Narrated by K@:

My Mandarin class (1st quarter Chinese) - which I cannot take due to unit limit, has 10 people. I will try to see if the prof will let me just hang around - I already have the text, which someone happened to give me way back when (before I even applied to college) but I don't want to do all the hwk. I can WRITE/READ better than the average student in the class but I cannot speak mandarin.

Ooh... and I discovered the libraries at Stanford. There are shelves upon shelves of books... SO with great perseverance, I hunted down many classics that stand falling apart in the ancient attic/basement areas* - thus saving myself a grand total of $60.50 :-) Then there are the books I hunted around in the mailing lists/newsgroups for that I got for about 1/2 price. :-D

Yesterday was the first day of classes. I have no bike - so I was running and walking all over the place - my feet hurt. But it was FUN!!!! My CS106A (The CS major intro class... one learns to program in C) class has a great professor (Sahami) and 300 other students. One question was asked during the class. Only one question by the professor was answered during the class (Why are errors called bugs?). Both were answered... by the K@ :-P Oh, and I think I saw Chris McCormick, (Granite Bay HS valedictorian) there....

Then it was off to Math 51 (Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra**). Linear Algebra is taught before Calculus though. There are 75+ people (some were sitting on the floor or standing) because apparently, everyone likes this professor***, who is also the author of the Linear Algebra book. What we covered in 50 minutes was intimidating as well as refreshing. For the first time, I could barely keep up with the calculations of vectors. I understood - but there was a time lag of about 30 seconds. In HS, this would have taken at least a week to do.

Lunch... I end up going to random tables and sitting with people. Some people are quite friendly - others are down right obnoxious and arrogant.

Then I go visit a random Chinese 1 class. It was a little annoying - but ok. The class is small :-)

THEN.... a small break - before a lecture on the Myth of the Quest in my SLE (Structured Liberal Education) class. Then dinner. Then another lecture - this time on the Ramayana.

Great stuff.

I also have been coerced into auditioning for an a capella (Harmonics) tonight. I guess I will go to give them 10 minutes of either torture or outright comedy - singing Shania Twain's From This Moment****

The dorm reading was not required. But the Resident Fellows (adults in charge... kinda like parents but not really - they're just professors who are nice who live not very far away) told us their ideas for books. It was just to give us something to talk about besides "what's your name", "major?", "where you from?".

Unfortunately, I must drop either math or CS....due to limit requirements. (No more than 20 units per quarter, or 21 with activity class) :-(

I like both. I got into some physics seminars though! :-) String, M-theories!

** My High School AP Calculus AB and BC teacher advised us to take Calc 2, or the equivalent of AP Calc BC again in college, especially since the K@ had not taken math senior year due to finishing all available high school math courses junior year and the fact that the local community college required driving to get to - and the math class would have been at an inconvenient math time. However, K@ did not heed those words of advice. She jumped straight into the swirling waves of the Math 51 Ocean.. and almost drowned, but saved by a few buoys, aka homework help from Elusive5Point0, SUMO (Stanford Undergrad Math Organization or something), as well as tutoring from the UAC (Undergraduate Advising Center.)

*** This professor is also known as Professor Steven Levandosky - whose class K@ was about to devote almost 70% of her study time... and still bomb the exams. But she doesn't know that yet.

****K@ was cut. Not even a call back. Oh well. :-)