Dear UCLA Bruin Community (New & Old),  

My name is Claire, and I am a third year student at UCLA originally from Huntington Beach, California. From enriching academics to meaningful extracurricular experiences, this university has truly cultivated an incredible undergraduate experience. I’m so excited to share a bit more about my academic journey with you all!  

As goes the typical trajectory of a young student in Southern California, my admiration of UCLA only grew as I did. Despite having had this fully fledged “Bruin since Birth” degree of loyalty programmed into my brain, the surreal shock of opening my acceptance letter in 2021 was one of anxious excitement. I immediately felt the weight of collegiate decision-making: the fear that every choice would somehow irrevocably alter my adulthood. Although I had always loved learning, my passion was vastly split between the sciences and the humanities, and I felt daunted by the task of choosing a major.  

The early chapters of my Bruin story felt defined by a lack of direction and a fear of failed adaptation. As soon as I stepped foot on this beautiful campus, my panic began to ease and I slowly felt more at home within my own identity, interests, and relationships. Discovering the Human Biology and Society Major (B.S.) allowed me to integrate my academic goals in a way I never knew was possible. The H.B.S. major is uniquely fitted to my academic pursuits in that it allows me to explore complex topics in biology, social anthropology, and public health, while making frequent use of critical reading and analytical writing practices. While I enjoy the problem solving and complexity of my S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) classes, these topics feel truly meaningful to me when I am able to dissect and debate them.  

During my Winter Quarter of my freshman year here at UCLA, I sat through an online seminar entitled “Pre-Med & Pre-Health: Building your UCLA Journey.” Although I felt very unsure about committing to any potential career journey just yet, I wanted to get all the information I could about how to best prepare for my future. As I frantically scribbled down notes about each prerequisite the presenter listed off, I was shocked to learn that I would need to take 3 quarters (or 1 full year) of English Composition coursework in order to be eligible to apply to medical school. It was through research surrounding the different writing courses UCLA offers that I discovered the Professional Writing Minor.  

The Professional Writing Minor (P.W. Minor) is a unique program that allows students to explore the role that effective communication skills can play in their professional discipline of interest. Each student enrolled in the P.W. Minor is required to take one core class, which includes writing for Digital Writing and Web Literacy, Business and Entrepreneurship, Science and Technology, Nonprofits and Public Engagement, and Arts and Entertainment. This wide range of professional interests means that there is a pathway for any student looking to engage more in writing during their undergraduate career.  

In addition to these core classes, the P.W. Minor offers a variety of interesting electives to help students expand their writing repertoire. These electives range from Creative Nonfiction and Travel Writing to Specialized Writing: Law and Politics. No matter your professional interests, this program is an incredible way to become better suited for life post-graduation. Moreover, students have the opportunity to design their own capstone project to present at Undergraduate conferences.  

Throughout my time at UCLA, a love for writing has been the common thread which has woven together my academic, pre-professional, and extracurricular endeavors. Planning to work in the human healthcare sector, I have gained further instruction in writing for nonprofit organizations, scientific audiences, and research dissertations– skills I never would have developed in science courses alone. With its small class sizes and incredibly caring faculty, my Professional Writing classes have undoubtedly been some of my favorite courses over the past 3 years– I’ve been able to develop personalized mentor-relationships with professors, attain resume help, and create internship connections for myself.  

Taking advantage of the vast opportunities available on UCLA’s campus have helped me understand that it is okay to lack a bit of direction, and becoming close with our overwhelmingly wonderful and diverse university population has truly taught me what it means to be passionate in the most well-rounded sense of the word. UCLA is a place where confidence blossoms in the face of uncertainty.  

Love,  

Claire