Hey everyone!

My last post was a little..somber. However, it is now May 15th, which means that yesterday grades were submitted and finalized. Because I spent a lot of this semester posting about how stressed and overwhelmed I was, I wanted to come forward and share with everyone my end of the semester report.

Math 100: A

Honors Genetics: A

East Asian Studies: A-

Chinese 202: B

Ahhh!! I am absolutely thrilled with how my grades turned out and have realized that all my handwork was not in vain. Should I now come forward and say I didn't study for Chinese this semester?  

With my grades having turned out the way they did, I am not only on the Dean's List for another semester, but I am also still on track to take Chinese 301, which I will admit, I am not very excited for. However, I am going to use this semester as a guide on how to better my studying habits for the years to come. This semester was not easy, and I am shocked at the grades I was able to receive. Not saying I did bad in these classes all semester, quite the opposite, but I am shocked at how my handwork paid off. 


Ironically this semester was also when I realized that grades are not everything. Realizing, through the rigor and heavy workload that was Chinese 202, that grades were not the end-all-be-all, was something that took quite some time, but was also what I needed to know. In high school grades are a huge part of your academic career, and I would argue that it's not what you accomplish outside of the classroom that matters the most, but how you perform inside the classroom. In college, however, I learned that grades are not the most important thing there is. To me, while I'm attending UH for the academics, I have also come to learn that there are a number of other things that are also important. For example, and you've seen this coming, maintaining a healthy group of friends is important to me. But this is just me. Everyone's case is different, so while the social aspect of college is also important to me, having a job might be important to you. Again, everyone is different. The main takeaway is that grades are not the most important thing in college.

In addition to finding out my grades, I also wanted to share that I decided to change my schedule for next year. I originally registered for: 

Chinese 301, Oceanography, Korean 101, Political Science 150, and Political Science 110. 

I chose these classes because I wanted to a) finish up my gen ed's, and b) try and find another major (hence polysci). However, I felt a little off about my schedule, and when I really thought about it I realized that it came down to Korean. Yes, I have said for months that I wanted to learn Korean. And I meant it. I have wanted to take Korean for a very long time, and having to remove it from my schedule to make room for another class was a little painful.

If there's one thing I hate about language learning, it's putting off learning the language. 

In my case, once again I have had to sacrifice learning Korean, a hobby, mind you, in leu of another class. Here is what my new schedule looks like:

Chinese 301 (no surprise here), Oceanography, Political Science 110, Economics 310, and Accounting 201. 

Now wait a minute- where did these two classes come from and why did I drop Korean for economics, of all classes?

Because I realized that, in the case of PolySci not being something I want to pursue, I needed a backup. And yes, while business is not something I want to pursue, I figured that the least I could do would be try out two of the pre-reqs and, if it turns out I want to pursue an international business degree, I will have taken at least two of the pre-reqs. 

My absolute last case scenario, if both of these turn out to be subjects that don't click, would be communications. I'm not a fan of this major, but I would probably do something along the lines of journalism, as an example. I'm not saying I'm majoring in journalism, but as an example I would try and find an area within communications that I feel fits well with me. As an example, journalism would be that area. 

It has been half a week since returning back to the mainland, and there have been quite a few adjustments to be made (on my part). I've also had to get used to some things, such as the freezing cold temperature that has reduced me to wearing ski socks and snow boots.  I have also had to consider time zones when talking to my friends, as they live all over the country. I have also had to come to terms with the fact that I was wrong; there is nothing to do where I live. No really, without a car I'm honestly SOL. 

Today I plan on going to H-Mart, eating as many Korean waffles as I possibly can, and exploring some more of Denver. For the record, it is currently 45 outside and we're supposed to be getting snow tomorrow. I plan on wearing layers of fleece and hoping I can find my arm warmers. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their time off. I plan to work beginning June 1st, so until then I will be kicking my feet up and enjoying the company of my two cats. 

Until next time,

Aislinn