University of California Los Angeles - Bruin Life / Southern Campus Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

The disturbing thing about yearbooks today is that they all look the same. The words and pictures inside don ' t clearly tell you what school a particular book is supposed to represent. I suppose that ' s why we all have title pages - so everyone will know. But, does it have to be that way? We are taught in History and Sociology and Political Science and a few other places that there was once a time when each part of the country had its own style, its own flavor, its own way of life that was distinct. Accents, clothing, architecture, food and a myriad of other things we today call lifestyle set each place apart from the rest. But then the nation went out and discovered split-level houses and fast-food chains, and a lot of other chains too, and happened...or maybe just television. This is what we are told. I think this is also what we believe. So all the yearbooks have become alike, not just from school to school, but from year to year. This has led the average student to the conclusion that one book will do for all four years. Others have decided that the book they bought for their senior year in high school - braces and all - will do for their whole education. It is surprising that UCLA students should feel this way. It would seem likely that anyone with the wherewithal to stagger through this maze of computer registration, overcrowded classrooms and the world ' s longest lines (one hopes) would be anxious to buy a yearbook if only somehow to prove that one had survived.