3rd Semester

 Hello, I hope you've been doing well :). It has been quite a while since my last post. Here's a brief summary of how my semester went.

This semester wasn't as bad as the previous ones. I believe I've gotten better at managing my time and the pressure, but there are still many things I should improve. The courses I took this semester are the following:

Data Structures & Algorithms I: This course was the best. We had 4 assignments, usually revolving around you having to write a program for a company that wants a program with certain aspects. Solving these assignments was like solving a puzzle. My exams were good but not perfect, probably because I wasn't studying much for them. I was using the time I had for studying other subjects. The overall average grades for the exams were crazy. For example, the average grade for the final exam was 39! (I got a 70. As I said, good but not perfect 😓)

Discrete Mathematics: This course was unusual. Some topics, like Logic and Proof, were interesting, but a lot of the topics we covered seemed pointless. Unlike other courses where you feel confident after studying, I always had a feeling of uncertainty before the exams of this course 😅. 

Linear Algebra and Differential Equations: Now I'm sure that I'm not a big fan of Math. The part where we discussed matrices might have been the least boring. I have to admit, the attitude I have toward Math should change. I studied only to pass, which made studying for the exams harder. I will try to approach the next Math course with a better attitude

ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS AND LOGIC DESIGN: This course was actually interesting. I feel like it would've been even more fun if I was working on a small project while learning.

Biology: My basics in Biology were weak, so I needed this course. The topics we covered in the first half of the semester were boring, but there were some interesting topics in the second half.

Turkish: This course was only an introduction to the basics of Turkish. I already studied most of the topics we covered. The great thing about the course was having a teacher. She answered the questions that I couldn't find a clear answer to. 

This semester, I was tracking the hours I studied every day using a stopwatch. I wanted to know the actual amount of time I study, and check the difference between the effort I put in during the beginning of the semester and exam weeks. I'm hoping that by using this data, I will have a clear image of the goal I should aim toward in the next semester. 

To give an example of what I've found, it turns out that my average studying time is around 6 - 7.5 hours on days that I spend at home (Of course, there were the bad days where I got less, and the good day were I managed to get more than 8). I found it a bit difficult to get more than 7 hours, especially if I was trying to leave some time for exercising and playing the piano. 

Starting this Winter Break, I'll try to shift that average to 7 - 8.5 hours. I believe I can do it if I remove more distractions from my daily life. And considering how my courses are starting to become more programming-related, studying will be more fun, which will help with studying for longer periods.

Comments

  1. Samil KorkmazJanuary 17, 2023 at 10:50 PM

    Good to hear that things are improving :) I guess you need some motivation for Math, esp. linear algebra because it is very important, especially in graphics programming, aka games. When someone has bad feelings about Math, the core problem is always about how it is taught, never about the subject.

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