UCLA presents opportunities in and out of the classroom like no other
By Scott Pearring
June 6, 2010 9:00 p.m.
I’m done with sitting in class and playing Frisbee and writing articles. I’ve decided to move two miles south and try my hand at independent financial planning instead. Far more difficult, far more rewarding.
UCLA = Friends + Knowledge + Growth.
Friends came from Ultimate Frisbee and church; my main man Vonage came from both. By my third year, I was spending most of my time with exactly the people I like the most, which I hear is a sure sign of happiness.
Academically, I chose the relatively light statistics major early on, giving me the freedom to explore the fascinating topics of immigration, stress and memoirs. I also took six quarters of Spanish, telling myself that if nothing else, I would exit college able to converse in Spanish. Then there were all those lessons about how the world works (regarding big business, bureaucracy and networking) that happened outside of the classroom.
When I think about how much I’ve grown over the last four years, some may say I give UCLA too much credit. That long at any school/camp/institution likely would have had similar effects. So I guess it’s more accurate to thank UCLA for the type of person I’ve become, based on the rather phenomenal people I’ve met. Looking around at my best friends, I’m certain that I wouldn’t have had such luck elsewhere.
I can’t imagine my future without an undergraduate education, and I feel terribly blessed to be a part of UCLA. So even though those stupid Powell walk-in computers restart every time you log off, my bikes keep getting stolen and professors sometimes try to sell you their own books, I love this school. And though my younger brother will now pay 40 percent more than I did as a freshman, I’m sure he’ll find it well worth the price.
Pearring was a Viewpoint columnist from 2008-2010.
