Another semester has passed, and I wanted to give a recap/review of how things went. I did a lot of stuff, and there's a lot I want to talk about. So, here's everything from my academic to social life, all in one post.

Academic

Let's start with academics. This semester was not ridiculously challenging overall. My classes were Programming Languages, Intro to Data Science, Rapid Prototyping, and Operating Systems. The only class I would consider hard was Operating Systems because I had no clue how to do about 70% of the assignments. Programming Languages was interesting because we learned different programming languages (Racket and Prolog) besides traditional imperative languages that have nice stuff like loops. Data Science was interesting because the professor would allow so much extra credit it became just a matter of completing the assignments. Lastly, Rapid Prototyping included 3d modeling, 3d printing, soldering, and even microcontrollers. This class was amazing, and I never realized I could learn so much in a class.

During the semester, I pulled 0 all-nighters and never had to stay up late to finish an assignment. Grades aren't out yet, but I think I will be around a 3.6-3.7 GPA, with the CS classes dragging my grades down. So, grade-wise, I'm happy as I'm not the kind of person who needs to get perfect grades. If I put in the work, I'm satisfied no matter what grade I get.

Social

I got closer to some friends and further from others. This semester, I got closer to two friends who I feel I can rely on and trust. I've never been one to host things before and invite many people, but I did it a few times this semester. I hosted some sports watch parties and had friends over a good amount of times. I also tried Dungeons and Dragons for the first time. My housemate was super into getting a DnD group together. It was interesting when things were entertaining but also very irritating, depending on the moods and actions of others in the group. After the halfway mark of the semester, we couldn't find time to meet because we're all incredibly busy people, and finding a time for busy people to meet consistently is very hard. Lastly, I still went climbing. It was sad that in the middle of the semester, I was too busy to go most days, but by the end, I was back to going once or twice a week. I've gotten better and can now top-rope grades up to 5.12-.

Vanderbilt Extracurriculars

Ultimate Frisbee was the main club I was a part of. This semester was my first year as captain. Though it took us some time to figure out leadership responsibilities, but we were able to work things out. It was a very successful semester for the club as we placed 3rd in two tournaments and raised a lot of money to fund future tournaments. My personal play was very good, and now my main focus for the spring is to throw fewer turns and improve my leadership capabilities as a captain. The fall season was incredible, and I love the team so much.

The other club I joined was Vanderbilt Ballet Theater. It was my first time with the club, and I'm so happy I joined. I had done ballet my entire life but stopped when I entered college. I joined the club with one of my best friends this year. They were doing the Nutcracker, and my parts were Parent and The Nutcracker. They're a smaller club, but it's a great group and close-knit. When show time came around, there was no better feeling from right before the show ended to the 30 minutes right after the show. That period of time was pure euphoria.

Tutoring

My main job is as a tutor. I started the semester with two students I had been teaching since last year. From there, I've added a few more students. This semester was my first year teaching web development, and though I had some learning to do, it was great to teach something new. I'm proud of the progress that all of my students have made. My heart melts whenever my students show me what they've worked on outside our lessons because they've been inspired to do more.

Romantic life?!?

I struck out this semester, unfortunately. I really liked her, and though it's inherently sad things didn't work out, the situation weirdly inspired me to become more outgoing, learn new skills, and focus on myself. After I felt like things weren't working out, I had some fun weeks. It's annoying having someone stuck in your head tho. Also, my heart now starts beating faster every time I see a light blue backpack. But I don't have regrets, and life goes on.

Music

I have been posting my musical videos on an Instagram page, which you can check out to see everything I've made last semester. At the start, it was mostly piano improv and some simple covers. In October, my family got me a travel guitar, and I eventually got around to learning how to play it at the start of December. I also got a microphone, and though I don't consider myself a great singer, it was fun to try. I also started using my loop station, which I had never seriously used, even though I've had it for almost a year. It was super fun to get everything working. My further exploration of music (guitar, looping, and singing) may have coincided with the start of the mixed signals I was getting.

Final Thoughts

What a great semester! I had some of the best weeks of my life, especially at the end of the semester. There were some lows here and there, but nothing compared to the highs.

9/10

- Marius