Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Surf's Up!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Adventuring in Sunny San Diego
Surely, summerbound sight-seeing San Diegans see Shamu's superb streamlined swimming - steering saliently and stealthily to surprise-stun screaming sweethearts and smiling senior citizens with supergiant splashes in the streaming San Diegan sunlight. Some, sodden and springly, say such superficial sufferings serve as sentimental shenanigans, so students should see such superior sights soon, while such surreal stunts are still seeable.
http://www.seaworld.com/sandiego/
San Diego Restaurant Week (Sept 19-24)
Good God, a ghastly glorious smorgasbord of gluttony and gastrointestinal goodness! Guzzle gumbo or greater gourmet goods, go gallivanting through glamourous Gaslamp. Generous gentlemen get to gallantly give girls a glance of glitz and a gleeful get-away from grueling grades. Guaranteed to get your gorgeous god or goddess's gratitude!
http://www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com/
San Diego Zoo
Lions, leopards, and lemurs! Look a lethal lynx on that lofty ladder in the leaves! Lumbering llamas are legitimately laughable as they lethargically languish leeside the laurel. Learning, the little panda long-jumps and leaps - Lift-off! Limbo! Crash. Lovers and little ones alike love looking at and learning of these living legends.
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/
Legoland
Tell me, as a toddler did you tirelessly tinker with these toys? Take it times ten and to the tenth degree! The turf and tundra teem with tiny tykes and teens touring the towers made of the toys they treasured as tots. The textiles of trenchcoats and trousers alike are toy-trappings!
http://california.legoland.com/Explore/
The Ocean
http://www.sandiego.org/article_set/Visitors/5
Denaly Chen, Freshman OL
Saturday, August 21, 2010
The Great Debate: To study or not to study?
First of all, I would like to congratulate all of you on your acceptance here at UCSD. You have chosen to attend one of the finest institutions in the U.S. But now that you’ve decided to attend, its time to get out there and discover new things about the school, and about yourself.
I’m sure many of you might be intimidated about not knowing how the school functions, not knowing who to hang out with, and even not knowing how to get around campus. But for now, just relax and take it one step at a time. Sooner or later, you’re bound to discover something new, bound to make friends, and even bound to call this place your home.
With all the events, programs, students, and freedom, it’s no wonder why so many people term college as “the best years of your life.” However, once you guys become situated and comfortable around campus, lets not forget why we are here in the first place. Its importance to have fun and spend time with friends, but it should not come at a loss to your schoolwork.
Throughout the year, many of you are going to be busy with homework, jobs, sports, and hopefully even getting your 8 hours of sleep. With everything that you have to do, you wonder is there is ever any time to just have fun. And it doesn’t help when some of your roommates or friends invite you to some event that you really want to attend knowing that in the back of your mind, you know you have to finish that one chem assignment.
So what it comes down to is to have some sort of balance between the two. But the secret is to just find something that you enjoy doing. I've found that studying is very monotonous and all the extracurriculars that I do keep me sane. As for scheduling them all, it becomes a skill that all of you will attain. You have to become realistic about how much time you need for studying. In high school, you can study for an exam the night before and still get all the material down. Sadly, you’ll soon find out that this is not the case in college and studying 1 or 2 hours surely doesn't cut it.
Even studying for as little as an hour a day surely goes a long way. And start reviewing lectures notes as soon as the lecture is over. Not only will it prepare you for midterms and finals but it will also help when your friends surprise you with some late night adventures. Knowing that all of your work is done lets you enjoy the event even more.
Also, the school does contain a vast list of activities that go on throughout the year. Interested in joining a sport? Then how about go out for intramural sports or sport clubs. Just want to work out? Then check out some of the gyms that are located around campus, the biggest being RIMAC which is located in ERC. Maybe you all can tryout of some new classes, including martial arts, surfing, dance, poker, muscle conditioning, gymnastics, cooking, etc. The biggest piece of advice I can give you about finding time for yourself is to join those extracurriculars you enjoy. So explore all the possibilities, find the things you enjoy, and pursue them. Then your extracurriculars become an outlet rather than a chore.
But remember to get your work done.
-Adrian Castillo, Freshman Orientation Leader
Resources! Resources! Resources!
