University of California-Los Angeles Top Questions

I spent most of my undergraduate career involved in student organizations dedicated to advocating for and increasing awareness of issues affecting the my cultural community that I had not found growing up. It laid the foundation for my understanding of community and my understanding of the needs of that community. My involvements have developed me into a socially conscious individual regarding immigrant issues, youth issues, education issues, and health issues. I canme from an extremely small high school and UCLA's environment taught me to be independent, passionate, persistent, motivated, and self sufficient in making my UCLA experience the best it could be. The experiences outside of the classroom were equally if not more important to me than my classes themselves. It gave me a holistic outlook on current national and global issues. Ultimately, of any college that I could have been able to attend, UCLA was the best decision for me, so much so that I will continue my masters degree at the same school and can only hope to remain here to finish my doctorate when the time comes.

As I prepare to go into my junior year at the University of California Los Angeles, it is hard to believe that I am already halfway through my undergraduate education. These past two years at UCLA have been the most fun and fulfilling years I have experienced thus far. The great friends I have made and the fun times I have had are enough to have made my time at UCLA valuable. However, of course, I view what I have learned academically to be very valuable as well. I often find myself challenged, and, although sometimes stressed, I believe that all the hard work and effort I put into my schoolwork at UCLA is worth it. When I finish an academic quarter I feel a sense of accomplishment wash over me. I am proud to be able to receive a degree from such an academically prestigious school, but it is not just the name of the university on my diploma that has made my college experience valuable. UCLA is a well-rounded school with an inviting atmosphere and a proud school-spirited student body of which I am thankful to be a part of.

Having almost finished my freshman year, I would have to say that what I've gotten most out of my college experience so far would have to be the relationships I've made. In winter quarter, I joined Sigma AEPi, a Jewish sorority on campus, and they have all helped me get through this tough freshman year. Despite the fact that I'm one of two freshman in the group, the older girls have served as mentors for me and have offered advice that I know I will use when I become an upperclassmen. In addition, I have made connections with my professors this year that I didn't think I would have if you would have asked me over ther summer. Coming into UCLA, I was shy when talking to teachers/TAs, but this quarter I really connected with my English professor. She truly showed me the meaning of the phrase "professors don't bite" and offered me advice/help you in her classes. That English professor showed me that the possibilities are limitless at UCLA and if I apply myself, I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to.

It has been better than I expected coming into college. College has provided me with an amazing and unique experience inside and outside the classroom. Students are generally mature and are able to hold engaging conversations that delve into both practical and abstract concepts alike. College classes are also applicable to life after college and often overlap with other classes that I am taking to create a complete learning experience.

UCLA has given me the opportunity to grow personally and intellectually throughout my college years. I have grown personally through my interactions with people from different cultures and gained new perspectives on issues I never considered to discuss. Living away from home has allowed me to grow more independent and responsible. I had to take care of my bills and bought groceries, which was something I took for granted when I lived with my parents. In addition to my personal growth, I have also grown intellectually as I majored in Applied Mathematics and a minor in Statistics. One of the reasons for my attending UCLA is the fact that it is a large research university that holds knowledgeable professors who excel in their field of research. Attending UCLA has been valuable because I not only learned life lessons but I am also able to apply the concepts learned in my field of study to my line of work. I utilize the programming and analytical skills I learned as a student to apply it to my job as an Associate Economist, where I assist in labor practice audits and perform statistical analyses.

The college experience is very scary and fast paced. At the same time it can be enriching. I learned that not everyone is working against you. They want you to succeed. The professors have been throught what we are learning. They tell stories of the hospitals and let us know what to prepare for. When we prepare for clinicals they give us real life examples and what toe expect in the hospita. I've learned a lot being in college and I find something new everyday. I enjoy being in school and learning my trade. I've learned how to take care of my body as well as my future patients. Being in college has been valuable to me because I almost didn't have this chance. I had a brain tumor my senior year and I wasn't sure of graduating, let alone, college. School has changed my life. Since I've been in school it has motivated me to push forward and continue my education at a 4-year university. If I didn't attend college life would be hard, especially in this economy. Being in school is helping me to find my self and my purpose.

At UCLA, I have learned so much about myself. I moved away from home to go to UCLA in hopes that I would find my niche and my own identity. It is through the various opportunities that was open to me such as tutoring and mentoring students from the under-served communities that I found my passion to be a social worker. I used to have low self-esteem and was confused about what I wanted to do career wise. I would find that my source of unhappiness was built from expectations I had from family and friends. I learned that what was making me unhappy and confused was the feeling of being torn from what I wanted to do and what my family and friends had hoped for me. Instead, I would find happiness and fulfillment with my involvement as a camp counselor, tutor and mentor. Being at UCLA even helped me realize that being a doctor was not meant for me. Thanks to my experiences at UCLA, I learned to challenge that self image I had of myself and become more positive and I plan to send the message to students who doubt themselves to follow their dreams.

I've found college to very valuable and a great place to learn and achieve. I've really enjoy the experiences I had in Kingsborough Community College. As a high school student, I remembered saying to myself "I would never want to go college, what is college good for anyway?" "What is college really going to do for my life?" Well, my perspectives now are far different after attending a 2-year college. I started as a Liberal Arts major and then switched to Biology, I ultimately want to become a Radiologist Physician. I've learn many things in college that I found quite interesting and also valuable at the same time. The materials I've learned in college were nothing compared to High School. I found High School boring because I never used to understand what the instructors are trying to convey. College is a different atmosphere, I find learning a lot more comprehensive and fascinating. I've matured throughout these years in Kingsborough, I?ve learned morals, concepts, and values in life that have changed me, but yet will always stay with me as I move on. I truly want to take my education to a higher level.

Academics and culture have always been two areas I excelled in. I was good at everything, but didn't know what to do. My experiences at UCLA, however, both in and out of the classroom, have helped me to discover my true passions while simultaneously expanding the breadth and depth of my knowledge. English literature and theatre have always been my primary interests, and what I learned in my Shakespeare classes, my acting classes, and as President of Shakespeare at UCLA helped me to realize where these allied fields diverge. Because I was able to get practical experience with both academic research and theatrical productions, I was inspired to develop a new approach to theatre that preserves the intellectual integrity of the text while remaining theatrical and entertaining. Too often literary scholars analyze Shakespeare into oblivion, and too often directors and actors ignore the basic meanings of his words. As I begin my post-graduate career and studies, I tingle with anticipation of uniting the two to create theatre that is all it can be. Thanks, UCLA!

My college experience has definately been eye opening. I knew there was hard work ahead of me, but I had no idea of the intense work load that I would now have. My first couple of months at UCLA have been unbelieveable, I have learned more about myself than I did the four years in high school. It is so easy to fall in to a routine in high school, but that is impossible here because there is always something new going on. There aren't parents and teachers behind your back constantly reminding you of what you have to do and how you have to do it. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING has to be done completely on your own now, if you want to be the best, you have to fight to be the best. I've learned the true meaning of devotion and time management, without it I couldn't survive here!