A lot of people I know comment that I'm not a "typical" Asian girl, at least I'm not like anyone they've met before. At first I thought it was because of an exchange year that I had in the States a few years before I came to this college. But when you look at the fact that I've chosen to come so far from home to the States, I guess I am pretty different to start with. I had to immerse myself into a completely different culture as well as into the University lifestyle.
The first thing I noticed when I came to America was that everything is really intense, and moves very fast. There's a lot more freedom here, and fewer regulations, political restrictions, and cultural taboos.
That applies, first of all, largely to the online world. Information flow is more abundant, there's more variety, it all runs faster, and it's more intense. Take Facebook, it is huge everywhere right now!! On Facebook, I have friends from eight different countries. The world is so much smaller a place on Facebook. Now that you can get it on cell phones and other players people carry around all the time, it's even more instant and crazy. I'm so paranoid that I have to check it several times an hour. We have websites just like Facebook in China. Just as it is here, it's very addicting and young people are on it all the time. It's especially harsh for me because I have both the Facebook and the Chinese version of Facebook... I guess it's still pretty nice though - that website made me feel like I never left.
However, the ways people use Facebook are so different between these two countries. Here, people enjoy posting everything about their lives online. Not to mention, Americans have millions of online blogs, and people share the links they're interested in on Facebook/Twitter all the time. In this way, people have access to huge amount of information everyday. On the other hand, the internet is still young in China, so people do not know how to make the most of it by sharing information. A contributing factor is that Chinese people are a lot more reticent about making their private lives public. The culture has not yet developed to that stage, I guess.
Another difference is that there's such a wide variety of information here in America. People are not afraid to voice their stand on a current issue. In China, Chinese government have strict censorship on all media, including websites like the Chinese Facebook. The freedom of speech is also shown in news reporting. Here, there're five or six major news networks, newspapers and magazines everywhere, all with different points of view. Americans don't easily believe all that appears on the news, while in China, because media is thoroughly censored by government and there's only one point of view, it's hard to tell about the truth.
People from Asian countries probably wouldn't have too many studying problems in American colleges because they have been trained to work hard. The problem for us mostly lies in social life.
Actually, all freshmen worry about whether they fit in with others in their first year. We're all far away from home, being exposed to an extremely new situation. We're all scared of being alone. We're all trying to make friends. However, it's especially so for an international student like myself, not to mention the fact that I'm the only Chinese person in my year, if not in the entire school. People have commented that this school is quite reflective of the local rural and small town surroundings; I'm sure things are different in larger Universities that draw on a more diverse population. At this university, I have been stressed out. I have been depressed. I have been confused. I have to accept that I speak more formally than most people, and I often miss out on jokes -- they tend to allude to TV shows and other things that I haven't experienced.
It is easy to make acquaintances in America – people are outgoing and easy to talk to. But then, even though people ask, “How are you?” all the time, little do they really care about what you have to say about your life. In that sense, I found it hard to make really close friends. I do not understand how Americans are able to hang out in such big groups. I feel very strange being in a group and having somewhat trivial conversations with everyone. In China, people tend to stick together with three or four close friends most of the time.
Another confusion is the stereotype people have of college life. Using a line that I once heard on a TV show which I can only vaguely remember , "Kids! Drugs are bad. Alcohol is bad. Sex is bad. There's a time and place for all this, and it's called... college." So that's basically what's planted in most people's mind - ohhhhh, we need to accomplish the craziness of a lifetime in college!! So I guess college is also the period that people most likely go against their moral beliefs. Yep, that's just college, doesn't really count. Like if you bum a donut from someone else in a coffee shop, the calories don't count like they would if you bought it yourself.
There are definitely drugs, alcohol, and sex going on around me with people I know. And amazingly for someone with my background, they talk about it too -- I guess to show off how cool they are. On those occasions, I just listen to them and hold off on my opinions. I don't try to accept or oppose any of the life styles; I simply get to know all of them and understand why such things happen. I mean, as long as I hold on to my own values and make the choices that are right for myself, nothing would harm me, right? Most of my friends, (okay, acquaintances) respect my choices. So they don't really pressure me into anything. We still talk at dinner tables and sometimes hang out, but I'm very clear in my heart about who are the ones that I truly hold as my real friends.
Also surprisingly to me, when I come to think about things a bit more, I realize that I have in fact made several real friends who I can really relate to now. I guess things have been changing over time; little by little and without noticing it, I am indeed making friends.
