Remember the Tritons

    Thousands of high school seniors will be on campus this Saturday for the annual Triton Day, which introduces fresh admits to the glory of UCSD. Campus orgs and clubs will be setting the energy for the day along with available information fairs and tours to get new Tritons exploring campus.

    The University of California, San Diego is located in the heart of one of Cali’s most affluent communities — La Jolla. According to US News, it is the 38th ranked university in the nation. It could have been your first choice or it could have been your last, but regardless, this is where you ended up. You became a Triton.

    It all started with a letter or a webpage that said “congratulations” and then an invitation to the first step to the next four years of your life — Triton Day. Held on April 6th this year, Triton Day goes on from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. and is filled with tours tailored to each admit’s college and major.

    All the potential freshman on campus creates the perfect environment for reminiscing. Looking at all the youth makes you remember when you were accepted to UCSD and what it was like to be a freshman all over again. So we’ve asked our writers to look back, and you as well, on what Triton Day means. As you reflect, you might find some Triton pride and realize that Triton Day is actually worth going to.

    Although it may be hard relating to the mass of soon-to-be freshmen that are about to come through our gates — especially with the violent sea of blue, yellow and three pronged sticks waiting to numb our brains — remember that we were all there at one point. It wasn’t that long ago that we were about to enter the unknown, primed to compare each college moment to scenes from “Animal House.”

    Remember, this is supposed to be the time of our lives, so if you’re feeling that UCSD isn’t living up to what you expected as an anxious freshman, then go out and make this campus yours. Join a club, try a sport, start a band — whatever. Make the most of this coming year. The time is yours.

    — Vincent Pham and Jean Lee
    Associate Lifestyle Editors

    While in high school, I never thought going to a university like UCSD was even possible. Transferring to UCSD from a community college was the best decision I have made. I remember the exact day I logged onto my account to view my application status, and I was being congratulated. My heart dropped, and I quickly called my mom to share the great news. That was one of my proudest moments. All of my hard work had paid off and looking back now, I realize just how special that moment was. As a senior, I am preparing to graduate and looking back on the past two years, I truly feel that I had the best two years of my life here at UCSD. — Naire Ter-Galstyan Staff Writer

    It all started with a call. I was driving with a friend on the way to an Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Concert when I received an incoming call from a foreign area code. I answered the call, and a student on the phone congratulated me on my acceptance to UCSD. I was shocked. Triton Day is all a blur, I remember walking onto campus with an inflated face from my recent wisdom teeth removal and hoping that people don’t think I actually look like a chipmunk. Surprisingly, my inflated face did not make me feel shunned, in fact it was just the opposite — I felt like I was in the right place and that UCSD was the place for me.

    — Shelby Newallis
    Staff Writer

    I remember sitting by the computer, my family and I anxiously awaiting to see if I got accepted into UCSD. Tritonlink switched from the its blue screen to “Congratulations!” I felt a wave of sheer excitement and relief. I had gotten in. All those hours and hours of studying, countless money spent on SAT and AP prep books had all paid off. I had gotten into my number one school.The summer dragged on. I would count down the days until I was off to UCSD. Freshman year can be described as one of the best and worst years of my life. A year filled with pseudo- independence and confusion. It was a life-changing year of trial and error and self discovery.

    — Nichole Perri
    Staff Writer

    UCSD was not my first pick. I remember going to a Muse concert with my friend before college apps were due and him saying that he would love to go to UCSD. I told him that UCSD didn’t interest me at all. When I was filling out UC apps, there was an option to apply to as many UCs as you wanted, so I mindlessly clicked SD along with others. I was admitted to UCSD. That’s when I actually began researching what UCSD was all about. But I knew San Diego would have things to offer.

    I didn’t even go to Triton Day when I was a senior, and last year as a freshman I remember avoiding campus like the plague that day, but I’m actually looking forward to participating this year.

    — Jean Lee
    Associate Lifestyle Editor

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