"We are the architects of our own happiness." | A UCLA & Rice University Student on College Life
We had the opportunity of interviewing Joyce, an alum from UCLA and student at Rice University about: College Life
Here are some of her qualifications:
a professional violinist
a YouTuber who shares valuable advice about her violin experiences
Joyce shares with us:
For me, productivity wasn’t always about achieving academically or on my violin. I felt productive when I made memories that could only be made during that specific time of my life.
"Sometimes it was important that I have bad days and lazy days. "
"Going to college isn’t the end all be all."
Q: What’s the hardest adjustment you made going into college? (courseload, self-control, finance, etc.)
A: Learning to balance all parts of my new life — coursework, self-finance, and also being able to enjoy my social life at school. When I first got to undergrad, I was given more freedom to plan my own schedule. It’s a huge transition from having a set 8-3 pm high school school day to basically having a variable schedule weekly. I had to learn what I could balance and what was actually plausible for me.
Q: What are your priorities in college?
A: Networking and taking advantage of opportunities — big or small!
Q: How did you spend your summers productively? Weekends?
A: In the summers I often went to different music festivals for violin. These can range from 1 week - 8 weeks where you study violin with different teachers across the globe and work with different students than you would in a university. On the weekends I usually spent the time to catch up on whatever I didn’t get to achieve during the week.
For me, productivity wasn’t always about achieving academically or on my violin. I felt productive when I made memories that could only be made during that specific time of my life.
Q: How do you keep a balanced, healthy lifestyle/ are you able to?
A: Yes! It’s definitely possible if you make it a priority. I prioritized hard work and time to myself but I also made sure to take advantage of social opportunities to try new things and meeting new people. Sometimes it was important that I have bad days and lazy days.
Q: Do you have anything else you would like to add? Any final words of wisdom?
A: Going to college isn’t the end all be all. I started my freshman year of college feeling like I had to prove my worth, but there is actually still so much room for growth and improvement. The faculty and staff in college also understand that. So don’t be so stressed about which college you go to! No matter where you end up, prioritize becoming your best self and doors will open for you! Good luck everyone!
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