One thing I've noticed that I really like about Americans is the "go-for-it" state of mind. I've always liked music, and in China, my friends and I would spend a lot of time singing -- but just for ourselves. Sure, we'd have dreams, but here, it's more about fulfilling them. People write songs, form bands, and (in my case) perform in musicals. Whatever the dream, it seems natural to try to achieve it. You can just start doing it, and make it become reality.
I'm someone who keeps myself very busy all the time, which helped me with my homesickness, although I didn’t have much of that in the first place. I think the most important thing to do as a freshman is to step out and try everything that's there. Don't hide in your comfortable corner and waste your chances. No matter where you are, you can always create opportunities for yourself. Fate won't come to you. You have to create your own. If I'd stayed in China for university there, I doubt if I'd have learned that.
That's basically what I'm doing now. I try to do a whole bunch of different things such as musicals, journalism, radio production, etc. I feel involved all the time and my life is colorful.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Philosophy, New Person
When I first came to this University, I was planning on majoring in psychology. But now that I have taken a few philosophy courses, I have become very interested in critical thinking. I have always been a genuinely curious person, sometimes a bit manic at moments. In the past, this personality trait has led me into rebellion and the various unproductive activities that go along with that. During my high school years, I didn’t know who I was and found myself conflicted when trying to deal with real life situations. Things felt so unfair and I felt it was me against the world. So I thought I would pay the world back and became aggressive and angry toward my friends and family. My parents preached order and rules in the house and I finally had enough of it. Things got so bad that I couldn’t be in the same room with them for even five minutes because our relationship was so hostile.
So when I got here, I was the guy down on my knees yelling out ‘freedom!!’. Things certainly are different. Not only different but great! New classes, new friends, new relationship with my parents, and a new personality for me. I have a chance to be happy, exploring psychology and philosophy, and answering two big questions: who am I, and what is the world really about?
Philosophy was something I was always interested in because philosophers could hold a heated debate for hours without losing their cool. I admired that. I decided that I didn’t want to lose my cool anymore either and wanted to mend hurt relationships. Critical thinking removes you from specific situations and when you are away for awhile, you can reflect. You can be more open-minded and not shut your eyes to new ways of thinking and experiencing. I came to realize the world is the way you look at it.
Studying philosophy has taught me that if you do not lose many battles, you will never learn your lesson. ‘The best chess player is one who has played thousands of matches’ applies to any situation. Or as in driving a car, ‘it's the miles under your belt that counts’. Experience is the basis for all knowledge in my opinion. I am not so quick to judge people now because I assume that everyone has had their hurts and pain, and that my adding to that would not help but rather, would harm. It was only after I decided to better myself that I recognized the good in others. Now, I see the world as full of great people.
As for my relationships with high school friends, I have mended many. I broke down one night and told them how much pain I was truly in; many of them did not know my situation and how I was feeling. I apologized to them, and was able to talk things out, and I thanked them for being so patient. With my new friends at college, I have been able to be my new self and have had fun doing it; here I am accepted even with all of my quirks, and that is the greatest feeling in the world.
I think my relationship with my parents has improved as result of the classes I have been taking. There is a convergence between our ways of thinking now. Before every discussion was a debate and/or competition. But a year of counseling and my new way of thinking has resulted in my learning how to keep my cool and use, as I mentioned before, critical thinking. I have regained a lot of trust with my parents and I respect them a lot more than I used to.
Now I am a happy person, even when something tragic happens such as a bad grade or a confrontation with an acquaintance. I am happy to be alive, and explore the millions of possibilities that make up each day. My new motto is “you win some, and you lose some,” because not everyone will love you, but you should by all means value every experience, for it is how we as humans grow. If you have never failed, you have never lived.
I failed at being a good student, a good son, and a good friend. I nearly got expelled from high school due to my anger. However I have learned so much from this and I wake up every day with the expectation to do something different, and realize the truth in every situation.
I am human, and I will make mistakes, but I will learn from those to become a better person, and University has been my haven for deep thinking away from petty problems. I cherish that.
So when I got here, I was the guy down on my knees yelling out ‘freedom!!’. Things certainly are different. Not only different but great! New classes, new friends, new relationship with my parents, and a new personality for me. I have a chance to be happy, exploring psychology and philosophy, and answering two big questions: who am I, and what is the world really about?
