Joseph Natividad

Why so much homework?

I don’t have much work to do YET, but it seems as if a lot of people around me seem to have already begun to stress out about school in general.

I understand that students may like to achieve a mindset of managing their time wisely to escape the inevitability of procrastination. But it’s only the first week! Ahh! Professors go over their syllabus, course expectations and at the most start on chapter 1 of whatever lesson they’re teaching.

I’ve had my first dose of actual work to do for most of my classes. As usual, Calculus gives me brain farts. It didn’t bring back good memories at all. I just ended up with a headache.

It’s the beginning of the year and everyone wants to get off to a good start. I respect those students who are motivated to do their work, but it’s not worth stressing over when we haven’t even had a week’s worth of classes under our belts.

Tags: homework, laura stevens, math-10, stress, ucsd

Staying Focused this Quarter

My first day back at school was personified by long lines. Lots of them. Work at the dining halls was more tiring than usual and I never would have predicted that so many people would order salads and chicken wraps last night. I had to stand in even longer lines to get the books I needed for class at AS Soft Reserves and at Groundwork. I probably shouldn’t have played too many pickup basketball games the night before. I woke up sore and exhausted for my 11AM Spanish class, which looks like it’ll be even harder than last quarter (but I already expected that).

I’m probably exaggerating a bit though. This quarter won’t be too grueling for me and i kind of know it. I’m confident that I’ll survive and continue to improve my GPA to where I would like it to be. I felt like I was about to mentally shut down after getting through last quarter’s finals. I ended up doing as well as I had hoped for and I hope that replicates into similar success this spring.

I find myself looking a lot to the future right now, usually towards summer and what lies ahead for me next schoolyear. But then I sit through class and get a reality check. I really need to keep my head in the present and focus on the things I need to accomplish for the time being. The things that I end up doing after this quarter will have to wait.

Tags: focus, groundwork, quarter, soft reserves, spring

That Was Quick…

I began registering at 9:00PM. My Spring Quarter schedule was all set by 9:01PM. That was quicker than I thought it would be. I got into all three classes I was aiming for and didn’t have to waitlist for anything. It was the perfect outcome to a stressful situation I had wanted to get over with for over a week now.

Tags: bild 22, cat 3, classes, ltsp, peter john, registration, schedule, ucsd, webreg

Registering for Classes in a bit

It’s less than half an hour before I finally get to register for my Spring Quarter classes here at UCSD. The waiting has been a pain, especially after hearing most of the people in my dorm already talking about the classes they’ve gotten into because of their earlier registration dates. Because I came to college with less credits than most of the people here, I got stuck towards the back end of the priority sign-ups.

I blame my high school for not offering enough of a variety of Advance Placement classes. But what can I do about it now? It blows my mind to hear about students who are already at Junior standing with the university because they have completed so many AP and summer classes prior to coming to UCSD.

I’m just holding my breath and hoping that there’s just enough room for me to get into the three classes I want: CAT3 with Peter John (the best professor I have come across here thus far!), Intermediate Spanish 2B and a Biology GE focusing on Nutrition and Diet. If it reaches the point that I have to waitlist, I won’t really mind too much. It looks like I’m not taking much next quarter but these three classes combine to make up 15 units. The limit that a student can take next quarter is 19.5. I’m practicing a balancing act between my classes, work and my social life. I’m not too stressed and I know my limits now. I’ve learned a lot since last quarter for sure. And my grades are a testament to that.

Tags: quarter, registration, spring, ucsd, waitlist, webreg

Surviving Through Finals

Finals are over and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. It’s been a stressful week for me — probably one of the most demanding I’ve had so far this schoolyear. I tried so hard to review and prepare myself for each exam and it worked out for me just half the time.

I breezed throught my Music&Film and CAT1B finals but I knew I definitely bombed Calculus when I couldn’t figure out four out of the eight total problems I was staring at on paper. I’ve never failed a class in my life but I think I’ve finally ended that streak. Worst case scenario: I’ll have to retake the class over again next quarter and finish off the last third of the Math10 series over the summer at Cal. That would definitely spoil my plans to apply for seasonal employment after my freshman year is completed in June.

Yesterday, my Economics final didn’t go too well either, though probably not as badly as I did with Calculus. The thought crossed my mind about whether this major isn’t a perfect fit for what I’m capable of. I have doubts and am feeling unsure about my future, but I’m deciding to go through with things for now. I’ll have to wait for my grades after Christmas and then I’ll get a clearer perspective on things. But I’m not feeling completely bothered by this situation. At this rate, I’m still on pace to graduate in four years, which doesn’t sound bad at all.

For now, however, I’m hoping for a miracle that comes in the form of a passing math grade.

