When I arrived at UCLA, I had never envisioned that I’d
find myself stranded in South Central on a cold November night,
with no cell phone, money or way of getting home.
URSA assigned me a bad registration time one Friday night,
ruining the plans I’d made to go to a movie opening. (As
you’ll learn, URSA is much more than an online registration
site ““ it can dictate your life.)
My friend and I decided it would be fun to leave campus and take
a bus somewhere. Both freshmen from Northern California, we lacked
knowledge of the bus system and didn’t know how to get back.
But it didn’t matter: We wanted to explore the city.
The first bus we saw had “Venice” scrolling across
the marquee. “Venice Beach!” we thought. But little did
we know, it was actually going to Venice Boulevard in Culver
City.
When the bus driver told us we’d reached the last stop, we
found ourselves standing in the center of a dark, run-down part of
Los Angeles. Our cell phones were dead. I only had a hundred dollar
bill and my friend was broke, so we walked the streets in search of
quarters for the night bus.
After we’d spent 45 minutes searching for a store to make
change, my friend realized that his pocket was full of coins for
laundry. I was angry.
In Santa Monica, we stumbled across a couple having sex in a car
and were pressured to buy candy from a young boy, which
wouldn’t have been weird except it was now 3 a.m.
We got back an hour later after getting on the wrong bus, having
to walk almost a mile to reach campus.
I share this not as a moral lesson about how you should be
careful when out at night (although I definitely suggest you plan
your bus trips in advance).
Rather, I want to emphasize that during your years at UCLA
you’ll undoubtedly find yourself accumulating memories
““ good, bad, scary and bittersweet ““ which will remain
with you the rest of your life.
Your first year at UCLA is a rich time. Everything you encounter
will be new and uncharted.
But as your college years progress, they will inevitably become
more routine. The newness will wear off as you become accustomed to
your life at UCLA. Academics and extracurricular activities will
also probably demand much of your time.
I encourage you to enjoy your lives as freshmen and fight the
urge to become settled into your routines too quickly. When 4,000
unique people are thrown together in one of the most vibrant
cities, anything can happen.
As orientation staff members will tell you, “Your freshman
year is a time to experiment and discover what it is you enjoy
doing.” This applies as much to activities outside the
classroom as within. Choosing a major may prove to be less crucial
in the long run than choosing how you spend your time outside of
school.
I was confronted with free time as a freshman, a few hours when
I could either get ahead on homework (or dig myself out of a hole)
or go on a random excursion with friends. It’s easy to see
the results of working hard in the classroom because we are
assigned grades as tangible evidence of accomplishment, but there
is much to be earned from nurturing friendships and having
adventures.
Although there have been many times when I put off work for too
long to socialize, nine times out of 10, I was satisfied with my
decision. The people I’ve come to know are much more than
friends; they’re like family to me. And I wouldn’t
trade that for a 4.0.
This is the year to expand your social circle and do the things
you’ve always wanted to but didn’t have the time or the
means. Exploring a dangerous city at night isn’t something I
ever had the opportunity to do while growing up in a small farming
town.
Regardless of the paths you have taken to arrive here,
you’ll hopefully be spending the next four years as Bruins.
However you choose to spend your time, remember to have experiences
you’ll remember for the rest of your lives.
Even if it was uncomfortable or scary at the time, these
adventures were all part of the college experience ““ and
you’ll cherish them.
To exchange more crazy stories with Noble, e-mail him at
bnoble@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to
viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.