• Admissions office: Verifies information from transcripts and test scores

• Registrar office: Responsible for organizing schedule of classes each quarter

  • Manages web registration (signing up for classes), organizing the academic calendar, access to student records

• Financial aid office: Responsible for financial aid

• Campus billing office: Manages Zot Account, charges for tuition, housing, dining, additional fees

• Office of Information Technology (OIT): Responsible for UCI NetID, classroom technology, campus WiFi

  • Help desk available when accessing UCI systems

• UCI Admitted Student Portal: Resource for admitted students that provides a checklist for students to complete and other services

  • Make sure checklist is complete before fall quarter begins

• UCI Gmail: Used for all UCI-related emails

• Canvas: Online system where courses, assignments, and lessons are managed

• Zoom: Online video call platform

• ZOT Account: Where all UCI costs are billed every quarter

• ZOTKEY and Atrium: App where you can access your mobile UCI StudentID

  • Provides you access to dorms, the library, payment method for UCI cafeteria

• Each school has their own academic advising office

Learning support resources:

• LARC (Learning and Academic Resource Center): Offers tutorial programs/workshops on specific topics or courses and study strategies

• Writing Center: Supports students in their writing process

  • Offers appointments with peer tutors, workshops, and other activities

• Office hours: Where professors and teaching assistants schedule time outside of class to meet with students

  • Opportunity to get coursework support, as well as forming relationships with professors

Building a support network is important because it allows you to make close friends and form a connection with your community. Building support networks prevents you from feeling isolated, and can provide you with a sense of belonging and emotional support when you are struggling.

Tips on building relationships:

• Take the initiative to talk with students in your class

• Form study groups

• Connect with mentorship programs on campus

• Invite someone out to have lunch or coffee, a walk, or another activity

• Join student organizations on campus

It is important to participate inside and outside of class because the more you communicate a concept, the more you can enhance your understanding of the subject.

Tips on participating inside and outside of class:

• Visit your professor's office hours (online or in-person)

• Ask questions in class if you don't understand a concept

• Participate in group discussions

• Complete reading sections and take notes before class

  • This way, you can stay present during lecture and write down what you still don't understand/important points from the professor rather than copying lecture slide notes without paying attention to what the professor is saying

• Complete all assignments on time

  • Start assignments early so that you have enough time to ask the professor questions about the assignment if you don't understand

• Write down all of the questions you have about a topic before class so you know what to focus on

  • Ask a lot of questions and find help from academic resource centers or office hours

• Make a personal connection with your group members by finding things you have in common

• Make sure everyone feels comfortable

  • Physically: Working in a room with a comfortable temperature, having a large desk space, making sure everyone has food and a drink, making sure everyone isn't tired (meet at a time that works for everyone)

  • Emotionally: Ask how others are feeling, let everyone talk, do not cut someone off when they're speaking, praise others even if you don't agree with them very much, be honest and bring up any questions or issues (so others feel comfortable to do the same), avoid conflicts by compromising, taking breaks, and apologizing if you upset other people

• Be concrete with meeting times, tasks, and brainstorming

  • Put all ideas down in writing, write down when your group is going to meet and everyone's specific task, organize concrete due dates for everyone

• Stay in contact

  • Exchange contact information and names quickly to avoid confusion

  • When writing an email or a text message, make sure to CC everyone or communicate in a way where everyone in the group can see the conversation

    • Do not leave people out of group work conversations, as it can cause confusion and misunderstandings

• SMART goals are effective because they provide a realistic structure for achieving goals rather than a disorganized or unrealistic structure.

Structure of a SMART goal:

• Specific: What do you want to accomplish, by when, and how?

• Measurable: How can you track your goal progress?

• Achievable: Is this goal feasible?

• Relevant: Does this goal align with your long-term goals?

• Time-bound: Set a target day for your goal, and make sure the target date isn't too far away

Parts of an action plan:

• Your "why": Identify the motivations behind your goals, as well as your big picture goal

• Roadblocks: Identify and anticipate challenges you might face when trying to achieve your goal and why

• Support systems: Identify tools, resources, and people you can rely on for support and accountability while working towards your goal

• SMART goal

• Action steps: Identify the new behaviors, skills, resources, and attitudes that are required to make progress

  • Ex) Use LARC, use a to do list, meet with an academic advisor, attend wellness workshops...

Why time management is important:

• Contributes to academic success

• Balances responsibilities (balance in multiple areas of life)

• Reduces stress

• Helps you develop life skills

Main components of time management:

• Setting goals (short term goals vs. long term goals)

• Tracking responsibilities

• Prioritizing activities

  • Ex) Do you need to dedicate more time to studying or a student organization meeting?

