Just a Few Words To Myself (9/29/2023)
- Remember that I have a lot of goals to achieve in college. Just because other people are relaxing and having fun doesn’t mean I should do the same.
- Work hard, work hard, and work hard. I can clearly see my own improvements when I work hard, but I just have to be consistent.
- I can make the ICPC World Finals (one day at least…)
Intro
With UCLA starting in a few days, I’m feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. In order to make college life productive, meaningful, and fun at the same time, I made a list of “Do’s and Don’ts” that contain some of the most important principles and mentalities that I hope to achieve in the first quarter.
The Do’s
- Be disciplined. Have goals and take action to execute them.
- Be proactive. UCLA is a huge school, and good opportunities are always rare, so be proactive and take actions sooner!
- Be open-minded. College is a great place to explore new possibilities. Read a lot of books - including books that seem “irrelevant” at the time. Make a lot of new friends.
- Be focused. Work hard and play hard, but don’t do them at the same time. Stay focused (especially in the morning).
- Be healthy. A healthy body and mind is the basis to everything. So, exercise regularly (play an intramural sport!), eat a lot of veggies, and have a reasonable bed time.
The Don’ts
- Don’t procrastinate. I’ve developed a rather serious procrastination syndrome in high school, and I hope to resolve it in college. Procrastination really brings no benefits, so don’t wait and hesitate, start taking actions!
- Don’t isolate. Make friends and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
- Don’t be influenced by other’s bad habits. Just why???
- Don’t be distracted by online entertainments (i.e. video games, social media, YouTube, etc.). This is rather specific, but online entertainments have become a serious source of distractions. Know when to stay away from them.
Goals for the First Quarter
- All A’s in class
- Make the ICPC team (bonus: make the North American Championship with my team :D)
- Explore the clubs: ACM (ICPC obviously, but also maybe the cybersecurity team?), Linux User Group, chess club, Chinese Union (is that a thing?), etc.
- Read 3 books: Freud’s Dream Interpretation, A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell, and The Red Book.
- Exercise: 5 days of a week. Either find a basketball group to join or just run :D