I just finished a mixed sophomore semester at Cal.
I call it mixed because it had many ups and downs. Academically I failed, but I learned a lot more about myself in the process of the failure. I learned that I enjoyed and hated recruiting at the same time, and I learned that it will be difficult for me to derive satisfaction from the career I previously wanted to. But let's hold back from that and show some highlights of the semester.
Highlights:
Moving out of this:
into something more like this:
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Our apartment was the perfect place for our group to cultivate stronger relationships through In-N-Out runs, NBA2K19 battles, and competitive ping pong tournaments.
Recruiting:
Looking for an internship for the upcoming semester was my main priority for the summer and I was very lucky to have locked down an offer that I am incredibly excited for. Working for a company like Nike has always been a dream because of the sheer influence the brand has. Although recruiting was a painful experience that took away precious time that I should've spent studying, now I understand what it feels like and will be much more prepared for upcoming recruiting cycles.
People:
I got to meet many new people through the courses that I took, the club I am a part of on campus, and bonded even closer to a group of friends. I learned the value of having a good network and started using LinkedIn religiously to learn about people and their own career trajectories.
Academics:
I finally learned that my genuine academic passion is educational development. I made major decisions that surrounded my interest in chasing this passion and I don't regret any of the decisions that I made. Not applying to Haas to pursue Economics is the correct decision for me because Economics equips me with the ability to hone in on the problems that plague our society when it comes to education. In the future I will definitely pursue education and public policy, because it is a topic that really riles me up.
Fun:
Being a social chair for my club gave me the opportunity to organize many events including our retreat as well as our alumni night. These events were fortunate successes and I hold them as a testament to my improved organization skills. I also got to discover more location in San Francisco now that we have a car as well. I attended 2 concerts which were absolutely fabulous. Both Tyler the Creator and Jaden Smith are not only phenomenal artists but also amazing performers as well. I also had the opportunity to eat the best pizza I have ever had and had the best hot chocolate I could imagine this semester. Both of these experiences really made me learn that I truly do enjoy food and am potentially even a foodie...
Highlights Conclusion: This semester was full of new EXPERIENCES.
Lowlights:
Academic:
I did god awfully in the courses that I took this semester and really have decided that this is an area where I need to pour my concentration into next semester. The work I want to do after graduation requires excellent grades and therefore this needs to be a much higher priority than it has been in the past. The transition will be difficult but I believe I can grow as a person in the process as well.
Recruiting:
Looking for an internship is hard and stressful and there were many nights where I didn't understand what I was doing incorrectly. I didn't get any responses for 2 months straight where I had applied to over 60 locations. In total I racked up approximately 130 applications and only heard back from 7 or 8 people. Although my semester of recruiting was successful, I can never forget how physically and emotionally draining the process is.
Although this is a very short blog, I want it to serve as a time capsule to the semester. It hits on the main objectives I had for the semester and highlights my shortcomings. Improvement is necessary for growth, and if there's anything I chase it's growth.
I call it mixed because it had many ups and downs. Academically I failed, but I learned a lot more about myself in the process of the failure. I learned that I enjoyed and hated recruiting at the same time, and I learned that it will be difficult for me to derive satisfaction from the career I previously wanted to. But let's hold back from that and show some highlights of the semester.
Highlights:
Moving out of this:
into something more like this:
Our apartment was the perfect place for our group to cultivate stronger relationships through In-N-Out runs, NBA2K19 battles, and competitive ping pong tournaments.
Recruiting:
Looking for an internship for the upcoming semester was my main priority for the summer and I was very lucky to have locked down an offer that I am incredibly excited for. Working for a company like Nike has always been a dream because of the sheer influence the brand has. Although recruiting was a painful experience that took away precious time that I should've spent studying, now I understand what it feels like and will be much more prepared for upcoming recruiting cycles.
People:
I got to meet many new people through the courses that I took, the club I am a part of on campus, and bonded even closer to a group of friends. I learned the value of having a good network and started using LinkedIn religiously to learn about people and their own career trajectories.
Academics:
I finally learned that my genuine academic passion is educational development. I made major decisions that surrounded my interest in chasing this passion and I don't regret any of the decisions that I made. Not applying to Haas to pursue Economics is the correct decision for me because Economics equips me with the ability to hone in on the problems that plague our society when it comes to education. In the future I will definitely pursue education and public policy, because it is a topic that really riles me up.
Fun:
Being a social chair for my club gave me the opportunity to organize many events including our retreat as well as our alumni night. These events were fortunate successes and I hold them as a testament to my improved organization skills. I also got to discover more location in San Francisco now that we have a car as well. I attended 2 concerts which were absolutely fabulous. Both Tyler the Creator and Jaden Smith are not only phenomenal artists but also amazing performers as well. I also had the opportunity to eat the best pizza I have ever had and had the best hot chocolate I could imagine this semester. Both of these experiences really made me learn that I truly do enjoy food and am potentially even a foodie...
Highlights Conclusion: This semester was full of new EXPERIENCES.
Lowlights:
Academic:
I did god awfully in the courses that I took this semester and really have decided that this is an area where I need to pour my concentration into next semester. The work I want to do after graduation requires excellent grades and therefore this needs to be a much higher priority than it has been in the past. The transition will be difficult but I believe I can grow as a person in the process as well.
Recruiting:
Looking for an internship is hard and stressful and there were many nights where I didn't understand what I was doing incorrectly. I didn't get any responses for 2 months straight where I had applied to over 60 locations. In total I racked up approximately 130 applications and only heard back from 7 or 8 people. Although my semester of recruiting was successful, I can never forget how physically and emotionally draining the process is.
Although this is a very short blog, I want it to serve as a time capsule to the semester. It hits on the main objectives I had for the semester and highlights my shortcomings. Improvement is necessary for growth, and if there's anything I chase it's growth.
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