Life @ the Big Green

Hi everyone!

      I know it has been forever since I've posted anything... but better way late, than never, right? Anyway I ended up choosing Dartmouth College, and honestly I don't think I could be happier anywhere else in the world right now. Except maybe Hawaii ;). But really, I am having such a blast at Dartmouth. Yes, I grew up in the area, so I am a local and familiar with the town and weather. But where to begin? I love many aspects of my school, and no, I am not being paid to say this! After an admittedly stressful time choosing classes (because of the many adds/drops), I finally got my finalized schedule which I really really love (History 24: Cold War and American life, Chinese 4: Advanced Beginners, and Music 56: String Performance). History with Professor Jennifer Miller is fabulous; her lectures are intriguing and thought-provoking, the workload has plenty of reading and some writing but is reasonable (the primary sources and readings are generally very interesting), and discussions days are always very helpful since you get to hear all your incredibly smart classmates' thought processes. Chinese 4 was very difficult at first, and still is very labor intensive (I am a fluent, native Mandarin speaker, but completely illiterate before the class). However, my professor is brilliant and the class is worth it. I just have to keep myself motivated to keep on studying as much as I did the first couple of weeks since I am becoming more familiar with the material (to give you an idea, the first 4-5 weeks I would practice writing characters anywhere from 3-5 hours a day in an attempt to learn 40-60 new characters every other night while retaining previous lessons). Chinese 4 compresses Chinese 1, 2 and 3 all into 1 term...... it is not for the weak-hearted (many people dropped the class within the first few days; we learn traditional instead of simplified characters).  Most of my classmates went to Chinese school or studied Chinese throughout high school so it was not nearly as big of an adjustment for them. After taking Chinese 4, I will be done with my language requirement, but I hope to get a Chinese minor so I will be taking Chinese 22 (the next level up) n the winter term. And I am having a blast with my music class- every lesson is like a refresher from the rest of the world, a study in meditation, where you can immerse yourself in the beauty of music without having to worry about anything else. My teacher Marcia knows exactly what I need to work on with my technique, and has wonderfully peaceful yet effective way of teaching. Lately I've been going to practice more simply because I enjoy it, not out of obligation.
       I have had quite a few high school classmates come home from college to visit me on campus. I also get to see some seniors from my high school when they come to Hanover. People say that they can tell I am happy here, and I am. Still trying to figure out what I'm doing with my life, but I have an amazing group of Darty friends to depend on and share my experiences with. When I went home to celebrate my brother's early birthday with my family, they all told me that they could already tell an improvement in my spoken Chinese. My brother also noted that I seemed more mature. How so, I really cannot tell you. Nonetheless I am so glad that Dartmouth is already having a positive effect on me.

Love,
KC

PS: I will try to post again very soon! :)

Shunning Prom: Part II

              Prom day finally arrived. My friends and I decided to dress up for the fun of it, along with other girls who were going to the actual prom. It was fun just to fix our hair together, use makeup, etc. After taking photos together (epic fail for the most part, we were too disorganized), my fellow anti-prommers and I changed into normal street clothes. We went out to dinner at a local restaurant, and even ordered Shirley Temples (not buying expensive prom tickets allowed us to be lavish). We had a great time just relaxing, talking, and enjoying ourselves. The delicious food made us so sleepy that we actually went to one of my friend's house to sleep and chill until the dance was over (I kid you not). This was great bonding time, and we trolled facebook for the already emerging prom photos, realizing how much we were not missing and what a good decision it was for us to not go to prom. We really did thoroughly enjoy ourselves.
              When the formal school prom ended, we went to the after party to hear about how our other friends experiences were over baguettes and pizza. Nothing amazing, no magic had happened, really. We had managed to extract the best parts of prom out while sparing our wallets major damage. Score!

Not your Average Route to Success...

Hi again! I have an amazing friend (and fellow high school senior) who shared with me a post she wrote about her plans for next year. I'm sharing it on University Days because everyone can benefit from her message, whether he/she is decided or not on "regular" college. Enjoy! I know I did:).

-KC

Let's talk about my college plans.

So it’s that time of the year, where students get to finalize their choices about colleges. I am deciding between two colleges— Quinnipiac or Ithaca. I was accepted to both of them. I worked really, really hard during high school to get into a good college. I am glad I’m in, but I will not attend these schools.

