What did I do this past week?

I held my second 439 office hours, learned a bit of LaTex when doing algorithm homework, brushed up on python when doing homework for number theory, and of course, finished the collatz project. I finished the actual implementation last week, so this week was mainly getting it ready for submission. Getting ready for submission was a lot more stressful than I’ve anticipated. Invalid test cases in the public test repo, keeping track of all the updates for files needed in final submission and the TravisCI problem on the due date. I knew the first and the last problem would be fixed eventually, for the second problem, there was an instructor post addressing files needed for submission, which helped a lot. It would be nice to pin that post and update it when there are other changes. Aside from collatz, I learned about pointers and references this week. Going through different examples helped me understand a lot better! Really enjoyed the lecture :)

What’s in my way?

I haven’t been able to keep up with the reading, and there’s a lot of school work, job application, scholarship application to do. Another thing I realized is that I don’t work well under time pressure. For example, the quiz on Friday just threw me off :p I couldn’t focus and think clearly when I see the timer counting down on the side bar. So I need to practice on that.

What will I do next week?

I will start on project 2, catch up with the reading, apply to more places and prep for interviews. I will also try to not get distracted when I work and try to sleep before 2am.

Tip of The Week

I am really interested in OS, so I’ve been looking for opportunities to work under professors interested in systems. For people who are interested, we have a new assistant professor, Vijay Chidambaram joining UTCS. Vijay Chidambaram has been doing research in file system and storage, and he’s interested in taking new students :D It’s a great opportunity! He even has instructions on how to email him/what to say :)

How I feel about the class

Class has been going well, I still enjoy going to every lecture! I haven’t got called on, so I am waiting for that to come some time soon :p I really like how Dr. Downing takes in students’ suggestions and is flexible to changes. I got a lot of help from piazza on Collatz, so I wish to contribute more on piazza for the coming project :) Also an interviewer asked me “What is OOP”, so I am glad I am in this class and have read the first two chapters of the book :P