Some years ago I posted a thread with tips for succeeding at UCLA, things I wish someone had told me before I started. I thought I’d revise and repost, also hopefully there will be some replies/advice from more recent students.
Short-term tips
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Buy books early. “Early” means sooner than the weekend before classes begin. More classes these days use digital or online books, but if your class still has physical books get them early before they sell out. They order enough for those enrolled but those on waitlists often buy the books too and they can sell out.
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Walk to all your classes before the term begins so you know where they are. New students often aren’t sure where their buildings are, and even when you find the right building the room numbering scheme is not always logical. You don’t want to be rushing around, ending up 10 minutes late and sitting on the floor because all the seats are taken; people on the waitlist or just hoping to enroll will go to class too.
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Make a calendar. Make a grid for the week on a sheet of paper and fill in your class times and location. Then when you get the syllabi for your classes add the office hours of your profs and TAs. Carry this sheet with you and you’ll have a handy reference telling you where to go get help or when that next class is. I also recommend a larger wall calendar where you can write dates like midterms, papers due, etc.
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Introduce yourself to lots of people. They’re new and they are just as anxious as you are. Just because someone looks calm and assured doesn’t mean they feel that way inside; it may be just their “game” face. If you see a familiar face (or group of people) from the dorms while on campus, walk over and introduce yourself. They’re looking to meet people too. The start of the year is not the time to immerse yourself in computer games or surfing the net, its the time to get to know fellow students
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It’s natural to be nervous about college. Don’t let yourself be intimidated by others who act like UCLA is going to be a breeze. True story – in a chem class my first quarter a few people sitting near me were looking over the syllabus and remarking a little too loudly how their HS chem class had covered all the material, how this class was one for sure they’d ace, and so on. My HS was not that strong academically and I knew I was screwed. Although discouraged I tried hard so I’d at least pass and not go on probation. To my surprise I got an A on the first midterm and in the class. The guys sitting near me? Some dropped the class, and the rest complained of getting B’s and C’s on the midterm. Their talk was just bravado to reassure themselves.
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Learn to study better. In 12 years of school I bet they never spent an hour talking about how to learn. Many people who get into UCLA did well in HS thru native smarts. Now everyone is as smart as you. You will have to step it up a notch. And in fact some of the leading research on better learning is done at UCLA! See Research | Bjork Learning and Forgetting Lab and The nine secrets of learning If interested in more depth read the book “Make It Stick”.
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Hit the ground running in your classes. The pace on the quarter system is quick, and you’ll be having miderms before you know it. Everyone tells you this, and it’s really true. The usual expectation for a college class is that for every hour in class you’ll spend 2 or 3 hours outside of class with studying, office hours, and homework. Also keep in mind the lectures are intended to explain material you’ve already been studying, not present it for the first time. That’s why they pass out the syllabus the first day of class; you are expected to do the reading for each lecture before class. Also don’t be too surprised if you’re in some dark corner of a library and stumble across someone who is always bragging about how they never have to study, well, studying. For some reason people prefer to give others the impression they’re so bright they don’t even have to work to pass.
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Sign up for workshops and tutoring. Look for announcements in the Daily Bruin or posted in the dorms. One list at https://caac.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Tutoring-Resources-Handout-2020_10-27.pdf has some free tutoring opportunities especially with writing.
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Optionally, read other books about preparing for college An example is “The Everything College Survival Book”. Books such as these will give you tips on dealing with money, roomates, social life, and so on. You’ll probably hear a lot of this in orientation too.
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discuss “ground rules” up front with your new roomate(s). Your RA will normally talk about this in a floor meeting, and it’s a good idea. Many people aren’t used to sharing their room at home with someone else in their family, let alone 1 or 2 strangers. Talking up front about various situations such as parties, drinking, borrowing things, “sexiling”, etc. may feel awkward but its better than just remaining silent and hoping things will work out. You don’t need to etch rules in stone, you can revisit them later as circumstances change. Keep in mind you don’t have to be best friends with your roomates, although in many cases roomates are also friends. Housing isn’t in the business of assigning friends, they’re assigning housing. What is important is that you all treat each other with respect.
Random Musings
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Make backups. Mom and Dad may have typed up papers and done homework by hand, but a lot of what you do is going to be electronic. Electronic things have a nasty habit of dying when they’ve accumulated enough of your info to make it really unpleasant. Sometimes they’re lost or stolen. So make sure you have backups of data from your computer.
