Freshman year means exploration

To Orientation … and beyond!

Congratulations, you’ve gotten into one of the best institutions in the world ““ now brace yourself for a world-class challenge. Getting in is just the first of many hurdles you’ll have to jump through as you embark on your journey through college. So, let’s get it right from the start.

Orientation can feel pretty disorienting as you’re bombarded with information about every possible facet of college life, so don’t rely on it to be your guide to life at UCLA, and don’t try to remember, or follow, everything you’re told. If this is your first time away from home, you’ll likely feel tempted to do exactly what you’re told and spend hours flipping aimlessly through that dense general catalog struggling to find classes.

You can reduce your stress and save yourself some time by ignoring the detailed catalog and by simply looking at the list of GE requirements. You can use bruinwalk.com to double-check ratings of professors, although you shouldn’t expect to get classes that are all easy or have outstanding professors. First quarter, take three General Education courses, a Fiat Lux freshman seminar, and maybe one other one- or two-unit class that’s just for fun ““ like one of the numerous performance classes in the music department.

Do not take classes in subject areas you think you will find difficult even if you’re told to start a particular series, like chemistry. It’s naive and even foolish to think you know exactly what you want to do when you haven’t gotten a taste for at least a few different subjects, and starting a series means you’re already determined to follow a certain academic path.

Both GEs and Fiat Lux classes should give you a better idea of what to expect in a given subject area. The latter can be hit or miss, but remember, you can always drop a class within the first two weeks if you find it completely dull.

What most new students don’t realize is that it takes more time to acclimate to college than they expect. I’m about to start my third year and sometimes I still feel as new as a freshman.

You’re likely coming out of high school at the top of your class thinking that college will be more easygoing, but it is wiser that you go easy on yourself so you can gauge how difficult college will be for you, and so you can develop that important life skill of time management.

You also don’t have to worry if you miss your enrollment appointment time or can’t get into a class you want, especially since the classes you will be enrolling in are GEs. During the first week of school, many students drop classes and sometimes professors add everyone on the waiting list.

So what are you going to do with all those hours you saved by not painstakingly reading the catalog or worrying about URSA? I suggest looking at the summer schedule of classes and attending a lecture that piques your interest or a class you might take later, like that chemistry class you’re not taking your first quarter.

After lecture, approach the professor with any questions you might have. Most professors are very willing to help new students. But if you expect to be awake for your lecture the next morning, then skip Carpe Noctem, which is scavenger hunt around the UCLA campus that lasts until 3 a.m.

If you need to skip the campus tour to attend a class, I say go for it. You’ll be seeing the campus all the time anyway, but lectures are relatively rare events.

As first-years, you have the difficult task of discovering your passion without pigeonholing yourself. You may fancy yourself a pre-med now but later realize you should be studying English. It’s almost the same dilemma when you were trying to get into college.

Often you must be well rounded but angular at the same time. Don’t decide on a major too quickly, but don’t wait until it’s too late either, since some majors have pre-requisites that cannot be completed after your second-year. Look for your niche but diversify as well. This goes for picking a major as well as joining student groups and organizations. Your first instincts may tell you to join a student group that’s familiar to you, maybe a group you were in during high school.

You should certainly foster your passions from high school, but make sure you also join at least one new group or engage in one activity that you’ve never tried before. It’s a great way to learn something new, and you might even find something you enjoy.

If you really want to carpe noctem, or seize the night ““ and all your college days for that matter ““ get some rest, go to class and learn about something new. You’re on your own at last and it’s up to you to take advantage of Orientation by making smart and independent choices. Your future really does begin here, now and at UCLA.

E-mail Nijhawan at anijhawan@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.

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