In exactly one week I will have taken my last college final and
be done with school forever, or at least for the foreseeable
future. As a farewell to UCLA for my last column, I’ve
decided to make a list (something anyone who knows me knows I
usually object to) of the 10 things I will miss most about
UCLA.

The fun thing about having out-of-town visitors stay with me is
they give me an excuse to go out and enjoy L.A. nightlife. Sure,
lately my life has consisted of lounging around my apartment in
sweats, eating cereal for dinner, and going to bed by 10:30 p.m.,
but I can’t let my guests ““ especially ones from the
East Coast ““ think that’s the best the city has to
offer.

As I’ve mentioned in my previous columns, graduating and
going out into the real world means having to trade in frat parties
and keggers for cocktail parties and art shows and abandon the
too-familiar Westwood bars for ones that have a slightly more
mature crowd.

It’s crazy how much UCLA can change over four years.
Whenever I talk with current freshmen about my own first year, I
can’t help but sound like I was living in an archaic era.

As a senior at midterms time winter quarter, I’m really
ready to graduate and join the real world. And until recently, the
only thing holding me back from truly wanting to be done with
school was the vision I had of my post-college self as one of the
jobless and homeless people occupying a bench on Le Conte
Avenue.

You can tell a lot about a party, or party-goers for that
matter, by checking out the food table.
One of my good friends from high school best summed up this idea
when we were in the middle of a fight over how much food to buy for
a party we were hosting together.

For some reason unbeknownst to me, UCLA students love the
’80s. At least that’s what I’m assuming the
countless ’80s roller skating outings, ’80s club nights
and ’80s-themed parties I’ve been dragged to is
evidence of.

When I was flipping through the February issue of Vogue,
something caught my attention ““ a headline heralding
Wisconsin senator Russell Feingold as “the most blogged-about
Democrat since Howard Dean.” This was big.

While I usually complain about the ridiculous rent I pay to
share a room in a small apartment in Westwood, there’s
nothing like a trip home over the holidays to make me appreciate
it.

There’s nothing like a trip back home over the holidays to
help you gain a new appreciation for the Westwood bar scene.
As a senior, this past Thanksgiving break was the first time
that virtually everyone from my high school graduating class was
over 21 and eager to drink their way out of boredom in the
suburbs.