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Take pics (and add captions). You’ll want to remember these years down the road, so take snapshots of your friends, where you lived, even places you liked around campus. I can almost guarantee that the place you loved to get a cup of coffee every morning on the way to class will be remodeled or gone a decade or two hence. And with digital pics its easy to take a few seconds to add a meaningful caption about why you’re taking the picture and list who is in it. Trust me, you’ll forget.
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Get gifts for your younger siblings. Even if you fought like cats & dogs, they are going to miss you. Ok, maybe it’ll take a few weeks. But you’ve been a part of their life for as long as they can remember, and now you’re gone. Send home a t-shirt or something with the logo splashed on it. I’ll bet they wear it to school and brag about their big sis or bro at UCLA.
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Exercise regularly. The “freshman 15” is no myth when you’re in cafeterias and you can take all you want. Exercise will help keep you fit. It’s also a great way to burn off some stress and recharge your batteries. UCLA rec has classes at all levels in both sports and general exercise classes, and there are wonderful facilities on campus. You’re paying for them thru your student fees. Use them!
The Longer View
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Take charge of your life. UCLA is an immense place so you need to get involved to make it enjoyable. The school is a hotbed of activities. Whether you pledge the greek system, work in student government, join some clubs, write for the Daily Bruin, work as a tutor or volunteer, attend plays or talks, go with friends to concerts or to watch your Bruin teams compete, there are just so many ways to be active. But there is one key thing. Nobody is going to call you and beg you to join their group. Opportunities are there galore, but you have to take the first step. See the list of over 1200 clubs at Clubs, Organizations and Recreation | UCLA and don’t miss the actities fair in Sept. Check the Daily Bruin and bulletin boards to find out about events on campus.
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Most limits on your achievement come from what you do (or don’t do). This fall, like every fall, there are going to be lots of students who start out pre-med or pre biz-econ or in other tough majors but who will give up in a year or two. “I just don’t have the talent for it” they lament. However psychologists have been researching top achievers in many fields and what they’re finding may surprise you. A leading researcher was Anders Ericsson. “It’s complicated explaining how genius or expertise is created and why it’s so rare,” says Ericsson. “But it isn’t magic, and it isn’t born. It happens because some critical things line up so that a person of good intelligence can put in the sustained, focused effort it takes to achieve extraordinary mastery. And the one thing they always have is this incredible investment of effort.”
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Reach out for help when needed. For better or worse, you are attending a large state U. You just aren’t going to get the personal attention and focus that comes as part of the package at a small LAC or expensive smaller U. There are resources out there that can help (RA’s, profs, counselors, tutors, advisors, deans, etc) but you’re going to have to go to them. People care, really they do, but they don’t go around stopping people at random on Bruin Walk and asking how they can help. If you have a problem or question, figure out who can help and then go see that person. If you don’t know who can help, start by finding THAT answer. Your RA or the returning students on your floor can be a good starting point. If, for example, you’re not sure about career goals the folks at the career center are more than happy to help, but you can wait until a usc diploma is worth a nickel for them to call you (in other words, ain’t gonna happen).
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Get to know some of your profs. You may someday want recs for grad school or an employer and you want them to know more about you than just the grade you got. Profs aren’t going to invite you to stop by for a chat or to come over to dinner the way they might at a LAC. But they hold office hours each and every week, and you’d be surprised how many people never go except to argue about the grading on a midterm or paper. UCLA profs are tops in their field and can be a good source of advice in choosing a major, choosing classes, choosing a graduate school, etc. But you need to take the initiative to go to office hours.
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It’s never too early to start exploring what you’ll do after UCLA. Sure, plenty of people think they know what they want. Many students who enter college with the idea of being a pre-med don’t go to med school. And people who blindly pick a career area without sampling it first sometimes regret it; for example Forbes reported that 38% of the lawyers they surveyed regretted their career choice. So if you think you know what you want to do start testing that idea, and if you don’t know then begin exploring some areas. You can take career testing, talk with alums (the alumni center has lists of alums happy to talk to you about their field), do job shadowing, volunteer, do an internship, to name just a few ways. UCLA has lots of resources to help you do all of this, but (have you heard this before?) you’re going to have to make the effort to take advantage of them.