Semester 4

Hello, I hope you've been well. I'm going to talk about how my semester went and share some results I got using Study-Tracking.

*Before I list the results, I want to mention that "Study Hours" is the time I track using a stopwatch when I'm either studying or working on a HW or a Project (hours spent in a lecture aren't included).

My total amount of Study Hours:

  • This Semester: 510 hours with a GPA of 3.38
  • Last Semester: 472 hours with a GPA of 3.26
In comparison to the the last semester, I did better, however, in comparison to my goal of 570+ hours, I wasn't very close.

The following are the courses of the semester, my results, and the total amount of study hours:

Data Structures & Algorithms II:    (AA - 138 hours)

I prioritized this course, so I'm glad that I got an AA :). The main topics in this course were Graphs and Path-searching Algorithms, but we also covered topics like Regular Expression and Tries.

Database Systems:    (BA - 121 hours)

Even though the total is 121 hours, I also spent around 85 hours preparing in the preceding winter break. This course was tough, but I really enjoyed it because I finally got to understand how to store data and got familiar with SQL.

In fact, it was so tough that the overall averages of the midterm and the final exams were 25 and 27. I've never seen so many people drop a course before ðŸ˜….

C Programming:    (AA - 78 hours) 

Getting familiar with C was something I had to eventually do. The most interesting topic was Pointers. The course wasn't a problem as long as I covered one topic each week.

Introduction to Probability and Statistics:    (DD - 99 hours) 

This is the worst mark I've ever gotten. There was no curve for this course, so a lot people got low marks as well :/. The topics in this course were interesting and I might need to study them again on my own.

I tried approaching the course with a positive attitude, but because of how fast I get bored of studying Math, It was quite clear that I was always prioritizing the other programming-related courses. Anyway, I got what I deserve for not putting in more hours😓.

Introduction to Political Studies:    (AA - 38 hours) 

Considering how little I know about Politics, getting familiar with basic concepts and terms was necessary for me. I enjoyed it more than I expected, but I think it was mainly because of the teacher.

Turkish II:    (AA - 20 hours) 

As long as I attended the classes and wrote notes, this course wasn't a problem.


Even though I'm disappointed with my Math grade, I'm still very glad that my grades are getting better and my CGPA is increasing :). (Current CGPA: 3.14)

I want to mention that Tracking my work is one of the main reasons for me gradually getting better results. It really helped me with setting weekly and monthly goals, and it makes me focus on the number of hours I study (input) instead of the results (outcome).

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