Reflections and Images

At the end of each semester, I like to reflect upon my classes so that I have some idea of what I should do and not do next time. Writing down what went well and didn't go well for each class makes me feel some sort of closure. When I leave things like these behind, I just keep having this nagging thought telling me to write it. Since I am not that busy during the summer, I might as write it now or else my memory will deteriorate in a month or two.  5.08 - Fundamentals of Chemical Biology (Dropped)  I dropped this class because I couldn't handle 48 units (4 classes) and I switched from Course 5-7 (Chemistry & Biology) to 6-7 (Computer Science & Molecular Biology), making 5.08 no longer a required class for my major, though it does satisfy the biology elective for Course 6-7. I really enjoyed the content during the first half of the semester, though my interest in the class slowly declined over time. I appreciate how they revamped the curriculum, though I was a little b...

A lot has happened in sophomore year. Each week felt long, yet when I added up all the weeks they passed by pretty quickly. When I think about who I was when I stepped on MIT's campus, I have changed a lot in various ways (academically, socially, physically, etc.). I have also learned lots of lessons, some which were hard. Here are some notable changes that I have experienced over the past school year:  Academic and Professional Interests When I applied to MIT and other colleges, I wrote essays about wanting to major in biochemistry because of my fascination with the intersection of chemistry and biology. Before orientation, I was part of the Discover Chemistry FPOP (Freshman Pre-Orientation Program) group. I couldn't wait to do research that would contribute to developing new medicines and other therapies.  It wasn't until the summer after freshman year that I started to have doubts about my major. The TAs in my chemistry lab class were fine, but I felt depressed staying i...