• Scheduling activities

• Making conscious choices about how you spend your time by planning proactively

• To do this, you can understand the responsibilities and identities you have this quarter

  • Ex) One identity I have is being a student -> what responsibilities come with that identity?

• Rank activities based on your goals from 1-5 (5 being the most important and 1 being the least important)

Four time management methods:

1. Pomodoro technique

   • Choose a task to work on, set a 25 minute timer and work on it

   • Work on the task until the timer rings, then take a 5 minute break

   • Repeat 4 times (25 min. working and 5 min. break), and then take a longer break after 4 times (15-30 min.)

2. *Eisenhower matrix (image above)

3. Time blocking technique

   • Identify your priorities and tasks for the day or week

   • Allocate specific time blocks for each task on your calendar

     • Ex) Create a block called "cleaning" from 3pm-5pm, then wipe your desk, do your laundry, and anything else related to cleaning during that specific block of time

4. "Eat that frog"

   • Do the most important task first thing in the morning before doing anything else

• Undergraduate writing appointments

  • 30-60 min. writing appointments - good for brainstorming and making your idea clear to readers, in-person or remote

• Asynchronous writing consultations

  • Written feedback on a delay rather than immediate verbal feedback

  • Good for when you’re not in a hurry (2-3 days)

• Workshops and resources

  • Handouts, tutors

Writing center location and contact information:

• Science library 193

  • 9am-5pm Monday-Thursday

  • 9am-3pm Friday

• Anteater Learning Pavilion - Monday-Thursday 5pm-8pm

• Langson library - Monday-Thursday 5pm-8pm

• Additional services: writingcenter.uci.edu

Feedback from other people about your writing is important because other people can identify mistakes in grammar or structure that you might not be aware of.

Tips on making your writing meaningful and effective:

• Be receptive to criticism and ask for feedback on your writing

• Think about what writing skills you want to improve on specifically and focus on that part during the writing/communication project when asking for feedback from others

  • Ex) If you have trouble with writing introductions, dedicate more time to writing the introduction of your essay and getting feedback on it

• Move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset

  • Accept anxiety and frustration, but don't hold on to it

1. Planning

   • Set aside enough time to write - start as early as possible to leave enough time for editing later

   • Plan to write in drafts

   • Understand when and where you are most productive in your writing, what kind of tools work best for you, at what point in the writing process you feel most stuck, and what kind of support you need

2. Drafting

   • Write as much as you can without editing yourself

   • Worry about the content rather than the form (focus on conveying what you want to say rather than how you say it)

3. Revising

   • Review what you've written and revise it for better argument, clarity, and organization

   • Get a lot of feedback from others

Changes to expect when starting college:

• Academic

  • Less structure

  • More choice, more autonomy over what you choose to do with your time

  • Self-motivated, nobody is making sure you turn in your assignments on time and show up to class

• Social

  • Forming new relationships and maintaining old ones

  • Expanding the pool of people that you meet, you may meet people who are much older than you, younger, professors, employers, friends, you will be exposed to multiple social situations

• Emotional

  • Managing stress/difficult emotions

    • If you are living by yourself for the first time, you may find it difficult managing the stress of having to live with another person, feeding yourself, managing your time at school, friendships, relationships, spending time with family

Signs of stress:

• Trouble thinking clearly and focusing

• Inability to make decisions

• Constant worry

• Being self-critical

• Constant worry

Stress is a normal response to university life because there are a lot of "firsts", and can help us adapt to new situations.

Stress management tips:

• Identify sources of stress in your life

• Cut out unhealthy ways of dealing with stress

  • Substance abuse, procrastination…

• Practice the 4 A’s of stress management

  • Avoid, alter, adapt, accept

• Exercise

• Connect with others

Make sure that you support and focus on the well-being of your friends as well.

• Potential signs of distress in others:

  • Changes in appearance

  • Changes in behaviors

  • Disorientation

  • Suicidal thoughts

• How to approach a friend in distress:

  • Ask open-ended questions about how they're feeling, and find a good place and time to ask (private space)

  • Say what you see and be specific

  • Be prepared for denial

  • Trust your instincts

  • “Keep the door open”

    • They might come back

  • Have resources ready

  • Resist the urge to fix the problem

• Communication issues (misunderstandings, unclear instructions, language barriers, different communication styles...)

