PENULTIMATE SEMESTER DONE

AHH! Finally!

I just can't believe it's almost over. What a ride it's been at HKUST. Before I came here, I definitely wasn't ready for the world. Come graduation, though, I'll be as equipped as ever.

Final semester coming my way!

Some reflections:

I had the best of groups and the worst of groups.

I stopped running for a time.

I got to know some really great people.

It was the most "balanced" semester of university life I ever had, and it had a lot more to do with mentality and practicality. Besides my academics, I learned that life was about composure, or "coolness under fire," and choosing friends/acquaintances/teammates wisely. You need a bit of foresight... but mostly life experience.

Second thing: I applied to a bunch of grad schools but I'm afraid that I won't get in--the graduate school front is challenging these days. NorthwesternU, University of Illinois-Chicago, UC Berkeley/SF, Rutgers, and UCR. My 'rents are okay with me attending grad school, but at the same time, I feel like I should work. It's so hard these days to find a job and my family's trying to stay afloat financially. I feel torn between my duty to myself and my duty to my family. Sometimes, I lament my role as the eldest child to take on a supporting role in my family. It can be a lonely path. Other times, I know it made me who I am today. Ah well..