Philosophy was something I was always interested in because philosophers could hold a heated debate for hours without losing their cool. I admired that. I decided that I didn’t want to lose my cool anymore either and wanted to mend hurt relationships. Critical thinking removes you from specific situations and when you are away for awhile, you can reflect. You can be more open-minded and not shut your eyes to new ways of thinking and experiencing. I came to realize the world is the way you look at it.
Studying philosophy has taught me that if you do not lose many battles, you will never learn your lesson. ‘The best chess player is one who has played thousands of matches’ applies to any situation. Or as in driving a car, ‘it's the miles under your belt that counts’. Experience is the basis for all knowledge in my opinion. I am not so quick to judge people now because I assume that everyone has had their hurts and pain, and that my adding to that would not help but rather, would harm. It was only after I decided to better myself that I recognized the good in others. Now, I see the world as full of great people.
As for my relationships with high school friends, I have mended many. I broke down one night and told them how much pain I was truly in; many of them did not know my situation and how I was feeling. I apologized to them, and was able to talk things out, and I thanked them for being so patient. With my new friends at college, I have been able to be my new self and have had fun doing it; here I am accepted even with all of my quirks, and that is the greatest feeling in the world.
I think my relationship with my parents has improved as result of the classes I have been taking. There is a convergence between our ways of thinking now. Before every discussion was a debate and/or competition. But a year of counseling and my new way of thinking has resulted in my learning how to keep my cool and use, as I mentioned before, critical thinking. I have regained a lot of trust with my parents and I respect them a lot more than I used to.
Now I am a happy person, even when something tragic happens such as a bad grade or a confrontation with an acquaintance. I am happy to be alive, and explore the millions of possibilities that make up each day. My new motto is “you win some, and you lose some,” because not everyone will love you, but you should by all means value every experience, for it is how we as humans grow. If you have never failed, you have never lived.
I failed at being a good student, a good son, and a good friend. I nearly got expelled from high school due to my anger. However I have learned so much from this and I wake up every day with the expectation to do something different, and realize the truth in every situation.
I am human, and I will make mistakes, but I will learn from those to become a better person, and University has been my haven for deep thinking away from petty problems. I cherish that.
Student-Athlete Realities
I went to my school on a soccer scholarship. It was 20 hours away and my parents drove me down on a Friday and left that Sunday. I showed up to our training camp not knowing what to expect. I arrived with a broken arm which meant I could run and workout with the team but when it came to actually playing the game I had to sit out and chase balls. This wasn’t exactly how I had imagined spending my first week with the team. We practiced 3 times a day and in between those practices we would either be sleeping or eating, I had never felt so exhausted in my life. And classes had not even begun.
Soccer is a Fall sport which means our season runs from the end of August until the beginning of November. During that period of time, roughly every other week we would leave on a Thursday, play a game away on Friday and Sunday and come home that Sunday night, usually after midnight. I missed some of my very first classes. You learn very quickly how to plan ahead and make sure you know what is going on in all of your classes and what assignments are due. In my first year, on one of our very first road trips I remember one of the older girls asking me if I had done one of the assignments for one of my classes. I remembered the teacher talking about it but never really mentioning it again. I figured she would bring it up again when it was closer to the due date. The older girl on my team kind of laughed at me and informed me that that doesn’t happen anymore; teachers no longer remind you of everything. You get a syllabus at the beginning of the year and that’s the set schedule. This particular assignment was due that Friday night and we were going to be on the bus until about 4pm on Friday. I started writing stuff down on paper and as soon as we got to the hotel I emailed the assignment to my teacher just a couple of minutes before the deadline. From that day on, I wrote everything from the syllabus in my planner and kept it up to date. To the normal student body this may seem like a burden, but to you and your team these types of situations become second nature.
Being a student-athlete is definitely not easy, but it is one of the most rewarding experiences. My advice: on the days when you feel like you can’t handle it anymore and you would rather just be a “regular” student, don’t give up!
Here are a few things that I came to understand during my first year as a student-athlete:
* You might have been the best player on your old team, but you no longer are. You are competing for positions against people who are sometimes more than 4 years older than you.
* You will question yourself more than once a week as to why you are doing this. (For me, these thoughts occurred mostly during 6am practices or fitness practices.)
* You need to show up to practice every time, and you need to make sure that all your assignments are handed in on time. You will very often feel like it is physically impossible to fit everything in.
* You will become very familiar with the phrase: “If you’re early, you are on time; if you’re on time, you are late; and if you are late don’t even bother showing up” You will find yourself showing up to everything at least 30 minutes early.
