My First Semester at UWaterloo

One year ago, I would've done anything to be accepted to the University of Waterloo's computer science program. I was so focused on getting in that I didn't even think about what life would actually be like at Waterloo.

People say Waterloo has the worst social life, but I found that to be the complete opposite. I remember staying up late with my new friends during the first week of class, solving a MATH 145 challenge problem. In fact, a bigger issue was saying no to hanging out with my friends because I kept on doing it.

On the topic of math, I started the semester enrolled in all three advanced courses: Advanced Algebra (MATH 145), Advanced Calculus (MATH 147), and Advanced Functional Programming (CS 145). These courses were extremely challenging, sometimes covering third-year content, but I tried my best to persevere through them. I had to drop MATH 145, but I stuck with the other 2 until the end (and even scored a 107% on my MATH 147 final!). And despite the massively increased workload, I managed to end my first semester with a 4.00 GPA!

Aside from school, I also worked on my side projects. Most notable was my AI music notation agent, which I began development of in October and am now nearly finished. I also joined UW Orbital, a satellite design team, built an online newspaper scraper, and also contributed to a mod of one of my favourite video games.

I wasn't only grinding, though; I made sure to have some fun on the side too. Many people know me as "MATH 145 Dropout", the name of an Instagram account I started running in September. I started by just posting clips from class and memes, but many went viral and got millions of views. I quickly reached 1,500 followers, and a couple of startups even offered me contracts to do UGC with them.

If I've learnt anything this semester, it is to never give up. I know it's a cliche, but I've been pushed beyond my limits multiple times by the advanced math courses. I even got a 55 on a quiz once, but managed to bring my average back up. And in the end, I learnt so much and made so many friends through those courses.

People say Waterloo is depressing, yet my first semester has been anything but. I've had the time of my life, both academically and socially, and I'm looking forward to my 1B term.