1. Student Health Services
Student Health Services is located on Library Walk across from Price Center. If you're feeling sick, this is the place to go! You can make an appointment (or walk-in depending on your reason for visiting) to see a nurse, doctor, optometrist, health insurance (SHIP) adviser. The staff members here are all very friendly and will take good care of you (I would know, I spent a lot of time here last year).
website: http://studenthealth.ucsd.edu/
2. Career Services Center
The Career Services Center is located alongside Library Walk passed the Student Health building. This Center offers a plethora of useful career and internship information in its library, and your questions can be answered by the wonderful career advisers. Free sessions on internships, career exploration, the peace corps, interview and application tips, and more are offered throughout the year. The Career Services Center also host a couple of job fairs throughout the year.
website: http://career.ucsd.edu/
3. The Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS)
Oasis is located on the third floor of Center Hall (at the end of Library Walk). Here they offer free tutoring for math, science, language, and writing. The unique thing about OASIS math and science tutoring is that it is tailored to specific courses. For example, if you are taking the Math 10 Series, you can sign up for the Math 10 Series OASIS Workshop, and OASIS will cover the topics that are being covered in the course.
website: http://oasis.ucsd.edu/mstp/mstp.asp
4. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
The central office is located in Galbraith Hall (under CLICS) in Revelle, but each college has its own CAPS outpost. CAPS provides psychotherapy to individuals, couples, groups, families, etc. free of charge to enrolled students. If you or someone you know is depressed or really needs help, do not hesitate to call CAPS 24/7 at (858) 534-3755. CAPS also sponsors workshops and groups to stimulate mental wellness.
website: http://caps.ucsd.edu/#students
5. Student Legal Services (SLS)
SLS is located on the fifth floor of the Student Services Center. They provide free and confidential legal counseling to students, along with education programs, referrals to private attorneys, income tax resources, and more. They are also a great resource for students interested in a legal career.
website: http://sls.ucsd.edu./
Congratulations and Good Luck!!!
Congrats on getting into UCSD and the best of luck to all of you! I look forward to meeting you all in a few weeks! I hope this information is helpful! See you soon!
Always,
Brittaney Khong ("BK")
Freshmen OL
Class of 2013
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Long Distance Sweethearts
There are so many things you can do to keep in contact with your sweetheart... Skype, Facebook, blog, chat, talk on the phone, make countdowns, letters, care packages, and greetings cards are all good ways to keep in figurative touch. While technology offers a lot of ways to communicate, they might not all be right for you. For instance, many people think that Skype is a wonderful alternative to seeing your significant other, but I found it frustrating, awkward, and hollow. For me phone calls, with their warmth and portability, were a treat. Greeting cards were a giant delight and don't even get me started on the wonders of a well executed care package. Find the corner of communication that works for you, and do it in your own quirky way so that keeping in contact feels tailor made.
2) Make sweet unexpected gestures
Make plans, send little gifts, or write an unexpected letter. Sweet surprises are twice as great when they come from far away because they take more effort.
3) Balance. Don't forget about the rest of your life!
When my boyfriend comes to visit, the only way I can describe what happens next is that I lose my mind and want to throw away the rest of my life. I can't study, don't want to see my other friends, and basically ditch the rest of my life to spend the next few days with him. It can feel like you're entitled to spend all the time you have with them but it'll hurts the people around you. Balance, don't go overboard.
4) Enjoy the benefits of distance.
Space is nice. It's fun to discover the little ways the other person has grown in the few months or weeks they've been away. Long distance relationships have a lot of unique benefits.
Keep at it, and best of luck!
Jennifer Hoang Group 13 ;)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Making Use of T.A's, Office Hours, & Advising
On the other hand, it's also important to do everything you can in order to make the most out of your education! Adjusting to the large class size of lower division lectures can be quite a feat, and it's easy to just become another face in the crowd. Here are some tips on how to stand out and make sure that you're doing everything you can to be a successful student:
1. Be proactive! Go to office hours - If you're in a class of ~ 400 students, I can almost guarantee that your professor is not going to know who you are. By going to office hours and introducing yourself, you can get a more personal class experience. This is also a good place to ask questions you may have had in class or to clarify concepts or ideas that were not discussed in class but may come up on an exam.
2. Make use of TA's - TA's are a GREAT resource and I can't stress that enough. TA's were in your shoes not too long ago and know what you want out of a class. From my experience, a lot of times, TA's will give you some inside information on upcoming tests and exams that the professors will not give you if you just take the time to talk to them. They can also help tell you what you need to study for and what you can skip since a lot of times TA's help to write exams.
3. See your college or major specific advisors! They don't bite! Promise :D - If you're getting overwhelmed or are questioning your classes and your major, talk to an advisor! They are very helpful and can lead you in the right direction and help you figure out your options.
4. Make friends in discussions - Don't be shy! Making friends with your neighbor in discussion can be a huge advantage to you. When you're studying for an exam and start freaking out because you don't have notes on a certain topic or discussion, a friendly face from your discussion can be a lifesaver! Be sure to have the number or email of at least 1 or 2 people in your discussion sections or lectures. Not only will it be helpful/allow you to make study groups, you'll have lots of new friends :)
5. Thinking about grad school? Go to Career Services every so often - If you're thinking about medical school, law school, etc. going to career services will be a great step for you. Making an appointment every so often to check on your progress in terms of classes and grades you've taken and received is very helpful in ensuring that you're on the right track to be where you need to be for applying to grad school. Early is never too early!
