Let's get into this! :D
If you missed my post for Day #1, check it out, but warning: it's long, so brace yourself!
The same disclaimers apply to this post as well.
You'll find that you have A LOT of freedom this day, as most of the activities are optional, which is great for familiarizing yourself with the campus, programs, Westwood, and your peers!
DAY #2
So you should wake up before 7 A.M. for breakfast, though you could have breakfast anytime between 7 A.M. and 11 A.M., considering the fact that there are several optional workshops you could attend in between these times. These workshops include Majors, Minors, and Other Programs; Undergrad Research Opportunities; and a placement exam. If they sound like they appeal to you in some way, get up early, enjoy your breakfast, and haul ass. Though, like most of us new students, I know you might have stayed up late last night, so it's understandable about if you sleep in a little :)
All of these workshops are generally around the same area (the Rieber Terrace/Covel Commons area)
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| I'm not sure what residence building this is, but I love how it glows in the night. I took this picture while out for a nightly stroll. |
Immediately before 11 A.M., go to your NSA's room, which will be in Rieber Terrace. So if you're already in your dorm, you may just have to go upstairs. All of the NSA's are on the same floor, I believe, so it's super convenient.
Here, they'll explain enrollment to you and how to navigate My UCLA (or your school site). Ask questions when need be. And whatever you do, DON'T CLICK "DECLARE NON-ATTENDANCE". If you do, my NSA may as well go over there and manually un-enroll you from all of the classes you enrolled yourself in.
Afterwards, it's lunch. So if you just had breakfast, then YaY! More food!! During lunch, I worked on my midterm more (it really sucks because one of my summer classes has two midterms, and I had been working on my second midterm, which so happened to be scheduled the same time I chose to go to orientation). Since you're not required to do anything until 8 A.M., as there will be more workshops (specifically, Financial Aid/Scholarships, Academic Guidance, Life at UCLA workshops, College Honors workshops, and an Academic Advancement Program (AAP) presentation), you may stay in Covel Commons Dining Hall, go to your dorm, walk around with your group or peers, etc. Personally, I stayed in there until 3: 30-ish, when my NSA asked me to meet him to discuss my DAR, which is a Degree Audit Report.
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| I found this while getting lost and thought that it was so cute! |
A DAR is essentially a report that you could check after you log into your school website, wherein you could manage and track your graduation and degree progress. There are numerous categories and subcategories, but this will already have been explained earlier in the day when you went to your NSA's room. If you have AP, community college, IB, or any other credits, these will be on you DAR, showing that you're already ahead of the game. If you're lucky, you may end up with sophomore or junior status already, just like me, but make sure your transcripts and test scores were already sent in order for this to happen. It will be helpful to have your transcripts and test scores with you ESPECIALLY AT THIS TIME. Your NSA will also check to see if you already completed any of your school's graduation requirements before starting your first term. Apparently, at UCLA, AP scores and such don't cover your GE requirements; they may fulfill elective or major credits, but not your GE's.
After this, I still had free time to finish my midterm, which I did. Lunch is at 5 P.M., but I went right before 7, again, because I didn't have to do anything mandatory until 8 P.M. I ate some great fun (fun fact: UCLA is ranked #1 in college dining. That's not a tip, just really interesting and, well, I don't disagree haha, because I just love the hell out of food.)
I went to my NSA's room and we got to ask him questions about college life; managing our time between clubs, classes, work, and other activities; and the social life on campus as well as address our concerns about anything college-related really. Again, I encourage you to ask questions and address concerns. NSA's are designed (like robots) to help you adjust to campus life and make you feel welcome and comfortable. They are there to answer any questions that they can and they're your major most likely so you could ask them about a certain class' rigor, professor, etc. Anything!! We had individual meetings with him, so he kicked us out of his room and we went down the hall, while he called us into his room one-by-one, where we addressed personal concerns, asked questions, and got to know each other a bit. In this lounge area that we went in, my group and I got to know each other on a more personal level, which is great.
After this, feel free to watch Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them in Rieber Terrace (which I surprisingly didn't do, despite the fact that I´m a devout Ravenclaw and Harry Potter fan : /) or participate in Carpe Noctem, which is a new student scavenger hunt, with your group. The first team that's able to find everything on this scavenger hunt wins specially made UCLA sweatshirts, which I guess is cool because they're free. Most people just get lost, considering that they're essentially asking new students to navigate themselves on an unfamiliar campus in the night. It will create memorable stories and I hear that you will constantly find things that are on the scavenger hunt list after the scavenger hunt, leading to you telling yourself throughout your four years how much easier it would have been if you had known where to find this certain thing sooner. But I guess that's what makes the hunt fun and comical.
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| Nice view from here :) |
What did I do during this time? I went downstairs in Rieber Terrace and read for my classes until I felt tired. And honestly, I felt that being alone most of the time there was more fulfilling because I was in my own company and didn't feel the need to be fake or impress others. I didn't have to worry about what others thought of me. You may not find this fun to you, but it was thoroughly enjoyable for me. And, hey, I love reading, so it was all good.
That's Day #2 for you! I didn't actually go to breakfast because, again, I'm dumb and couldn't find the Covel Commons Dining Hall, even though all I had to do was follow other new students. Tip: If you do get lost, follow other new students. You'll immediately know who they are because a) they seem lost too, or b) they have New Student Orientation draw-string bags that they got on the first day of orientation. I did, however, manage to find the dining hall for lunch and dinner.
If you have any questions about your orientation, whether at UCLA or not, please ask me below! I would be glad to help!!
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