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How to Figure Out if Studying Abroad is Right for You

by Victoria Delamora December 13, 2019

Studying abroad is something many people see as the best part of their undergraduate experience. It can definitely be very daunting, because being in a foreign country where you know no one is a really scary thing. However, if you do decide to study abroad, it will definitely be something that you will never forget. If you have any interest whatsoever in studying abroad, there are some things that you should consider and figure out.

Should I Study Abroad?

The first thing that you should do once you have any slight interest in going abroad is decide if it’s something that’s actually right for you. There are many factors to take into account. The first thing you should think about is if studying abroad would be financially possible for you, as some programs are much more expensive than UCLA. Once you figure out finances or are at least informed on the different variations of prices, you should decide whether being in a country you’re not familiar with is something you are comfortable with and ready to embark on your own. You should also take into account whether or not studying abroad is right for your major or if it will deter your path to a 4 year graduation. Sometimes studying abroad can make it easier to graduate in four years, but in other cases it can slow down your pace. Another thing to think about is whether or not you actually want to leave the UCLA campus and surrounding area. It seems like a trivial factor to take into account, but if you’re really invested in the Los Angeles lifestyle and couldn’t imagine yourself being away from the things LA has to offer, then studying abroad might not be for you.

When and Where Should I Go?

If you ultimately do decide that you do want to study abroad then there are some more decisions that you need to make. These decisions need to be made pretty far in advance, so figuring out what your plan is quickly is crucial. To put it in perspective, applications for Winter 2021 open as early as January, with some programs being first come first serve. The first thing you should do is decide where you want to go. There are a multitude of options that UCLA offers through UCEAP including but not limited to Argentina, Australia, Botswana, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. When deciding where you want to go you might want to think about how familiar you are with the language spoken in the area and the weather you would be happy with. It might also be worth it to take into account whether or not the place you are going to is convenient for travel to other areas and countries, as you may want to travel when you have ample free-time.

Once you decide where you want to go, the next step is to decide when you want to go. There are options for one quarter, a semester (you would miss either Fall Quarter or both Winter and Spring Quarters), or a full year. Some programs have limited options for times you can go, while others give you more leeway to decide which parts of the year you would like to miss. Figuring out when you want to go abroad also affects your living situation for when you will be at UCLA. You will have to figure out finding an apartment and subletting with people who will be there while you will be away and vice versa. This is a little more of a logistic problem, so you will need to talk to your friends and see if renting an apartment together would work out. Although, if your friends do have different schedules and an apartment with them doesn’t seem to be the best option, there are always advertisements for sublets on UCLA Facebook pages.

What Now?

Once you figure out these first crucial steps, the next thing to do is to go to the UCEAP office and figure out the logistics and actually begin to do the real planning and put everything into place. This includes figuring out how course credits transfer for your major and learning more about the cost of your trip and the room and board options you will have. This is a perfect time to learn more about the finances of studying abroad and really solidify your decision to go.

Studying abroad seems like a lot of planning, but if you are organized in the way you do it and do everything in advance, you will have no problems and will be one step closer to a truly incredible experience.

December 13, 2019 0 comment

Lifestyle Travel World

Spring Break at Walt Disney World!

by Ally Chou May 13, 2019

written by Ally Chou

Spring Break 2019 was a wholesome one for me! My friends and I spent four days in Disney World, Orlando. The six hour plane right took us straight to Florida at 6 in the morning and that is where I want to begin sharing my trip with you.

At our check in (we stayed at the Disneyworld Animation Studios Resort), we were given wrist bands that, when tapped on a detector, would allow us to use fast pass tickets, get food, buy souvenirs and also enter our resort rooms. It was a very convenient piece of technology that is free of charge if you buy the Disneyworld package.

Photo by Ally Chou

Our first stop was at the Magic Kingdom, where everyone has to take basic photos of the castle. Disneyland’s castle in Anaheim was under construction the last time I visited, so I was happy to see that the Orlando Disney World’s castle is still in tact! We went on the classic rides from Pirates of the Caribbean to Peter Pan. It was a delight being reminded of nostalgic childhood memories when I visited ten years ago. Almost everything looks the same — it’s just that we are older and we feel like more children are running around everywhere!

Photo by Ally Chou

The second day we went to Animal Kingdom! Out of all the other parks, Animal Kingdom was the one with the most intense rides — but also with the longest wait times. It consisted of Dinosaur Land, Asia, Africa, Pandora (from the film Avatar) and more. The “scariest” ride — aka the one with the highest drop — was the Himalayan Mountain ride that goes backwards and drops from a really high point. In Dinosaur Land, there is also a ride that parallels Anaheim’s Indiana Jones rollercoaster, which is just moving forward with a lot of speed. The most unforgettable experience was at Pandora, where a stimulation allows us to feel, smell and see what it is like to explore the land of Na’vi (from Avatar). However, the ride was almost a 2 hour wait — and that was lucky because sometimes it would be a four hour long wait.

