ATAR Notes: Forum

Uni Stuff => General University Discussion and Queries => The University Journey Journal => Topic started by: AngelWings on November 27, 2017, 05:28:21 pm

Title: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on November 27, 2017, 05:28:21 pm
After a long time of hesitating and replying to others’ journals, I've decided to start a journal myself. I suppose I should begin by introducing myself then.
Introduction
You've probably seen me around the forums of AN, especially if you wander through the VCE Further Maths, VCE Japanese or University sections. I post enough to believe that I spend a substantial amount of my spare time on here; as of this post, I’ve apparently clocked a little more than 24.5 days on here, though I doubt that that’s accurate.
I study a Bachelor of Science, majoring in genetics, with some more science and Japanese units sprinkled here and there. Outside of university, I worked two jobs in my second and third years.

As I begin this, I'm waiting upon my results, which will determine whether I have completed my degree and/or whether 2018 will see me doing my dream of Honours. Either way, my academic journey is certainly not over yet.
"What's with the title?"
Three reasons:
1. I'm a genetics major with a preference for ecological, evolutionary and population genetics.
2. It's a nod to Charles Darwin and his 'tree of life' (a phylogenetic tree, an image depicting how living things are connected). He and Gregor Mendel are considered to be two of the forefathers of genetics/ evolutionary biology, but puns get rather corny when you're trying to allude to Mendel and his pea plants.   
3. Everything that ever was discovered started off with similar thoughts. This is a collection of thoughts. Logic! 

"This is another science-oriented journal?"
You don't have to read this. Sure it's another one, but I'm hoping to leave the space open as a Q & A type thread as well as a university journal. Also, I feel like there are very few journals right now detailing the tail end of a degree right now. (It's also to encourage me to go back and revisit genetics during these holidays, so it's really a win-win situation. ::) )

What to expect
This will hopefully document anything that is related to university from my life. Depending on how much I can say, because confidentiality and what not, I might be more detailed or less. There'll likely be a section detailing what I do outside of university, because not everyone is enthusiastic about biology. I don't know how regular or sporadic I’ll be, but I can guarantee that the more you guys ask me questions and respond, the more likely I'll keep going. We'll see.
For now, if you have any questions about me or what I do, feel free to leave them on this thread and I’ll try to answer them to the best of my ability.

Date: 27th November 2017
It's supposed to be the holidays, but I've been allocated some reading. After two weeks of getting little to nothing complete, I figured that if I'm not motivated enough today, it's never going to be done. So, here I am trying to keep tabs of me actually doing something, because I can't trust myself. Sorry if that means watching me ramble. Hope you guys find it captivating enough for the few minutes you spent eyeballing this thread for what it is.

I hope to start some light revision by reading a few articles and reviewing some maths, as my population genetics modelling skills are rather lacklustre. This would involve reviewing how to 'code', at least some maths and, of course, a working knowledge of genetics. I urgently need to revisit Taylor series – a maths topic I haven’t touched in many months. If anyone can reteach me that and how to switch from limits to infinite series, you guys would be a lifesaver!

Outside of uni, I have no idea what topic to write on for the article for AN! I haven't forgotten, but I just haven't really pinpointed a particular topic and I'm super indecisive! Any ideas from the audience? It'd be highly appreciated. My only preference would be to discuss something that hasn't already been discussed before. 
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: Sine on November 27, 2017, 05:33:47 pm
glad to see this journal  :D :D

What would you say are your favourite monash units, one from each level 1, 2 and 3.

I’ve apparently clocked a little more than 24.5 days on here, though I doubt that that’s accurate.
rookie numbers  ;D
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: Joseph41 on November 27, 2017, 05:37:49 pm
I've been waiting for this journal for so long haha - stoked to see you join the gang. :D :D :D
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: zofromuxo on November 27, 2017, 06:16:56 pm
First of all welcome and here's the induction package.
(https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/500x/58217846/youre-one-of-us-now.jpg)
As for your ATARNotes article, how about a reflection on finishing an undergrad (I don't think there is an article on it, J41 can confirm this). I'm sure you can teach future JAFFYs and those in them a thing or two.

I do however look forward to your future entries and future stories you may have for us :P
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on November 27, 2017, 07:02:33 pm
What would you say are your favourite monash units, one from each level 1, 2 and 3.
Spoiler
Level 1: Probably going to go with CHM1022 (Chemistry II). Pretty solid unit, with the exception of some minor details.
Level 2: May have to go with ATS2143 (Japanese Intermediate I), despite doing it in my first sem at uni. I could actually enjoy learning the language and culture, without it feeling overly rushed. (Proficient. *cough*)
Level 3: BIO3011 (Research Methods in Biology). Obvious choice, especially once you have seen my review for it.
 
