Before moving to UCLA, I didn’t really see the point of having a “zero week,” when students can take the time before starting classes to settle in and meet other people. But after having gone through the zero week, I now see its necessity and advantages. From the moment I moved into the dorms to the moment I started my classes, UCLA kept me busy with endless activities and fairs to socialize in.

The very first event was the Volunteer Day. Volunteer Day is when the entire Freshmen class and the Transfer students come together to reach out to schools, parks, hospitals, and many other places around town to help and give service. This year is UCLA’s fourth year of holding this event. I was in a group that took a trip to a  park and helped cutting the branches and sweeping the ground. It was some hard work, indeed, but I had a chance to meet more people as we were helping each other to get the job done. More information about the Volunteer Day can be found here: http://volunteer.ucla.edu/volunteer-day/

Another welcome event that comes to mind is the Enormous Activities Fair. This event was held in Royce Quad, up the Janss Steps, all the way down to the end of Wilson Plaza, and along Bruinwalk. Here, hundreds of people had set up tables to introduce their clubs to recruit members for the upcoming year. There were all types of clubs in the categories of sports, music, art, fashion design, Greek life, community service, religion, tutoring, dance, and etc. It was a little overwhelming to have over 500 organizations trying to recruit you to their clubs, but it was really fun to see what kinds of groups I can get involved in at UCLA. The booths often had free candies and free gifts to attract more people. Plus, in the midst of all of this, the restaurants on campus built their own booths as well to give free samples to students to get a taste of their food in hopes that they will come back their restaurant during the year.  Although I already knew that UCLA was known for having delicious dorm food, I didn’t know that there were such good eateries around campus. Every day, I find myself in a dilemma trying to decide whether I want to eat at the dining hall or at a restaurant on campus. The food here is GREAT!

I had a few lectures during zero week, where professors just basically went over the syllabus and gave me an idea of how the classes will be like during the fall quarter, but classes officially starts today. After meeting so many wonderful and kind people during zero week, I am extremely thankful and excited for this school year.

More information about True Bruin Welcome Week can be found here: http://map.ais.ucla.edu/go/1000744