UCLA is the best

okay, so my 1st quarter at UCLA was pretty exhausting in the sense of maintaining a healthy balance; i worked out daily, got 7-8 hrs of sleep a night, went out many weekends, commuted via bus, which all ultimately left me to about 1 hr of studying per day. and, there were personal things that drained me, such as my credit card being stolen, car broken into, and family stuff. somehow, i still got a 4.0. go figure.

well, i've fallen in love w/ UCLA. there are so many things that make me proud to be here, from the:

• the academic rigor
• abundance of smart people (avg gpa of entering class is 4.3 (out of 4))
• my program's faculty is ranked 10th in nation
• check out our nationally-ranked programs
  
• multi-dimensionality:
• people with real humanity majors, such as art and journalism.. and they're VERY good at it
• real sports teams--we've won more NCAA championships than anyone
• resources:
• 10th biggest library system in the nation
• 3 floors dedicated just to computer science, not just 1/2 of a small floor like at FIT
• just walk around campus... you'll see what i mean

and mainly, the thing that made me comfortable being here is finally getting some financial assistance. they told me it was nearly impossible to get funding as a master's student. well, i came here, forced my way in, and by my 2nd quarter, i'm a half TA for AI. tuition isn't fully covered, but i'm on my way.

oh, this quarter is very taxing, so, just as a head's up. i might have to drop a class. don't expect a 4.0 from me. i'm happy to be here. this is where i want to be. i can't imagine a better school in the world. it's in LA, man. i'm glad i didn't choose columbia or brown, definitely.