Just like everyone else, I want to go to college in order to have a better chance of success. I  feel like high school wasn’t nearly enough for me to expand my mind and learn subjects more deeply. I found a lot of classes in high school to be a joke, to be honest. So I have always looked forward to college. College, college, college. All my friends and I would talk about which colleges we wanted to go to. It was very exciting. I am not eligible for in-state discounts, state nor federal financial aid, so I decided to apply to private colleges in hopes of getting a scholarship or good financial aid.

Even with scholarships, these prices are outrageous. Tuition, room, board, etc for Ithaca is $55,587; for Quinnipiac $55,580. For one year. One YEAR! that is MORE THAN 220,000 dollars for a bachelor’s degree. Do you know what I could do with that kind of money?  

And at best, scholarships and grants would mayyybe put this price down to $30,000/year. Maybe. If I’m lucky. So I faced a dilemma. These are both beautiful colleges and overall respected. But I just cannot afford $30,000 a year, not even if I apply to a bunch of scholarships— it’s just not possible.

So I felt bad. I felt bad for a while, down to uhhh, a day or so ago. But then I read about all of these people, who were middle class—mind you, more wealthy than I— talking about how they went to colleges they couldn’t really afford and graduated with $100,000+ (and counting) in debt from loans, or who had to drop out of school because it got so damn expensive. Ouch. I do not want that to happen to me.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that all my life I’ve been trained to think that going to a 4 year, reputable institution right out of high school  was the only way to go. If not, I might as well just give up on life because I would not go anywhere. I thought about all the people I read about and people I know in my life who are still paying their student loans, and how I so, so, did not want that to happen to me. I thought about how private and public college costs have skyrocketed in the past 20 years, way more than the rise of inflation, and how it wasn’t fair, not for me or any other family who worked hard to earn their money, or students who worked hard to get good grades. It just wasn’t fair.

So I started looking at the option of community college. At C.C, you can go to the same classes available in 4-year colleges. You get smaller classes and definitely  WAY CHEAPER tuition. You don’t have to worry about room or board. Your GPA will be high, you can transfer to a 4 year college and graduate and get the same diploma everyone else got from that school, for nearly half the price. That sounds great to me!

 Recently, I felt like I needed out of this place, like I could not take this town anymore. If I had been brought up in here, that would have been justified. But I wasn’t. I know the people in my country have it much, much worse. I’ve seen a lot of awful things. So I’m embarrassed of my past self for being so bratty and ungrateful. High school, THAT I am truly done with. But the town I live with and am surrounded by— I should not take it for granted. Truth is, I am very lucky.

I feel like I will miss the “regular” college experience— dorm life, parties, etc— but I know me. I know I’m not the procrastinator type (I know, I’m kind of weird) and I’m a worrier. I wouldn’t enjoy myself as much at a party if I had to worry about how I would pay for my books or next semester’s tuition. I don’t feel like regular teenager in the sense that attending a cool play or seeing someone really smart speaking at an event sounds way more exciting to me than getting wasted at a party at the moment.  That might change, but that’s how I feel right now.

So, unless I win the lottery (not likely) or these schools decide to pay full tuition, room, and board (wayy more unlikely) for me I will stay at home for two more years.  I’m a bit relieved, to be honest. I can focus more on growing and doing my own thing. I also have no idea what I want to study, so this is a good way to find out. I just feel like this is the right choice for me right now. If I had all the money in the world, yeah, I’d go to QU or IC. But I don’t, and I’m not about to pretend I do.  So, CC it is. And now I can say I’m 100% okay with that.

PROMMM!!!! And why I did not go (part I)

