College experience is maturing process that will mold students’ characters for life

If you are a first-year, I want you to take a look at yourself in the mirror. Look beyond your physical appearance, past the clothing and haircuts, and into your core.

What does that look like? Can you see it, or is it blocked by apprehension or uncertainty? Is that the same person you will see four years from now?

Now rewind six months to the beginning of April, when you were accepted into UCLA. You probably thought about who your roommates would be or what major you would choose, but did you ever once think about how this decision would change who you are?

You are about to read statements from four different people in four different stages of their UCLA careers. While each story will be different, the idea is the same: College is a transformation, and it is that transformation that will shape the convictions that guide you through life.

Upon entering UCLA, everything is an unknown, an experience yet to be lived.

“I think and hope that I’ll become a little more mature and know where I want to go with my life,” said David Limjoco, a first-year neuroscience student.

He added that he is looking forward to the whole college experience without knowing exactly what that will entail. The first year is a time for experimentation, and at UCLA there is no lack of groups to experiment with.

When asked to describe himself, Limjoco paused. “Hmm, that’s a tough one, give me a sec,” he said, before finally saying, “I am a friendly person who is willing to try out new things.” This uncertainty is the first foray into forming a clear and articulate identity.

The second year provides more insight into a person’s core being while toeing a fine line between youthful innocence and real-life experience. You now understand the dynamics of UCLA, but experimentation has turned to decisions about which path you will follow.

“Freshman year, I was a little bit more reserved, but I am more vocal and outgoing now,” said Steve LoCascio, a second-year business economics and political science student. LoCascio said that he discovered he was better served by being outgoing, so he decided to break out of his shell. He became involved with UCLA Campus Tours because it allowed him a stage to practice speaking to others.

“I transitioned from being a student to a teacher,” LoCascio said. Confidence and sense of self are established during your second year, but they have yet to be tempered by life’s realities.

Your third year is when you begin to get a sense of those realities.

“The real world is starting to look a little scarier,” said Jake Rude, a third-year theater student. He added that his maturity level has gone up since his first year, along with the time he spends working in class.

Between jobs, internships and graduate school entrance exams, your third year in school is a glimpse into what is to come post-graduation.

“Things are always changing; I’m not feeling quite so young anymore,” Rude said.

By now a personal ideology is fully formed, and the process of shaping it to fit life after college begins.

Finally comes the fourth year, which is where I find myself.

Looking back at my journey, I hardly recognize the person who began it.

Since my first year, when I considered three classes to be a full load, I am now able to juggle four classes and three jobs, two of which are unpaid. I have transitioned from wanting independence to actually achieving it, only to find out that rent checks and grocery bills are a large burden to bear.

Through it all, what matters most to me has changed as well. I entered college driven by grades as a measure of success, with the clear goal of reaching medical school. During my second year, my experiences became more important than the grades, and by my third year, I had changed my major and abandoned my plans for medical school.

Regardless of whether my time at UCLA has made me more ambitious or less carefree, it shaped me not only into who I am today but who I will be for all the years to come.

Now look back into the mirror. Do you still think that will be the same person staring back when you receive your diploma?

Probably not. But unlike many things in life, you have the power to choose your reflection, your identity, your future.