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Looking to the Future

I can’t believe that my first year in college is almost over! If I had to sum it all up in a phrase, I think “so far so good” would be a good description. This last finals week hit me pretty hard, but I think (and hope) that I pulled through. I would like to say that it has been a great first year, but there is still the entirety of last quarter waiting, and I don’t want to falter now. 

This next quarter, I will be 18 units, the most I’ve taken since arriving in Irvine. Additionally, I have 8ams on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, which I still haven’t figured out how I’m going to manage. During Winter quarter, my earliest class started at 1pm, so the switch will be a little bit of a lifestyle shock. I shouldn’t be complaining too much, though, since the class responsible for my 8ams is my ICS31 class, which was really hard to get as an undeclared major.

Some more news: I’ve decided on the major I’m going to pursue! I think I want to try for the Business Administration route, and next quarter I’m taking my first management class. One thing about the Business Administration major though—people who switch in need a very high gpa. Some of my friends have told me switching into BA is much harder than other majors, but I still want to do it. If anything, it just gives me more motivation to succeed in my classes, since there’ll be more of an incentive to maintain a high GPA. 

Because of my major choice, my number one goal for the immediate future is to keep my GPA as high as possible. That means every homework assignment, every lecture, and yes, every 8am ICS lab. As long as my GPA stays high, I have a shot at going down the business route that I want to pursue. So as of now, I’m going into next quarter with academics being my first priority—I am a student, after all.

That’s all for me this time! As always, thanks for reading and I hope everyone has a great spring break!

Zot Zot Zot,

Ian

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A letter to me from 10 weeks ago

Dear me in the past,

Savor your time because these ten weeks will fly by faster than you can ever imagine. It may seem strange, but in ten weeks’ time, you will have grown so much—academically, socially, and even personally. A lot will happen, some things good, some things bad. For example, you will ace your first-ever college midterm, but only after being bedridden with covid for a week. Here are some things you should keep in mind to have a great quarter:

Studies are important. You are here to get a degree, and doing well in school is priority number one. However, there will be many opportunities to have fun and express yourself, and you should take them as they come. College is all about learning, but that includes all types of learning, not just academic. Go out and experience new things, and learn learn learn. Things may not always work out for you, but every new thing you try will act as a learning experience. 

Another thing to prioritize is rest and recovery. You might get a little bit of FOMO (fear of missing out), but just know that the priority is you. Take some time for yourself, and know that you don’t have to go to every event. When you find yourself at a crossroads of what to do, sometimes the best is to take a nap. No, seriously. Take naps. You won’t regret it. Mental health breaks (naps) are essential and will power you through these 10 weeks, helping you feel so much better throughout each day. 

On the other side of the coin, coke coffee. Ok, I’ll explain. I’m going to tell you now that Writing 60 not be fun, as time management isn’t your specialty I’m here to warn you of a few all-nighters but also introduce to you coke coffee—your soon-to-be best friend. Combining the taste (and caffeine) of coke and coffee, this capitalist abomination will save an alarming amount of deadlines from becoming overdue. With this new best friend, writing will be bad, but not terrible. 

In conclusion, good times are ahead. Your first quarter will make you grow so much, and even though it may seem hard at times, just know that it’ll all work out. Maintaining a healthy balance between school, friends, and rest is important, and I know you’ll do great. You got this! Keep your head held high and don’t forget to be an academic weapon.

Have a good ten weeks!

Ian

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ACADEMIC WEAPON

Academic weapon (noun)—An individual (typically a student) that acquires traits that are seen by many as scholarly. Example: Ian is an academic weapon who doesn’t miss class and studies hard for his midterms. 

The term “academic weapon” blew up as a meme on TikTok, where people doing academically positive things such as not skipping class, studying, and asking questions were referred to as “academic weapons.” And who doesn’t want to be called a weapon? Of course, I had to comply.

Throughout this quarter, I have tried my best to maintain a healthy work-life balance with the help of my friends—and this silly little meme. Midterms the week after Halloween? No problem. My friends and I would go out for Halloween but come home earlier, all in the name of academic weaponry. 

