A 50-page reading before the first day of the class. And 5 new assignments in the first week of the semester. Awesome!
Ahh [sigh], this is what life is all about. Anyone who disagrees with me can wait till I finish my post before saying anything.
It is officially 2 weeks from the first day of school. And it is time I share my experiences with other amateurs like me. After all, school is more about interactions than about grades, right?
Let me start with the first lecture I attended. My first lecture was not of my grad studies; it was one of the discussion sections I am a GSI for. Whoever swaggered, “Oh I am doing a GSI job on the side just to make some extra money”, certainly gave me a wrong impression. It is not that easy, especially when the course has nothing to do with my previous or current field of study— Computers and Information Systems— and when it has been 7 years since I have learnt that course (Physics) with as weak memory as mine. There are now too many days when I learn more about Physics than Information systems.
While I was gradually overcoming this initial setback, our class was assigned a 50-page reading before the first lecture! Even before knowing what the course is all about, reading through all the material certainly raised questions like, “Why am I reading all this?”, “What does this even mean?” and the most frequent one “Why ME?! Why do I have to do this?”. But having nothing to do in the first weekend, it was easy to pass this less dreadful phase. ‘Less’ because I believe ‘more’ is yet to come based on what I have heard from more experienced people.
What about those 5 assignments, you ask? I am still completing those on the side while writing this blog and (fyi) the due date is tomorrow. Ye! But all this hasn’t put me down yet. Why? Because I arrived in Berkeley fully prepared for a WAR. I have heard so much about how difficult it is going to be throughout the school that I still feel I am walking with a shield in one hand and a sword in the other with an expression that looks something like this:
[Shout] “You can’t stop meeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”
Okay okay… I know I am exaggerating a lot. But it is still true, though to a lesser extent.
But I am also excited… excited for the way I have challenged the wisdom of all my seniors and done things exactly opposite of what they told me.
“Living with students from different countries is a different experience altogether which you must have. It really opens your mind and enriches your thinking process”: I am living alone in a studio.
“Don’t do more units than required for the semester”: I have signed up for not 1, not 2, but 3 units more than what I am required to do.
“Don’t burden yourself with part time jobs in the first semester itself. Give yourself some time”: I am already a GSI for a course that I hardly remember anything about.
“Keep interacting with others. It is the way to find new opportunities and move your way ahead”: I have been to none of the parties or gatherings so far and I don’t know anybody in my school apart from 4 people whom I met before the school started.
And the list goes on.
Though I am already drowned in a huge backlog of course work, I am extremely enthusiastic about what the future holds for me. Success or failure, I simply want to enjoy each moment of my dream that has come true… being in Berkeley. Go Bears!
And those who disagreed with me in the beginning, please wait for a few days before you voice your opinions. Why? My huge backlog, remember?