quarter

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.

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Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 On My Mind, School 2 Comments

Ready for the Quarter to End

I’m more than ready for a respite from studying and working here at school. This quarter has turned out to be a lot better than my first one, as I continue to survive my classes and probably won’t end up failing a single one of them. I’ve found interest in attending my writing and intermediate Spanish classes. Too bad I can’t say the same about CSE3 (Computer Science). That’s the only trace of math I’ve experienced for the past 3 months and I can surely say that I still don’t enjoy it.

These past few days, I have begun to yearn for something I’m not too sure about. I don’t want to say that I’ve become drained by my college experience. Classes are hard, but they are bearable. Work isn’t too tiring; it’s tedious at its worst. Maybe a change of scenery for just a bit will do me good. I get back home next Friday to the Bay Area. I can already smell the food on my plate that doesn’t present an aroma reaking of the UCSD dining halls. Seeing old friends for a week and driving a car again — coming back home brings back people I never see or things I never do here at school.

I have a feeling that next quarter is going to be even much better than this current one. My schedule will be even better because I don’t have to wake up too early for my 11AM classes. I’m looking forward to becoming more involved and meeting even more people on campus than I already have. I have a lot of ideas in my head that I don’t want to give away just yet. I just know that everything will work out in the end. In some crazy way, it will. And before I know it, summer has arrived and my first year at the university has come to a close.

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Thursday, March 13th, 2008 On My Mind No Comments

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.

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Monday, March 3rd, 2008 On My Mind, School 1 Comment

 

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