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

Freshmen get to feel like kids again at Res Fest, a carnival game fiesta where me only thing better man winning tickets is getting to redeem them for fun prizes ond goodies. Orientation was not all fun and games; the busy days were intense for anyone wbo attended the programs. Photographed by lennilei Rkhadson. You did it! You made it into UCLA, as did countless classmates who, in the summer before their freshman year, made the trek to UCLA to get a feel for the school and for life in a new place. This journey was your three day long Freshman Orientation, a place to learn, make friends and figure out whether or not you were going to love the next four years of your life. The schedule for orientation consisted of different " welcome " programs, as well as academically geared workshops, a grueling tour of the campus, a different social event for each night and class scheduling. While orientation seemed focused on academics, getting a feel for the campus, and other school-related topics, many came with an ulterior motive to meet friends and experience Los Angeles " night life. " Second year student Hong " Kim Ann " Dang found that " the people you meet at orientation can end up being the best friends you have here, " and making friends often helps students fit in to a new environment. First year student Deuce Blake felt that " freshman orientation was very helpful because it was a way to get adjusted to college life without having to deal with classes or anything important. " A bitter taste of reality often accompanied the dorming experience at orientation, as students soon learned exactly how tiny those " spacious " triples really were. After spending a few days in a dorm room, however, students realized that communal showers and bunk beds were but minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things. While some surely found orientation to be painfully redundant, most students look back at orientation and remember the good memories they had (and the friendships they made) that strange summer before they grew up... -|by Susan Sherman] \student life