Hope these have been helpful tips! Can't wait to see all of you in the fall! Enjoy the rest of your summer :)
XOXO,
Natasha Chan
Freshman OL
Group #27
Sunday, August 8, 2010
5 Steps to Deciding on your Class Schedule
My name is Leo and I’m here to chat it up about signing up for classes. Normally, I’d be writing about my favorite things to eat on campus (zomg, foodworx crepes!?) or my favorite hidden nooks on campus (Terrace in the School of Medicine… ahh, so relaxing), but not today. We have more urgent matters to attend to!
While it seems like class registration is far off, it’s going to sneak up on you like something that creeps up on things. In order to prevent you from going through the same panic I had (waking up on my registration date and realizing I had no clue what I was doing), I’m going to give you a walkthrough of how to select your classes. So let’s get started!
Step 1: Figuring out your requirements
First things first, you can’t sign up for classes if you don’t know what to take. I found it helpful to make a list of every single requirement I needed to fulfill with my major, so let’s begin by doing just that! In order to figure that out, though, you’re going to have to do some research! Here are some places to begin:
Virtual Advising Center: The beautiful academic counselors are here to save the day! They have drafted up some course recommendations for all of you and will be ready to view on August 19th! Check these out for some ideas of what classes you need to take!
Warren Website: Check out the Academic Advising Handbook online to see all of your general education requirements! View it here: http://warren.ucsd.edu/_files/academic-forms/advising_handbook.pdf
Course Catalog: Check this out to see what classes you should be taking for your major. You can also view your major website for the same/ more detailed information http://ucsd.edu/catalog/front/courses.html
Four year plans: Some departments will draft four year plans for their students. If you’re lucky enough to have a very kind department who does this, it will be listed here: https://aventeur.ucsd.edu/public/student_four_year_plans/?currentCollege=FI or on your major’s website.
Just for an example, my list looks like this:
Just to avoid confusion: The columns represent Warren GEs/ My first major/ my second major.
Step 2: Counting the Overlap
Ok, so now you should have an idea of all the classes you need to take to graduate. Next, see how many of those requirements overlap (meaning that you can take one class to fulfill more than one requirement). For example, for my psychology major, I need to take Math 10A or Math 20A. Luckily, this would knock out one of my formal skills requirements for Warren College as well as that psychology requirement. Try making a new list, narrowing down those requirements by including overlapping requirements.
Mine looks like this:
Step 3: Finding out which classes are available this quarter
Ok, so now you know what classes you NEED to take to graduate. So now it’s time to take a look at what classes are available this quarter that can help you fulfill those requirements. The easiest way to do this is to go into your tritonlink and choose “class planner” or “schedule of classes”.
To use the schedule of classes, click on the subject, and then click "search". A list of classes in that subject and their times will be listed.
Again, I would make a list of which classes are available this quarter that would meet your requirements. For example, every Warren student must complete the Warren College Writing Program (WCWP). WCWP 10A is the first installment of this program, and every student needs to take this. Since this class is being offered this quarter, add this to your list of classes that you can take this quarter to fulfill a requirement.
Step 4: Putting it all together
Now that you have your third list, it’s time for the fun part. Go into the class planner in your tritonlink. From here, you’re going to want to start a new planner (you can title it whatever you want – I would recommend naming it Leonard ;D). Basically everything after this point is just moving classes around, trying to pick the timeslots and classes that you would prefer. I’d suggest you refer back to Matt’s post about recommended classes for your first quarter – it’ll help a lot in getting started. I would also recommend that if you are going to tackle some major requirements to get some of the more generic ones out of the way (math, science, history, etc.), just in case you choose to change your major later on.
Here's an example of me playing around with the class schedule as if I were enrolling in my first quarter at UCSD: (note that I didn't take into account travel time or other factors [again, see Matt's post!])
This was my first try - I have a class conflict that I'm going to have to work out. Personally, I wouldn't want to wake up that early every Monday either. I also don't like the huge gap between WCWP and my other classes on Tues/ Thurs. Let's see if I can make it suit my tastes a little better (assuming none of the classes fill up!)
Yay for second tries! I like this schedule a lot better! Unfortunately, I had to change one of my classes because it just didn't fit the way I wanted to and I also had to change some sections for various different reasons. By referencing my list from earlier, I was able to find some back-up classes for the class that just didn't work out. I'm sure if I spent more time tweaking it, I could come up with a schedule that I liked even more! Have fun with this part! Only you know what you want in your schedule.