    Prom is a big deal in America- for all the starstruck teen-aged girls especially. Exchange students from overseas eagerly look forward to attending an "authentic American prom." Sadly, proms (at least the ones in New Hampshire) fall far short from any sort of decent expectations. Girls really set themselves up for disappointment. They start planning for the big event months ahead of time, way back in January or even earlier. Prom has been the base of countless gossip, from the painstaking selection of THE perfect dress, to the details of hairstyle, makeup, nails, tans, shoes, jewelry, etc. Most girls are aiming to look perfect, be perfect, and enjoy the perfect night. Thus, many hearts are broken each year at prom since such artificial perfection does not exist. Even the ones who do manage to pull off superficial beauty usually don't get what they expect or want.
     I was asked my sophomore year to prom about 5 days before the event. I remember declining with a certain amount of embarrassment and guilt. My junior year, I managed to snag a date from a nearby school and actually went to prom. From what I remember, it was a lot of money, stress and hassle for (in my opinion) measly results. Looking back, I don't even like my dress from that year. At the dance, the music was downright terrible, the food stingy and unappetizing, the decorations gaudy and hazardous (one girl cut her foot on glass and bled all the way to the bathroom), unsanitary (for obvious reasons), and overall not classy or enjoyable. My corsage was awkwardly large so I had to cut most of it away, the bracelet to which it was attached fit poorly and was ugly, AND I lost one of the straps to my new sandals. The tent was closed, suffocatingly hot and humid, and there was an incredible lack of space for dancing. I could think of dozens of free ways to have 100x worth more fun. As I like to say to my friends who ask about that night, "We both had fun. But I didn't have fun."
     As senior year rolled around, prom began to creep into conversations although school had barely settled down in its tracks. Talks of dresses, dates, etc. Same-old same-old. After the new year, I too occasionally began trolling the internet for potential dresses. Designers really know how to make money. There was a massive amount of drama in school everyday as couples began pairing up for prom. Among the guys, there were many headaches as to create a cute and unique way to ask a girl to prom. In response to such dilemmas, I thought, "I don't care how you ask me (as long as it's not over a dumb text), I just want you to be a nice, caring boy who doesn't drool." March, April rolled around (Prom at my school was in early may), and I still had not gotten a date. I was thinking, "Why scramble now? There are still many weeks before prom." As it turns out, the early bird gets the worm. All of my best guy friends had already found dates, and I was left out in the cold. This realization stressed and upset me for a couple of days, but I quickly got over it after remember just how enjoyable the previous prom was. Instead, I bought a versatile dress (which I plan to wear to my senior music recital), and planned a good night out with two of my best friends who also wisely decided to skip out on prom. Why waste $50 on tickets to feel uncomfortable all night long when we know how to have good clean fun around town?

What do you think about prom? Please let me know in the comments below! Hang on for part II in which I tell you just what us anti-prommers did on prom night:).

Cheers!
KC

Boston College vs Dartmouth

As KC said, she is trying to decide between these two very fine schools. We will both work on this post to compare the merits of each place. I will use a list format.


Boston College                            
Strong professional program for nursing                            
Strong alumni connections in business                            
Slightly more conservative "feel"                                        
Strong academics, no engineering          

Dartmouth                  
World's best network to get into finance
Annoyingly ultra liberal at times
Great academics, slightly more offerings
Quarter system allows a greater selection of classes at a quicker pace  
                                 


KC's take:

