Category Archives: Academics

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 | Also posted in 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 | Also posted in Life off campus | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Journey to STOMP Conference

May 10, 2013 – 8:02 am
By UCLA Undergraduate Admissions | Also posted in Life on 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 | Also posted in Life on campus | Tagged , | Comments (2)

Finals don’t have to be stressful!

March 19, 2013 – 1:14 pm

Finals week is now underway and already UCLA students across campus have settled into “Finals Mode”.  Finals mode includes an increase in studying, a decrease in sleep, excess coffee, and a more frequent use of libraries.  In the midst of finals week craziness, it is important to take a moment to breathe and find our sanity once again.  Here are a few tips:

  • Schedule in some study breaks!  Studying is extremely important, but you also don’t want to burn yourself out before your test!  After every couple of hours, take the time to go on a walk, get lunch with a friends, or something else that is easy and relaxing!
  • Pick a good playlist! I can get so distracted by what music I listen to when I study, which defeats the purpose of listening to music. Pick something classical or something mellow.  My personal favorite is my “Civil Wars” Pandora station, but I’ve also recently discovered Blind Pilot!
  • Go work out! This is a great stress reliever.  The morning of your final, put on your running shoes and do a quick run around campus or go to the Wooden Center (which is considerably less crowded during finals week).  Find a friend and play some racketball.
  • Lay off the coffee after 11pm!  Sleep is just as important as study breaks.  Coffee is excellent (clearly I’m a fan), but after a certain time of night it can really mess with your schedule.  There is nothing worse than spending a long day studying then not being able to sleep before your 8am final because you drank too much coffee.  Instead of coffee at night…
  • Drink tea! It comes in a variety of flavors and levels of caffeine
  • Change up your location every once in awhile!  Go to the 24 hour Starbucks in Westwood, check out all of the finals week special hours at Kerckhoff or Ackerman, or go to UBC’s study spot on Wilshire for free food and wifi! (Yes…free)

Finals week can seem daunting, but take some deep breaths and you will be just fine! Professors aren’t “out to get you” and UCLA wants to help you out (as does the surrounding community)!

By Hannah Bernosky | Also posted in Life off campus, Life on campus | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

A Whirlwind of a Quarter

February 27, 2013 – 8:47 am

 

This has been a busy couple of weeks!

The end of the quarter is finally in sight and I cannot wait for this marathon to be over!

All that said, it has been a spectacular quarter so far.  I have been taking 4 of the most interesting classes that I have ever taken at UCLA, met some amazing people, started planning for my summer, and have been getting things for Relay for Life in motion.

One of the most rewarding things about UCLA is how diverse and personal it is.  I know that those two things sound like contradictions, but even though my quarter has been busy, I have loved every minute of it.  My classes are specific to what I WANT to take (Religious Environment of Early Christians, Hebrew Bible in Translation, Astronomy, and another English class), which is really nice.  Applying for summer shenanigans is always hectic, but really rewarding.  It looks like I will be spending quite a bit of time in the Eastern Hemisphere this summer!  Relay for Life (while so far) is getting closer and closer and it has been cool to see how students from all over campus can come together for a common cause.

Sometimes, however, it is nice to just take a break!  This weekend I got to go to Pacific Palisades for Cru’s Women’s Retreat.  It was a nice break from school and a time to just hang out with some awesome girls.  We were close enough to school that it didn’t feel too much like a vacation, but it was a different enough environment to not be distracted by school work.  It was a great weekend and a nice change of scenery.

A lot of semester school kids wonder how we do it all in 10 weeks.  It’s all about keeping a level head and keeping focused.  10 weeks can go by really quickly, so it’s important to keep calm and take time to smell the coffee roses.

By Hannah Bernosky | Also posted in Life on campus | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

An Unlikely Place To Find A Mentor

February 22, 2013 – 10:19 am

One of the most popular questions I hear from prospective students and their parents in my time at Undergraduate Admissions is about the student-professor gap.  They want to know the steps UCLA is taking to bridge that gap, and what resources/opportunities are available to undergraduate students in that regard.  I would be lying if I said I never once worried about feeling lost in a big university amidst a sea of undergrad faces, but little did I realize that a “big” university means an even “bigger” diversity of resources that are available to students.

In one of those forwarded-and-forwarded-again emails that circulate the office, I caught wind of a mentoring program offered by the UCLA Emeriti/Retirees Relations Center.  I jumped at the chance not only to get to know a retired professor one-on-one, but also to engage and learn from such a unique perspective about our university, academics, student life, and life at large.  It seemed so esoteric (yay GRE vocab) yet so matter-of-fact that we should be seeking out unique opportunities like these.

Last month, I met with my Emeriti Mentor Dr. Paul Sheats for the first time, and had a wonderful time talking over lunch about overlaps in our academic interests, my post-graduation plans, potential career paths, his teaching career at UCLA, and so on.  It was great to connect over mutual interests in urban planning and classical choral experience.  This Friday, I will meet again with Dr. Sheats to pick up our conversation where it left off a month ago, and he plans to check on the progress I have made on the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the quarter.

In addition to the research opportunities I’ve been given with some of the most brilliant minds at UCLA, I am most grateful for this mentoring program that brings together the university’s most experienced and its most sophomoric, creating a unique forum for interaction that is found nowhere else in the UCLA experience.

GO BRUINS!

By Eleanor Fang | Also posted in Life on campus | Tagged , | Comments (2)

Marionettes

February 20, 2013 – 9:19 am

This year abroad, I’m tackling a French minor. It’s relatively short, just five classes to do over the course of two semesters, which means that I have lots of free space in an already lightly-loaded schedule to take some courses just for fun.