* You will learn to write everything down in your planner in order to stay on top of things. At the end of any activity, you will look into the planner to see what's next. Then you will learn: know what's next all the time. That way, when one thing goes overtime and the other one is just beginning, you will be able to make a choice.
* You will realize that somehow, although you have very little time to yourself, you are managing and getting through it.
* You will realize that no matter what your team is behind you to support you.
* You will eventually realize that your team is your new family.
People do combine being an athlete with being a student. The rest of your team is doing it. If you're organized, so can you.
Soccer is a Fall sport which means our season runs from the end of August until the beginning of November. During that period of time, roughly every other week we would leave on a Thursday, play a game away on Friday and Sunday and come home that Sunday night, usually after midnight. I missed some of my very first classes. You learn very quickly how to plan ahead and make sure you know what is going on in all of your classes and what assignments are due. In my first year, on one of our very first road trips I remember one of the older girls asking me if I had done one of the assignments for one of my classes. I remembered the teacher talking about it but never really mentioning it again. I figured she would bring it up again when it was closer to the due date. The older girl on my team kind of laughed at me and informed me that that doesn’t happen anymore; teachers no longer remind you of everything. You get a syllabus at the beginning of the year and that’s the set schedule. This particular assignment was due that Friday night and we were going to be on the bus until about 4pm on Friday. I started writing stuff down on paper and as soon as we got to the hotel I emailed the assignment to my teacher just a couple of minutes before the deadline. From that day on, I wrote everything from the syllabus in my planner and kept it up to date. To the normal student body this may seem like a burden, but to you and your team these types of situations become second nature.
Being a student-athlete is definitely not easy, but it is one of the most rewarding experiences. My advice: on the days when you feel like you can’t handle it anymore and you would rather just be a “regular” student, don’t give up!
Here are a few things that I came to understand during my first year as a student-athlete:
* You might have been the best player on your old team, but you no longer are. You are competing for positions against people who are sometimes more than 4 years older than you.
* You will question yourself more than once a week as to why you are doing this. (For me, these thoughts occurred mostly during 6am practices or fitness practices.)
* You need to show up to practice every time, and you need to make sure that all your assignments are handed in on time. You will very often feel like it is physically impossible to fit everything in.
* You will become very familiar with the phrase: “If you’re early, you are on time; if you’re on time, you are late; and if you are late don’t even bother showing up” You will find yourself showing up to everything at least 30 minutes early.
* You will learn to write everything down in your planner in order to stay on top of things. At the end of any activity, you will look into the planner to see what's next. Then you will learn: know what's next all the time. That way, when one thing goes overtime and the other one is just beginning, you will be able to make a choice.
* You will realize that somehow, although you have very little time to yourself, you are managing and getting through it.
* You will realize that no matter what your team is behind you to support you.
* You will eventually realize that your team is your new family.
People do combine being an athlete with being a student. The rest of your team is doing it. If you're organized, so can you.
Free Food
(1)
It's less than a month into my first year at University and I'm starting to get very busy. I have lots of reading in English, which isn't the most interesting thing. I have some calculus questions and economics assignments. Needless to say it is much different from high school. You really have to be independent and make sure you keep track of everything; organization skills will be your best friend in university.
8:00 am class also sucks. I didn't think it would be that bad, but it is. Makes for a long day. Luckily I was able to change my schedule for next term so I start at either 9:00 or 9:30 am, yay!!
(2)
As extracurricular activities are important in university I'm planning on going to the Environmental and Conservation Sciences Association's (ECSA) first meeting. I'm excited because it will be a great way to meet people who are actually taking what I'm taking! Plus, free dinner is always a bonus. There are so many clubs one can join, and if there isn’t one that interests you, you can just make one!! They are an awesome way to meet people with similar interests, and there are perks, including free food!
(3)
Only a few weeks in, I have my first statistics lab and my first Biology lab due. Then I have a Calculus assignment and an Economics assignment due, not to mention a Biology essay due next week and an English presentation!! Why does it seem that everything needs to be done at the same time?! I’m busy every week but this one is extra busy. I have my economics "term test" tomorrow at 5-6 pm, which is not a very convenient time but we don't have economics class tomorrow, so that's a plus.