The third day was spent at Epcot Center. This park had the least rides, but the most to take pictures at, to splurge at, and to walk around in. Epcot reimagines countries from all continents next to each other. Its map is also shaped in a circle, as if the visitor is walking through the world and exploring all countries. All of the staff were from the respective countries that they were situated in — i.e. in the England region of the park, there would be British staff members. Each of the regions (France, England, Canada, Japan, China, Norway, Germany, etc.) would contain merchandise from their countries, Disney characters whose stories originated from those countries, a few shows, and most importantly — AUTHENTIC food! We tried the fish and chips from England and they were indeed very crispy and tasty. There is even boba in “China”! If you are just at Disney to experience the rides though, you might want to skip this park because there are none that are fast. The only one for the adrenaline junkies is the Test Track, which is sponsored by Chevrolet, and involves you hypothetically “testing out” a car (it’s a cool ride!).

Photo by Ally Chou

Our final day (half day) at Disney World was at the Hollywood park which is quite ironic because the streets — Sunset, Grand Ave, etc. — are ones we see everyday! There are a few replications of iconic buildings and street signs from Los Angeles. Most of the shows are based off of Disney movies such as Star Wars, the Incredibles (which was an area still under construction when we visited), the Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo and more. Like Epcot, there aren’t many exciting rides, with the exception of the Rock n’Rollercoaster, which is a fast ride that goes upside down.

For any of you who want a great spring break next year, consider Disney World! You wouldn’t want to miss it for the cute merchandise! You could go out to the city at night too, or even take a trip to Miami since you’re there.

PS. Apparently at Disney, if you want to switch a pin that you bought with a staff member’s, they have to exchange it with you!

May 13, 2019 0 comment

Lifestyle Los Angeles Travel World

Memorial Day Road Trip Destinations

by Victoria Delamora May 10, 2019

written by Victoria Delamora

With Memorial Day coming up soon, it’s time to think about what you’re going to do with your weekend of freedom. This three day weekend is the calm before the storm in the quarter system, as Week 10 and Finals Week are not so far off from Memorial Day. So grab some friends, gear up, and plan a road trip to one of these great destinations in California.

Newport Beach: Newport is a beach town that is only an hour and a half drive from campus. It is known for its great local beaches and Lido Marina Village, a great area to walk around which many people find themselves going to for the sole reason of taking an Instagram photo. If you’re an Instagram feind, then this is the place for you!

NEWPORT, Photo by Adam Reeder, Flickr Creative Commons

Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara is just an hour and a half north of campus. It is a small coastal town known for its shopping, wineries, hiking, and Spanish architecture. Santa Barbara is a very quaint town and is definitely a place to check out if you want a relaxing Memorial Day weekend.

SANTA BARBARA, Photo by Michael Theis, Flickr Creative Commons

San Luis Obispo: SLO is three hours from UCLA and is near Pismo Beach. The city is known for its “college town” feel and beautiful scenery. It has great hiking trails and other opportunities for recreation. There is also a famous Bubblegum Alley on a street in the downtown area.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Photo by emdot, Flickr Creative Commons

San Diego: San Diego is two-and-a-half hours from campus and is definitely a place you should visit if you have not before. It has beautiful beaches, great restaurants, and several other interesting spots, such as the USS Midway Museum, a historic aircraft carrier with exhibits, and the Gaslamp Quarter.

SAN DIEGO, Photo by Phil Dickinson, Flickr Creative Commons

Big Bear: While Big Bear is known as a popular ski and board destination during the winter, it transforms into a lake community during the Spring and Summer. It has all the typical lake activities you could dream of: kayaking, jet-skiing, boating, as well as hiking, zip lining, and so much more. This would be an ideal Memorial Day weekend destination, as there is something for everyone, and you have the added bonus of being able to stay in a log cabin.

BIG BEAR LAKE, Photo by Don Graham, Flickr Creative Commons

May 10, 2019 0 comment

News World

How has Art History Transformed?

by Ally Chou March 20, 2019

written by Ally Chou

During my interview with Professor Miwon Kwon, contemporary arts chair at UCLA, we discussed some interesting views about art history and how this discipline has changed throughout the latter half of the 20th century, and what it has become today.

In the 1960s, art history was viewed as an elite discipline that typically used a European canon; modern art, Greek sculpture, Italian Renaissance paintings…etc. With other arts from different cultures, there would just be one person in the entire faculty, teaching the general topic of “Asian arts”.

But since the 1970s, art history departments in the world’s best universities began to push against the definition of what art history is. The idea of art history started to become a subject pursued by mavericks and people who think or see the world differently. There was an increased push for global coverage to other parts of the world beyond Europe.

