available.

Everyone I have met so far is incredibly friendly and talkative. Moreover, a majority of the club’s staff are alumni from a diverse array of majors. It is commonplace during small talk of the small group bible studies for me or a couple of other undergraduates to ask them questions about what classes to take or how they found a job after graduating.

Plus the Wednesday of week 10 every quarter, they hold a pizza lunch and give small goodie bags of home-baked goods.

If Irvine Christian Students didn’t pique your interest, as I mentioned earlier, there are hundreds of clubs at UCI for every conceivable interest as long as you’re willing to explore.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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