As per tradition, an update after the end of each term is customary (partially to alleviate the tension from the study terms). Yet this update comes late in the first week of the subsequent (Spring 2018) term: what happened to me all this while?
Long story short, here it is:
- It’s a new term, and I am doing another full-time research: this time in the Combinatorics and Optimization department. Hoping to be able to write enough things on this blog like my last research!
- Did I say I transferred into Computer Science? Yes, I applied for this transfer back in December 2017, which was approved later. More details to follow (or possibly in future posts 😉 ).
- It’s no exaggeration to say that the Winter 2018 term was the most academically hectic term I had. In this short 4-month period, I completed three third-year level Pure Mathematics courses that challenged me with their depths, one Object-Oriented programming course whose voluminous content and demanding assignment drove me into wilderness, and two other courses (Stats, Logic) that demanded my attention for the assignments as well. Behind every torture, however, was the feeling of accomplishment, simply because I have done something that I wanted to avoid so badly in the beginning. “Excruciation before extrication”, a motto that I’d always have for myself.
- Aside from that was my involvement in extracurricular activities, particularly the UWaterloo FinTech club where we started to showcase fundamentals on creating cryptocurrency and a few FinTech startup companies. Now I am loaded with the task of learning solidity. :O
- It’s finally bragging time! First, Honorable Mention on the Putnam contest, as announced in February, both individual and team. Then, came motley of coding contests: advancing to the Platinum division of the USACO after acing the Gold division (last-minute solution acceptance, so consider me lucky 😉 ), winning the second place in the 2018 Waterloo Google Games, and getting a near-perfect score in the Communitech Code and Win Finals. May the CS force be with me after my transfer. 😛
- Just had a fabulous birthday celebration on Friday! Thanks to everyone who spent time making me delighted. 😀
anzoteh96 