(4)
I went to the Energy Club's first meeting. It seems like a really cool club and I'm excited about all the things they do. I was one of the three non-engineers -- I'm sure that will change once I recruit people!! On the weekend I went to Rez Fest. On Friday people from residence and their guests went to the water park at the huge Mall in the `burbs, which was reserved just for us. It was a fun time splashing around and soaking in the hot tub. Then Saturday night they had an outdoor stage with different bands playing and beer gardens. These events allow you to met so many more people and get to meet people you wouldn’t normally meet. Overall it was a really fun time and glad I went.
(5)
I'm a little scared for my first midterm, not going to lie, but I do have a reasonable amount of hope that everything goes well. I also have a big biology lab report due. Who knew labs could take so long? High school definitely doesn't prepare you very well. What a huge step it is between high school and university, I don't think people realize how huge until they experience it.
(6)
You can definitely tell it's midterm time here. Everyone is reading their notes on their breaks and before classes.
My statistics exam was okay, more questions than I could finish, so some guessing was involved...yikes. The calculus one went pretty well; I knew how to do the majority of it. I find out the marks tomorrow so that will be the true test! Finally, I have one more midterm left!!!!! Biology: I have a feeling this one won't be too easy, as my professor is known to have hard exams, and honestly evolution is not really my thing.
I also have to write an essay for English 123, which I'm not looking forward to since I don't like essays. The class is really fun though since we have lots of discussions and we are watching the movie "Waltz with Bashir" right now; fascinating. Then I have a term test next week for econ 101.
(7)
My best experience yet has to be volunteering at the University`s Open House. I stood at the Energy Club`s booth and talked to perspective students and their parents, and answered lots of questions they had. It was awesome to see people interested in the program -- it reminded me of myself. I helped some people understand our faculty and program better, but also the whole university life, so that was nice to see. I met people that are in my faculty and my program, which was good; everyone was very nice. I met some professors as well so I'm glad I went! I hope this event recruited some more people to our faculty, because I told everyone I talked to how awesome it is.
After reading our view book and talking to some of the professors and prospective students, I once again am so happy I'm in this Faculty. I really think this is the best there is, and I know I will have an awesome time here!
(8)
I got back my marks for the stats and calculus midterms. Stats, not so good, calc I was happy with. I had my bio midterm on Monday which was okay; it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but my prof is known to have exams with tricks in them, so who knows how well I really did?
Most of the marks I'm getting are definitely different from what I got in high school, which is a big shock, but for some reason it doesn't seem to matter as much how smart you are or what mark you got. Maybe I'm living in some dream world, but it's not this big competition of who can get the highest mark. That is probably due to the fact that there are up to 400 students in a class, so it`s impossible to keep up with how well you`re doing compared with everyone else. However, I do sometimes have the fear jag: not doing well enough, or even failing one of my classes.
Just another reason to keep on top of my work and study hard, and consequently have no social life.
(9)
Our faculty had a free BBQ today. They had some delicious veggie burgers, which were very popular. It was the best free BBQ I've seen yet. They even had chips and vegetables! I also looked at the "Go Abroad Fair" in the atrium. I was always thinking of studying abroad, mainly in Sweden, because I heard it was awesome and there is a program specifically for my degree. Talking with a girl who went there definitely reinforced how awesome it is there. Now I'm really excited to go, so I think I'll do that in my 3rd year!
My parents are coming up this weekend and also some of my friends from home, so I'm very excited to see everyone! But now I need to do my math assignment before I get too excited about the long weekend!!
(10)
Well I had a fairly good weekend. My parents came up from home, and I stayed with them in their hotel for most of it. Different food and different scene from the cafeteria! I got to go out with my two friends from home on Saturday night. It was really nice to see some familiar faces again, and I also had some good talks. However it seems at the time, Facebook is not the same as face-to-face with a beer. It makes me miss home a little, but I do really enjoy being here.
(11)
Aside from university-related activities, there is a lot of partying when you are here, especially living in residence. You become so close to the people who you live with that they become your family so it’s always fun going out with them, or just watching a movie. Most weekends there is a party going on, and some weeknights too! Sorry mom and dad!
The major party weekend so far is Halloween, and that means a bunch of university kids dressing up like they are children and going out! I'm going on a pub crawl with my friends. I'm either going to be a tree or a recycling bin -- fitting for my degree, I know. I have no idea how to create either with what I have, so a Value Village run may be in store. University also teaches you to be crafty and creative. Like creating something out of nothing, and of course as cheaply as possible. There are so many things to do while in university, that you just can’t do them all, but in the long run those are the things that will make the experience that much memoriable and rewarding.
