Monday, 6/23/97 This way to the comfort zone In a few months,
3,750 entering freshmen will make UCLA their home. They will have
to acclimate, find a social ‘family,’ and settle in new
surroundings … and avoid dropping out of school in the
process.
By Michelle Navarro Daily Bruin Contributor Being a first-year
student at UCLA is a bittersweet experience. Like it or not,
first-year students must learn to live with a roommate, to make new
friends, and to create study habits while away from home. The
transitions can be a bit overwhelming, beginning with move-in day.
Once the threshold of the dorm room is crossed, privacy becomes
just a distant memory. The valuable parts of student life – phone
calls, significant others, guests, and time for sleep – must be
arranged around the person less than four feet away – the roommate.
It becomes difficult to live with a roommate when he likes country
music while you prefer Rage Against the Machine, when she has
friends over until 4 a.m. and you have a midterm the next day, or
when you just want to be alone but can’t because she’s always
there. "We got along well, the only thing was privacy. That was
really compromised," said Diana Solorio, a second-year psychology
student. Roommates can either hit it off from the beginning and
immediately become good friends, or turn out to be the next episode
of the "Odd Couple." If two roommates have absolutely nothing in
common, all hope is not lost. It is possible to be roommates
without being best friends. "We were cool with each other and we
respected each other, but we never went out together," Solorio
said. "She had her friends and I had mine. She was just a
roommate." However, there is always the risk of being paired up
with someone who makes "getting along" as challenging as climbing
Mt. Everest. "No, we didn’t get along. At first we got along, but
then there was some stuff about her that I just didn’t like," said
Jamie Lawson, a second-year undeclared student. One of the ways to
avoid receiving the nightmare roommate is to plan on rooming with a
friend in advance, according to Brian Hall, second-year
business-economics student. "I didn’t have any problems because I
knew the guy," Hall said. Another way to escape roommate troubles
is to go to the resident assistant (RA), who is trained in roommate
conflict resolution. On each floor, an RA roams the halls, looking
for trouble, and they are not the life of the party. Among other
things, RAs are responsible for peer counseling, academic
counseling, emergency response and enforcing campus policy. "We
have to build a sense of community and establish an environment
that you can learn and live in," said Malvi Chala, a third-year
English resident assistant for Sunset Village. "My parents call me
the ‘dorm mother,’ but I hate that," Salvi said. Within the first
couple of weeks of the year, RAs set up one-on-one meetings with
each resident in order to familiarize them with university policy
and each other. "The one-on-one interaction is used to get to know
the resident and let the resident get to know you, so they know
that there is a resource available," Chala said. Many of the
first-year students never used their RAs for problems, however,
because they felt uncomfortable, according to Lawson. "I didn’t
really know her. I would rather go to someone I know," Lawson said.
Others saw their RA as more of a friend than an authority figure in
the hall. "My RA was pretty cool. I didn’t rely on her for
academics. I didn’t go to her if I felt sad, that would’ve felt
weird," Hall said. "But, if I was mad about something, I did go to
her. She was more of a fellow college student. She took her job
seriously but wasn’t anal." Being a friend and a RA at the same
time can be tricky, especially if the respect for the RA’s
authority is lost in the process. "It’s always sticky. It’s hard to
do both, but it can be done," Chala said, "You have to be careful,
though. If you’re best friends first, then you might lose respect."
"I would like to be people’s friend," she added. "Unfortunately it
wasn’t until the last two weeks of school that I realized I could."
With freshmen, making new friends can be hard and some say that a
mild case of loneliness is common. If a RA is aware of the problem,
they attempt to help the resident. "The ideal homesick kid happens
the first few weeks. What we try to do is get them involved, make
them go to programs, introduce them to people you know or to other
residents on the floor," Chala said. "Also, talking and listening
helps. Sometimes they just need to vent," she added. In times of
lonesomeness, a few freshmen found it comforting to talk to family
and old friends. "I usually called my friends from high school and
my family, or I would try to find someone on the floor," Lawson
said. "In the very beginning I felt lonely, that’s why I went home
every weekend. My close friends are still at home and I’m very
attached to my family. But, towards the end of the year, I visited
less," Solorio said. Living in the dorm halls the first year is
helpful in that most of the occupants are freshman as well. "I made
a lot of friends in the dorms. I went by the doors in Rieber and
said ‘hi.’ Everybody wants to make friends, you just need to be
outgoing," Hall said. "I met most of my friends on my floor,"
Lawson said. "At the beginning I was kind of lonely, but people
left their doors open so you could just walk in and talk." Getting
involved in campus organizations is another method of meeting
people. From community service groups to sororities and
fraternities, there’s something for everyone. "I rushed, so most of
my friends are guys and girls I met through the Greek system," Hall
said. One of the other big changes freshmen must go through is the
metamorphosis of study skills. The study habits needed for college
sometimes are completely different from those used in high school.
Instead of completing a daily, monotonous homework assignment,
students have five weeks to master six to seven chapters of
material. The worst part about it is that it must all be completed
through self-will and discipline. "I had to use different study
habits – no cramming," Solorio said. "I kind of had trouble having
to do my work instead of doing something else I’d rather be doing."
"Also, procrastination was a problem," Solorio said. Attendance
isn’t taken, especially since most classes hold approximately 250
students, so gracing the class with your presence is optional. The
professor won’t bother to take roll, he/she probably doesn’t even
know you and chances are mother has no idea what classes your
taking. It’s just up to you. "The first quarter I did nothing and
stayed out a lot. It was really hard for me," Hall said. "Here you
don’t have parents nagging you to do your work. You don’t even have
to go to class." "You just have to make sure and keep up for the
midterms and finals," he said. Raccoon-eyes are a fashion trend
among the sleep-deprived, usually due to late-night dates with the
Norton Anthology or an organic chemistry book. However, it could
also be the result of trying to make room for social time amidst
the hectic day. "I lost a lot of sleep. Sometimes, it was because I
was talking (to) someone," Lawson said. Once freshman have adapted
to the different lifestyle,academic life at UCLA can be rather
enjoyable. "It was the best year of my life," Hall said, just
having finished his first year. "I don’t want to go home." Khanh
Tran, a second-year psychology student, waits in line for the
elevator near Sunset Commons on the last day for regular dorm
check-out. Previous Daily Bruin Story Sex, drugs and showers: Too
little, too late, July 1, 1996