Sounds weird that not many biology units are listed there, but in reality, those units tended to be 2nd or 3rd places. It's a nice diverse range, methinks!
Not included in the list, but still honourable mentions to BIO1011 and BIO1022 (first year biology), because I didn't do biology in the latter half of high school and am indebted to it for helping me play catch up.

rookie numbers  ;D
Hey, I can't beat the royalty of AN. You guys are just that good! ;) *bows down to Sine and all mods*

A few quotes + thank yous
I've been waiting for this journal for so long haha - stoked to see you join the gang. :D :D :D
glad to see this journal  :D :D
First of all welcome and here's the induction package.
I do however look forward to your future entries and future stories you may have for us :P
Thanks for the support! :D
I hope to share some more entries and stories in the future! Hopefully they're better than my current one. :)

As for your ATARNotes article, how about a reflection on finishing an undergrad (I don't think there is an article on it, J41 can confirm this). I'm sure you can teach future JAFFYs and those in them a thing or two.
Sounds like a plan, Zofromuxo! Thanks so much for the idea! 
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: sweetiepi on November 27, 2017, 07:32:16 pm
I'm so stoked to see this journal! <3
What initially piqued your interest about biology?
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: tashhhaaa on November 27, 2017, 10:57:00 pm
glad to see this journal, I look forward to reading it as we have similar interests :) good luck with it all!!
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on November 29, 2017, 11:40:09 pm
I'm so stoked to see this journal! <3
What initially piqued your interest about biology?
Yay! <3
Spoiler
Ooh, hard question. Funnily enough, it wasn't always this way.
Biology didn't quite jump out at me initially. I wasn't good at it (still am not) and it wasn't exactly something that super interested me in early high school; I didn't do it in late high school. I decided to come back to it in university as I felt I wanted a fresh start and give it a second chance, as well as being unable to fit it in during VCE. I wound up inspired by the lecturers' research, while others were upset that they'd gone on a tangent. I strongly believe it's also because I hate closing doors to potential opportunities and I realised how diverse the field of biology really is in general. Nowadays, I like biology for its ability to be applicable to any living thing and how you can't escape it - it's what you literally part of who you are! (Of course, my preferences will always come back to genetics.)
     
If I had to be specific though, there are two main reasons I can roughly pinpoint:
1. I am constantly curious about the world like a two-year-old. A lot of the questions I ask in my mind are fundamentally what biology is all about.
2. I took a forensic science elective back in high school. I was - and probably still am - a bit of a murder mystery novel fan. Subsequently, I went on to not just enjoy it, but also top the class. Majority of what that discussed was biology, namely genetics - my introduction was through Punnett squares. (That shines through when you see that I posted this relevant post at 2:11am because I basically forgot about the time.)
glad to see this journal, I look forward to reading it as we have similar interests :) good luck with it all!!
Thanks! :) Hopefully this'll be interesting for you.

Date: 29th November 2017 (It'll be brief for a while.)
Yesterday was a rest day. I spent it out and about to enjoy the weather. 

In more uni-related news, I failed to start the genetics reading, but I wound up reading the first page of the preface to Darwin's Origin of Species, reviewed some maths and how to 'code' a couple of simple loops. Not exactly procrastination, if you actually did some of what you were meant to, but did something not allocated for that day. (I wonder how many of us on AN are productive procrastinators?) Anyway, so I wound up restarting the clock for about the sixteenth time and doing some of it today, amongst the true procrastination I did today. I'll admit more procrastination occurred than actual revision. 

Still need help with Taylor series. The internet seems to make less sense every time I look at it.
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on December 01, 2017, 07:50:41 pm
Date: 1st December 2017
Going to sound a little selfish today (and break my streak of not double posting).

I'm feeling a little anxious about my results, probably because they're within the next fortnight now.
Here's a couple of dates, so you guys can stay informed:
- December 4: Monash Results Release. There's also the early SMS service, but I'd rather not know until I have to.
- December 15: Honours offers are allocated (for Biological Sciences, which genetics is under at Monash)

Chances are actually looking good for Honours. I received a major assessment mark worth more than half of my grade for my research unit and did fairly well on it. Luckily, I've been able to occupy my time with other things, as to avoid thinking about it, so it's not become an issue. 
 