Tags: calculus, CAT, Economics, failure, finals, math-10, music-and-film, sixth-college, ucsd

Finals Are Underway for Fall Quarter

I just got out of my Music&Film final less than 10 minutes ago and my self esteem has shot way up as a result of feeling confident that I did pretty well on it. So now the easy part is over and done with and it’s time to come back to earth. I’ve got Calculus and Economics finals within 10 hours of each other starting tomorrow evening and those are keeping me in a mild state of panic.

I’ve been hitting the books, reviewing my notes and slaving through old finals from previous years since last Saturday. I don’t think I’ll ever be completely ready for what lies ahead of me these next few days. My sleeping patterns have been adjusted dramatically but I feel like i have enough energy to last me through the night as long as I end up waking sometime before noon.

Tags: calculus, CAT, Economics, finals, music-and-film, panic, ucsd

A Tradition Worth Clapping For

I’ve completed all my lectures for the Fall 2007 Quarter and have come across a new kind of tradition here at the university: applauding the professors and TA’s for all the work they’ve done.

The effect is startling especially when a giant lecture hall is filled with over 300 students. It’s nothing raucous or spectacular but you feel the sense of respect and gratitude that students have for their professors. The applause generally lasts for almost ten seconds, ceases, and students begin to file out like they usually do.

I don’t have any more regular classes to attend until January but a grueling obstacle lies a few days ahead when I have to take my first batch of finals. The classes that I’m most worried about are Economics and Calculus. I already began reviewing last night and will continue to do so for the rest of the weekend.

Tags: applause, calculus, Economics, finals, lecture, professor

It’s About Time I Get Back Home

I love college life, but I miss the place I really call home. It’s just over a day and a half left before I’m back in the Bay Area and I’m eager for a short change of scenery.

I just came back from my Econ1 lecture this morning and was a little frustrated with myself. I’m starting to get annoyed with all the graphs I’ve been drawing into my notebook and shifting them left/right or up/down. I guess what’s really bugging me is the score I got on my last midterm. I’m simply not used to taking a test and getting below the class average. I looked at myself in the mirror while I was brushing my teeth and a dejected look was still present on my face.

What did I do wrong? The Indifference curves were sloping in the wrong direction? Did I make a stupid miscalculation because I got confused with the difference of reading subsidies instead of taxes on the supply and demand curve?

Ahh noooo!!!!

I know I’ll go back to enjoying my Econ lecture by the time school resumes next Monday so there’s no need to worry about my sanity.

I’ll be home by tomorrow night until Sunday afternoon. I’ll probably try out some practice Calc. exams during the long car ride there and back to keep my mind fresh when the midterm pops up next Wednesday night. I’ve got one more class today to get over with and it’s not one I particularly enjoy: CAT1B. It’s basically my college’s writing requirement in which we discuss or argue about the relations between Culture, Art and Technology. But most of the time it’s a bunch of fluff. The occasional student comes up with a really convincing argument while others state their opinions in broken sentences in which the majority of their reasonings containing the words “like…like…like_____…like.”

I’m in need of a break.

Tags: bay-area, CAT, Economics, sixth-college, ucsd

Halloween @ UCSD

WordPress wasn’t working for some reason yesterday so it took another day to get this post up. Sorry about that!

Well, my Friend Kevin and I decided to be Optimus Prime from the movie “Transformers” for Halloween. I had a horrifying midterm to get over and done with that same night, but that didn’t stop me from helping pass out some candy to trick or treaters at the Sixth College Residence Halls earlier in the day.

There was a fair amount of mini-Ninja Turtles and bumblebees that showed up at our door, all as adorable as you could imagine.

Tags: halloween, residence-halls, sixth-college, trick-or-treat, ucsd, wordpress

Classes Resume after “Fire Week”

I feel as if I?ve already gotten used to and waking up in the afternoon, walking through a near empty campus and breathing in flakes of ash.

I woke up today and found a lot more people walking around to and from classrooms and cafeterias. I was a little groggy, not being used to waking up before 10AM and copying entire lectures into my notebook. Basically, I have turned into a lazy bum in the course of a week.

The air quality has been getting much better lately. It?s a bit overcast today but at least I can breathe effortlessly now.

I still have Calculus to get over with at 4PM and I think I?ll get some reviewing done for my rescheduled midterms taking place a couple days from now. It didn?t take that long for me to switch back into this sort of mode or attitude about getting my work done and being fully prepared for whatever test I have coming up.

Halloween is this Wednesday. I went out over the weekend to Toys R Us and got an Optimus Prime mask from the film ?Transformers.? It changes my voice when I wear it and has a few other sound effects that came along with it. I guess I?ll be a robot for Halloween, but it?s sad that I may miss out on whatever?s going on that night because my Calc. midterm is scheduled to take place from 7-9PM.

Tags: calculus, fire, halloween, Midterm, optimus-prime, transformers, ucsd