From a Senior Bruin

In the spirit of college application season, I wanted to reflect back on my time at UCLA so far and offer some advice and thoughts that I wish I knew as a freshman! Here we go.

I committed to UCLA the very last day possible. The day before my Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) was due, I had all my college acceptance letters sprawled out on our living room floor: Claremont McKenna, USC, Berkeley, Barnard, UCLA - the final five. On my final day deciding, I spent hours looking up Youtube videos, reading Reddit threads, and scrolling through student-written blogs. This was not the best time to be the most indecisive human being alive. I couldn’t tell you exactly at what moment that night I decided to sign my SIR for UCLA, but that day changed my life.

Looking back now at my past three years, UCLA has become my home away from home. The single best piece of advice I got during the college admissions process was, “You can make a big school feel small, but you can’t make a small school feel big” (I applied to 30+ schools, all different types in terms of size, competitiveness, and location). I had gone to a smaller, very academic high school; we didn’t really have any sports. Definitely no big football games. I wanted THE college experience. The one I had idealized in my head.

Ultimately, that piece of advice, my desire to experience the “City of Angels,” and my longing to be a part of something bigger than myself is what brought me to UCLA. The Bruin community is everywhere. It’s an instant connection you have with any alum. In fact, when I studied abroad in Dublin last summer, I traveled to Belfast, a city at the tip of Northern Ireland, and of all places, it was there that me and my friends ran into an old couple wearing a Bruin shirt and they asked us to do the 8-clap for him. That’s a moment I won’t ever forget.

I’m not going to lie — the transition from high school to college isn’t going to be easy for everyone. It wasn’t easy for me, and I consider myself a fairly extroverted person who loves to meet people. I really thought in a campus with over 30,000 undergraduates, I would meet so many people and make so many friends almost instantaneously; however, I didn’t find my place quickly. In fact, I joined at least four organizations, from student government to a selective medical volunteering program. I tried to make friends in classes, but people just weren’t as approachable as I thought. UCLA was not going to hold my hand. People found their cliques within the first few weeks. I had a hard time connecting with people on a deeper level. On top of that, I had registered for chemistry my first quarter, and I was absolutely not prepared to jump into college chemistry yet; the quarter system moves fast. I had dreamt up a college experience based on movies and media that was simply not representative of reality.

It definitely wasn’t all bad though. I met my best friend at orientation and I got really lucky with my residential floor. The people on my floor whom I was closest to were 2nd years who “took me in” — we spent so many nights in our lounge, talking, studying, playing games, and hanging out. It just took time for me to find my core people and while it seemed hard initially, I really have found my best friends here.

You will grow so much in college. I grew more as a person in my one year of college than I did all of high school. On a deeper topic, my mental health suffered a lot throughout my junior year because of expectations that I put on myself and because I had a tendency to compare myself to other people. I never felt like I was enough or that I was doing enough. It’s easy to fall into that mentality in a place like UCLA, where every person has an incredible story and is so passionate about what they are doing. One secret though? A lot of people are “faking it till they make it.” I definitely was/am and that’s okay! No one fully has it together. Thankfully, I am in a very healthy place right now and I came to realize a few things throughout my college journey so far: growth is not linear, and your pathway doesn’t have to be either; normalize therapy - more of us need it than you think and there are resources; college is not an easy place, especially UCLA, so give yourself a break; and most importantly...

Take charge of YOUR four years at college. These are YOUR years. I’m not saying that you should be reckless and party every day away, but say yes to opportunities and experiences. Don’t rush your time either, I wish I learned how to live in the moment sooner.

Here are a few of my favorite personal opportunities, being at UCLA/living in Los Angeles:

• I was able to go to England my first year for a weekend conference at the University of Warwick fully-funded by UCLA (casual Sunday in London, it was pretty cool). I still stay in touch with a lot of the international friends I made through this conference.

• I was able to start my own club at UCLA about medicine accessibility (UAEM UCLA). Are you passionate about something but can’t find that niche at UCLA? Start your own club. Do your thing. You need three people. It really is that easy.

• I learned about a fully-funded English teaching opportunity in Japan from a friend and got to spend a summer across Japan, teaching English, living with host families and immersing myself in the culture.