Professor Kwon claimed that the category of contemporary art was added to the mix that traditional programs may not have included. UCLA was one of the universities during the 70s, that was very ahead of the curve on the transformation of art history, setting the precedents for learning and teaching global and contemporary art. This was partly because UCLA is situated on the west coast, with much less of a burden on tradition than schools in the east coast. The department was therefore more daring in teaching more progressive topics with younger faculty members.

Professor Kwon herself was one of the first chairs for contemporary art in the country during the 1990s, at a time when many still did not think “contemporary” works had enough value to be labeled as part of “history” yet. Contemporary arts was not really considered a realm of academic scholarship, and was still quite controversial amongst professors and scholars. It was also a very difficult subject to teach because there were rarely any published works on contemporary art, so referenced photographs would have had to be copied using xeroxes for every student. Professor Kwon recalled that she had to present images, shoot 35 millimeter slides, and make xeroxes of contemporary works every day to teach at UCLA, where there was still hardly any textbooks out there. Syllabuses also had to be created out of scratch.

Nowadays, more schools would prioritize contemporary coverage over traditional categories such as sculptures and paintings. In fact, there is an increased search for 18th and 19th century art historians in schools, which was the opposite situation during the early 20th century, where there was an abundance of information on European topics.

It evident now, how art history was once a rather strict discipline, that was quite limited to a certain group of people interested in European arts. The ideal image of art history would have also been Greek sculptures, Van Gogh’s painting, or Michelangelo’s God and Adam. But now, it is a flexible and malleable discipline that is striving to become more inclusive of various perspectives of art, taught from a more diverse standpoint. This encompasses art categorized chronologically (e.g. contemporary, post modern art), materially (e.g. photography, multimedia, installations) and geographical (e.g. Chinese art, African art), or both (i.e. contemporary Indian art). Speaking of art history in the modern day, would actually lead us to think about people like Rothko, Jeff Koons…etc. We are becoming more and more perceptive and absorbent towards the world around us through art and it is enlightening to see how the arts changes, as well as how people’s interpretations of the boundaries of art is still evolving.

March 20, 2019 0 comment

Featured Politics World

President Trump’s 2019 State of the Union Address

by Lila Hearn February 6, 2019

written by Lila Hearn

Tuesday, February 5 2019: President Donald Trump delivered his second State of the Union address – his first to a Democratic majority House. With plenty of bold claims, calls to action, and 13 special guests, here’s a recap of Trump’s address.

From the beginning, the 90 minute speech had an abnormal start: breaking from custom, the President did not wait to be introduced by the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. He greeted her and Vice President Pence – both seated behind him – and immediately began his address. His opening words placed emphasis on achieving greatness for “all Americans”, and he stressed to Congress the importance of reaching across the aisle to govern as one nation.

“Victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country.”
Donald Trump

He then cited two major anniversaries being celebrated this year: 75 years since the Allied liberation of Europe in World War II, and 50 years since America stepped foot on the moon. These were two examples of “the majesty of America’s mission, and the power of American pride.”

After fondly encapsulating the 20th century, he looked towards the present and future, calling for a break from current bi-partisan politics.

“We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction. Tonight, I ask you to choose greatness.”
Donald Trump

He highlighted aspects of his first two years in office, claiming numerous achievements, such as “launching an unprecedented economic boom” creating 5.3 million new jobs, wages rising dramatically, 5 million Americans no longer requiring food stamps, and unemployment for people of color reaching an all time low, to name a few. “Members of Congress: the State of our Union is strong. Our country is vibrant and our economy is thriving like never before.”

Before delving into his policies and plans for the future, he calls out the “ridiculous partisan investigations” that are ongoing, saying this is hindering the nation’s progress. From this, he segues into criminal justice reform, followed by border security – a topic of much conversation since the government shutdown – which he speaks about at length.

“Now is the time for the Congress to show the world that America is committed to ending illegal immigration and putting the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers, and human traffickers out of business.”
Donald Trump

He goes on to discuss women in the workforce, claiming that women have filled 58% of the new jobs created in the past year, and more women are serving in Congress than ever before. Moving swiftly from there, he moved into describe the policies he has put in place regarding tariffs and international trade. On a less controversial note, he also called for eliminating the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and funding further research to help fight cancer.

Congress women dressed in white – a symbol of women’s suffrage

After a few brief but pointed comment about abortion, (about which his concluding remark was, “And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children — born and unborn — are made in the holy image of God.”), he dives into the final point of his address: National Security. He mentioned foreign policy and our interests around the world – Syria, Venezuela, Russia, and the Middle East – in addition to strengthening our military.

His concluding remarks called Congress to action: to look ahead, to dream, to know that the impossible is achievable.

“This is our future — our fate — and our choice to make. I am asking you to choose greatness.”
Donald Trump

February 6, 2019 0 comment