Minh’s Notes

Human-readable chicken scratch

Minh Nguyễn
September 22nd, 2005
College
#895

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Don’t worry, this will not become a daily diary of drivel. I’m just posting everyday because there’s so much to write about – more than I’m going to write about.

We started looking at our scheduling options today. When we moved into our dorms on Tuesday, we were already told which IHUM course we were going to take, but nothing else. And yesterday, I submitted my preferences for my Fall Quarter PWR 1 course.

But it wasn’t until today that I got to hear about the multitude of options from the various departments themselves. First of all, I’d like to thank Mr. Lamping on his effective Spanish language instruction last year: after taking the Spanish placement test for non-native speakers yesterday, I apparently got into SPANLANG 11, second-year Spanish.

I would’ve gotten into that course based on my AP score anyways, but I know I could’ve done better if I had the time to review for the placement test. Had I taken this test directly this June, I would’ve aced it, which speaks to how well Mr. Lamping prepared us. I brought my Schaum’s Spanish Grammar workbook with me, but I didn’t have enough time to even crack it open, because my schedule’s been so jam-packed.

Although I reviewed regularly during the summer, yesterday’s placement test made it painfully clear that I’ve gotten rusty with my vocabulary – I couldn’t for the life of me remember how to say “post office”! Hopefully I’ll start recovering lost ground as classes begin; maybe I should start practicing my Spanish with my roommate, who’s fluent in the language.

Supposedly Stanford freshman are only supposed to take only three courses per quarter, which seems unnaturally low: at my mother’s school UNO, taking only three courses designates you a part-time student – they used the semester system, however. Although I’ve been assured that the workload of three courses is plenty enough, this three-course restriction limits my options immensely.

Already my Fall Quarter is taken up by IHUM and PWR. That leaves me with only one more course, and CS106X, which is designed for students who already took AP Computer Science, is only offered during the Fall. That would be a no-brainer, but I’ve been advised to start my Spanish and math as soon as possible, too, before I get too rusty.


Comments

  1. hey minh, i will update my blog more often,k. Stanford sound intersting. Only three courses, lucky. i have 8. plus piano lessons and mandatory concert attandances. I am a busy woman, sigh. Talk more later. See ya.