A nice break from busy

May 14, 2013 – 9:00 am

Fifth and sixth weeks are by far the busiest of the quarter!  Over the past two weeks I have written 14 pages worth of English papers, taken 3 midterms, and read 5 novels!  Between fifth and sixth weeks was Relay for Life (which was incredible!) and sixth week was USAC elections (meaning lots of flyers and little sleep).  I haven’t regretted a single moment of my busy schedule.  Relay for Life was a wonderful bonding experience for my friends and I and UCLA has new student body leaders (I did my fair share of pestering people to vote). Seventh week is a nice break.  I finally have time to catch up the sleep I missed due to Relay and Elections and I don’t have any midterms left to worry about.

The weather has been so nice these last few days that my friends and I were able to take a spontaneous trip to Santa Monica on Sunday night for some night swimming and Monday night I was able to go on a nice night run.  Running is a great stress reliever and it got cool enough at 8pm that I was able to go on a relaxing 2.5 mile run.

Campus is so pretty at night.  Towards the end of my run, I took a rest on Janss steps, did some sit-ups, and then just laid in the grass as took in the scenery.  It was so relaxing.  I don’t remember the last time I felt so peaceful.

Night runners on campus are apart of a club, a secret society if you will.  There are a decent number of people who go running at night, but not as many as during the day or work out at the gym.  I always thought that running in LA would not be as fun as it was back home, but it definitely can be!  It all depends on where you run! Normally I run the perimeter, but there a lot of interesting places to run!

All in all, seventh week has gotten off to a good start!  I’m counting down the days to summer when I can run and relax all I want!

By Hannah Bernosky | Posted in Academics, Life off campus, Life on campus | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Self-study Abroad

May 13, 2013 – 8:31 am

I am done with school. More or less. I am still working on a research project I’m doing through my program, but all the other classes are totally terminé. I have now spent eight months in France doing lots of eating, a solid bit of traveling, and next to no schoolwork. This is, of course, not to say that I did not have any “study” in my study abroad experience, but I think that the name generally leads people to believe that us study abroaders are doing most of our learning in the classroom (which is just absolutely not the case). Sure, there are people who do enjoy and benefit from their classes. I even use the knowledge I gained during my French linguistics class on a biweekly basis. But one’s time in a foreign country features quite a bit more self-study and reflection. Without the handy extracurriculars of home campus and the quarterly events like Spring Sing, study abroad students are allowed a lot of time to sit and ponder their humanity. I think that during the first semester, I averaged around three existential crises a day. Last October, I watched more TV than I have ever watched in a single month, and I began to worry my host mom with all of the conversations I had aloud with myself. By second semester, first semester’s long and often bizarre road to self-discovery led me to a sunny patch where I could thoroughly enjoy the country I was living in because I was so thoroughly enjoying being myself. Sure, I enjoyed me back in LA, but how could I not when I spent my days strolling through the botanical gardens? Spending a semester in France showed me who I was when I didn’t have the luxury of weekly treks through the palm court of Bunche or delicious lunches from Cafe 1919.

And like I said, second semester was really one giant, comfy, sunny patch. Never has there been a period of time where I have found so much pleasure in eating food or starting new fun habits. The doodling I was doing in my school notebooks became increasingly stunning. Larger scenes, more detail, feeling! With my friends, too, I had become so happy, so satisfied. Everyone I talked to had something to teach me. I was hardly in a classroom, and, in fact, my courses were anything but intellectual (remember my puppeteering class?), yet day by day I could feel myself becoming more and more in tune with my academic interests. I was living in a party, one that was filled with beautiful, yummy, informative things.

And I suppose that’s what study abroad is. It isn’t about learning a foreign language or taking classes in another university system. It isn’t about getting to know a foreign culture or meeting the locals. It’s about meeting you, getting to know your own culture. It’s about having talks in your head, becoming fluent in your own voice. And it took me a while to see that and understand that, but now I know that what I learned about myself this year abroad was something I could not have found in a classroom back at UCLA.

It took me leaving to know exactly why I am more excited than ever to go back. So here I come, senior year. I know I will love you as much as I love me.

