Uni Stuff > The University Journey Journal
My Uni Journey
Seamus Wong:
Okay, so it was my first day of Uni on campus today, and it was great.
The student demographic is varied, but there is definitely a larger population of nerds and people who I'd consider 'focused' which was awesome, because I felt like I could be myself and not really be judged.
The computer science workload is pretty big - the commerce not so much, but it still does require effort obviously.
I feel like if I wasn't doing Computer Science, I would definitely not be pushing the limits of my mind in terms of its problem solving ability. My ability to focus is also growing due to the difficulty of the computer science units - the fact that the content is hard kind of forces me to be able to stay focused for longer.
My time management skills have also improved.
I learnt, from personal experience, and also from some friends who are REALLY smart, that the most effective way to learn and to study is to just do a tonne of questions and to be very picky with the things that I take notes on. So I am doing a lot more questions as opposed to just reading, taking notes and memorising things.
I have a lot of work to do tonight. I feel tired, but I actually love the satisfaction of understanding new and difficult concepts, and then solving problems with the new info that I learn. The satisfaction and pride that comes from completing the work far outweighs any sort of material reward that one would give themselves for doing something 'difficult' - e.g. Buying X as a reward for completing task A.
Unfortunately I will not be able to workout tonight due to the homework. I did ride my bike a lot though today which was kinda like a cardio and leg workout.
Seamus Wong:
Short entry to get some things off my mind.
Uni is fully online for the rest of the semester and probably year and it sucks so much.
I want to go to campus to study because I have nothing to distract me there, and the campus looks really nice which is motivating for study.
I have noticed one of my flaws over the past week:
I am able to focus on my work, but when I am in that state of flow I tend to not give attention to, or put any effort into interacting normally with, the people around me - family and friends - and those relationship suffer.
That's why I wanna get out of the house and continue going to the uni campus because at least there I don't have anyone to talk to nor is there anyone that wants to talk to me, which enables me to fully focus without worrying about if I'm affecting anyone with my lack of energy in conversations.
When I am forced to be around family and friends, I guess I just have to evaluate whether the cost of having shit relationships as a result of my focus is worth the benefit of being productive. I think in 90% of cases, it is.
This coronavirus shit is pissing me off. Can't believe it's actually a thing. It's kinda fucked up the first year of uni for me. Taking an objective viewpoint, I am probably in one of those groups least affected by disruptions.
I Feel bad for the businesses who are suffering and the workers who have been forced to stop working without pay, and obviously the people who are more susceptible to being seriously affected by the virus.
Bri MT:
Hey,
If campus isn't very far away from you should definitely consider studying in libraries and study spaces such as the LTB since they are still open. Also, since a lot of classes have been put online only it's easy to grab a small classroom and study in there if you want to really avoid others while studying. I've been on campus a fair bit - even attended a lecture on Thursday - and even though there aren't as many people as there usually would be this early in semester, campus isn't dead. There are pieces of paper telling you where you can and can't sit so that 1.5m separation is maintained but despite that I still didn't have any issues finding study spaces this week.
I definitely think having this happen in first year when you're already needing to adjust to uni is rough; hopefully after having this experience you're over prepared with study skills and practice at independent learning for semester 2.
Seamus Wong:
Holy shit my accounting work is so boring - literally giving it the least amount of attention possible cos I hate it so much. So far we just gotta apply definitions to scenarios. boring. I'm guessing the content will get a bit more interesting as the unit progresses - I hope it does.
I am really starting to like maths now.
I am kinda sick of the humanities subjects because there isn't much abstract thinking or problem solving required. I also am really sick of writing answers to questions. A lot of the stuff that we write is just fluff with 30% actually providing the relevant information pertaining to the question being asked.
The stuff that we're learning in Computer Systems, Networks and Security is really interesting. We started learning about circuits, gates and logic optimisation. Optimising circuits using the laws of boolean algebra is really satisfying. I find it cool that the problems we are solving are analogous to the problems that people making circuits actually have to solve.
I'm doing 150 pushups a day. Gotta do some now actually.
I'm also eating pretty healthily as well - salad/vegetables with every meal. Trying to reduce caloric intake as well.
Posture is probs gonna get shit from constantly leaning over desks and studying.
Gotta try and counter this by exercising my back more.
Seamus Wong:
Random Thoughts
So many distractions at home - can't believe I'm gonna be stuck inside at least for the next 6 months. I am actually craving social interaction with people other than my family. Not verbally talking to friends for the past couple of weeks has made me realise how much I actually like talking with people.
I actually get a bit excited for the Zoom online tutorial classes now because of the fact that I get to talk to other people in my classes.
Personal stuff
I have created some work to do outside of uni work:
- I have some books on Algorithmic Trading Strategies that I need to read
- Research project related to the current Macroeconomic climate - which will be used to identify sectors to invest in (currently looking at materials and agricultural sector)
- Creating a new trading algorithm with a friend. This should be fun.
Don't have a job. Applied the other day and received the email from Coles and Woolies which contained nothing but disappointment.
I'm doing Uber Eats delivery now though. Hopefully fast-food chains remain open. In the UK, all maccas and subway restaurants have closed for an indefinite period of time.
Uni
Uni workload is pretty manageable. I will probably not be saying that by the end of this week lol.
My favourite subject now is Computer Systems Networks and Security, mainly because I really like making circuits using this software. It's so satisfying. It's kinda like an art.
Exams are all online. Idk how that will work. hopefully it is easier than doing them normally.
Stopped going to uni cos I don't wanna endanger anyone in my family.
I feel like I'd be more productive being at Uni. More opportunity to ask questions. More motivation. More fun.
However, motivation is not really of concern to me anymore as I have become very productive.
I heard an interesting quote:
"Work spreads to fill time available"
Since I have my uni coursework to do, as well as my algorithmic trading and macroeconomic research tasks, I feel like I am being more efficient with my time.
Health
Been doing 100 pushups a day. I can easily pump out 50 in a row now which is good. wanna keep on increasing it though.
My eating has been pretty shit though. Gotta eat better food so I don't morph into a blob of fat.
Mentally I feel okay. I'm moving (again) into kinda shared accommodation this Friday which is giving me something to look forward to. However, moving my shit will likely consume an entire day which will be annoying.
Other than that, the only thing that is bothering me is the fact that I miss going outside and having social interactions.
I'm Feeling pretty optimistic about the rest of this year. I think I will achieve all that I've set out to achieve. The virus has changed some plans but I have more or less adapted to it.
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