fall 2018 focus

an overview of my junior fall

Zoe Teoh
Zoe Teoh
Sep 7, 2018 · 7 min read

Introduction

I remember when I was younger, I would be so excited about starting a new year, and I feel a lot of people feel the same way. A new year marks a new beginning, starting everyone off a clean slate. This was more true in elementary and middle school, where a new school year meant that everything from the previous year will be wiped- small mistakes in class, grades in class, certain subjects also got wiped away due to specialization in a particular field. High school became different, where my two years in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program was connected- work done in the first year directly affected how i did for the IBDP. Now that I am in college, even though there is a sense on continuity where my eight semesters here does affect my GPA, I do feel like each semester is very different- the classes I am taking, clubs I am more involved in, people I see more often.

It’s good, don’t get me wrong. I do like having minor changes in my life because it helps me grow as a person. But what is change if I don’t make an effort to notice the changes and how it is changing me? What helps me grow better as a person is looking inward and journalling. This is why I decided to make it a point to publicize my “goals” of this semester. I would not say they are goals because it gives me the sense that I did not do “well” if I did not meet my goals. Instead, I will like to phrase it as “Fall 2018 Focus”- (some) things I would like to focus on this semester and move closer to.

Fall 2018 Focus

  1. Get a job for summer 2019
  2. Actually learn in all my classes
  3. Sleep sufficiently
  4. Be productive
  5. Eat clean + healthy
  6. Light exercise + mindfulness walks
  7. Skin care + dental care
  8. Journal more

This is not the end! Instead of telling people my goals, I want to keep everyone accountable by journalling my progress towards my focus(es). But no, I will not be documenting my entire life this semester- reporting what I ate, studied, did and how much a slept. Instead, I would be focusing on one focus (wow) that I would really want to work on — focus number 2.

Don’t get me wrong, I do learn in all my semesters in college, but not as much as I wanted to. Every semester, I would be taking one or two really time consuming and tough class. And to balance that out and still maintain my full time status and to graduate on time, I would take a few more manageable classes.

And before you start having thoughts about my strategy, I would like to point out the “manageable” classes I have taken so far- Principles of Economics, Introduction to Probability Theory, Introduction to Entrepreneurship, Web Design and Development, Civil Engineering. When I say manageable, I’m not saying they are useless, I just mean it is classes where the content does not take a overwhelming amount of time to understand or the course work is not as heavy as having homework due more than once a week. And no, it is not that I don’t learn in my classes, but because I tend to spread myself out, I never fully immerse in a class that is totally different in my field of choice or if I wasn’t super interested in the class.

This semester, my strategy did not change- I am taking two more time consuming (read: intense) classes and four other more manageable classes. Out of the four, I categorize two of them as time consuming but not content heavy (read: medium) and two others as less time consuming and light in content (read: chill).

classes this semester

I hope to learn in all my classes and get the most out of it, even though they might not directly related to what I want to do in the future. So here is the list of classes I am taking, why I decided to take them and what I am expecting:

1.Application Design and Development

What? — In this class, we will be understanding how to model data and translate those data models into working databases, becoming familiar with Model- View- Controller pattern in software architecture, understanding why and how to do software testing and building a web-based application. (taken from the course website) This semester, we will be building a fictional Gotham City Police Department Crime Tracking system (exciting!).

Why? — This is a core Information Systems class that I have to take, but also want to take. As much as I enjoy learning about the theory behind how to do things, I also enjoy being able to actually make something. One problem I had with some of my classes is that I feel it does not always prepare me for the real world. But, this class is a balance of learning how to create applications, and actually creating them!

Personal Objectives! — I hope to get a glimpse of what a project is like in the real world and how to code for something bigger than just small functions that play around with integers, strings, arrays and dictionaries. I also hope to be able to gain skills that would help me be a better <insert job title here>, while having fun building a crime tracker (!!!)

2. Principles of Software Construction: Objects, Design and Concurrency

What? — In this class, I would be able to engage with concepts related to the construction of software systems at scale, building on my understanding of the basic building blocks of data structures, algorithms, program structure, and computer structures. (taken from the course website)

Why? — This is another one of the classes that I hope would be able to prepare me for the real world. I guess even though it is very theoretical and not practical (read: project based class), it seems like it is very much linked to the real world and I believe it is information that would really benefit me (and my future careers) I technically don’t have to take the class and after hearing how time consuming the class is, I did have second thoughts. But, I shall not give up before I even enter the battle field. So, wish me luck!

3. Information Design Fundamentals

What? — In this class, I would be learning more about composition, typography and color. But instead of working with just shapes and spaces, I would be working with content- text and media. I would say this is a project based class- both individual and group work.

Why? — (Fun fact: I have a minor in architecture because I like the intersection between designing for people and learning about the technicalities behind a building) I wanted to take this class because I think it would complement the more “back-up” and technical classes I took this semester. Also, design is something underrated, but I firmly believe that good design can bring people and product places. I hope to be able to really dive into what makes good design and how humans process information that they are bombarded with every single say. (Really excited about this class, but also slightly afraid I am too rusty in terms of my design eye)

4. Computing for Good

What? — A pure project class! In this class, I will be in a group of nine (thats a big group right there) working on developing a solution for emergency response in a crowd. We are focusing on two main areas: (1) detecting medical emergencies and providing rapid assistance if needed and (2) detecting the event of threat or disasters and notifying needed parties rapidly.

Why? — Yet another project class! This class seemed super interesting because we will be working with an. actual. client! Also, it is a melting pot of information where we will get a very very brief overview on sensors, wearable technology, machine learning, algorithms, design and development!

5. Team Communication and Leadership

What? — A class on breaking down how teams work — a more psychological sense as well and how do we get teams to work — a more “business” approach.

Why? — As much as I like to work in groups. I want to do better in working in teams. Having been in small teams of very diverse intellectual and field experience, I saw the need for change — making communication more effective and ensuring everyone is getting something out of team meetings. Even though this might seem like one of the common sense classes, I think it is interesting because there are so many things that are more common sense, but I never seem to notice. By actually learning about it, I was able to identify these situations in my life! (how cool is that!)

6. Accelerating Innovation and Entrepreneurship

What? — Project based or theoretical? For now, I am not entirely sure, but it seems to be a 50/50 split for now. In this class, we will be discussing more about what does it mean to innovate and how to go about the innovation process. But, what is an idea, an innovation, if it does not reach the people? This is why we will also be diving into the entire timeline of entrepreneurship and how to bring our ideas out into the world.

Why? — This is not my first entrepreneurship class but I feel this is very different from the previous entrepreneurship class I have taken. This class takes on a different and more scientific approach, with more concrete content, which I really appreciate and enjoy! Also, I think this is one other class that would help me get a sense of the bigger picture of how things work- how companies start and what goes into them.

now what?

Stay tuned! Because what I am trying and planning to do is to journal more on what I am learning and doing each week/ every other week!

    Written by

    Zoe Teoh

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