By Charley Guptill | Posted in Academics, Life off campus | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Journey to STOMP Conference

May 10, 2013 – 8:02 am
By UCLA Undergraduate Admissions | Posted in Academics, Life on campus | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Election Season at UCLA

May 9, 2013 – 8:11 am

I normally don’t associate UCLA with politics, but for one week during Spring quarter its all about elections. Every year in spring there are elections held for student government positions in USAC (Undergraduate Student Association Council). The positions range from traditional labels such as President, to more specific departments such as Academic Affairs Commissioner. Similar to political elections, the students running participate in debates, campaigning, and designing platforms. I have never been a super political person but its borderline impossible to not get involved during election week. The great thing about USAC elections is they are not associated with any traditional political parties, but rather UCLA specific concerns. The students do often collaborate into parties such as Bruin’s United and Let’s Act, but their platforms are based on student issues. It is a great way to not only learn about issues on campus but to actually have a voice in how UCLA runs events and other student activities. Bruin Walk is always enthusiastic with people passing out flyers and advertising their student groups but election week takes this to an entire new level. Students fill the walkways discussing issues and campaigning for their favorite candidates. Student passion for UCLA truly shines through during this week on campus. Another fun part of student elections is knowing the candidates personally and helping friends campaign. Bruins are incredibly hard working and the time and effort put into their election efforts is incredible! This year I was closer to the process and have seen how dedicated the candidates are to improving our already phenomenal school. A lot of students at UCLA were part of student government in high school and love the opportunity to continue their campus involvement at the collegiate level. Student elections are just another part of campus life that brings Bruins together and makes our school even more spirited.

By Rebecca Winkle | Posted in Life on campus | Tagged , | Comments (2)

The “perks” of living in Los Angeles

May 8, 2013 – 1:58 pm

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This weekend my sorority celebrated Mother’s Day a little early by having our own “Mom’s Day,” where we invited all of our mothers to a trip to Warner Bros. studios with us where we took a VIP backlot tour. Warner Bros. studios is located in Burbank, CA which is only about a 20 minute drive from Westwood. It was founded way back in 1923 when Hollywood was just becoming a popular place to film movies and less people lived in the LA area so it was completely doable for them to purchase a 32-acre lot just to make movies and television (nowadays, not so much).

During the tour we got to see and learn about a ton of cool things! I myself am a huge “Pretty Little Liars” fan, so being able to see  Rosewood, the main town in the show was super cool! Of course, I had to take a picture in front of Rosewood High School and pretend I was a pretty little liar myself. We also got the amazing opportunity to see the real-life set of  Central Perk, the coffee shop from the popular sitcom “Friends,” that the main characters are always in. The tour guide told us that people come from all over the world to take this tour only so they can see and be in this coffee shop. Being able to take a picture on the couch of this set with my mom was super amazing, especially since “Friends” is one of her favorite shows. We also got to see the set of Ellen and we went to a really cool museum with props and costumes from different Warner Bros. movies and shows, like Inception, Batman, and a whole entire floor for Harry Potter.  Everything we saw was actually used in the movies and shows!

After a really great day at Warner Bros. with my mom, I am even more stoked to go home for Mother’s Day this weekend and to see their latest film, The Great Gatsby!

By Jamie Campbell | Posted in Life off campus | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Ultimate De-Stresser: Wooden Center

May 3, 2013 – 8:10 am

 

There is no doubt that the academic aspects of college can be tough at times. No matter what school you attend Midterm and Final season brings out the stress monster in us all. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to deal with this stress, my personal favorite being Wooden Gym. Wooden is a place where Bruins can let their minds step away from the books and sweat it out. Wooden has a huge variety of fitness resources to choose from. My personal favorite is the different group classes that are offered. Students get free admission to Wooden through there tuition and for only 25$ you can purchase a group pass for the quarter!

Group passes get into any class on the list. The classes range from cardio kickboxing to total body workouts. There are even classes that take place in the pool. A lot of students come to college worrying about the curse of the freshman fifteen but UCLA has a huge amount of fitness opportunities that allow students to workout regularly. The classes are also offered at all different times of they day so students can really meld it into their own schedules.

One extremely popular part of Wooden is the open basketball courts and volleyball nights. These allow students who are not necessarily on the NCAA team to participate in the sports they love whenever there is a pick up game. I think every Bruin has tried Badminton at UCLA at least once. The front desk gives lends you a racquet and ball for no charge. Yet another awesome fitness option is Wooden Center’s rock wall. The rock wall is really popular among bruins because it is something many of us have not tried before.

The reason I am so happy being a Bruin is because I feel that every aspect of my student life is fulfilled. I wanted a college where I knew I would have incredible academic classes, but also social, active, and engaging activities outside of class. Wooden Center has become my de-stress zone, but even if the gym isn’t your thing, there are endless opportunities to find places to relax!

By Rebecca Winkle | Posted in Athletics/recreation, Life on campus | Tagged | Comments (0)

Happy Holi!

May 2, 2013 – 9:20 am

 

Each year UCLA students come together to celebrate Holi, the Indian festival of colors. This year more than 1,000 students found their best white clothes they didn’t mind getting dirty and attended our own version of the festival at our very own Sunset Canyon Recreation Center (or more commonly known among students as just Sunset Rec) where we got dry paint and threw it all over each other and just had a blast. It was really great seeing students of all different cultures coming together to learn about, support, and celebrate this Indian holiday that some people may not have even known about otherwise (including myself). The crowd was filled with  a lot of familiar faces but even more people I’ve never met before. Even though everyone there came from different backgrounds, everyone was involved in different activities on and off campus, and everyone came from different unique places, in the end we all came together and did a giant UCLA 8-clap together. This made me so proud to be a Bruin because  even though I had never met most of these people before we were able to bond over lots of paint and the fact that we’re all UCLA students. I can’t wait to go again next year!

