After reflecting on how my first semester at NUS as a Computer Science student went, I realised that I essentially vlogged the entire semester from start till end HAHA. I covered every week, every high, and every low, and I hope my experience can shed some light on the struggles and life of a Singaporean university/college student.
It all started with the online freshmen orientation and loads of packing because I would be moving into a residential college in University Town (UTown). I chose to stay in CAPT because I've heard a lot of things about how the community is very wholesome and friendly. Some people may not like the community and culture there but I find that it's very suitable for me! I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and I'm looking forward to moving back for the next semester~
Freshmen orientation was interesting as well because everything had to be online. It's so different from the traditional orientation where you get to really connect with the people and have supper afterwards etc. But I think the school and seniors did what they could to engage us☺️ See everything for yourself in the vlog below:
Soon after, dorm move-in day came around! I would say that I settled well into CAPT pretty quickly. I also felt like I transitioned into university life quite smoothly because I stayed focused right from the start. I'm proud to say that I managed to do all my readings (not that there is a lot for a Computer Science student - compared to a FASS student). It was also my first time meeting friends in person so it was sooo crazy and wild. I have so many fun memories from Week 0~
I vlogged my first week at university. It was still really chill because tutorials haven't started yet. I also got to explore a little more of UTown and the NUS campus.
I also vlogged my next few weeks in uni when I still had time to paint and workout.
CAPT held a few events and university life in my dorm was really vibrant~ But mid-terms were coming up and I was nervous. Check out how things were before the tests hit me like a truck:
Things got a lot tougher near and during recess week. I was starting to struggle a lot in my Programming Methodology II module. The project was really tough and I started to doubt myself and experience a lot of imposter syndrome.
Got some results back, there were tears, and this is just the start to many more tears HAHA. In this vlogtober vlog, I had a lot of highs and lows. But one exciting thing that came out of October is my new tattoo! There's also quite a bit of studying and working on assignments in this vlog, but I really enjoy looking back on the memories in this video☺️
We're nearing the end of the semester~ This is how the month of November and finals season went down. Once again, a lot of stress and tears. I feel like people need to talk about the struggles of university students more - it's really been a rough year and mental health of students every where has taken a hit one way or another. I just felt like it was important to be vulnerable, transparent, and real with my pain.
This was also when I confirmed my choice to transfer out of Computer Science (CS). I wrestled a lot through this decision - I felt a lot of emotions but the one thought that stood out most prominently was that I knew I couldn't continue in CS, it was not what I thought it'd be. Watch the video below to see how finals season went and to find out which course I'm transferring to:
I'm quite excited for the next semester! I feel like it's going to be really challenging but I'm glad that it's going to be something that I truly find joy in. I think I'm a lot clearer about what I want and my strengths and weaknesses. I'm hoping that my new perception of myself and the world is going to serve me well in my new major!☺️
That's all for this recollection of my first semester in NUS as a Computer Science student~ See you next semester as a Communications & New Media student! Take care and God Bless❤️
