Intro
Last year at this time, I’ve had just finished my college application essays and I had no idea where I’d end up now. Looking back, 2023 has been a crazy and eventful year. Lots of ups and downs, lots of different emotions, and lots of new memories made :)
A Grim Start
- Why did I get rejected/waitlisted by XXX college??? 😡
- High school is so boring…
The first semester of senior year has honestly been a lot of stress. I was constantly anxious and furious about college apps and the bullsh*t and unfair decisions. Looking back, it’s kind of funny how emotionally invested I was, and I’m glad that I’ve moved on LOL.
Hey, it’s looking better!
- Turned 18!
- Got into UCLA, let’s go Bruins :D
- Won the team chess state championship!
- Last swim season - finally no more swim practice ;)
- Prom was fire 🔥
- Having much more fun in school because we all realize there was only a few months left in high school
A Wonderful Summer :D
- We graduated!
- The four years at Jesuit has been amazing. The sense of school spirit and the bonds that we created through the encounter and pilgrimages are really rare and precious.
- Worked in California for a while
- Went back to China!
- Attempted to develop a gym tracking app with Max 💀
- Unfortunately we are not millionaires yet, but it was still fun
- Goodbye friends :(
UCLA?!
Before college started, I wrote this blog, setting some goals and expectations for myself. Reflecting upon that, I think I did a decent job overall.
More specifically, I did well in staying open-minded and being proactive. I made a lot of new friends (very interesting Thanksgiving story LOL) and went to a lot of different activities. Outside of social life, I’ve also reached out to labs and applied to clubs, which helped me gained a much better understanding on how to navigate UCLA.
That being said, I could’ve done better in being more disciplined and worked harder. Most of my classes weren’t too challenging this quarter, so I could get away with being a little sloppy here and there. However, it’s important to keep up with the good habits (such as waking up early and not using electronic devices that much) as well as the motivation to improve.
2024 New Year Resolution
- Get into an AI lab and start doing research
- Reach master on Codeforces and get into the ICPC team
- Read 20 books