Reflecting on My Semester

Reflecting on My Semester I still find it weird telling people Im a sophomore. Its hard to believe that a year and a half of school has flown by so fast. As I approach the end of my third semester, I realize how much Ive changed in the past couple months. Ive had to overcome several new obstacles, face multiple challenges, and deal with a few losses. However, the number of experiences that allowed me to grow this year outweigh all those issuesâ€"Im grateful for so much. At the time Im writing this blog, only three exams sit between winter break and I. Before the finals storm hits, Id like to take some time to reflect on the things I did and didnt achieve this semester. What I didnt achieve: To start with, Im going to look at the things I missedâ€"I want to set goals for next semester. Also, its nice to start with the negatives: This way, I can end the blog on a good note! I was not able to publish my research paper. This summer, I started working with a research group at university back home. We werent able to finish our project before the summer ended, so my supervisor and I kept in touch over the semester to continue our research. My original goal was to at least submit a draft paper to the American Journal of Undergraduate Research before the semester ended. However, school had other plans for meâ€"Ive been swamped this semester. Nonetheless, I have made progress with research. Ive finished the first half of my draft, and Im going to finish the rest over winter break. I want to publish my paper as soon as possibleâ€"Im applying for research internships next summer, and being published would look great on an application. I didnt join an Astronomy-related RSO. Before school started, I promised myself that Id join the University of Illinois Astronomical Society (UIAS). Im currently a member of three groups/RSOs on campus, but none are related to my major! A perk of being in UIAS is being able to use the campus observatory. Again, I didnt join one because I was bogged down by school. However, Im definitely going to join next yearâ€"itll be nice to be able to go stargazing as an extracurricular activity. I couldnt get all my James Scholar credits. As a James Scholar, I need to earn points every single semester. Experiences like attending a workshop or playing a club sport will earn points. We also need to make plans at the start of each semester detailing what we will do to earn these points. One of the activities I planned was to publish a paperâ€"doing this wouldve earned me a point. This didnt end up happening, and I didnt get all the James Scholar credits I couldve earned in this semester. Fortunately, I earned a few points in other places: I took an honors course in astrophysics and held a leadership position in a RSO. What I achieved: Now, the good part! Even though I didnt end up doing everything that I wanted to this semester, I still managed to achieve a great deal. I was elected President of my fraternity. This isnt just my biggest achievement this semesterâ€"its the biggest thing Ive done since coming to Illinois. I really love being a part of my fraternity, and Im super excited to be a leader in our community. Over the past year, Ive put a lot of effort into the fraternity, and its really satisfying to see that hard work pay off. My responsibilities have expanded to being the external face of our fraternityâ€"Im excited to meet a lot of new people. Additionally, Im curious to see if I can apply all the leadership skills Ive learnt over the years. I am now responsible for a lot of people. Elections night. Image credit: Caige Gridley Nonetheless, I have to be prepared for next semesterâ€"being President comes with a lot of work and pressure. Im going to need to figure out how to balance my responsibilities with schoolwork better (I certainly didnt do a very good job with that this semester). I went to my first football game. After a year and a half at Illinois, I attended my first football game. Better yet, it was our homecoming game against Wisconsinâ€"the biggest upset in the Big 10 conference since the 80s. My fraternity tailgated and watched the game with our alumni. Image credit: Hunter McDermith Football is a foreign concept to meâ€"Im from Hong Kong. Ive watched football before on TV, but never before in real life. Actually going to the stadium is a much better experience than viewing the game through a tiny screen. Plus, its a great feeling to cheer our Illini on! I finally visited Wisconsin. Although I love Illinois, its always nice to see what other campuses are like, and what college life is like in another place. My brother at Wisconsin has been begging for me to visit for a while, and Im glad I finally did this semester. My brothers and I at the Wisconsin Purdue game. Image credit: Christian Fuhrmann I went up to Madison the weekend Thanksgiving break started, and watched Wisconsin crush Purdue (it was certainly nice to see Purdue lose again). I got to meet all of my brothers friends, and look around Madison (which, by the way, is gorgeous). Best of all, I got to spend time with my brothers, which was a really nice start to a much needed Thanksgiving break. and what about next semester? Looking back on how much Ive grown is nice, but I need to start setting goals. I want next semester to be my best one yet. Make it back onto the Deans List. Ive only made it onto the Deans List onceâ€"my first semester freshman year. Although it may seem like a superficial goal, its one I definitely want to achieve. First, it looks good on a resume and will make me a more competitive applicant when I apply for internships. However, more important, it will help me prove to myself that I am doing well in school. Academically, I havent performed as well as I would have liked to this year, and I want to see an improvement next semester. Apply for research internships in the summer. This summer, I took on a research internship back home and enjoyed it immensely. Its something I want to do againâ€"its a productive way to spend the longest holiday of the year and gives me invaluable experience. However, instead of going back home to Hong Kong, I want to conduct research in the U.S. this summer. I plan on staying in the U.S. for graduate school, and doing research here can also help me build connections. Most applications are due in Februaryâ€"Ill be spending the winter break and first few weeks of school completing them. My final thoughts: Academically, this semester has been roughâ€"the sophomore slump has hit me hard. However, this wont stop me, and I intend to make next semester my best one yet. On the other hand, my life outside the classroom has been absolutely fantastic. I was elected president of my fraternityâ€"something that Ive worked hard for and wanted for a long time. As a whole, Im extremely excited to start the spring 2020 semester. I have a feeling 2020 is going to be a great year, and I cant wait to see the experiences the new year has in store for me. Franklin Class of 2022 I grew up in Hong Kong, China, and I’ve come across the world to Illinois to major in Astronomy in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I’ve always thought outer space is super cool, and I love that I’m learning everything that I can about it at Illinois.