EPT
Breakpoint
Thankfully this week is Spring Break for the University of Michigan, since I need it after last week. I suppose it is in part by design that the week before break out classes wring everything they can out of us. Professors know that we're going to have some time off, so they can get away with doing their best to crush us. In that sense it ought to be considered only fair that I had 3 exams in 4 days, along with all the usual projects, homework and the like, but it didn't seem fair to me at the time.
My classes this semester have been pretty challenging. I'm no longer at the point in really any of my classes where I can get without doing any work. All of my classes require a fair amount of work, especially my 2 main CS courses. Both of them focus on projects as well as periodic homework assignments, so there is always something for me to be doing. This isn't the best environment for a procrastinator like myself, so I fall behind at times. I've tried to get my rear in gear (and I think I've done a half decent job), but I still find myself behind the 8 ball more often than not.
Of course it doesn't help that sometimes I'm the one that puts myself there in the first place. I don't know how many of you all watch House of Cards, but I recently became a huge fan. The kind of fan that watches all 26 episodes in one weekend. When I had an exam on Monday morning. Genius. I wish I could say it was worth it, but it would have been a far better decision to watch it on my break.
Luckily the exam I had on Monday was for my philosophy class, which isn't quite as important as some of the others. I studied for about 6 hours, starting at midnight on Sunday. At the cost of my sleep, I managed to get a pretty good grasp of at least the first 2/3 of the class material. The exam itself wasn't actually too bad, since we got to pick 4 choices from 9 options. Not my best work, but sometimes good is good enough.
The second exam was on Wednesday, and was for my algorithms class. Tuesday was a blur trying to complete all of my normal homework assignments, since the rest of the world does not stop spinning for my exams. My exam on was at night, so I got to spend all day with my other friend in the class trying desperately to understand heaps. When it finally came to take the exam, it went pretty well in my opinion. I later found out that due to a misunderstanding about iterators, I didn't do as well as I thought, but still not too bad considering.
My last exam on Thursday was for Computer Architecture, a class that I thoroughly do not understand. A large amount of my friends are taking this class with me, so we all got together in a room and puzzled through the course material (if anyone understands caller/callee saved registers, please message me). This exam was actually a pleasant surprise in that I felt like I knew how to do just about everything on there.
Thursday night I just sat around my room reveling in my lack of upcoming work. Although I may not end up doing so well on all of these exams, at the end of the day I survived my week from hell. I have a good internship for the summer, and enough opportunities coming my way, that any damage I've done by fucking up these exams will only be temporary. I'm a little disappointed in myself for making some bad decisions when it came to studying and procrastinating, but mostly I'm relieved and enjoying some much needed down time. A quote from a favourite folk song of mine seems relevant here.
For what's done is done, and what's won is won
And what's lost is lost and gone forever
I can only pray for a bright brand new day
In the town that I loved so well
And what's lost is lost and gone forever
I can only pray for a bright brand new day
In the town that I loved so well
Wishing you all a bright brand new day.
. The song is "The Town I Loved So Well".
