Orientation is a time of transformation and self-discovery for many new students ahead of the start of their time on campus. As the next generation of Bruins prepares to take the stage, the Opinion editors, looking back on their own first years at UCLA, give their advice in the latest edition of “A Difference of Opinion Editors.”

Before You Begin as a Bruin: Find Your De-stressors
Russell Ahmed, assistant Opinion editor

Life at UCLA, for all of the right reasons, could not be more dissimilar to the reality of my central Ohio roots. College is an experience defined by unpredictability.

Each day is uniquely its own, forcing you to evolve into a version of yourself that you could not have foreseen.

This is a fact that is hard to grasp until you start anew in Westwood.

Thus, it is in your best interest – before you get to UCLA – to find and commit to two or three activities, habits or practices that will keep you grounded on a daily basis.

For me, in high school, my activity was golf. However, the college student budget doesn’t typically allow for a 10-minute Uber and a bucket of range balls three times per week. Make sure that your activity is feasible as a college student.

You’ll now likely find me jogging around Westwood at a far from Olympic minute-per-mile pace.

These activities do not just need to involve exercise. Perhaps it is journaling. My roommates and I still play “Fortnite.”

Whatever you choose does not need to fill any productive or physiological need. Instead, it just has to relax you and make you smile.

You will fall back on these activities when the going gets tough. Our campus is serene and beautiful, but nothing is as relaxing as doing something you enjoy. These reprieves are necessary, and they will get you through any challenge UCLA has to offer.

Unconditional Love: Found through Roommates and the People at UCLA
Sierra Benayon-Abraham, assistant Opinion editor

When I met my freshman year roommate, I would have hardly imagined that she would become “my person,” or that we would develop a connection so strong that people on our floor would joke about our apparent separation anxiety from one another.

Having roommates can simultaneously be one of the best and most intimidating parts about starting college.

Although I was consumed by most of the common fears regarding roommates leading up to move-in week, there are a few alternative truths that I wish that I had known.

Your roommates can serve as automatic friendships; they can become the people who have your back no matter what.

They may be the people to stay up late quizzing you for a midterm, but they might also be the reason for your procrastination. Perhaps they are your dinner date when you don’t have an invite elsewhere, or they help you pick your first-day-of-class outfit.

They may be all of this and more, or maybe someone else on campus will be. But so long as you keep an open mind and allow yourself to be vulnerable with those you trust, the people at UCLA can become your family.

UCLA is a campus crawling with intellect, but first and foremost, it sprawls with kindness in all corners.

It is a place where you can find the people who you will graduate alongside, challenge you to think differently and maybe even be your maid of honor or best man one day.

So be nervous – that’s a good thing. But also think about all the memories, friendships and stories you will create at UCLA, and hopefully those nerves subside just the tiniest bit.

My roommate was the first person to tell me she would love me unconditionally. Trust me, it is a pretty amazing thing to hear.

There are unparalleled friendships at UCLA waiting to be made – and who knows, those bonds may even be with the very person or people you’re living with.

The Social Side of College: A Missed Opportunity
Tavian Williams, assistant Opinion editor

My first year of college was the most humbling experience of my life, with the first two days bringing a barrage of unfamiliar faces and social pressure.

Navigating an unfamiliar atmosphere alone is very uncomfortable. But it’s a hurdle that gets easier over time.

After just two days at UCLA, I found myself parading through Westwood with over a dozen strangers, laughing as if we’d known each other for years.

I thought my social woes were over.

So, I stopped nurturing those relationships, expecting the world and people to wait on standby for me. Audaciously, I skipped club rush.

I grew comfortable in solitude, oblivious to the connections severing. When I tried to jump back in, the crowd had broken up and found new friends.

I wandered, searching for belonging. I exacerbated my situation by getting a job I loved – but the commitment took me away from spheres where I could find community. I came home too tired to do homework, let alone be social.

College gets lonely quickly when you don’t find your support system.

I ended my first year unfulfilled. When my second fall rolled around, I dreaded returning but realized I had a chance for a do-over.

I surely didn’t skip club rush again. I worked to cultivate, nurture and maintain new relationships. I am proud of my second year.

In a time when loneliness has become an epidemic, especially among young people, finding kin becomes necessary for sound physical and mental health.

So don’t just study, connect.

Treasure the Moment: From the First Step to the Thousandth
Nicolas Greamo, Opinion editor

At this point, the start of my first year at UCLA feels like ancient history.

It’s been over a thousand days since I took my first timid steps on campus. A thousand rotations of the Earth, a thousand visions of campus and a thousand versions of me.

From here, it all seems to blend together, but I can already feel the time slipping through my fingers.

Being a senior has fundamentally changed my perception of the college experience.

While, of course, it may be too early for incoming Bruins to think about reflection, you should nevertheless cherish each moment, the emotions you’ll feel and the memories you’ll make in your time here.

Because college won’t last forever, especially on a campus where the pace of almost everything is ramped up by the quarter system.

I don’t mean to say, though, that you should agonize over every choice to create a perfect university experience.

Instead, you should trust in yourself and take each step without giving in to the urge to walk it back.

Eventually, you’ll get to your thousand days, literally or not: the point when your memories of college life are carved in the part of your brain you leave for the monuments of your past.

A thousand stelae, engraved stone markers standing under a sky of brilliant stars, will mark your future path on this campus. I hope they’ll make you proud.