Accepted to UCLA, rejected from Berkeley, NEED ADVICE

TTG
Tue, 18 Apr 2017 01:40:10 +0000

Congratulations! UCLA is a wonderful school.

You mention “competitors” and “competition.” I think reframing how you think about college might help. How about instead of competitors, you think of them as fellow students, friends, and collaborators? That’s what they’ll be. How about instead of competition, you think of it as learning. How will your fellow students, friends, and collaborators help you learn? How will you help them learn? After all, that is the primary reason you will be at UCLA.

Certainly some classes may present challenging material. Work with your fellow students in a collaborative way. Actively engage with your professors. And, this is important, don’t wait until you are struggling to get help. I recently attended a pre-med program and heard some great advice. Pre-med advisor said the top students arrange tutors from the beginning. That way they get the pick of tutors, and they can get ahead of the game.

Take advantage of professors’ office hours. When I taught, I implored students to come by for office hours and before tests. I knew very well where they stood, but often they worried about me learning what they had not done. Anyway, I always felt like it was better us discuss it in a learning environment rather than have to mark the student down on an exam. The student pays for teaching, and the professor gets paid. So take advantage of office hours when you get to school. It’s paid for.

And have some fun. You’ll only be young once. Good luck!