University of California-Los Angeles Top Questions

Before I came to UCLA, I was frightened. I thought no one would accept me for my zany, eccentric self. Diversity was not rare in my hometown but, still, as a student from Texas moving all the way to California I was fearful about being judged. However, as soon as I arrived at my college I realized that was far from the case. Regardless of my interests or my race, people were willing to hear me out whether they were students or faculty. It didn't even matter that we might not share the same common interests; everyone wanted to simply hear my opinion. Of course, this was a huge relief but, most importantly, from their open mindedness I was able to expand my own horizons. I never considered myself close minded before but, through my college experience, I've learned to greatly appreciate others' knowledge and advice. The diversity and new perspectives my campus and fellow classmates have brought are refreshing and enlightening. We may not see eye to eye all the time but just being able to hear about different aspects of a situation from various minds is what I value most of all about my college experience.

My first year of college has been a roller coaster ride. From the depths of self-pity to the heights of self-confidence, my college experience thus far has revolved greatly around self-discovery. I know it sounds like a cliché, but I have found that you really do learn a lot about yourself and what's important to you n college. I play on club lacrosse at UCLA. For my whole first quarter, I wanted so desperately to make the A-Team (the equivalent of Varsity in high school). Throughout the quarter I was bounced back and forth between the A and B-Teams, which put me in a state of mental turmoil. It felt though as soon as I had what I had worked so hard for, it was snatched right back from me. At the end of the quarter, I was put on B-Team. I was asked to join the A-Team during my first week of second quarter. It had taken time, but I had realized that although the prestige of the A-Team was so inviting, I was truly happy with where I was, playing for the B-Team. I declined the offer.

So far, I have learned that in a hard academic setting, I can still strive.

My college experience has provided me the opportunity to excel as a professional. I have been connected to a network of academic and working professionals in my fields of Environmental Studies and Business Management who have enabled me to excel as a professional and a student. I have been provided with a network of professionals whom rely upon one another for success in academia and individual career paths. It is this team of professional and academic resources that have been most valuable to me in attending college. The teachers, students, and professionals I have worked with have been technical experts in their fields enabling me to become one in mine and have provided me invaluable human resources for networking to find answers and guidence I have needed throughout my educational and professional careers.

Attending college is one of the most memorable experiences in my life. The good, the bad, and the ugly all seem to happen in college, which makes it an irreplaceable training zone for acquiring academic knowledge and personal growth. College is where the 4.0 high school student struggles to even maintain a 3.0 and realizes that school gets harder and requires more effort in order to succeed. College is a giant social playing field that one can easily get lost in with their newfound freedom and without a sense of focus. It teaches one to regain and maintain their focus after it is lost. College provides the diversity that exposes one to differences and allows one to see the value of uniqueness in those differences. One may not know much about themselves and what to expect stepping into college and still may not know much about themselves coming out. However, the value of college isn't just measured by a student's future income but lies in the value of their life. College has changed my perspective on life and how to live life so that I can become successful eventhough I may only be making ends meet.

Attending and graduating from San Diego Mesa College with my Associates degree in Business Management has been invaluable to what will be a very successful future. My experience there has given me confidence and a support system.

So far, I've learned to be more independent and responsible. At college, there's no one to tell you what to do or enforce you to complete your tasks, so you have to have the motivation to do it yourself. This has been incredibly valuable for me because it's helped me realized that the real world requires me making my own choices and going through the consequences of the decisions I made. Though independence is an integral part of the college experience, another important thing I've learned is working with other people. In my classes and extracurricular activities, I've met many people who have different views from me. It's important that I respect them and work well with them regardless of our differences. The same will hold true for any job or activity one does in life, so it's been valuable for me to gain more experience working with a diverse group of people in college.

After emigrating from war-torn Laos, my dad came to America and enrolled in college, but he also needed to work to finance his education. However, balancing both his studies and a 40-hour work schedule became a struggle. He chose to continue his job as a waiter in order to save up money for my and my brother’s college fund. My mom attended The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising; however, she had to withdraw because she could not afford the cost of tuition. From parent’s experiences, I learned to value the importance of my education because their sacrifices and hard work gave me the opportunity to attend college. In addition, attending college was extremely valuable to me because Thai individuals like me are historically underrepresented in higher education. My experiences at UCLA cemented my desire to receive a graduate degree in anthropology, enhanced my commitment to become an anthropological archaeologist, and helped me to understand the difficulties faced by those who lack the accessibility, affordability, and resources to higher education. Furthermore, I have come to embrace the unique facets of my Thai-Chinese American identity that I have long been disconnected from during my childhood years.

Coming out of high school, I thought of college as just another stepping stone in life. It was just more school, more classes, and more books. Little did I know, I would meet lifelong friends at UCLA, and I would develop a concrete idea of who I was and who I wanted to become. College is a microcosm of the real world. It taught me to juggle academics with a social life and work. It taught me time management skills that I otherwise lacked when I was in high school. Most importantly, I was away from my parents and my family, so I was forced to learn how to be independent, to become an adult. I feel that college was extremely valueable to attend because it was an important transition from teenager to adulthood. Furthermore, I was surrounded by others who were experiencing the same transition, and because of this shared experience, many of these people became friends that I know I can rely on for the rest of my life.

I learned that you can't just rely on your brain to get through college. You can survive college by hardwork alone --without the brains part. Everyone in college is smart, and there will always be one person smarter than you. The only way you can succeed beyond your competition is if you're more hard working than they are. You must have that drive and motivation to accomplish your goals. I have learned that college is about setting your own personal goals. I know that I've grown as an adult during my time in college. I've had to make a lot of sacrifices for my academic studies but it was well worth it. Studying in college has allowed me to be my own person and not depend on my anyone else to accomplish my goals. Every mistake, every success, and everything you do is on your own here at college. It's a valuable lesson in which students will learn how to stand on their own two feet. Sure, times may be discouraging but the accomplishments outweigh the bad times so much more.