Sounds interesting! :)Hello you beautiful specimen you ;)
If you don't already know me, my name is Katelyn and I am part of QLD's graduating class of 2020. It has certainly been a year to remember (however unfortunate that may be). But this journey is about to come to a close and a new one about to begin. So, what is the plan Stan? Where did we come from? Where will we go? Where'd we come from Cotton-Eye Joe? (You can find my new version of Cotton-Eye Joe on Spotify 8) ... no you can't, but wouldn't that be pretty cool).
Between 2019 and 2020 I studied Physics, Psychology, Biology, Mathematical Methods, General English and Study of Religion. Having now graduated and accepted my offer for uni, I thought it would be fitting to start this uni journey journal. I will be studying a Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) at The University of Queensland. My life plan, as of right now, is to pursue a PhD in physics (so this may end up being a very long journal...).
What will this look like?
Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours): 4 years
Master of Philosophy: 2 years
Doctor of Philosophy: anywhere between 4-7 years
That brings us to a grand total of: 10-13 years :o (it's a good thing that I like learning)
This is my plan as of right now, but things may change. Maybe I'll figure out that physics isn't for me but neuroscience is right up my alley, or maybe I'll be content and fulfilled even without the PhD. Things may change, and that is entirely ok, but right now I am super excited about the journey ahead and am keen to hopefully walk away with a PhD.
I've begun the process of trying to figure out which courses I want to study next year. So far, 2021 will look something like this:Semester 1- SCIE1000 || Theory & Practice in Science
- PHYS1001 || Mechanics & Thermal Physics
- MATH1050 || Mathematical Foundations II
- NEUR1020 || The Brain and Behavioural SciencesSemester 2- STAT1201 || Analysis of Scientific Data
- SCIE1200 || Introduction to Science Research
- PHYS1002 || Electromagnetism & Modern Physics
- MATH1051 || Calculus & Linear AlgebraSummer Semester- MATH1052 || Multivariate Calculus & Ordinary Differential Equations
So... yeah.. this is the plan as of currently (I'm going to get it checked out by someone at UQ over the next few weeks to make sure everything is a-ok). Because I didn't do specialist mathematics it means that I can't do MATH1051 and MATH1052... So, I have to do MATH1050 in the first semester so that I can keep going. After I catch up on MATH1052 in the summer semester, I'll be back on track (none of my other courses are affected by this, so that is great! :))
I sat down today and made a rough plan of the courses I want to do over the next four years and I think I have figured out a way to graduate with a specialisation in physics, a minor in astrophysics, and a minor in psychology. That sounds pretty sick to me 8)
Anywho, that is all that I have for today :) I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas and is doing well and I wish everyone a happy New Year <3
- Katelyn
Oh wow kudos to you for planning your whole course, I'm in the final year of my degree and still have not picked all my subjects XD
A very interesting mix with neuro and physics- im sure you will enjoy it (especially the way the two are connected when we think about how neurons transmit electrical impulses and how physics relate to this with electricity and voltage fun stuff!!)
Looking forward to hearing to future entries
Taking two summer subjects in the first year, seems intense! But it looks like you got it all sorted :)
Wishing you all the best
-T&S
What does your ideal timetable look like?
I also have a public transport horror story the first time I went into uni! I'm terrible at directions but it gets a lot easier after you've been there a few times! :D
Are you planning on staying home on Fridays?
So yeah, my first impressions of UQ have been wonderful. I've heard a lot of talk about how students get treated as a number and that staff don't seem to care or want to answer questions, but every single person I have spoken to so far has been super kind. I've had multiple discussions over the phone with the science faculty and everyone I have spoken to has been super helpful and is more than happy to answer questions. But I guess only time will tell whether this will hold up.
I did have to make some adjustments to my courses for this year however. Instead of doing SCIE1000, I am now doing SCIE1100 (Advanced Theory & Practice in Science). I have also decided that I want to put another course in my summer semester - PSYC1030 (Introduction to Psychology: Developmental, Social & Clinical Psychology).
If you want to see my current plan for the next four years of my life, open this :)
...
Different university, but my experience is that as you specialise more in later years you will be part of a smaller cohort and better known and treated more as an individual (that is, by lecturers and tutors and fellow students - not talking admin staff here).
It's good to have a plan, and your combination of minors probably doesn't give you a lot of flexibility anyway. And I think you're already aware of this, but I'd just say to be aware that your plans can change a lot as you learn more about the various subjects and about yourself, and that's a good thing.
There were some things I did in 1st and 2nd year that I thought I'd never grow tired of, and yet was glad by the end of the year I wasn't continuing with them. And there's no way I would have expected to be doing some of the subjects I did in 3rd and 4th year - some were new subjects, some had become more or less interesting to me because of what I learned and how I had changed in the first couple of years.
-snip-
I'm going to a toga party (the night before my 8am... pray for me). So those should be a good time :)
Ahhhh the joys of going to a party the day b4 an 8 am, an essential university experience. I remember when me and a couple of mates did this, we actually booked an Airbnb in the city so we could get to class on time. We ended up falling asleep around 4:30 only to get up by 7:30 to get to class XD
Unsurprisingly, we all ended up sleeping through our stats class and we had three more classes back to back (we did end up skipping bcoz we were so tired)
Hope you're able to have a better experience! But don't be too hard on yourself, these parties and events are part of the whole university experience.
Glad to see a positive update! Looks like you're really keen to get started which is great to see.
Looking forward to further updates
-T&S
How goes it? :)
I'm glad to hear things are going well for you!
Btw, not at all surprised that your students had positive feedback for you :D