Perception

The third semester of my university term is just about over, and this has by far been the most challenging one of all. I look back with the regret that I did not manage my time better and of the wrong choices I made, but in this position now I know that the last four months have been nothing more than a stern test of my character and discipline, with me performing rather poorly in both those regards. Yet, I feel these mistakes only apply to the decisions pertinent to my studies, and outside of academia I’m pleased with my relatively significant achievements.

The highs of this past semester would have been unexpected half a year ago, and they are mainly my successful enrollment into the NUS Overseas College Programme for Silicon Valley as well as the securing of my internship and mentorship with IDA under the ELITe Programme. It was time-consuming at times preparing for the interviews and attending the necessary briefings, but of course at the end of the day the trouble was well worth it. These two programmes will most likely be the highlights of my academic life in 2010, and at least I won’t have to hunt for an internship come May.

Another bonus for me is the growth of sgBEAT which I’m certainly very pleased about, and we’ve come a long way since our Beta release over seven months ago. There is still so much to be done, and I’m looking forward to the next seven months as we find ways to expand and improve our service, while building a brand that will hopefully be synonymous with nice, sweet things. This entrepreneurship thing is truly giving me quite a kick, although I know that there’s still a reservoir of skills and knowledge I’ve yet to learn. It certainly beats trying to earn modular credits through forced studying though.

Which brings me to the depressing points of my semester, and how I handled my studies in an irresponsible fashion. I think the results that will be released next week will speak for this fact, and I know that there’s definitely so much more I could have done. Trying to catch up last minute is too hard a game to play, and apparently I had to learn this the hard way. Looking on the bright side, I have at least another five semesters to make up for the disastrous one I just had.

It seems to me that my performance this semester has been pretty polar in this sense, probably as a consequence of my misplaced priorities, but then again I’ve never been all that dedicated to my studies, so to suggest that I would change overnight would make me rather hypocritical. I think much better time management would be necessary, and probably enough discipline for me to keep up with the lesson plans. Module selection will play a part too, although I don’t think the modules are getting any easier in that respect.

Every semester so far has been a different experience, and in a way I’m glad this semester turned out the way it did, as I’d definitely avoid repeating the mistakes I had made. The highs and lows of school life is pretty much the only sustaining factors that make studying any interesting, but next year I’m certainly going to try to keep away from the lows.