kfc4u

One of the biggest reasons for failure during the freshman year is the difference between expectations and realities. Hopefully, your expectations will match up with reality so you have a smoother transition. So to all the incoming freshmen, what are your expectations for college? And I shall try to provide you with its reality.

BenedictChan

I'm expecting that it will be harder and tougher than high school.

nobleguy05

That's a really interesting question.

I really don't know what to expect in a lot of ways. This year I've been taking classes at a community college, so i've already experienced what it's like to have lecture-style classes where you're only graded on papers and midterms/finals. But I'm sure UCLA will be quite a bit harder. Just how much harder is what I'm wondering about. I know everyone has posted stuff asking how much harder it is, but I think that's something I'm really going to have to discover for myself.

The other thing I'm wondering about is just moving away from home. I'm from a really small town where the center of culture is Wal-Mart. I literally drive by the hospital where I was born every day. It's going to be such a change going from a small town where I've always lived to a huge metropolis with things to do all the time. I expect it's going to be a big transition.

There are a bunch of other things too... I guess I'll have to wait and see what happens!

rExRuN467

I duno...I heard that if you took 6+ AP's during high school along with couple community colleges, the transition will be really smooth. My cousin said the only thing she had to really adjust to is the management of time. like, having a job while keeping up with the studies. Yea, for me, I think i am ready with the 10 AP/College course under my belt. I am defintitely used to listening to professors who give long lectures. Just worried about getting a job to pay for all the stuff.

pixiedanzer

* I expect to be lost, lonely, and confused. I'm going to walk into my first class and see the thousand bodies and say "ahh my claustrophobia is acting up" and then run away. What's that I see? boys? There are boys? You mean, they don't just exist in our bio books? (I come from an all girls school)
I'm going to get attacked by squirrels. I'm going to turn into the ultimate germ-a-phobe as I walk into the crowded, odorous communal bathrooms. My room is going to be a greenhouse closet. My roommates will be aliens. I'll call my parents everyday telling them how much I wish I were with them and wondering why they would send me to a school as far as a half hour away. I'm going to drown in the inverted fountain. My professors are going to give me F's ..becuase "F" stands for "Fascist" and that's what they call fanatical Republicans---and that's what they'll think after they read my essays.


so yeah i figure why not set my expectations really low and then it might not be so bad after all :-)!

UCLAclassof2009

I expect to never wanna go back home again (:

kfc4u

"I'm expecting that it will be harder and tougher than high school."

"I heard that if you took 6+ AP's during high school along with couple community colleges, the transition will be really smooth."


this depends on several factors. yes, college will naturally be harder if you weren't so challenged in high school. if you did relatively well in the IB Diploma program or something equivalent (i.e. 6 APs), college, at least for lower-division classes, will be much easier!

however, several factors play in. first is your major. some majors are just more demanding than others. also, if you're not genuinely interested in your classes, they'll feel harder or feel like a drag. third, if depends on your scheduling and how many units you take. if you pick something manageable to start off with (13-15 units), you should be okay. if you start off with 18-19 units, then unless you come from a really good high school, that may be a bit too much to handle at first.

Another factor is how you adapt to the quarter system. It can feel pretty fast at first (well, it's pretty fast in general anyway), and if you fall behind, it really is hard to catch up on your own. nobleguy mentioned taking classes at community college... the difference though, is ucla is on a quarter system and classes are much more compacted, and thus the content for each class is more compacted as well.

other factors into how difficult include how well you adapt, learning self-discipline so you don't procrastinate, prioritizing your work (cuz there's a lot of fun stuff to do at ucla and LA too... it's your job to balance them out).

kfc4u

"The other thing I'm wondering about is just moving away from home. "

that's gonna be a big transition for everyone... with independence comes freedom... but responsibilities as well.

for you nobleguy, it's gonna be a big change, something that i can't relate to as well, so i wish you good luck. but i advise you to be personable and take the initiative to do things, and you'll find what you want and won't be so intimidated at the same time.

kfc4u

" I expect to be lost, lonely, and confused. I'm going to walk into my first class and see the thousand bodies and say "ahh my claustrophobia is acting up" and then run away. "

everyone will, unless your school sends like 30 ppl annually to ucla. BE THE BRAVE ONE. go make friends with the person sitting next to you. even if they're not really interested, at least you're building up for confidence for next time so you can take the initiative to meet people. however, most of your friends probably WONT come from your classes, because you just don't see the same people in the lecture halls, and the quarter is so short. oh and another thing, some people like having space between them; they don't like people sitting next to them. and the more seriously students tend to sit in the front center and middle center.


"What's that I see? boys? There are boys? You mean, they don't just exist in our bio books? (I come from an all girls school)"

lol pixiedanzer. yes you'll see plenty of them, and probably some good looking ones too (college ******* gives UCLA guys an "A" grade).


