As you can see, I haven’t written on the blog in a long time. That’s okay. I’ve given myself permission to slip, to fall, and get back up again. Let’s not dwell on it, because really, I write when I need to write and never for the sake of writing. My life doesn’t start or end on this blog; there’s always Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm, if you’re wondering what I’m up to.
Now that I’m back home in my bedroom in Dover, life has slowed down for me significantly. Let’s catch up!
Academically
I’m doing well at Tufts academically. After my first set of midterms, I had a huge panic that involved the expectations I was setting for myself in a more challenging environment than I was accustomed to at Dover High School. After some work in managing my expectation and tightening my studying skills, I’m growing happier with how I’m doing.
My classes are challenging, and I’m learning so much, both “inside and outside the classroom”. Although I find that phrase very cliché, it’s cliché because it’s true! Always being surrounded by highly motivated people was initially terrifying, but now that I’ve gotten more accustomed to it, I thrive off of it. I’m only just beginning to grok the plethora of opportunities I have at Tufts, and the most exciting of those opportunities are my peers.
On a more serious note, over the last 13 or so weeks, I’ve been studying in Tufts’ School of Engineering. For better or worse, although I tend to think better, I’ve decided to transfer to the School of Arts and Sciences. I’ve decided that I have so much more to study, so much more to learn in so many different areas, than the focused course disciplines in Engineering can ever give me.
Personally
I’ve been having a wonderful time in the backyard of Boston, as I like to call Medford. In the last three months, I’ve seen more and done more than I ever could have back in Dover. The list of people and groups I’ve seen includes Jonathan Coulton (with the wonderful Paul and Storm), Death Cab for Cutie, Nicholas Negroponte, and Barack Obama.
The new friends I’ve made at Tufts are delightful and charming people, and although I already miss them all, it’s great to be back home. I’m overjoyed to be spending time with my family (and dog!), and I’ve been catching up with my hometown friends, which is always a pleasure.
Giving Thanks
It’s no coincidence this post is going up on Thanksgiving in the United States. In a funny way, this is my way of giving thanks to all of the people and circumstances that have made my life amazing over the last three months.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that the people and circumstances in your life are healthy and pleasant, as well.
A&S FTW
Props on the decision to go with a broader focus than straight engineering; people seem to think of college as being intended only to prepare a person for a specific career, but I feel like that ignores the important role higher education has had in the past of creating people who are educated and not just trained–I think the distinction between those two words is an important one. You’ll be a much more well-rounded human being for having tried to branch out into other areas. I have a friend who majored in English and Biology at the small liberal arts college I attended and who went on to attend Med school at LSU, and she often complains about the myopic personalities of disengaged people she shares classes with, people who have spent too long focused on a single goal and a single area of study.
So yeah: study all you can about history and literature and art and science and mathematics and all the rest, and ignore anyone who says that there is nothing worthwhile (read: marketable) in any of these subjects. Do you know what your major will eventually be?
Nr. Blithe, I’m pleased to have such a long and thoughtful comment from you, especially one that validates much of my reasoning. I figure that we only get one chance to live on this wonderful planet, and the more we know about it, not only the more marketable we’ll be - but the happier. It was interesting to read about your friend’s perspective on people who have focused for one area for too long, and I’ll keep that in mind moving forward.
I’m very excited to study all of the things you mentioned, and despite criticism, I’ll take advantage of the enormous opportunities I have ahead to learn.
Right now, I’m interested in studying Political Science and Computer Science. I need more time to explore both of those areas and find the one that suites me best (and I’m well aware that I may not major in either of those!). As soon as I have a feeling, I’ll write about it here.
Thanks again!