This week was the combination of too much to do and the premature celebration of the end of the semester.
As we approach the end of the semester we all tend to get sucked into festivities. Celebrating the last midterm before finals, going out with your clubs for banquets, and hanging out with friends and playing video games because you can afford a little break. It doesn't always work out that you can afford that break, but you try to fit it in anyway...
So, this week, my honor society had officer elections -- which tend to drag on and on every semester (but at least there's free food!). Of course, I ran for President, and although I know I wouldn't be a horrible choice, I lost to a better candidate for the 3rd semester in a row. I wouldn't say I wasn't trying, but not getting elected is a favor to me because it means less unnecessary responsibility for next semester. I'll still have one more chance before graduating next December.
On top of spending an extra 3 hours for elections on Wednesday night (yeah, pretty inefficient), I had an exam on Wednesday afternoon in my hardest class, Computer Architecture (EE 460N). And of course, I had the Life project to finish.
Between working alone on this project, and Thanksgiving holidays filling up the weekend, I was no where close to done with the project by Wednesday morning and I REALLY needed to study for my test that afternoon. I was fully prepared to submit my half-baked solution on the project so that I wouldn't get a zero and I could just move on with my life, but when Professor gave us a key piece of code we needed for the project and announced a 24-hour extension, I felt like my life had been saved.
I managed to get the project done after spending several all-nighters this week, and ended up missing rehearsal because I took a nap that ran too long, but I think in the end it was worth it.
Next week I have a paper, two projects, and 3 tests. Gonna be FUN! [1]
[1] For certain definitions of fun.
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I've learned a few important lessons from this week:
* Don't take holidays for granted. Make sure you get your work done ahead of time or your neck will be on the chopping block.
* Don't work alone if you're given the option to work with a partner (unless you can't help it). The time you save just by having someone to keep you focused and prevent you from spinning your wheels is probably even more useful in a college setting than in a work setting, because HERE we are surrounded by a million-and-one things to distract us, not the least of which is our other classes. On the other hand, I didn't feel guilty about spending some time exploring some other concepts of the class which weren't strictly necessary for the project, because I didn't feel like I was wasting a partner's time.
* It's okay to make sacrifices for more important things. I'm going to go into more detail about this one, below.
If I had tried any harder to get the project done on time instead of studying for my test, I probably would have failed my test. As things were, I was well-prepared for both my test and the officer election. I would have learned the material from the project one way or another and I probably could have afforded that setback in my grade for this class. The test was way more important.
I also went into the Thanksgiving break knowing that it was important for me to spend time with my girlfriend, my parents, and my best friend while I can, and I will cherish the memories of a nice relaxed Thanksgiving break in the long run, no matter how I ended up doing on the project.
See, the things that stay with us in the end are the good memories, and those silly little setbacks we have along the way will always get buried in more important memories. Maybe you end up with a mediocre grade on your transcript, but 10 years from now you probably won't remember exactly how that happened.
Do what you need to so you don't fail your important classes, and no matter what grade you get, make sure you learn the material that is most important to you at the end of the day. Maybe it's okay to blow off a homework assignment every now and then so that you can take a sanity break and play some of that video game you bought in the Autumn Steam Sale. But remember above all to make time for the stuff that's important to you and the people you love.
Some wisdom from a legendary philosophy professor:
http://www.pickchur.com/2011/03/golf-balls-in-the-jar-the-philosophy-professor/
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