• I studied abroad in Dublin, Ireland last summer, finished a year of physics in eight weeks, and got to experience Europe with some of my best friends.

• Through mutual friends, I got two free passes to see the Jonas Brothers’ movie premiere in Westwood — I even got to be in the movie theater with them and their families to watch the premiere and was front row at the private concert they had with less than a hundred fans after (I have never run so fast in my life to secure that spot).

My UCLA experience has been full of memories and opportunities. I even ventured far out of my comfort zone — I joined a sorority for a year! High school Ambika would have never, but I really enjoyed it for the time I was in it and I have the best sorority family that has stayed with me beyond my time in my sorority.

-

Here are my last few (UCLA specific) tips if you’re a prospective/current Bruin:

• UCLA has so many fun traditions! Go to Bruin Bash, the USC vs. UCLA football games, sign up for Dinner for 12 Strangers, attend career fairs, go to Spring Sing. The school spirit here is unmatched.

• Take advantage of UCLA’s resources. Like I said, they won’t hold your hand, but resources like the UCLA Writing Center and the test bank will be SO helpful. Also, look at UCLA’s grad schools and their calendars; there are so many cool events you can attend as undergraduate. I could have taken advantage of these things much earlier.

• Like I said, don’t rush the process. Join a few clubs you think you’ll enjoy throughout your first year and try them out! Join a random, fun one too! Organizations like PAC or Foundations will help grow you in a way that you could have never expected. You can also sign up for recreational classes, like hip-hop dancing or photography.

• It’s okay if you change your major! Don’t stick with a major that you don’t like. A lot of my friends changed their majors because they grew as people in college and explored other interests and realized they wanted to take another path.

• EXPLORE LA! Westwood is really a bubble in itself (premieres in Westwood are absolutely worth it though). My favorite spots have been the beaches in Malibu, Catch LA for brunch, Melrose Trading Post, the Grove during the winter, and a day trip to the poppy fields in the spring.

• Use Linkedin! Fellow Bruins are always more than likely to be willing to help you with any career questions; they may even be willing to do an informational interview for you. UCLA has connections to almost every institution in LA - push yourself beyond the boundaries of your residential dorm and campus.

• UCLA has amazing trips you can go on and get funded for! Other than the conference in England (Warwick Economic Summit) and there’s also Fact Finders (sends 22 UCLA students, regardless of their faith, to Israel in order to increase conversation between Jewish and Palestinian perspectives). UCDC is another amazing opportunity! You can intern in Washington, DC while remaining a full-time UCLA student for a quarter!

• I regret not becoming closer to professors and TAs until later on in college - start early on. That’s one of the things I miss most from high school (having close relationships with my high school teachers), but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist in college

• If you want to get involved in research, the best way is to ask your network of friends (preferably upperclassmen). That’s how I got both of my research opportunities.

• Enjoy your first few weeks of each quarter — after that it’s midterm 1, midterm 2, and then final season before you know it.

• As a freshman, when you are on the hill, it really does feel like a little community. It’s a large school, but you’ll still run into so many people you know all the time. I loved studying at BCafe, because my little study breaks would always be talking to people I knew when I saw them there (all the dorms are centrally located together with dining options) - I also always felt safe on the hill, even if I was coming back at 3 AM after staying up to study for a test.

• If you want to join a sorority and know which one you want to join BUT are intimidated or just don’t want to go through the formal rush experience, find out when informal rush is (it’s called COB, Continuous Open Bidding) - it is a lot more chill and you’ll get to know the girls better. It is extremely helpful to know someone in the house you want to rush for though if you do this route (keep in mind, you will probably have a lower chance of getting in though). This is the process I went through.

Being the first in my family to go to college in America and navigating the process wasn’t the easiest feat; I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself and I didn’t find a lot of blogs when I was a prospective Bruin, so I hope this is helpful to anyone reading this. I have so much Bruin pride and I can’t imagine now, looking back, being at any other college. That being said, if you are an opportunist, you will thrive at any school and make the most of any college. I have so much gratitude for those I have met at UCLA and who have changed my life - they know who they are.

If anyone has any specific questions, please reach out, I am more than happy to talk to you about my experience!

- Ambika