Welcome to orientation. By now, you’ve probably noticed a
few things about UCLA. For one, this isn’t your old high
school. You will find yourself one of hundreds in the typical
lecture hall, one in a hundred on your dorm floor and one of three
in your own room. But don’t let this get you down. While
overcrowding is a fact of life at UCLA, it shouldn’t be seen
as a hindrance to your education but as an opportunity for
diversity and true competition.
Here’s what to expect. When classes begin in the fall, do
not be surprised if you find yourself in a room with stadium
seating. No, it’s not a Lakers’ game, it’s a UCLA
lecture hall. You will most likely have no relationship with your
professor and will only get to know a handful of other students, at
most. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a good, approachable
teaching assistant. And that’s if you’re lucky.
Outside of class, you’ll find your dorm to have all the
amenities of a two star hotel ““ without the room service.
When it comes to room sign ups, your existence is summed up by a
number. “Awesome, I’m 1542!” is a commonly heard
phrase during this time of year. Nameless doors, differentiated
only by three digit numbers, line the halls. Then there’s
your room, your personal haven ““ or should I say, your
personal corner. You will find two strangers ““ also trying to
cope in this $10,000 a year, 15′-by-10′ box ““
severely crowding your 5-foot circle of personal space.
But of course, you can look forward to dinnertime, can’t
you? The promise of a warm plate of sweet and sour chicken or
barbecue beef ribs could brighten up anyone’s day. But wait,
you didn’t think it would be that easy did you? You will have
to wait in absurdly long lines and deal with the lack of tables if
you plan on eating at a decent time. Even dining is a pain.
And don’t forget the bureaucracy. There is absolutely zero
personal interaction when it comes to the nuts and bolts of paying
bills, signing up for classes, and otherwise existing in UCLA. If
you have questions, you need to seek help from the academic
counselors ““ they sure as heck won’t come to you. Plan
to spend several hours waiting for someone who may or may not be
able to help you.
Still, after all these hassles during my year at UCLA, I would
not even consider going anywhere else. The general level of
overcrowding is what you should expect in the sprawl of an urban
city. You cannot escape the parking lot that is the 405 Freeway, or
the lack of parking in Westwood, merely by entering the campus. The
city doesn’t stop at the ivory gates of UCLA.
Overcrowding is a concern that is continually being addressed
and your college experience will only be hindered if you let it
overwhelm you. The glass can be half empty or half full. The sheer
number of people can be seen as an obstacle or as an opportunity to
open your eyes to the differences and similarities in the
world.
Diversity, while not nearly at acceptable levels, is much more
apparent here than in most high schools. There is no perceptible
segregation in dorms or classes. There are only fragmented remnants
of cliques in the mishmash of the dorms and the randomness of
classrooms. Looking back, my floor was composed of as many distinct
viewpoints as there were backgrounds. An opportunity to learn from
all of them was well worth the occasional wait for an open
shower.
And despite class size, I have never felt more motivated to
study harder. This isn’t high school, where you could guess
the grade of every single person in the class before the first
overachiever reached for a pencil. On any given test, every unnamed
individual is capable of blowing you out of the water. The
anonymity creates an atmosphere where invisible pressures drive you
harder. Use this as preparation for the next level. There is no
such thing as a guarantee in the real world. Allow for
self-improvement in the midst of a crowded field of
competition.
The last thing to remember is, to state the obvious, it could be
worse. Before last year, the housing situation was so bad that over
200 students were forced to sleep in study lounges. So for the
35,000 students or so currently attending UCLA, let the next crowd
you get lost in or the next line you’re stuck waiting in be
an opportunity to meet a new friend. As for the incoming freshmen,
all I can say is, welcome to the back of the line.
Moon is a second-year pre-business economics
student.