| my first quarter as a 3rd year transfer at UCLA was amazing. Im living in a residential plaza, and it was just as social as any residence hall that I saw during my visits to friends who went to universities right away. my floor had "open door" contests, floor dinner nights, game nights, movie nights, etc the list goes on and on. almost everyone on the floor was very social and a group of 10 of us on average would go to eat every night. a lot of us are meeting up over break, there is talk of maybe a snowboarding day trip and dinners etc.
if you feel like you missed out on the whole "college" experience, if you can help it, live ON CAMPUS! no one thinks twice that you're a third year or a transfer! almost all the people i knew who transfered and lived off campus all said the same thing, that they couldn't seem to make new friends. in class there is no time to talk really, and after class most people don't really stick around. they are usually rushing to the library, to eat, to SLEEP (probably the most common), and they almost always have ear buds in and their ipods on. if you want the traditional social aspect of college, live on campus if you can!
there really is a gigantic mix of people, as to be expected, so if you feel like you don't fit in, trust me, there is a place for you at a university. there were probably 40 different nationalities represented on my floor alone!
the classes were definitely different. i'm a history major and in community college my classes were pretty similar in that they consisted of a few term papers, 6 or 8 multiple choice quizzes, and a midterm and a final, both multiple choice and short response with one long essay response. very "highschool". UCLA on the other hand...
one class required two 5 page papers, one 8 page paper, 1 research based 10 page paper, and two 3 page papers (all of my required page counts include double spacing, for anyone who might wonder?). this was all over a 10 week period, and while at the end it was a little much, it was very doable. the same class also had 6 books to read, mostly historical novels on the period.
another was lecture based, one mid term, one final, all essay, no multiple choice. very "college" stereotype.
my language class was nothing new really, it really depends on the language you take. if its any consolation, im white, took vietnamese, and got an A. its all what you put into it.
experiences may vary. i.e. most of the engineering majors on my floor were usually very preoccupied, but everyone had time to do their own thing. my roommate is chem engineering and he still found time to go to clubs and play video games, etc. |