By Jamie Campbell | Posted in Life on campus | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Art Imitates Life

May 1, 2013 – 7:25 am

 

I know I’ve said this before (but I’m going to say it again anyways)…The Getty Museum is one of my all time favorite places in LA!  No matter how many times I visit the Getty, it just keeps getting better.  Every experience at the Getty is different, but it is always worth the bus ride (which is under 20 minutes).  Recently, however, I got to see just how awesome the Getty really is.

Once a year, the Getty has it’s College Night.  It is a Monday night that is entirely devoted to college students in the local area! There were students from UCLA, CSUN, LMU, and many others.  The parking was free, the (free) food was tasty, and the music was great!  A lot of my professors joke that there are two ways to get students to an event: free parking and free food.  College Night at the Getty has both!  Normally the Getty is not open on Mondays and the other weekdays that it is open, it closes around 5:30pm, but College Night is different.  They open up at 6pm and close at 9:30pm.  The whole museum is set up for college students, complete with lights and music.

Instead of taking a morning trip to the Getty (as I usually do), my friends and I piled into a car and arrived around 6:30.  We got to watch the sunset up on the hill, eat baguette sandwiches, and partake in some special college student events.  It was an outing like no other.  I had so much fun walking around and taking in the view, looking at the art, and doing fun activities!  Even my friends who are not the biggest fans of museums had a good time.

Los Angeles is definitely one of the cultural capitals of the world.  I think it is so awesome that places like the Getty give college students the opportunity to take advantage of the resources right in their backyard! Students across all majors and backgrounds can appreciate such a fun outing.  I will definitely be going back next year!

By Hannah Bernosky | Posted in Life off campus | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Decisions Decisions…

April 30, 2013 – 7:24 am

Seeing groups of college tourists on campus through the last few weeks(Bruin Day!), I was reminded of the days I had to make the choice on which college I will attend. Being a haste decision-maker, I especially had a hard time making what then seemed like the most important decision of my life. I still remember going on walks by the beach to organize my thoughts on the various options I had and to try to figure things out analytically.

“What is the professor to student ratio? What kind of programs does it offer for Pre-Meds? How is the social environment? Will I be able to concentrate on my academics in this environment? Are they offering me any scholarships?”

While trying to sort things out and getting nothing out of it, something hit me. I realized that I had been missing the most important thing in making this decision, which is how I feel about a college. Many people had told me to just visit the campuses and then I will be able to pick the one that “feels right.” I had always dismissed that advice just because I thought it took more than just my feelings about a place. However, as I am finishing up my freshmen year(time flies!), I am seeing myself giving the same advice to seniors making their decisions right now. Of course I researched about each of the colleges, but what it boiled down to at the end for me was how I felt about the campus and the environment. I realized that my happiness is the most important thing in my college life and that it is impossible to figure out which college is for me solely through researching about it online.

With that said, I can confidently say that I have absolutely no regrets about the decision I made as a senior to spend the next four years here at UCLA. As I am finishing up my last quarter of my freshmen year, I cannot be more thankful for the wonderful people I have met so far and the many opportunities UCLA has given me already.

Go Bruins!

By Hayoung Youn | Posted in Academics, Life on campus | Tagged , | Comments (2)

A weekend filled with Woodsey magic!

April 29, 2013 – 7:35 am

This weekend I went on a retreat with one of my favorite organizations at UCLA: UCLA UniCamp! UniCamp was founded at UCLA in 1934 (only 15 years after UCLA was founded) and is UCLA’s official student charity. Through UniCamp, students volunteer to fundraise money that goes towards subsidizing the cost to send under-served students aged 10-14 years old from the greater Los Angeles up in the mountains to summer camp for a week. Up at camp, the UCLA students act as their counselors and we lead them in tons of character-building activities and other activities that they can’t do down in the city like mountain-biking, fishing, rock-climbing, and simply star-gazing. During Spring quarter, UniCamp volunteers train for 100 hours. During this time we become super close with our session (the other people I’ll be up at camp with for the week). At retreat we did a lot of character building activities and team building activities that we can do with the kids once we’re up at camp as well. I had so so much fun bonding with them (not to mention we got to stay in an awesome beach house) and I can’t wait to hang out with them again at meeting this week!

By Jamie Campbell | Posted in Life off campus, Life on campus | Tagged , | Comments (2)
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