Welcome to 2003. UCLA has changed.
The freshmen class of 2004 can look forward to things like
excessive tuition fees, the upgrade of bills to e-bills, the
withdrawal of plans to complete the children’s hospital this
year, the construction zones around Royce Hall that appear to
grow larger every day, the “space-design” contests UCLA
seems to offer each year on how to fit more students into its
dormitories, the strictly enforced safety and security measures
with apparent cracks, steadily increasing prices for soon
outdated textbooks, the re-designed MyUCLA Webmail that doubles and
triples the same e-mail and changes its mind as to whether it
prefers your UCLA ID and pin number or your BOL address every once
in a while, the Northern Lights policy to charge you fifteen cents
to fill your library cup with hot water, and, of course,
don’t forget UCLA’s incredible parking options.
But I always love to come back. During the holidays I realized
what a vibrant, diverse and always bubbling-over campus UCLA is.
This university boasts many innovative programs and incredible
resources.
For example, when speaking with my relatives over break, I
jokingly complained about “that demanding philosophy class
that makes students realize that the more they read, the less they
understand and the less they know.” My college-educated
relatives graduated in the top percentage of their classes,
focusing four years on their field of specialty: business.
Certainly a philosophy class was not included in their course
plan.
What a shame.
Philosophy can be very upsetting (nothing is right, and nothing
is wrong), but it can be quite inspirational. Philosophy can force
you to consider the most bizarre possibilities and options, such as
“two plus two does not equal four.” Suddenly, a
conversation with a tax consultant like my uncle can be very
interesting.
Thousands of books and periodicals, important special
collections, brilliant professors, and other distinguished
globetrotters challenge us at UCLA with their unlimited appetite
for knowledge. In case you have not noticed yet, exposing students
to higher education was the initial reason that UCLA was built. Its
innovative collection of knowledge and facts take sail on calm
seas, bellying on strong winds.
We get four years (the lucky ones get five) to embark on a
journey through chartered waters and to ultimately anchor onto safe
shores. Eventually, we will lift anchor, explore unknown seas, and
steer onto exotic lands in sight. There is so much to see!
Maybe you think philosophical discussions will not be useful in
your chosen waters, but think of the sweet times back in high
school. We were served a palette of biology, algebra, English, U.S.
history and physical education that many of us considered bland.
Dutifully, we read the assigned chapters, looked up vocabulary, and
copied our science teacher’s demonstration during lab. And
the next year our underclassmen would do the same. We were
astounding masters in memorizing letters, words, equations and
mysterious symbols. We graduated, warped and brainwashed, with the
same uniform ideas, concepts, thoughts and qualities.
But UCLA is sort of a blank slate. We are being weaned off the
specificity of guidelines and education-by-the-book. This is both
an opportunity and a potential pitfall. The opportunity should be
fairly obvious: You get to learn, explore, discover interests, and
prove your extensive analytical skills.
However, it is also an opportunity for the deadly sin of sloth.
Beware of laziness. Laziness is rampant like a spreading virus
among us, turning students into sleep-walking zombies dabbling in
the obvious. Classes can take you on a truly compelling mental
journey. They may not give you the meaning of life, but they go
beyond the plain.
Don’t forget that UCLA is about the pursuit of learning.
You can make your time here more productive and take advantage of
UCLA’s incredibly diverse programs. Take a stroll through the
sculpture garden. Peak through the telescope on the roof of the
Math Sciences Building. Attend a concert, a rally, a workshop or a
play.
So, you can cower back into your nutshell and drift along with
the books and the grades, or you can break out of the conventional
and shout out something new at the top of your lungs.
E-mail Colleen with your comments at cyorke@media.ucla.edu.