Semester 1 is Winding Down...
First I must begin by saying that I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving!
As the first semester of college is winding down, I feel almost as if it didn’t happen. If you think senior year went fast just wait until you go through the first semester of college. Most of all of my homework is done (minus a few reading assignments for my first year writing seminar), my classes for next semester are picked out, and my mom has officially began counting the days until I will be home for winter break. I don’t think that I could have asked for a better first semester of college. I know it may be a little early to be writing this but it is the last week of classes; I only have three more days of class and three finals and then I’m home free. I think it is important to pass along a few things I learned this semester:
1. It’s okay to not have the right answer all the time. Being a little confused and having lots of questions is normal for everyone. So ask them! Plus as long as you have the right idea about a problem or a question you will usually get a lot of partial credit.
2. Partial credit is your best friend. It is just as important to have an idea about how to solve a problem. Once you get an idea, try it out and see if it works, and if it doesn’t it’s not the end of the world.
3. Living in the dorms isn’t as scary as I thought it would be. Having the freedom to come and go as you please and group of instant friends that you live with is pretty cool. Plus having a single room allows me to be social if I want or hiding away to study if it is necessary. In the end it all works out.
4. Girls only (sorry guys): if you come to Ithaca, rain boots are an absolute must. You can get them in amazingly cool colors plus they keep your feet nice and dry.
5. Get involved in things you have always wanted to try or things that you like. Figure skating has been amazing for me this semester. It was a great way to make amazing friends as well as do something I love. If you loved it in high school, you should find it in college and enjoy it.
6. Cornell Dairy ice cream is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! (I would put more exclamation points but I think you get the picture)
Of course I learned way more this semester than can be written here but the important thing was I learned a lot, had a ton of fun, and tried a bunch of new stuff. In the end, the ride should be just as much fun as the destination. I can’t wait for next semester so I can try more amazing things.
Have a great week!
Physics on Ice
There is nothing quite like figure skating to teach everyone some valuable physics lessons. They should really call all of the shows Physics on Ice. The principles of physics are really the most important aspects to the sport. For example, the tighter a skater pulls their arms in the faster he or she will spin. And for all of you in Physics B AP you can’t forget the coefficient of friction problem involving the ice skater. Good times! In physics terms, figure skating becomes quite simple, but applying my physics knowledge to the ice isn’t always that easy.
For those of you who didn’t read my bio, I am a member of the Cornell Figure Skating Club and I absolutely love it!!!!!! It has been a great way for me to meet new people and keep in shape. Joining a club sport or even intramural sport is a great way to take a break from all of the studying and have some fun, not to mention it will help keep off the freshman fifteen (although walking to the engineering quad certainly helps as well).
This past Sunday, we competed in a competition. We came in third! YAY! Getting out on the ice and having fun was amazing. Although I didn’t skate as well as I could have, I still had a ton of fun doing something I loved. Plus, not only did I get to hang out with my teammates, I also got to meet and talk to skaters from other colleges who had something in common with me. I have found that skating is the best escape I have from day to day life. I know this sounds weird. I love college and I love how much I am learning but it is great to have some place to go and take a break from all of the studying. So in college, studying is important, but it’s also important to take a break from everything and have some fun.
Next time I will be sure to apply my physics knowledge to keep me on my feet!
Have a fun and safe weekend!
Screaming Girls
Screaming girls, tight spaces, and a lot of jumping up and down were the main elements of my Sunday night. I know this may sound a little weird for Sunday night activities, especially considering Sunday’s are usually homework days. This past Sunday, however, I went to a Maroon 5 concert.
I’m not one of those girls who are totally obsessed with Maroon 5, but they are one of my favorite bands. I went through a phase where I listened to She will be Loved on repeat and let’s just say my mom got a little annoyed with me. I was extremely excited that I would finally get to see them in concert. They did not disappoint. The show was amazing! My friends and I had a total blast. Mainstream bands and big concerts are relatively normal on campus, so if you are interested in music you will not be disappointed. The type of artist varies and every major genre gets covered. Each semester the Cornell Concert Commission brings a few big concerts to campus. It is a nice way for everyone to take a little break from studying and a great way to see some people outside their normal context.
Screaming girls, tight spaces, and a lot of jumping up and down lead to an amazing Sunday night.
Have a fun and safe weekend!
Silly Putty
When I applied to Cornell last fall, saying I was extremely confused would have been an understatement. I applied to tons of different schools with no real direction in mind. I was lost to say the least. I was just happy that I knew that I might want to do engineering. I loved chemistry so I checked the Chemical Engineering box on all of my applications. However, I became instantly confused the instant I arrived on campus. There are so many different major options that incorporate things that I truly enjoy. If you are as confused as I once was, don’t fret! There are many different advising centers that you can go to once you get here.
Last night some of my major confusion disappeared! The Engineering Advising office hosted an Engineering Major Fair for undecided sophomores and freshmen. It was the perfect opportunity for me to get more information on each one of the majors as well as talk to the professors associated. As an extra bonus, Co-op and Career Services and the Engineering Advising office had a booth too.
Of course being a total nerd, I went directly to the booth that was making silly putty. In all reality, who wouldn’t?!? Although very simple, the combination of glue, borax, and food coloring put a huge smile on my face. I felt like a little kid in a candy store. The Materials Science and Engineering station was by far my favorite. As I made my silly putty, I began to talk to Professor Umbach. I felt myself hanging on every word that he said. He described why the superconductor was levitating over the magnet, which courses would be best to take, and what Material Science and Engineering majors could do after graduation. Each one of my friends and I took turns standing on an “unbreakable” ping pong ball. It was truly fascinating. The material science students I talked to sounded like they loved their major more than anything and their passion was contagious.
Although none of my friends loved the Material Science booth as much as I did, each one of them found something, or several things they are interested in. One of them realized that he wanted to be an Electrical and Computer Engineering major. Another became convinced he was going to be a Chemical Engineer. While a third found two new fields she is interested in; she now has even more options. Every single major booth was surrounded by students discovering more about what it is they would like to do.
Whatever you are interested in, you can find it in the College of Engineering, as long as it’s engineering of course. The best thing about yesterday, however, was that no one made fun of me for getting excited to make silly putty!
Have a great week!
Go with the Flow
Today in math discussion, my TA began class by putting up the formula for the length of a curve. He did everything he could to get the class to explain what each element of the formula meant. Although we did pretty well, we didn’t quite hit exactly the answer he was looking for. On further explanation, he messed with the variable names a little bit. Once all of the variables were changed, we had a hard time defining exactly what they were. Finally, everything clicked! He told us that we had to learn to go with the “flow”, only he used different words and said something involving water, which I didn’t quite pick up on.
Anyways, the main thing I have learned over the first few months of my college education is that you have to go with the flow. It’s okay not to know every detail of what is going on. You don’t have to know all the answers. There is a certain amazement that comes with not knowing what to do. Not having all the answers is okay.
Engineering is all about problem solving, the main goal of my introductory courses has been giving me tools to solve various problems. While answers are very important it is much more important to be able to explain how you arrived at them. Many of my prelims are graded where a correct answer without proper work will not earn you full credit. Unlike my experiences in high school where problems had to be solved in one method, at Cornell I have learned many methods are suitable for finding the right answer.
Have a Safe and Happy Halloween! :)
Ashley
