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
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