The previous post and Involvement

I don't know if the video down below is obscure to people when I say it relates to becoming a successful student, but just as a caveat, do not take it in a literal sense!
A dear friend of mine showed this video to me when I was telling them of my adventures/dreams/plans at UC Irvine. It did put me in my place when Tuco says "when you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk." This told me, if you want to get involved, then get invovled. Take all the necessary steps to gather up the info, do the research, and shoot for your goals. UCI is YOUR sand-box, beta, or whatever you want to think of it to what you face in the real world. I keep that as a mantra.

My goal for UC Irvine when I transferred over was to get involved in campus opportunities right away since my CC didn't offer as many organizations or clubs that were as proactive as UCI's orgs and clubs. I transferred over during the Winter 2009 quarter and let me tell ya, ya gotta seek those resources out! The winter entrance to UCI is like that scenario where everything is still and there's a cricket chirping somewhere....yeah. haha!
So...one thing I found useful was to familiarize myself with the school's website. I thought of my current standing as a UCI student and thought of what kind of keywords search terms relate to my interests in getting involved on campus. An example of these terms were "leadership, transfer student, math, anthropology, clubs, study abroad, etc" This step itself is more than a 2 hour study. I found Dean of Students (DOS), Transfer Student Services (TSS), and many more! So much information is already provided to the student if they only do their research that relate to their interests. The next step after the research process was the meeting and greeting. Attend the workshops an org you've research might offer, join seminars, visit the offices, visit the faculty--and if you're extra adventurous approach people and just ask, ask, ask! Don't hold back because (1) this is for your benefit and (2) c'mon you're paying for this education! Well, someone is.

Here is a pulse on what's up during my UCI academic year and things I'm looking forward to:
*Internship - I'm in an internship called the Keys to Transfer Success Mentor Internship. It is part of the Dept. of Undergraduate Education (DUE). The program hooks up the intern with collected, comprehensive, and very very useful information about "everything UCI" and the intern uses this information to guide transfer students whenever questions arise. We mentors are available in the Transfer Student Center & Lounge
*First physics class - 7ABD series including labwork. I'm excited!! I've finally finish all my calculus classes that I can't wait to be experimenting/playing in the physics labs and learning how to apply the math I've learned!:D
*First formal Latin class!
*Revamping this blog site - The motivation for this ties into joining the KTSMIP (keys to transfer success mentor internship program). Aside from my personal experiences @UCI blog posts, keep an eye out for more useful links posts, motivating and inspiring proverbs/mantra posts, and many more
*More networking! More contacts! More friends!
Getting involved on campus really ups the overall University life experience. I'm glad I'm involved in different places where I'm not only limited to my school, department, or major. It's fun to sit at the starbucks, student center, or even running into a mate in the coursebooks floor of the bookstore and getting to know them better and what they're doing in life. It's inspiring to hear the challenges, the involvement, and the things they are doing as a UCI student.

So get involved if you're a transfer student! And, if you're a prospective student, research your opportunities even if you're still at your community college and get excited because it'll be an adventurous journey.