I did note that December 15 is the day of ATAR release and the date that is listed is supposed to be the final day Honours offers are given, so I'm hoping for my own sake that I receive one much earlier. That way, I can help support the Year 12s on their achievements without my own worries clouding my mind. :)

Random tangent: I've realised that, even before uni, my favourite day of the week has always been Sunday, because it's always been the only day I could sleep in. Is this the same to many of the university-level ANers here? What about the high school students/ recently graduated Year 12s? Does it change between primary, high school and university? If so, why do you think that is?
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: K888 on December 01, 2017, 08:06:45 pm
Random tangent: I've realised that, even before uni, my favourite day of the week has always been Sunday, because it's always been the only day I could sleep in. Is this the same to many of the university-level ANers here?
Hmm, I would say I prefer Saturdays during semester, because it's like, a relatively stress-free day, minus the fact that I usually have to work (although, I don't mind it, and it's doing physio-related stuff so it's interesting). On Sundays, I spend the whole time regretting not doing any work and dreading the coming week of uni haha. During the holidays, I don't really mind, but I guess weekends are still good because I can do stuff with family and friends who work during the week.

I think I was reasonably impartial in high school in the matter of Saturday vs Sunday, but potentially preferred Sundays because that was the day I played soccer.
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: sweetiepi on December 01, 2017, 08:07:54 pm
- December 4: Monash Results Release. There's also the early SMS service, but I'd rather not know until I have to.
I feel this on many levels. although it is getting me very anxious, I'd rather not have to know them until it is absolutely necessary too. :)

Random tangent: I've realised that, even before uni, my favourite day of the week has always been Sunday, because it's always been the only day I could sleep in. Is this the same to many of the university-level ANers here? What about the high school students/ recently graduated Year 12s? Does it change between primary, high school and university? If so, why do you think that is?
When I was younger, Sundays used to be early starts for me, but I'm super glad that I can sleep in all I want on Sundays now. Definitely my favourite day of my week now, as opposed to Saturdays with my younger brother's athletics starting at 8:15 in the morning! :P
(However, I really like sleep regardless, so I attempt to sleep in as much as I can (or as much as my younger siblings will let me haha. :P ) during the week as well- with varying success. :) Do you feel this, yourself, AngelWings?)
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on December 01, 2017, 08:36:05 pm
I feel this on many levels. although it is getting me very anxious, I'd rather not have to know them until it is absolutely necessary too. :)
-snip-
(However, I really like sleep regardless, so I attempt to sleep in as much as I can (or as much as my younger siblings will let me haha. :P ) during the week as well- with varying success. :) Do you feel this, yourself, AngelWings?)
Glad to know we're on the same page! Saturdays have always been busy, so I've always had to be up early. Similar to you, I try to get as much sleep in as much as I can as well, however, it's my tendency to overthink and periods of minor insomnia that sometimes bust those dreams. I've tried clearing the mind in various ways, which has helped before, but sometimes you just can't help it. :P   
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: zofromuxo on December 01, 2017, 09:13:33 pm
Random tangent: I've realised that, even before uni, my favourite day of the week has always been Sunday, because it's always been the only day I could sleep in. Is this the same to many of the university-level ANers here? What about the high school students/ recently graduated Year 12s? Does it change between primary, high school and university? If so, why do you think that is?
Hmmm... I'm going with Monday. Its like a fresh, new start to the week.
I forget about the past transgression from the previous week and just go about my life.
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on December 04, 2017, 01:21:51 pm
Hmmm... I'm going with Monday. Its like a fresh, new start to the week.
I forget about the past transgression from the previous week and just go about my life.
Nice point!

Date: December 4th 2017
Two words. Results release.

I received an email with my marks on it at 11am, but I haven’t looked at it yet. Oddly enough, a good portion of the nerves have vanished, so I’m taking that peace of mind as a positive sign. It might sound like I’m super wound up on grades, however, the only reason I care is because I’m not great at what I do, but I have a lot of interest/ passion and intend to take it to higher levels, which have grade requirements. Before this semester, my grades were literally borderline. I have back up plans if I can’t get into Honours and I’ll be applying for them, no matter my grades. Currently Plan B is to study Masters.

Aside, I’ve finally got the two genetics books I need to revise waiting on the hold shelf after requesting one a month ago and the other last Friday; any revision I’ve done has been using old electronic copies, which have changed significantly between editions. I picked up the two books I had on reserve and went home again to check my results.

