Although I have managed to get an A in two classes, including the grueling EE 316, I still feel bad because I gained those two As at the cost of obtaining Cs in EE 411 and M 427K. As it stands now, I am just bearing down hard on myself. Trying to figure out what went wrong gives me the notion that I am merely making excuses. Nevertheless, I think I took a lot out of this semester, and can definitely use these lessons I have learned and teach them to the FIG next year:
- Going from 13 to the maximum allowed by your department (17 in College of Engineering) is not a good idea!
- EE 312: There is a reason why you can’t just go off and implement a feature just because you think it’s cool. You have requirements to stick by, and adding features is like adding more bugs. Bugs cost more money to fix in the long run.
- EE 411: Using imagination (imaginary numbers) makes calculations easier. Power grids transmit power in three phases, hence the three lines on the power lines.
- GOV 310L: Government makes slow progress because collective action is difficult and people need time to think things over (even if it means that the bill is read twice). A party’s interest also plays a significant role (think of a senator filibustering and reading off a cookbook just to eat up time). The media portrays many negative images of government because it is an unofficial form of checks and balances — it is the “fourth branch” of government.
- EE 316: You can go as fast as your little gates will propagate, so passing the class with an A means that you are not a slacker.
- M 427K: Be prepared to be flipped upside-down. Instead of the hand-holding examples and a few “now-you-try-it” problems one is used to, the book I got was a lot of theory and more proofs for us to validate.
Update: Whew! I got a B in Government!