(12)
I am going to be busy this week! I have my economics "term test" tomorrow at 5-6 pm -- not a very convenient time, but we don't have econ class tomorrow so that's a plus. I'm finding that I think about everything in terms of economics now, like thinking what are the marginal costs and benefits of going out instead of doing homework. A bit frightening!
And another huge bio lab, and calculus questions, and ... wait, where's my schedule? How some people can do without one, I just don't know. Truth to tell though, there are people who just forget to do something, and only find out when everyone else starts to talk at the beginning of a class about how long it took. Then they either have to accept the loss of marks, or go scurrying up to the Prof's office trying to think of an excuse.
(13)
Great news!!!
So I couldn't wait till my next entry to share this exciting news. I just received two scholarships that I applied for! Thank you to the Faculty for making it so easy for students to apply for scholarships. So with the one scholarship I already had, and these two, my tuition for the whole year is paid! Yay!!!! It seriously pays to apply for as many scholarships as you can, because lots of times no one applies.
Also I've discovered I'm a true university student now. I waited in a huge line to get a free hotdog for lunch ... how university changes you! I got a free dinner tonight for going to ECSA's meeting. Then tomorrow night I get another free dinner because I'm going to the Institute of Agrologists bbq because with my degree I'll be eligible to become a Professional Agrologist! Agrologist, not Astrologist!
I'm definitely liking this whole university experience ... well minus the homework. I need to do some serious studying now though, so talk to you later.
It's less than a month into my first year at University and I'm starting to get very busy. I have lots of reading in English, which isn't the most interesting thing. I have some calculus questions and economics assignments. Needless to say it is much different from high school. You really have to be independent and make sure you keep track of everything; organization skills will be your best friend in university.
8:00 am class also sucks. I didn't think it would be that bad, but it is. Makes for a long day. Luckily I was able to change my schedule for next term so I start at either 9:00 or 9:30 am, yay!!
(2)
As extracurricular activities are important in university I'm planning on going to the Environmental and Conservation Sciences Association's (ECSA) first meeting. I'm excited because it will be a great way to meet people who are actually taking what I'm taking! Plus, free dinner is always a bonus. There are so many clubs one can join, and if there isn’t one that interests you, you can just make one!! They are an awesome way to meet people with similar interests, and there are perks, including free food!
(3)
Only a few weeks in, I have my first statistics lab and my first Biology lab due. Then I have a Calculus assignment and an Economics assignment due, not to mention a Biology essay due next week and an English presentation!! Why does it seem that everything needs to be done at the same time?! I’m busy every week but this one is extra busy. I have my economics "term test" tomorrow at 5-6 pm, which is not a very convenient time but we don't have economics class tomorrow, so that's a plus.
(4)
I went to the Energy Club's first meeting. It seems like a really cool club and I'm excited about all the things they do. I was one of the three non-engineers -- I'm sure that will change once I recruit people!! On the weekend I went to Rez Fest. On Friday people from residence and their guests went to the water park at the huge Mall in the `burbs, which was reserved just for us. It was a fun time splashing around and soaking in the hot tub. Then Saturday night they had an outdoor stage with different bands playing and beer gardens. These events allow you to met so many more people and get to meet people you wouldn’t normally meet. Overall it was a really fun time and glad I went.
(5)
I'm a little scared for my first midterm, not going to lie, but I do have a reasonable amount of hope that everything goes well. I also have a big biology lab report due. Who knew labs could take so long? High school definitely doesn't prepare you very well. What a huge step it is between high school and university, I don't think people realize how huge until they experience it.
(6)
You can definitely tell it's midterm time here. Everyone is reading their notes on their breaks and before classes.
My statistics exam was okay, more questions than I could finish, so some guessing was involved...yikes. The calculus one went pretty well; I knew how to do the majority of it. I find out the marks tomorrow so that will be the true test! Finally, I have one more midterm left!!!!! Biology: I have a feeling this one won't be too easy, as my professor is known to have hard exams, and honestly evolution is not really my thing.
I also have to write an essay for English 123, which I'm not looking forward to since I don't like essays. The class is really fun though since we have lots of discussions and we are watching the movie "Waltz with Bashir" right now; fascinating. Then I have a term test next week for econ 101.
