We strive for what it means to be a Bruin, daily

There are only two things that matter to a Bruin: balance and perfection.

I haven’t been here long, but in my short time at UCLA I’ve learned that if you don’t have a drive to pursue both of these goals, you aren’t going to make it.

I’ve seen friends go to Ivies and community colleges, but not one has the same sort of balance in their life as anyone I’ve met from UCLA. The people that go here do everything, and they do it well. From pulling all-nighters on essays to spending all day at Sunset Rec, finding the balance between work and play is critical, and there is never a lack of either.

We understand that grades are not everything. Nor are sports, politics or partying. Every part builds character, and UCLA doesn’t make better athletes or econ students, it makes better people. What’s the result of a life without balance? Take a look at the USC model.

The mascot for our cross-town rival represents men who were so dumb they let a toy horse full of soldiers into their city and preceded to get hammered to the point where all they could do is watch as their citizens were raped and pillaged, and their city burned to ashes. It’s a fitting comparison.

So for those of you who are still disappointed with your college choice or experience (and I’ve met many), know that you truly go to an outstanding school. Balance means that while you might not be the best at any one thing, overall you are better than the rest. And overall, UCLA is.

With this great balance we’ve achieved comes a desire ““ a need ““ to be better. To strive for something greater than what we already have is always on our minds: perfection.

By nature the Bruin is competitive. For everyone who hasn’t experienced it yet, or for those of you who have forgotten, let me be the first to say that we accept only perfection from ourselves or our school. I won’t lie: There will be heartbreak, and a lot of it. But that is what it means to go above and beyond.

To be a Bruin means you bleed Bruin blue from every cut and you sweat pure gold from every pore. You invest yourself in every matchup. So much so that your heart shatters when we lose a game. Any game. To anyone. I don’t know any other school whose fans would be as angry as we are after a loss to ‘SC. It doesn’t matter that they have a stronger offensive line or faster wide receivers; We have a better school with better students and we know it.

Close doesn’t count. The pursuit of perfection and a never-ending drive to be better is what defines us. So what remains to be seen ““ whether you’re a lowly freshman or fifth-year super-senior ““ is whether or not you have what it takes to be a Bruin.

Here at the paper, we adhere to these principles. Though you may not always like what is written or you may criticize the manner in which we cover things, balance and perfection are always on our minds. To improve our coverage and be fair in our writing is not only accessory, but fundamental to our character as Bruins.

Now go out and give us something to write about.

Elliott is one of this year’s assistant Viewpoint editors. E-mail him at [email protected].