• Conflicting personalities and managing conflict

  • Differences in personalities, work styles, or values can lead to friction

• Different priorities and goals

  • Members might have conflicting goals or priorities, leading to disagreements on how to approach tasks

• Uneven workload distribution

  • When some team members don't do their portion of the work, or other members are too controlling and do too much work --> leads to resentment if members don't take responsibility for their actions

Some strategies for conflict resolution include:

• Compromising by finding a middle ground or a mutually acceptable solution when there are differing opinions

• Negotiate where you clearly articulate your needs, interests, and boundaries, and listen actively to the other party and their concerns

  • Be open to exploring different options

• Outline and write the terms of your resolution so everyone is accountable

To prevent conflict resolution:

• Make sure your team has a clear goal and vision

• Communicate clearly, honestly, and respectfully

  • Be open to feedback from others

• Keep a collaborative mindset

  • Recognize everyone's strengths and good qualities

  • Offer to help members who are struggling

• You can either do research on-campus or off-campus

• Research models 

  • 1) Join a faculty lab (research group)

    • Group of students and a professor researching a specific topic

    • More common in STEM

  • 2) Independent project

    • Finding your own research topic, asking a professor, and asking them to be your mentor

    • More common in humanities

• You can receive compensation

  • 1) Academic credit (enroll in 199 or 190s course)

  • 2) Paid

    • Work study, LAEP, research grants

  • Talk to your faculty mentor, compensation not guaranteed

1. Know what you want to do

   • What topics interest you from your classes?

   • Who do you want to do research with?

     • Make a list of faculty who interest you

       • faculty.uci.edu

     • Visit office hours

     • Research these professors and their work

2. Check to see if professors have online applications or not

   • If they have online applications, fill it out

   • If they do not, email faculty:

     • Email structure:

       • Paragraph 1: Introduce yourself

       • Paragraph 2: Highlight their expertise

       • Paragraph 3: Ask for an appointment

         • *Remember: the purpose of emailing is to get an appointment, not to obtain a research opportunity straight away

   • Give the email a week after sending it, then follow up

   • Meet with the professor and treat it like a job interview

     • Have questions and a resume prepared

     • Send a thank-you email

   • Professors value passion, curiosity, and motivation, you don't have to be an expert

3. Use different resources for support

   • UROP resources:

     • Research discovery program (first year program)

     • Information sessions

     • Funding opportunities + advising

     • 30 min advising sessions

     • Sharing research

       • UCI undergrad research symposium

       • Travel award (travel related to research)

https://covp.uci.edu/

https://studentleadership.uci.edu/

https://sororityfraternity.uci.edu/

https://ic.uci.edu/

https://womxnscenter.uci.edu/

https://ccc.uci.edu/

https://whcs.uci.edu/do-you-need-help/campus-assist-list

https://www.campusrec.uci.edu/

https://studentwellness.uci.edu/

https://counseling.uci.edu/

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox

https://canvas.eee.uci.edu/

https://uci.zoom.us/

https://dev.reserve.orientation.uci.edu/

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https://urop.uci.edu/

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https://civicengagement.uci.edu/

https://studyabroad.uci.edu/

https://writingcenter.uci.edu/

https://larc.uci.edu/

https://academicadvising.uci.edu/paa/

https://ssi.uci.edu/

https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/time-blocking

https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/eat-the-frog

https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/eisenhower-matrix

https://launchpad.merage.uci.edu/get-ready/manage-your-time/

https://larc.uci.edu/all-services/workshops-coaching/

https://larc.uci.edu/2022/01/18/online-learning-tips-managing-your-time-online/

https://gettingthingsdone.com/getting-things-done-the-art-of-stress-free-productivity/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-about-time-time-management-productivity-for-work/id1486961564

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-to-do-list-productivity-for-work-life/id554734474

https://todoist.com/

https://trello.com/

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/r?pli=1

https://www.notion.so/

https://canvas.eee.uci.edu/courses/65184/files/27476892?wrap=1

https://canvas.eee.uci.edu/courses/65184/files/27476890?wrap=1

https://canvas.eee.uci.edu/courses/65184/files/27476884?wrap=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxBaM3XqPBI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1rNMgLSH3o

https://uci.yuja.com/V/Video?v=10165766&node=44213579&a=71086458

https://www.police.uci.edu/clery/index.php

https://ucipd.crimegraphics.com/2013/default.aspx

https://career.uci.edu/undergraduate/explore-a-career/career-assessments/

https://antnet.uci.edu/

https://uci.joinhandshake.com/login

https://career.uci.edu/undergraduate/prepare-for-an-interview/practice-interviews/

https://conduct.uci.edu/academic-integrity/