Joseph Natividad

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

No Classes on Tuesday Either

People were beginning to talk about it happening. I checked the school website a few minutes ago and guess what?

“Due to the continuing concern of the fires, the UCSD campus will be canceling classes Tuesday, October 23. The air quality continues to threaten the health of all in this general area. The fires are still uncontained and other nearby entities, such as SD Unified School District, are closing for tomorrow.” - Chancellor Marye Anne Fox

I’m basically going on a four day weekend, with the latter half being spent mostly in the confines of my residence hall. Everyone’s been jumping around and making loud noises for quite awhile now but at the back of my mind I still think of the fact that I have midterms for Calculus and Music & Film along with a two-page essay for my writing class. All of this will be taking place on Wednesday and Thursday. I’m missing out on possible reviewing sessions in class or during the professors’ office hours…but oh well.

Tags: calculus, cancelled-classes, fire, Midterm, music-and-film, san-diego, uc-irvine, UC-Santa-Barbara, wildfire

Thursdays are a Nightmare

My schedule is pretty spread out during the week, but I just get screwed over on Thursdays: four lectures, two lasting an hour and a half each, one lasting 50 minutes and one lasting three hours from 6-9PM. That long Music and Film class to finish out my day ends too late that I end up eating alone at the cafeteria nearby, with a copy of the New York Times and USA Today keeping me company during my meal.

Out of all the long and nightmarish Thursdays I?ve had since school started, yesterday has been the worst so far.

My first midterm for Econ1 kept me busy reviewing all my notes and homework during the entire night before. It just so happens that I had to type up a two-page commentary for my college?s writing class by the following morning too. Already lacking sleep, how inconvenient was it for the school to arrange for a fire drill at 7 in the morning?

I think I did well enough on my midterm. I seem to be doing just fine in all my classes so far, including Calculus, which is a bit surprising. I did better than I expected on last week?s quiz and I am absolutely certain I aced the one I just had this afternoon.

It?s Friday and I?m glad this week is over. I don?t have any Economics homework until Tuesday but I still have a ton of reading to catch up on for my writing class.

It never stops coming does it?

Tags: Antonovics, calculus, CAT1, econ1, Midterm, music-and-film, sixth-college, ucsd

I’m Back!!!

It?s been quite a while since I?ve regularly updated this thing. I apologize and want to let you know that I am determined not to alienate you or leave you reading that entry about doing my own laundry over and over again.

What have I been doing these past few weeks instead of blogging my brains out? Adjusting to college life, of course. I?ve got a bunch of midterms coming up next week so I would consider this the calm before the storm. I had a few quizzes and essays to get over with last week and I?ve been exploring campus, meeting new people and relying on cafeteria food to keep me from starving. When I?m not doing homework, you might find me out of my dorm eating a turkey burger or a BBQ chicken pizza.

College is definitely a new experience to me and I?m loving every moment of it so far. Not a day goes by when I don?t randomly meet someone new. Whenever someone asks me where I?m from, I just tell them I?m from Berkeley because I doubt they?ll know too many other cities in the East Bay.

I?m enjoying most of the classes I?m taking this quarter, with Calculus being the only one I constantly struggle with. My Economics class is pretty straightforward so I?m not having too much trouble grasping concepts about marginal costs and benefits, the production possibility frontier, and stuff of that nature.

If I don?t keep up with the goal I set for myself to say whatever was ?on my mind?, then shame on me.

What?s on my mind right now? Catching up on lost sleep and eating a slice of that BBQ chicken pizza for lunch tomorrow.

Tags: bbq-chicken-pizza, calculus, econ1, foodworx, la-jolla, music-and-film, OVT, sixth-college, ucsd

A Day in the Life of a College Student

I was finally back at school after over four relaxing months of summer break. It wasn?t a return to high school life but the beginning of my college career. It was both an intimidating and exciting day for me. I?ve never been in constant contact with so many people at once and finally being responsible for everything I had to do.

I?ve never been in a classroom or lecture hall filled with more than 40 students so being in the same room with 300 students was definitely something new. At first I didn?t realize that there were so many people filling the lecture hall where my Econ class was being held because I like to sit toward the front. (I have declared myself ?blind? and can?t see anything clearly more than ten feet away from me.) But as soon as I turned my head to look around, my jaw basically dropped to the floor. The place was filled to capacity and students that couldn?t find a seat were standing outside.

One interesting feature from the classes here at UCSD is the capability for teachers to create podcasts out of their lectures. As soon as their microphones turn on, everything they say is being recorded and will be available to students at http://podcast.ucsd.edu.

It?s amazing how much value the university places on being connected through the Internet and using computers to do the majority of our work. If I went to college ten years ago where wi-fi wasn?t commonplace and laptops were just starting to enter the mass market, this form of education probably wouldn?t be possible.

I am grateful for living such a privileged lifestyle as a freshman at one of the best universities in America. The awe I feel from my first day didn?t wear off when I woke up this morning. I couldn?t even wait to call my parents last night after a three hour long music and film class. The only thing I?m hoping for is to manage my time responsibly between my social life and what I need to do to in order to succeed in the classroom.

Tags: econ1, freshman, laptop, lecture, music-and-film, podcast, ucsd, wi-fi