"I'm going to get attacked by squirrels."

uh... that's possible too lol. looks like all the squirrels are on the freshman 15 also. my friend got attacked by a squirrel b4 and she got super scared lol.


"I'm going to turn into the ultimate germ-a-phobe as I walk into the crowded, odorous communal bathrooms. "

i assure you, communal bathrooms are usually pretty clean and they get cleaned twice a day. girls do dispose tampons in tampon-disposable boxes in the bathrooms though. and i guess some guys can be bad. recently we've had a problem of guys cutting their hair in the bathroom, although our RA has resolved that.


"My room is going to be a greenhouse closet. "

no comment.


"My roommates will be aliens."

most people get along with their roommates. you don't have to be best friends with them, you just have to LIVE with them. do talk to them, introduce yourself, etc. i never hang out with my roommates, but i ask them how's their day and what they've been up to, and i know what their interests are and stuff. i also suggest you guys clearing up the rules in the beginning of the year. i believe the RA will call you guys in anyway to set the rules and sign a contract. be assertive! it's your room too! if you end up not getting along with your roommate(s) at all, you can always request a change.


"I'll call my parents everyday telling them how much I wish I were with them and wondering why they would send me to a school as far as a half hour away. "

reality (for most ppl at least): your parents are going to call you!!! maybe EVERYDAY!!! and it might get annoying for some of you! but do know that they care. for those who do it the other way around... well, hopefully it's for something good. but yea, most of your parents do want to make sure that you're doing okay and adapting and stuff. keep them updated.


"I'm going to drown in the inverted fountain. "

call me up when you attempt this one.


"My professors are going to give me F's ..becuase "F" stands for "Fascist" and that's what they call fanatical Republicans---and that's what they'll think after they read my essays."

false. there are republican professors too. professors aren't supposed to try to implement their political views in class.. some do, some don't. UCLAri would be someone to talk to about this, as he has taken many poli sci classes already.

kfc4u

"I expect to never wanna go back home again (:"

haha. there's a share of those who grow homesick though. and that can be pretty bad... but that's more common for someone from norcal or out-of-state cuz they're far away, but it can happen to socal ppl too. just know that you're not gonna live with your parents your entire life.

and please, learn to do your laundry. i have some people who finally learned to do their laundry for the first time in like february. don't go home every week to do it ("oh but it saves money"). c'mon, it's college. grow up a little.

rExRuN467

wow...people are actualy scared of moving away from home. I thought most people wanted to ditch their parents. Im not, living only 5 minute from home...actually..in my school, only me and this other girl is going to UCLA. WE had 34 accepted but the 32 of the 34 is going to IVY's.

darkling

I expect a lot of (non-alcoholic) social life/hanging out.
I expect a good GPA.

I hope those two expectations won't be in too much conflict. :-)

kissyourLbow

I'm expecting...
a lot of late nights (then again i think I average at about 1:30 right now)
tons of reading
studying (studying now is not REALLY studying...ie I got over a few terms or something the night before a test)
minimal personal attention
getting crunked on thursday nights!
meeting life-changing people (not meant to be cheesy...)
walking a lot
meeting people and thinking "whoa! I didn't know smart people could be good looking!!" (see at my school the smarties are limited as well as the good lookers)

I'm praying for...
a decent GPA (hopefully in the 3.something range! but hey i guess a 2.9 ain't bad)
minimal hang overs

any thoughts?

kfc4u

"I expect a lot of (non-alcoholic) social life/hanging out."

depends on the crowd you hang around. for college in general, having fun now means having alcohol. but non-alcoholic social life is quite possible too.


"I expect a good GPA."

the average GPA at UCLA is 3.1 and your major also might determine how hard it is to get a good GPA (in addition to how much time you spend studying and how smart you study!). the pre-med's have it hardest (GPA's around 2.8). also note that you have to earn a pure A for a 4.0, because an A- is a 3.7, a B+ is 3.3, B 3.0, B- 2.7, etc. some classes are also curved.


"a lot of late nights"

not for studying right?


"tons of reading"

yes. a lot more reading than you're probably used to. especially if you take english or history classes. my global studies course reader has 800 pages.


"minimal personal attention"

yes... if you don't take the initiative to go to office hours. you can get personal attention if you go to office hours (for both the professor and TA), and some professors and TA's will even allow you to set up private appointments. so yes, personal attention is available, but you have to go to it; it won't come to you.


"getting crunked on thursday nights!"

very reasonable expectation.


"walking a lot"

yes. from the dorms, it takes about 10-15 minutes to walk to most classes, maybe 20 minutes to walk across campus. if you live in hedrick, add a few minutes onto that. and UCLA is moderately hilly... my friend from berkeley said UCLA has too many hills for him haha. good exercise though.


"meeting people and thinking "whoa! I didn't know smart people could be good looking!!" "

another very reasonable expectation.

kfc4u

rexrun647, what school do you go to? sounds like harvard-westlake but that's not 5 minutes away.