* * * * * * * *
Was expecting a few passes and credits. Last semester, I worked myself to the ground (particularly during exams) and destroyed my health. Missed my goals by such a small margin that I figured it wasn't worth the same risk again, so I took this semester's exams easier. 

To my surprise, I was greeted with relatively higher results than those and, after comparison against my other semesters, it's been my best semester yet! I've ended on a high note. Thank goodness! (You can probably hear my relief.) I won't post my results on here, because I'd prefer them to remain private, but it's good enough that I've got results that calculate to be well over the requirements I need. (Really proud that using the Honours calculations, my average increased by 10! Incredibly satisfied in the improvement considering where I was in 2016 - I may save that story for another time.)

This also means that I'm officially done and dusted and I could graduate, if I so wished. Instead, I'll wait for my Honours offer - if/ when it comes - to determine whether I'll actually be showing up or not. I just need to wait to see if/ when that offer arrives.

Hopefully it's only onwards and upwards from here on out!  ;D

This entry got a little messy. Whoops. As always, if you have questions, feel free to ask. I don't bite. :)             
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on December 11, 2017, 06:13:53 pm
Date: December 11th 2017
Another double post.

It's been a busy weekend. Most of it hasn't been as a result of uni, but from work, family and life in general. It always happens the one moment you want peace and quiet. It keeps you occupied though, so I'm not upset about it. (Fun fact: I'm naturally a pessimist and I try as hard as possible to be an optimist.) Besides the uni stuff, I've just finished with one of my two jobs for the year on Friday and the other one won't finish until the 23rd.           

I wound up unintentionally revising Japanese and Chinese the other day, by sitting down to watch a film. The film was entirely spoken in Japanese and the subtitles were in Chinese and Japanese. Understood most of it with not that many issues, despite having 5 years' break between them, so I still got it. :) Multilingual life is awesome. I find it harder to revise languages properly but they sort of sneak up on you when you least want them to - I believe this to be a good thing.

On the uni front, I haven't received any word on Honours offers yet. I'm not too concerned, considering they said 15th December as the final day. My chances are looking up though; with my results from last week, I know that I've got every requirement and more. I've also worked with my intended supervisor before, so it should be good.

In terms of the two books, I'm already through the first section of the first chapter. Progress is happening, albeit slow as always. I'm planning to get through more of that tonight and possibly start the second book. I just hope I can finish these in time for next year.       
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on December 18, 2017, 07:17:02 pm
Date: 18th December 2017
Attention: For those who are considering a Bachelor of Science at Monash, please feel free to leave questions on here regarding my course.
*  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 
Now back to the usual university journal entry you're more accustomed to.

Since December 15 has now gone and passed, I've still yet to receive an offer for Honours. Fortunately, I went to check with people and now I've received word that they're being given late. They've amended their comment to say that the offers will be arriving either today or tomorrow, so I've been anxiously checking my emails.   

After checking posts on AN, I actually went back to look up the requirements for Japanese to hopefully help out a person with a relevant question. Having done several language units in Japanese myself, I didn't realise I actually had completed a minor in Japanese studies! (Thank you to the person who posted.) Thus, I've had that amended ... and that's the story of how I unknowingly got a minor in Japanese.

From the two books I've previously mentioned, I've now completed the first 2-3 sections of the first chapter from the first book and read the first chapter and a bit from the second book. That's a fair amount of progress compared to previous attempts recently, so I'm happy.

Beyond university-related shenanigans, I've had my usual week and had some spontaneous meet ups with friends. Aside from that, I've written a broad article with some general insight to what a Bachelor of Science entails (link here if you're interested).
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on December 19, 2017, 08:15:55 pm
Date: 19th December 2017
I'm back and ready to bug you all with news, because things finally (finally!) happened after all this time.

After much to-and-fro-ing and worrying, I have finally received an offer for Honours!

Long-awaited relief pretty much summarises what I'm feeling. Considering the fact that I finished the first semester of this year in absolute shambles with literally 1 mark below the requirements, I think this is a major self-accomplishment! I'm super proud that I picked up my game in Semester 2 in time. I understand that the next road will be just as tough (and I've never actually been exceptionally skilled at genetics), but I'm just really ecstatic to be given the opportunity to even try for a 4th year.
 
