I had a crazy semester this fall, and all I can think about is the break that is in my near future. This semester introduced me to my first real upper division classes and it definitely slapped me across the face, metaphorically. However, I have definitely got a lot out of this semester and I have made a lot of fun memories along the way.
Becoming section leader of the trombone section in the marching band was one of the biggest responsibilities that I added on this semester. Being in charge of 32 other students was not easy, but I accepted the challenge and tried hard to make the trombones the best section in the band. I focused a lot on helping the other students improve their playing ability by working on some fundamentals. On the other hand, I tried to keep them excited throughout the season, even though the football team did not always get the win. I really enjoyed being a student leader and I just got voted to be section leader of the trombone section next year as well! I look forward to another year making the band the best it can be.
The trombones at Stanford for “The Weekender”
I had a great season with these guys!
In the academic world, I was going through the toughest semester to date. I had 4 engineering classes and a chemistry class, all upper division, and it required a lot of work in each class, which kept me very busy. My hardest class was PTE 461 – Formation Evalutation. This was one of the first classes I took towards my petroleum emphasis. In this class, I learned about how to analyze the geology underground in order to find locations that will yield a high amount of oil/gas. It was a very technical class and we covered a lot of material. The most valuable part of the class for me were the presentations that we had to give to the class. These presentations were structured similarly to a pitch an engineer would make to businessmen or fellow engineers about why a project should be invested in. It was great getting this experience in public speaking and technical presentations.
Well Log Analysis
My favorite class was CHEM 430a – Physical Chemistry. The professor I had for this class blew me away. First of all, he memorized almost everyone’s name in the class within around 2 weeks, and there are around 50 people in the class. He always went above and beyond to help students, and was very accessible by email and through his office hours. He has personally helped me a lot with putting my best foot forward for graduate school, and helping me realize what I am really interested in pursuing after my undergraduate education. It made the class such a positive experience for me – the professor made such an effort to help students do the best they can, inside and outside of the classroom.
Even though this semester has had its great moments, I am looking forward to winter break. I am heading home right after my finals end, and I plan on spending some quality time with my family and my high school friends. I also LOVE Christmas, and am looking forward to some decorating, baking, and christmas movies. I will post a blog after winter break to let everyone know how it went!