(7)
My best experience yet has to be volunteering at the University`s Open House. I stood at the Energy Club`s booth and talked to perspective students and their parents, and answered lots of questions they had. It was awesome to see people interested in the program -- it reminded me of myself. I helped some people understand our faculty and program better, but also the whole university life, so that was nice to see. I met people that are in my faculty and my program, which was good; everyone was very nice. I met some professors as well so I'm glad I went! I hope this event recruited some more people to our faculty, because I told everyone I talked to how awesome it is.
After reading our view book and talking to some of the professors and prospective students, I once again am so happy I'm in this Faculty. I really think this is the best there is, and I know I will have an awesome time here!
(8)
I got back my marks for the stats and calculus midterms. Stats, not so good, calc I was happy with. I had my bio midterm on Monday which was okay; it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but my prof is known to have exams with tricks in them, so who knows how well I really did?
Most of the marks I'm getting are definitely different from what I got in high school, which is a big shock, but for some reason it doesn't seem to matter as much how smart you are or what mark you got. Maybe I'm living in some dream world, but it's not this big competition of who can get the highest mark. That is probably due to the fact that there are up to 400 students in a class, so it`s impossible to keep up with how well you`re doing compared with everyone else. However, I do sometimes have the fear jag: not doing well enough, or even failing one of my classes.
Just another reason to keep on top of my work and study hard, and consequently have no social life.
(9)
Our faculty had a free BBQ today. They had some delicious veggie burgers, which were very popular. It was the best free BBQ I've seen yet. They even had chips and vegetables! I also looked at the "Go Abroad Fair" in the atrium. I was always thinking of studying abroad, mainly in Sweden, because I heard it was awesome and there is a program specifically for my degree. Talking with a girl who went there definitely reinforced how awesome it is there. Now I'm really excited to go, so I think I'll do that in my 3rd year!
My parents are coming up this weekend and also some of my friends from home, so I'm very excited to see everyone! But now I need to do my math assignment before I get too excited about the long weekend!!
(10)
Well I had a fairly good weekend. My parents came up from home, and I stayed with them in their hotel for most of it. Different food and different scene from the cafeteria! I got to go out with my two friends from home on Saturday night. It was really nice to see some familiar faces again, and I also had some good talks. However it seems at the time, Facebook is not the same as face-to-face with a beer. It makes me miss home a little, but I do really enjoy being here.
(11)
Aside from university-related activities, there is a lot of partying when you are here, especially living in residence. You become so close to the people who you live with that they become your family so it’s always fun going out with them, or just watching a movie. Most weekends there is a party going on, and some weeknights too! Sorry mom and dad!
The major party weekend so far is Halloween, and that means a bunch of university kids dressing up like they are children and going out! I'm going on a pub crawl with my friends. I'm either going to be a tree or a recycling bin -- fitting for my degree, I know. I have no idea how to create either with what I have, so a Value Village run may be in store. University also teaches you to be crafty and creative. Like creating something out of nothing, and of course as cheaply as possible. There are so many things to do while in university, that you just can’t do them all, but in the long run those are the things that will make the experience that much memoriable and rewarding.
(12)
I am going to be busy this week! I have my economics "term test" tomorrow at 5-6 pm -- not a very convenient time, but we don't have econ class tomorrow so that's a plus. I'm finding that I think about everything in terms of economics now, like thinking what are the marginal costs and benefits of going out instead of doing homework. A bit frightening!
And another huge bio lab, and calculus questions, and ... wait, where's my schedule? How some people can do without one, I just don't know. Truth to tell though, there are people who just forget to do something, and only find out when everyone else starts to talk at the beginning of a class about how long it took. Then they either have to accept the loss of marks, or go scurrying up to the Prof's office trying to think of an excuse.
(13)
Great news!!!
So I couldn't wait till my next entry to share this exciting news. I just received two scholarships that I applied for! Thank you to the Faculty for making it so easy for students to apply for scholarships. So with the one scholarship I already had, and these two, my tuition for the whole year is paid! Yay!!!! It seriously pays to apply for as many scholarships as you can, because lots of times no one applies.
Also I've discovered I'm a true university student now. I waited in a huge line to get a free hotdog for lunch ... how university changes you! I got a free dinner tonight for going to ECSA's meeting. Then tomorrow night I get another free dinner because I'm going to the Institute of Agrologists bbq because with my degree I'll be eligible to become a Professional Agrologist! Agrologist, not Astrologist!
I'm definitely liking this whole university experience ... well minus the homework. I need to do some serious studying now though, so talk to you later.
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