Step 5: (Optional) Troubleshooting
If you still can’t seem to figure out what to sign up for, we have a few ways to get help. The first few places you should visit are:
The UCSD/ Warren Website: Looking things up online are always a great idea! There’s a ton of useful information all over these two websites.
The Orientation Facebook Group: I know, your orientation leader has probably been suggesting this to you nonstop, and many of you are probably already in this (assuming you have a facebook!), but this really is a great resource! There are a ton of questions being asked daily – chances are, we may have already answered something you were wondering about! Check it out for some really handy dandy information!
Virtual Advising Center: Again, these guys are here to help out! Starting August 23rd, the academic advisors will be allowing you to submit questions to them privately online. They answer pretty quickly and they are super knowledable and helpful!
Your Orientation Leader: We may just be students like you, but we do know a substantial amount of information. Any time we don’t have an answer, we make sure to find one for you, or direct you somewhere where you can find that answer. We’re always here to help and we’d all love to help you with any questions (even if it’s not about registering for classes). So email us (so we don’t feel unloved! D:)
Hopefully you’re one step closer to getting that fall quarter schedule assembled. Next step is actually enrolling (and keeping track of class sizes to make sure your class doesn’t fill up!) I hope all of you guys get an awesome schedule picked out for yourselves and I can't wait to see you all this fall (almost only a month left!!!)
-Leo, Freshman OL
Group 11!! :D
Thursday, August 5, 2010
It's time for a ...
Well anyways, I’ll be giving you a tour of both the Res-Halls and the Apartments, so you’ll be able to see where you’ll be living next year!
I’m Lauren and I’ll be your tour guide today J
Let’s start with the Residential Halls. Welcome to Harlan (Go Harlan!!), Frankfurter, and Stewart. Inside of the Residential halls, are suites. Inside each suite, there are 6 rooms-4 singles and 2 triples (or doubles if you’re lucky). Each has a desk(s), bed(s) (Twin XL), trash can, chair, closet, and a set of drawers. In each building there are 2-5 suites per floor, and the RAs live on every floor except for the top floor of each building. The suites are single sex, but the floor is co-ed. This is the door to the suite… let’s go in!
Once inside, the first room you’ll encounter is one of the triples.
This is a triple room. Inside, there’s a loft bed, a bunk bed, three desks, three chairs, two closets,and a large wardrobe for the person in the loft bed. There are also ladders to help you climb onto the top bunk. (No, we don't expect you to be monkeys) Inside each of the closets, are a set of drawers. The closets and the drawers were nice and large enough to fit my wardrobe (and that's saying a lot). Unfortunately there aren’t drawers for the lofted bed, but inside of the wardrobe, there are drawers to use. The triple room is fairly large, and there's enough room for a refrigerator or a microwave if you want to bring one.Onto a single room! The single room is set up with a bed, a desk, a set of drawers, a chair, a trashcan, and a closet. The closet is the same size as the closet from the triple room. Under the bed is also a storage bin. The area under the bed was even large enough for me to lay under the bed. : ) If you were wondering about bringing a fridge/microwave, they fit in the single room. You can rearrange your furniture to suit your needs as well.
Onwards toward the bathroom! The bathroom has two shower stalls, two bath room stalls, three sinks, and 9 cubbies for holding all your bathroom stuff! The bathrooms are nice, with INSTANT hot water, and high powered toilets. YES!
Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the common room, but there are two couches, a coffee table, a side table, and a table fit for a TV. Also you get a super nice balcony.
On the really nice days, the balcony was a perfect place to sit out and read, or just talk to your suitemates. Every day, maintenance comes through the suites, and takes out the trash in the common room, and then vacuums, and cleans the bathroom, which is REALLY nice. They won't clean your rooms though, that's for you to do. But beware, if you let your suite become too messy, they will refuse to come in, and then you're in trouble. Be sure to befriend your maintenance person, as you'll be seeing them everyday.
Apartments
Unlike the residential halls, the bathroom and the shower are in two separate rooms. This is convenient especially since someone taking a shower wouldn't tie up the whole bathroom. There are two sinks, one for each room.
I think my FAVORITE part about the apartments was the KITCHEN! I loved cooking everyday, and with Earl's Place right around the corner, I had the ability to conjure up anything my heart desired. :) The living room was right next to the kitchen, and the living room had 2 couches, and a coffee table. It's definitely a nice place to stay :)
And that concludes your tour of the housing options available to you! Hopefully this gives you a better idea of where you'll be living come fall. :)
Get STOKED for college, it's gonna be flipping amazing :D
-Lauren Tomosada
Group 10