     Hey everyone! I'm sorry it has taken me such a long time to post this piece. As my co-blogger has stated, I have been quite conflicted between choosing the right school for me. Both colleges are prestigious, academically rigorous, and offer wonderful educations.
     For me, Boston College, a Jesuit Catholic school, is the more practical choice. The honors nursing program has many benefits, such as a set curriculum, the opportunity to study abroad (usually during junior year), a fantastic network of hospitals to practice at, and a generally very supportive faculty. I know that if I choose BC, I will not have to worry as much about finding a job after graduating from college. After all, nurses are always in high demand despite the dreary job market. The students currently in the nursing program at Eagle Day showed genuine passion in their choice of career; they were bright, enthusiastic, caring, and lovely women. Listening to their own experiences made me want to work for what they have. The campus at Boston College is extremely beautiful; the landscaping is spectacular (especially in the springtime when the trees and flowers are in bloom). At the admitted students Eagle Day, the college-aged tour guides were very friendly and inviting. Chestnut Hill is a really great place to be. BC's campus itself is somewhat secluded from Boston. However, the very best tastes of high and diverse culture were only a walk or bus-ride away. Access to Boston is akin exposes one to museums, theatres, eateries, libraries, new streets, and cute stores. Being there is gives you the freedom to explore practically everything. Unfortunately, the food on campus is less than satisfactory (for me at least; I am a relatively picky eater but never before been so thoroughly disappointed with a college cafeteria). There are no buffets there, only less than fresh a la carte items (rather much like my high school cafeteria). The first-year dorms are also frightening small and squashed, but this a a very common problem at many colleges.
     Dartmouth has a lot of benefits for me. Firstly, I am extremely impressed by the people there. Most people seem happy and have the great desire to be at Dartmouth. The inviting sense of community is really wonderful; it makes one feel secure and wanted. The professors are top notch (I can say this from personal experience since I am actually enrolled in a class there- more on that later) and very supportive of the students. The facilities are also of the very best, what with the new Black Family visual arts center and life science buildings. Everything is fully equipped and the network is unsurpassed. Students are generally extremely talented, diverse, bright and studious. There is the downside of Dartmouth being a notorious party school, with about 75% of students participants of Greek life (I am a non-party-er). But at Dartmouth Dimensions (the regular admitted students weekend), many D students assured me that there are kids who firmly refuse to take part in the wild night life, and still are very happy and welcome. Everything seemed balanced. What more could I ask for? It's an ivy league! Moreover, I live less than 10 miles away from the Big Green's campus- a drawback because it is too close to my parents, but wildly beneficial because of the lack of distance's great convenience. But I had to face the truth. I have spent half my life in this area, was familiar with the weather and town of Hanover (Main Street is where all the action is- just that one street), and I had a great desire to explore the world, to expand and experience a fresh new area. Sure, I would miss the gorgeous nature, Connecticut River and lakes, the ski resorts, the mountains, the woods- but these were things I could always come back to. Was it time to clear out, leave behind my old life, and see what new adventures were up ahead?
     Contrary to what you may think, this decision was not a clear-cut or easy one. I really did not want the name or prestige of schools to be the deciding factor. I wanted to choose the school that is best for me, a place that will suit my needs and even go beyond what I expected. After weeks of deliberation, I realized that I wasn't as keen on nursing as I thought I was. It is a career I am still interested in, and probably suitable for me, but as a 17 year old, I do not want to limit my explorations in the academic world. The downside to nursing is that one does not have the opportunity to play around with different subjects and test one's interest. This realization scared me, as I did not want to miss out stumbling upon a potential interest that means more to me than nursing. I did not feel ready to commit a career already, something that i knew very little about. Dartmouth also offered me a bit more financial aid that BC- after 4 years, these sums do make a difference. In all manner of joking, Dartmouth is ranked as the second school overall in attractiveness and smartness;).         A couple days before May 1st, judgment day, I committed to Dartmouth. It was such a relief for me to do so; I no longer had to ponder over this conundrum and flip-flop between my options. I am incredibly excited to officially be a Dartmouth '17; these next four years will be a time of exploring, patience, anxiety, maturity, happiness, and many other things. Now that I have made my decision, I cannot be happier than I would be at any other school.

Tries to Derive an Equation (eventual success!) Simple Linear Regression Least Squares Estimates for β0 and β1

If you take any somewhat rigorous introductory statistics course, you will probably encounter a variety of regression models. Basically they work like this. Assume X and Y are both random variables. Use the theoretical probability functions to find the graph of μ Y|x, which is the mean value of Y given that X has assumed value of x. 


Simple Linear Regression has an important distinction, X is assumed to be not random. Because of this assumption, the graph of the function is the curve of regression of Y on X, or Y as a function of X. In other words, Y is the dependent variable and X is the independent variable. 

Yi = β0 + β1x + Ei

To approximate the β values, the Least Squares Method is employed. We take the sum of squares of the errors (SSE) and differentiate with respect to each β. Everything is then rearranged to solve for the βs. I have posted my derivation that I worked out by hand.* Enjoy!  

*If you can't read my work this derivation can easily be found online. 

And the End Draws Near

As is often the case with busy students, the time goes by without any notice. Thomas Mann wrote that it is monotony that makes time seem short and eventful days feel longer. Well many students would disagree. With all the looking forward to the next exam or due date, pretty soon you are staring at the last week of class and then the week of final exams that follows. Finals week is stressful no matter who you are, but there are ways to make it more tolerable. If you have done well consistently throughout the semester then you probably have less to worry about, as long as you didn't forget everything you learned. Even so, there is usually a significant of new material that will somehow be entangled with the old, and that's the real challenge.

I always save my old tests and homework if they are handed back. Doing these problems without the solutions is good practice and a reasonable predictor of how well you will do. Also I try to find out as much as possible about the exam from the professor or from students of previous years. There is a strange kind of calm during finals week, the few days that are set aside for pure studying are my favorite. There is no other time quite like it, you set your own schedule and you only have one goal. Try to make the most of your time and don't panic if you feel like there isn't enough time. Everyone is under the same pressure and it's best to focus on getting a few things down solidly as opposed to trying to learn it all in two days. It's best to start reviewing a bit earlier, maybe on the last few weekends before finals week to alleviate the pressure. With that said, I'm off to wrap up some studying.