So far, I have taken a midterm for math and econ, and both have gone well! To study for math, I was able to get help from our class’s online discussion board, which allowed me to ask questions to the other 600+ students, as well as the professor. It also helped that I go to class with my roommate Brandon, where we sit in the first row of our 400 person lecture (as academic weapons should). Brandon has been a huge help in this class, teaching me things I didn’t understand and letting me study with him for the midterm. My midterm could have gone better, but I still have finals, so I still have a chance of getting that coveted A.

Even though I expected better in math, at least I have econ to cheer me up. Somehow I aced the midterm, leaving me physical proof of my hard work. And because of this, I now find myself in a predicament I would never have imagined myself in. 

So my econ class has two midterms: one in week 3 and one in week seven. However, in this class, the lowest-scoring midterm gets dropped. See where I’m going with this? I could technically get any grade at all on the next midterm, and it wouldn’t matter one bit. The thought is tempting, and I’ve imagined myself reenacting a scene from my favorite movie Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, where the main character, Miles, knows all of the answers on his test but gets a zero on purpose. However, one thing is holding me back—I need to be an academic weapon.

All that effort to ace an exam just to throw away my title like that? Not a chance. I’ve already started studying for my midterm next week, and I plan on doing just as well. Maybe then, just then, I can hold the title of academic weapon with pride, knowing that I took the right steps and got the results I wanted.

See y’all next time!

-Ian

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Get Help Now!

If you ever need help on campus, you should know that there are many resources that exist solely to help you. The main resource that I use the most is the offices hours of various classes.  During these times, they offer tutoring on the subject, and will try to answer any questions you may have. They are really kind to you, and anyone in the class is welcome to go whenever it is open. I have went to the office hours of Math 2B, which is calculus 2, and ICS 10, which has light coding, in search of help.

Math 2B is course that has a high falling rate. It also happens to be a required course for many majors. As the second course in the calculus, it requires you to pass Math 2A to be able to take the course. I didn’t really do outstanding in Math 2A, and was saved by the class curve. I also have not taken any calculus courses in high school, so the material that they sped through was unfamiliar. There was a good push to sign up for LARC, which is the paid tutoring service that has peer tutors that help you out, but I thought that the extra cash you need to join wasn’t worth it. So whenever I was struggling, I would go to the free department tutoring and the office hours of my professor. It was also super convenient, since office hours started right after class. That way I can ask about the materials covered in the lecture right after lecture, when it is still fresh in my mind. I believe it works well, and my grades should be ok, but that depends on when the midterm I just took is going to be graded.

For ICS 10, which is called how computers work, we had to use Javascript, which was something I had never used before. It different compared to the programming languages that I had already knew at the time, such as C++. We had an assignment to create a pig latin translator in that language and I couldn’t get the final loop to work properly. This was back in fall quarter, when I had just started college, so I was scared to go to office hours. However, the person teaching the course was very nice and helpful, and got me up to speed with Javascript really quickly. I highly suggest that if you have any problems in a course, attend the offices hours of that course. Most, if not all, courses have designated office hours, which when used properly, can guide you to success in college.

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A Valuable Resource

Between classes, I usually am in the Anteatery or in my room taking a nap. Because of that I am not productive whatsoever, which affected me faster than I thought as classes became more difficult. The library is a good place to study, but to me it always felt crowded and every power outlet was occupied with someone’s laptop charger. I needed to find a place that was generally less crowded and had good places for computers. That was when I discovered the hidden place. It was near the blood center next to East Food Court. Right next to the blood center was a nice, quiet place to study, use computers to finish work, and as an added bonus, there’s a Starbucks right outside (plus there are plenty of sofas for one to take an easy nap between classes). I am the type of person to work if there is a working atmosphere. While it’s not a program, I always believed in using things around you to your advantage and everything else will fall in places whether you realize it or not. This is a passive resource, and to make the most of it, you need to be active and on top of your self-discipline. If not, at least you will develop self-discipline. The other advantage you will have is you get ahead of your classes which means more time to spend per your choice. Or if you are struggling to catch up with classes because the material is hard, you now have time. I wish I came to know about this place before, because I spend a lot of time procrastinating with my work. It’s not something you can put on your resume or make it a highlight of your college life, but I would definitely recommend this place.