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Published: Monday, June 29, 1998

Monday, June 29, 1998

HELP: Making transition to college life can be easy if you follow simple steps

By Michelle Navarro

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Welcome to college. Welcome to flavored coffee, four hours of sleep, study sessions, canned food, evenings with Jack Daniels, 25-cent Diddy Reese cookies and 101 ways to jaywalk. If these things already sound familiar ... great, the transition won't be so terrible. If not, read on.

Someone once said experience is the best teacher. While that may be true and the cliche used oh-so-many times with the folks, it was also said that a little advice never hurt.

So here it is.

This time Mom and Dad may not know what to say. Only those who have endured at least one year of campus life could be donned with such invaluable knowledge. And now that a fresh new batch of students has set foot on the blessed concrete, the Bruin gurus would like to offer their advice.

Academia

For those who relied on common knowledge, one night of studying and extra credit to pull them through the glory days of high school, those times are over. Here everyone knows the game, everyone wants to be one-up from the rest and everyone was in the top of their high school class.

"Prepare to study; prepare to read your things," warned Jerry Lopez, a first-year undeclared student.

At UCLA you actually have to work, no matter what side of the campus you are on. It may mean reading 100 pages of organic chemistry or writing a 10-page paper (not essay) on why the speakers in two of T.S. Eliot's poems aren't comfortable with eroticism. Either way, procrastination means death by loss of sleep. It's cruel.

Time is catalogued by hours - only 33 hours left to write a term paper on the outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns sea stars and five more hours to study for the economics midterm. In college, studying is an art that one must master. It takes great skill to utilize those precious hours of time to the fullest.

One of the most important factors affecting the quality of studying is location.

"Try a lot of different places and find what works for you," said Stephanie Kettner, a first-year undeclared student.

If even the noise of crickets tends to gnaw at the nerves, try the reading room in Powell Library. Granted it's one of the most crowded places, but at least there are a few rows of study carrolls to provide a little isolation from the surrounding steaming brains.

The University Research Library (URL) is a place for those who crave to be alone when studying. The only downfall is that it is always three degrees Celsius in there, so you may need to bring a parka.

"I'm a big fan of URL because not many people go there, especially the fifth floor," said Brad Brauer, a second-year electrical engineering student.

"I like Covel Commons," said Amy Goetz, a first-year undeclared student. "The low hum in the big study lounge keeps me awake, but at the same time I can't hear the conversations."

The lounge in Covel is convenient because it's practically rubbing elbows with the residence halls, but it may get a bit noisy. If that isn't problem, might as well try going down to Westwood to Jerry's Famous Deli - one of the few student-friendly commercial businesses in UCLA's "college town."

"You can get one coke at 8 o' clock, and study there the whole night and get free refills," noted John Brittingham, a second-year undeclared student.

As for class, a.k.a. lecture, that's a different story. Showing up is merely an option, and if one has actually managed to crawl into the lecture hall - make sure the title teacher is dropped and Professor or Doctor is used in its place. Never make that mistake - the professors won't, come grading time.

Falling asleep is also an option, but snoring and drooling aren't recommended. If narcolepsy can't be helped, bring a recorder to tape the lecture. Otherwise, don't bother. Who wants to hear about glycolysis a second time? Only the demented will take joy in such sick torture.

If the book and the lecture don't explain something well enough, go to office hours. It may be intimidating at first to talk to the lecture-god, but after a while the realization that they are human and like to play ultimate frisbee too will make it a whole lot easier.

"Talk to your TAs and professors, it helps if they know your name," said Stephanie Stuart, a second-year political science student and freshman orientation counselor.

Dorm life

Dorms. Gotta love 'em, gotta hate 'em. On one hand, it's home. On the other hand, it's home to someone else too - the roommate.

This may get sticky. Of course, luck may deliver that long-lost best friend for a roomie, or luck can turn its back and let hell's fury through the dorm room door. It could go either way. Perhaps the best way to handle that situation is to heed Kettner's valuable piece of advice.

"It's easier when you guys talk," Kettner admitted, "but your roommate doesn't have to be your best friend."

There are countless horror stories about first-year roommates. Just remember that both paid equally for that room; don't let one dominate or control what goes on in there. Privacy is out the door, but you don't have to be too.

On the up-side, all the times spent in the hall or the floor lounge, when being in the room is too painful, are good opportunities to meet others in similar unfavorable roommate situations.

"Stay in the dorms for two years, you'll meet more people," recommended Brauer. "Yeah, the food sucks but if you leave, you'll end up eating out all the time and spending a lot of money."

Dorm hall doors are made to stay open for a reason - so everyone else on the floor can invade. Take advantage of that, because chances are everyone there is a freshman and is going through the same thing. Support can prove helpful at the end of the quarter (finals).

At the same time, know how to kick everyone out when the end of the quarter rolls around - or else that may be your last quarter.

What about food? Today - chicken-fried steak and potatoes, tomorrow - chicken surprise and mashed potatoes. Get the picture?

Campus life

A life, it's good to have one. Whether it be wearing greek letters or playing the trumpet with that Solid Gold Sound, do something.

"Get involved, it's the best way to meet people," Stuart said. "Find out what resources are there for you. I just found out that my reg fees pay for a lot of things I never knew."

The UCLA grounds are full of clubs and resources that are available to students, it would be insane not to make use of them. Not to mention if students didn't involve themselves, nothing could operate.

And, the other campus life ... to each his own. From bowling to chugging, that life is what each student makes of it. College is also a place to learn about people and how everyone fits into the scheme of things. For some it will be a wake up call, for others it will be old news. Both types are here on this campus, and both paths will cross.

It's a whole other learning process no one can teach about. It just comes with getting to know those around the campus.

However there is one word of caution Brauer wanted to share about that.

"If you want to meet people," he said, "don't be an electrical engineer."