Intellectually Speaking

new blog on wordpress

2008-03-12T23:25:00.003-04:00

http://swatben.wordpress.com

hi3

2008-02-20T18:01:00.002-05:00

first day of school and my birthday

2008-01-21T17:10:00.000-05:00

A busy winter break

2008-01-11T19:07:00.000-05:00

School starts on 21st Jan, my birthday. What a good note to start with.
That gives me about a week before I will delve into the craze for the next semester.

I think I need to push back learning programming in java and C++ . I don't need to know them urgently. There are more important things to attend to right now.

Meanwhile, I am preparing for chemistry placement exam. Not much progress. When the worst comes to worst, I will either delay the test to a later date or I will just take the class anyway later. Another promised "A" though.

The biggest work lies in transfer applications. I need to fill in those forms, write rosy essays again, ask for recs from professors and dean. I have to somehow get in touch with my JC to send a secondary school report. I will try to ask if the admissions office can send a copy for me. My current picks are MIT, Stanford, U Penn and Columbia. The good ones which has aid for me. Good chance is that I will stay in Swarthmore and give in to the bubble and live the best life I can. If I can go and try i-banking or attend MIT for grad school anyway, I probably should not worry too much about staying in lovely Swarthmore for another two years.

How about the coming summer? Do youth project in Wuhan? Find an internship?(kind of late). I will not stay at home for another three months. I'd rather work part-time in Beijing, Shanghai or the US to do whatever I can find.

end of finals...

2007-12-19T13:49:00.000-05:00

update: A+, A, A, A-

why am i keeping a blog

2007-12-18T18:05:00.000-05:00

it seems that i always try to find a reason for the thing i do. when i don't, i forget doing it. so why am i keeping this blog.

1. ego gratification. writing is an egoistic process. expression is essential part of life.
2. motivate myself. by disclosing my life, i need to make sure i have good things to say and good news to share here.
3. it is part of my education. that boils down to the virtue of writing. when we are writing, we are engaging in intense level of meaning-making and thought organization. it is more precise than day-dreaming. what more, i don't have any paper assignment this term, so i kind of miss writing a lot.

big economics questions in another light

2007-12-18T17:51:00.001-05:00

Anyone who has studied economics knows that economics has to do with three big questions:

what to produce? whatever that is in demand.
how and how much to produce? the most cost efficient way and the equilibrium amount.
for whom to produce? in capitalism, whoever can pay and will pay.

I just realized that i can apply these questions to study and to answer them requires some thinking:

what to study?
how and how much to study?
for whom to study?

what are your answers?

some possible human answers:

what to study? whatever that is in demand...in the job market? whatever pays? whatever you are passionate about? truth? knowledge for knowledge's sake?
how and how much to study? how to study?...that is a million dollar question. short answer:the most efficient way. maybe also in a inquisitive, mind-enriching way? how much? the minimum that can get me an A:)
for whom to study? myself? other's expectation of myself? for humanity? for Mr Dollar?

One more final to go

2007-12-18T17:44:00.000-05:00

I am all ready for my last final, e11.

I don't know why. Every time before the exam, i feel i am underprepared. but after the exam, i feel i am overly prepared. it is not that i find them all easy. I just feel one more day of cramming does not make me do any better. After all, they are not gonna test any single bit of what has been taught. There is significant diminishing marginal utility from cramming. if you have not taken the intro to economics, that means the more you study, the less each hour of revision add to your final score.

so how have i done for the past three finals...oh, that is sunk cost and let's forget about them. they will come back to me in A's and B's. i promise i will let you know when i know them.

conflicting thoughts and a resolution

2007-12-04T00:08:00.001-05:00

I am a paradox.

Sometimes, I think about internships, research opportunities, activity involvement. There is this self-imposed urge to mold yourself into that perfect job candidate or graduate school applicant. The competition is intense. Opportunities are scarce and even more restricted for international kids. Sometimes, I dream about being an entrepreneur, making real difference. Then it seems that liberal arts college education does not exactly prepares you for that. that is the job of schools like Wharton.

Then sometimes, I think I do appreciate the meaning of a liberal arts education. i believe that undergraduate study imparts many skills to you. sometimes i believe just knowing about different fields and understanding concepts like liberalism and social contract would make me a better person.

But everyone needs to face the reality, which is competitive, full of bills and temptations. To what extent should i be contented with the bubble, with the ivory tower and give myself the peace of mind. To what extent should i entertain the rat race?

The biggest question comes to if i should major in engineering and economics in swarthmore, knowing that I do not wanna be an engineer all my life. I wanna engage in creative activities. does engineering give me that fulfillment? How do you know if you will like something until you really try it? should i take it on for the purpose of building a solid foundation for the future?

But you know what... i say to myself that life is a roller-coaster, you can only anticipate so much, know so much. taking chances is probably just part of life. the good thing is that there are always more than one door. the ability to learn new things matter more than what you already know and what you are about to know in the next three years. Able people succeed anywhere. You will.

My Wishlist

2007-12-03T21:58:00.000-05:00

Everyone has a wish list, or at least in their heart.
Some people wish for stuff; some people wish for opportunities; others wish for good.
I dare not dream too much cause not getting can be frustrating.
There is a season for everything. the time will come...

Nevertheless, these are my small little wishes for the next year or two.

Explore the US a bit more. Get out of Swarthmore, more.
Try new sports like skiing.
Shadow an entrepreneur, an electrical engineer or people of other professions. Have a better idea of what is out there.
Be a little bit more musical. Improve on singing, harmonica or guitar.
Know the names of more American food.
Know a wide range of people...students/artists/professionals.
Write better.
Invite friends afar to visit Swarthmore.
Host some activities for friends in school.
Visit other schools/campuses and learn more about American college culture. In my agenda: Middlebury, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Columbia, Upenn.
Engage in some kind of entrepreneurial endeavor.
Make time for charitable causes and make friends along the way.
Know the professors better. Make some friends among them.
Have some sort of highlight to work on every year.
Truly embrace the nice things in life and be happy!
Stop worrying about the future. Believe that things will fall into place anyway.
Balance well between the Swat bubble and the real world.
Make my friends feel loved by me. I really really want to care.

If you want my wishes to come true too, drop me a note. And let me hear your wishes too. Encouragement from friends is always heart-warming. Also, don't hesitate to get me to join you for anything. I will be more than willing.