My fun for this semester (besides a class on the second wave of American feminism) is a class in the theater department about marionettes and puppeteering. The course mainly covers the history of different puppeteering forms across the world – last week we learned about life-sized marionettes in Japan and new-age human puppeteering in the Netherlands. But in addition to the history lessons, the class also came with a marionettes workshop. We learned, during six 7-hour days spread over three weekends, about controlling various kinds of puppets and participating in different kinds of manipulation theater.

It was a gas.

We learned how to use marionettes, how to make them dance or to recite a sad poem. We learned about object theater, making matchbooks come alive and hold conversations with sunglasses and paper doilies. We learned how to use dirt and plastic to illustrate falling in love. But what was better was that we all got to be very good friends after the three weekends.

I took the class with my friend Becca, a third-yeard from UC Santa Barbara. Being the sole Americans in the class, we were intimidated by the French theater students. There were so many huge, dramatic personalities that on the first day Becca and I rushed off to McDonald’s for lunch to avoid the intense, artistic conversations we knew were happening in the cafeteria. Slowly but surely, however, we started becoming closer with the French students. We sat with them at lunch, we walked with them to the coffee machines during break, we collaborated on puppet shows.

And it was all very exciting. Normally, attempting to make friends with other French students in class is nearly impossible. You get lucky to find one or two who are English majors and like practicing their English, maybe another who is nice enough to share notes, and then that’s generally it. Here we were, making heaps of French friends. I learned more French names over the course of three weeks than I had this past semester. And all the while we were doing all this friend-making in puppeteering class.

Not to say that I didn’t enjoy my classes last semester, but this class may be my favorite I’ve taken in France or even perhaps in college altogether. I’ve learned some very fun marionette tricks and also made many new friends. I’m already looking forward to class this week and for a soiree this weekend that the French students have planned. Hopefully my class on feminism will turn out to be this fun.

By Charley Guptill | Also posted in Life off campus | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Studying and Keeping Sane

February 12, 2013 – 7:44 am

 

A large part of my time here at UCLA has been finding new and creative places to study.  Some of my favorites include:

  • The reading room at YRL
  • The 5th floor of YRL
  • The English Reading Room (a new find)
  • The Sunken Gardens (when warm)
  • Jimmy’s Coffeehouse
  • Espresso Profetta (in Westwood)
  • Starbucks (open until midnight!)

Most UCLA students at some point or another will experience “Night Powell”.  Night Powell is the College Library at night.  The reading rooms and study rooms are open 24/7 starting week 3.  While I have studied there, When studying, I have always found that crowded libraries can be a bit oppressive.  So last night, in a last ditch effort to avoid Night Powell, I decided to do some exploring.

I didn’t get very far…in fact, I ended up in Kerckhoff Coffeehouse (not all that unusual for me).  I was surprised to find it near empty!  I had my pick of the tables, as many plugs as I needed, and coffee!  On school nights, Kerckhoff is open until 11pm which is perfect since I try and get to sleep by 12am every night!  The music selection at Kerckhoff is always great and coffee is a college necessity.  Last night I really needed to study for my two midterms and I was impressed by the vibe at Kerckhoff.

During the day, Kerckhoff is buzzing with students and faculty.  Some are studying, others are catching up with friends, you always see bible studies meeting and student group interviews going on.  It is lively! At night it is the perfect study place!

By Hannah Bernosky | Also posted in Life on campus | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

Feeling Frenchie

February 8, 2013 – 8:41 am

Finally, after spending a semester in France, I’m starting to feel very very French, and I am very, very happy about it. When I first got here in September I tried all kinds of things to make myself feel more French. I ate lots of pastries, I didn’t cringe when I inhaled second-hand smoke, I took long leisurely strolls through the park, I didn’t buy deodorant, I wore striped shirts, the list goes on. But all of it somehow didn’t quite make me feel French, more just like a smelly, stripey, well-fed boy.

But things have changed. Of course, I have still kept up my butter-based eating habits and sailor-like outfits, but now it’s less of a charade and more of a real-live life. This semester I moved out of my homestay in the the neighboring city of Villeurbanne and moved into an apartment in the middle of the Lyonnais peninsula. So now, instead of making a half-hour commute into town to meet my friends, everything fun is at my fingertips. Long park strolls are now just a bike ride away, and I have an endless supply of seriously cute boulangeries within three blocks of my house. I walk almost everywhere, even when it’s raining, and constantly say, “it’s so pretty here” in quick, short, labored bursts (something I haven’t done since walking around the UCLA campus).

I cook for myself now, for the first time in my life. Every dish has ham or blonde lentils, and when I eat I get to gaze out of my window (with shutters and a scalloped awning) to the moss-covered buildings across the courtyard. My shower doesn’t have a shower head holder, so every time I bathe I have to hold the sprayer above my head and soap up one-handedly. A tour through my neighborhood features a 12th century basilica, an old-timey pharmacy, a classic bouchon, and lots and lots of cobblestones. Essentially, every aspect of my life has just become hyper French. I hang my clothes up to dry, I have empty wine bottles in my room, I see the world in different shades of bleu, blanc, and rouge.

The director of the EAP program here in Lyon had told me that the second semester was always the better one. She said that there wasn’t any sort of adjustment period, that we would know how to go about choosing our classes and that our French would already be easy to use.

And while all of those things are true – the French comes easier, classes are better, friends are already made – the best thing about second semester abroad is finally feeling like you aren’t visiting but that you are actually living. I am still an extremely obvious (and proud) Californian, but my life looks and feels very, very French.

By Charley Guptill | Also posted in Life off campus | Tagged , , | Comments Off
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