Some Tips for Succeeding at UCLA (2007 edition) - Page 2

etti · 09-30-2007, 07:36 PM

thank you for this advice...i've read it about 2-3 times now and each time it's better...thank you so much

freshman 11'

j0nis0n · 11-13-2007, 04:40 PM

i feel successful already.

tonks · 12-19-2007, 12:21 AM

no no no! I REFUSE to believe people won't be making so many new friends winter quarter. I love the friends I've made, but I still want to meet more ppl...

capuchin · 12-28-2007, 06:51 PM

thanks for the good advice!

pacman1 · 01-16-2008, 04:43 PM

Have you ever read these books? Which one is better and helps more?

-How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less

-What Smart Students Know: Maximum Grades. Optimum Learning. Minimum Time.

Thanks in advance.

pacman1 · 01-16-2008, 04:44 PM

and thanks for advices, very helpful.

Papercompany · 05-13-2008, 03:26 AM

Wow, newbie here. Great advices everyone. This is so cool.

Btw, I am not a Bruins(?) yet. Virtually in a tie between UCLA and Berkeley as a Junior transfer. Need to make a decision real soon. ahhhwhh

laserbase · 05-13-2008, 10:33 AM

when will the 2008 edition come out...!

etti · 05-14-2008, 03:48 AM

Papercompany choose UCLA > Berkeley like all of us! It's just that good here.

themovies · 06-27-2008, 03:47 PM

Great post, thanks for being generous with what you know.

glass_eyes · 08-01-2008, 02:50 AM

Are discussions with upperclassmen intimidating? Just wondering since i noticed several 4th years will be in my discussions, and kind of freaked out

Sleepwalker · 08-21-2008, 03:11 AM

fantastic advice. thanks!

mme-lin · 08-21-2008, 11:36 AM

Quote:

-How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less

-What Smart Students Know: Maximum Grades. Optimum Learning. Minimum Time.

Don't know about the first. The second is way too general and I've found the almost anal-retentive note-taking habits suggested in the book unnecessary for most classes I've taken. You'll waste a lot of time/energy. The best approach, I think, is to figure out what your individual professor wants and figure out what you need to know for exams rather than using the techniques in the WSSK book. Example: For Scerri, just read the course reader. For Gibson LS1, just memorize the lecture slides. For Yeager, superficially read the sources beyond the Walton&Rockoff textbook in order to be able to cite in your essays... otherwise 500 pages of reading per week is unnecessary.

Are discussions with upperclassmen intimidating? Well, which classes? You might be at first - get over it. It's not a big deal. Most people aren't going to talk and the very few that will are either really passionate, grade-grubbers, obnoxiously loud and self-righteous, etc. For philosophy courses - maybe. Political science? Be vocal and know your viewpoints! English? Not as obnoxious as philosophy. History? NO.

mikemac · 09-17-2008, 05:29 PM

I was going to make some slight revisions to the post, but overall I pretty much am satisfied with what I wrote earlier. So the 2007 post carries over to the 2008 class, and I wish everyone the best of luck as school starts!

One link I'd like to pass along, though, is a reflective essay from the magazine "Fast Company". While aimed more at job searchers, it translates well to those considering majors and careers. A link is Are You Deciding On Purpose

Here is a quote from the article:

Quote:

For nearly 25 years, I've been doing interviews with senior citizens, asking them to look back over their lives and talk about what they've learned. I've conducted more than 1,000 interviews with people who were successful in their jobs, who retired from leading companies after distinguished careers. Almost without exception, when these older people look back, they say the same things-things that are instructive and useful for the rest of us as we make decisions going forward in our lives.

First, they say that if they could live their lives over again, they would be more reflective. They got so caught up in the doing, they say, that they often lost sight of the meaning. Usually it took a crisis for them to look at their lives in perspective and try to reestablish the context. Looking back, they wish they had stopped at regular intervals to look at the big picture.

They also sounded a warning: Life picks up speed. The first half of your life is about getting prepared and getting established. Then time shifts gears. You hit the second half of your life, and everything moves faster. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and all of a sudden, you're 65 years old. Looking back, they say, you realize that time is the most precious currency in life. And as they got older, having time for reflection became even more important.

Second, if they could live their lives over again, they would take more risks. In relationships, they would have been more courageous. And in expressing their creative side, they would have taken more chances. I think it was Oliver Wendell Holmes who said, "Most of us go to our graves with our music still inside us." Many of these people felt that, despite of their successes, their music was still inside them. Almost all of them said that they felt most alive when they took risks. Just being busy from business made them numb. Aliveness came with learning, growing, stretching, exploring.

Third, if they could live their lives over again, they would understand what really gave them fulfillment. I call that the power of purpose: doing something that contributes to life, adding value to life beyond yourself. Purpose is always outside yourself, beyond your ego or your financial self-interest.

For UCLA students, I'd add that time accelerates starting in college. You start classes, then before you know it you're in the 3rd week and getting ready for midterms in a week or two, you've just caught your breath after midterms and then you're finishing papers and getting ready for finals. 10 weeks goes by in a blur! Do that 3x and a year has zoomed by! Just ask any junior or senior how long it feels like they've been in college and I bet they'll agree. So I hope you take the advice I gave in the original posts and spend some time thinking what you want to do in college, some time making sure it happens.

Best of luck to the class of 2012!

braininahat · 11-07-2008, 06:09 AM

Great advice, MikeMac. I'd like to add a few things, too, from my experience. I graduated in 2003 (major: philosophy).

1) Understand why you feel intimidated.

I'll tell you now, it's going to happen. It's almost inevitable. You will think that others are smarter than you, that many are better educated than you, and that the material will be overwhelming. Everyone will look so smart. Many will sound smart. Some will sound extremely self-assured about just how easy the class is or will be. Blah blah blah. Feeling intimidated is a natural thing in such an environment, but always remember that the proof is in the pudding. That is, don't psych yourself out. This can be detrimental to learning: it'll lead to asking less questions in class, visiting your TA or professor less, not asking a fellow student for help, or just being in low spirits (which hinders learning).

There's only one way to know where you stand -- wait for your grades.

Success breeds confidence, so you're going to have to get several A's before that intimidating feeling finally ceases to come around. Until then, realize why you feel what you do, accept that it's something you cannot avoid, and get to work on learning the material.

2) Make time for recreation.

The 'freshman 15' is not a myth, and it's because freshmen don't know how to balance their schedules. Having some fun is going to help you. Attaining this balance is a learning process, but make an effort to have fun every weekend. You're allowed not to have fun during midterms and finals, though.

3) Taking notes is not enough.

You should fill-out your notes as soon as you have time. Remember, notes are shorthand for the real thing, namely fully articulated sentences clearly explaining what you're supposed to learn. As you fill-out your notes, you'll realize that you didn't fully understand something you thought you did, or you'll realize that you didn't take good enough notes.

I also advise against recording lectures. I did it one time and it was way too time-consuming. I did, though, do well in that class, but I worked much harder than I needed to, and I never did it again.

Good luck.