After my first quarter at UCI
'22. 10. 30.
Last Thursday marked the end of my first quarter, which flew by quickly despite dedicating countless hours to absorbing knowledge from the three courses I took. Although I have an assignment due this Thursday, I feel a sense of relaxation now. In retrospect, the quarter passed in the blink of an eye. Initially, I was fearful of studying abroad and building relationships with professors, but my biggest concern was competing with other students. However, as the quarter progressed, I gained confidence in my abilities and even outperformed my peers.
I am grateful for being here in California, where the weather allows me to enjoy outdoor activities like tennis. Although the sport has proven to be more challenging than I anticipated, I find joy in gradually improving my skills. The decision to study abroad was primarily driven by a desire for independence and a better work-life balance, which I have found at UCI. The professors are respectful and approachable, and the sunny weather creates a relaxed academic environment. I am delighted with my choice of university and hope to make the most of my time here until graduation.
I appreciate the independence that comes with being a Ph.D. student at UCI. In South Korea, I felt like I had no control over my schedule due to constant demands from my advisor. However, studying abroad has allowed me to manage my time and have an active life outside of academia. I did not choose to study abroad for an easy life, but rather for a healthier work-life balance. Although I have not yet started my own research, I have noticed that most students here are respected for their time, which is a refreshing change from what I experienced in South Korea.
I chose UCI from a limited set of options and I am grateful that it has turned out to be the right choice for me. The university's academic environment is relaxed and liberal, which I attribute to the sunny weather here in the western USA. I find that people are more energetic and peaceful, including the professors at UCI. In my experience, they are all polite and approachable, making it easy to engage with them. Overall, I am enjoying my time at Irvine and hope that this positive experience will continue until I finish my studies.
--------- Before Revision --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My first quarter was finally finished last Thursday. Even though I need to submit an assignment by this Thursday, I can feel something relaxed. In retrospect, my first quarter passed in the blink of an eye. I took three courses and spent many hours on a study to fully absorb every piece of knowledge that I learned in the classes. I had a fear of everything that I was inexperienced with, like studying abroad and having a good relationship with professors. But my most worry was whether I would be competitive over other students. I still remembered my first class this quarter. The class was about dynamic travel demand analysis, and the professor emphasized a lot about programming and mathematics. Some students enthusiastically explained which programming skills they had and which mathematical courses they had learned before, which gave me under a lot of pressure as only a few Ph.D. students in that class. However, as the class went by, I realized that I never fell behind, rather competitive enough with other students. This confidence made me more active in the classes, and I could get paid off with good grades in all the courses.
Only a half year ago, I was praying every day before getting sleep, hoping for receiving an admission letter from any of the universities I applied to, but woke up disappointed after checking rejection emails, which had lasted for three months. So, I sincerely appreciate the fact that I am here right now, with California's glorious sunlight and beautiful beaches. I really love this place. It is safe even at night, and every day sunny weather allows me to enjoy outdoor sports all day. In particular, I am really into tennis nowadays. During three months here, my tennis skills surprisingly increased, but I have still a long way to go. the USA has much better accessibility for tennis than South Korea, so there is no system for reservations, but only a first-come-first-serve system exists. I play tennis at least three times a week, but as I learn more tennis, I realize it is much more difficult than I expected. Nevertheless, the pleasure of gradually improving my skills makes me fall in love with tennis more and more.
Until now, I feel so much satisfied with my choice of studying abroad. The best thing is that I could independently manage my life. In South Korea, being a Ph.D. student is generally recognized as giving up his/her personal life and being a slave of an advisor; That was the main reason of deciding to study abroad for my Ph.D. But do not misunderstand that I just wanted to have an easygoing life. I wanted to have an active life and I knew I would not be slacked off. My case was extreme, but I had no right to manage my schedule due to calls from my professor regardless of weekdays and weekends. Even though I have not started my own research yet, I could see most students here seem to be respected for their own time.
In particular, I would like to praise my choice of UCI among only a small number of choices that I could determine:) As I heard, the eastern and western USA have different academic features: The western has more liberal and relatively relaxed from the pressure of performance. In reality, this is a fact, and I believe that it is derived from the western's sunny weather. the weather itself could significantly impact one's mood. In California where I am, due to the sunny days all day, I think people look energetic and peaceful. This applies to the professor at UCI as well. I could never hear of any professors being impersonal, and every professor that I have ever met was very polite and try to lend all ears to me. In conclusion, I am enjoying my life at Irvine and hope that this will last by the end of my school days.