There is only one splinter in all my joy. I forgot that I applied for two different areas (genetics + ecology). The projects I was looking at overlapped them, so I tried for both, hoping for the best. What I received was not a genetics Honours offer, but an ecology one. Since I have applied for two areas, I've been told that I will receive notice regarding both i.e. I'll be accepted/ rejected for genetics and likewise for ecology (the latter was the one I was offered). I haven't received any word about genetics, which I'd prefer to do as it's what I majored in, however, this really doesn't have much impact. My plan is to just see how it goes and enrol regardless with my offer, because, in the end, it's just a few words on a sheet that'll change. If I get a genetics Honours offer, then I can probably just switch over as it's the same people essentially dealing with these enrolments.

Looks like 2018 has been decided for me!

As for this journal, I'll probably be back soon to update this, but that might be after the new year arrives. We'll see.
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: fantasticbeasts3 on December 19, 2017, 08:30:49 pm
congrats on your offer for honours!!!!! so awesome to hear - very well deserved!!!!!
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on December 20, 2017, 01:35:56 pm
congrats on your offer for honours!!!!! so awesome to hear - very well deserved!!!!!
Thanks so much Fantasticbeasts3! A lot of hard work and perseverance gets anyone anywhere they want.
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on January 03, 2018, 09:49:52 pm
Date: 3rd January 2018
A new year and a new box of surprises in store. 

Since the new year began, I've been trying awfully hard to not break my new year resolutions. Like many people before me, I have failed multiple of them already. Oops! :-[ This doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying though! Keeping my head space clear is one of the outcomes I'm hoping to gain by this. I've also been working on my sleep cycle because I've been particularly bad in that aspect as well.   

On the university front, I received an offer for the Master of Environment and Sustainability, which was Plan C originally (Honours was/ is Plan A). With it, I got a swanky amount in bursary money, but there's a catch... it's full fee paying (FFP), and I'm not exactly from the well-off sections in town. Seeing as I'm still waiting on genetics Honours and already accepted the ecology one, I'll probably wait for the genetics Honours offer to come through and reject this offer for the Masters, depending on the outcome. What are your thoughts though? (I know I've basically made a decision, but I'm interested to see what you'd do if you were in my position.) On the bright side, it did mean that Monash really wants me back... positive thinking, right? (And why I described this like a bad relationship beats even me...)
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on January 17, 2018, 06:42:12 pm
Date: 17th January 2018
This week has been hectic with work, as I have been doing the full week instead of just the weekends. Besides the usual emotions coming home from my job, it's not been all that bad.

Since I had a day off today, I decided to spend it back on AN and running lots of errands. Somehow, it consisted of lots of phone calls and internet forms that needed chasing up. I'm also trying to organise some birthday gifts for people, as many of my closest friends have birthdays early in the year.

I received a bunch of emails today. One of them told me that I've been credited for a semester's worth of the Masters offer I've been given (see previous entry) and could, if I so wished, complete that degree in 1.5 years, or 3/4 of the usual time.

More excitingly - after a fair while of being a sitting duck - I got an official offer for Honours in genetics. Finally it's arrived and the ball can start rolling once again. I overturned my offer for Honours in ecology and I'll be declining my offer for the Master of Environment and Sustainability in due time.

I've also applied to graduate in absentia, as that was due Monday. For the unfamiliar, this means I'll be receiving all the important sheets, but I won't be at the ceremony, because I'll be there once I've completed my Honours year this year anyway. Also, there's a cost to graduate in ceremony, so I'm saving a buck or two to pay back my HECS loan after all the studying is over. (Let's be real, it's going to be the first big loan most of us will have to deal with in our lives. Otherwise it'll be cars or rent/ housing/ etc..)

As a result of my offer, I'll be surrendering one of my two jobs (tutoring + a separate part time job) and have decided to drop the tutoring, as I'm not in the position to leave my other job. Previously, I worked more hours in both of my jobs and it became too much for me. In addition to previous feedback and the predicted workload, I've decided to step down from tutoring for this year. I am opening up this tutoring opportunity temporarily to any Victorian post-VCE ANers first and will be posting separately about this as well. If interested, please read the other post, which I've linked over here and then PM me.   

In other uni-related news, I'm very excited about the new students pouring in and hope that you guys have a wonderful time wherever you're attending uni, no matter that be Monash or not. Congratulations on your offers!

We should definitely have a Monash meet up sometime in the next few months as people are adjusting. I'm sure everyone would appreciate having more friends this time of year. I look forward to meeting many of you, on the off chance that I can. (I'll be running from either work or Honours stuff. Trust me.)
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: Vaike on January 17, 2018, 06:55:10 pm
Date: 17th January 2018
More excitingly - after a fair while of being a sitting duck - I got an official offer for Honours in genetics. Finally it's arrived and the ball can start rolling once again.

Congratulations AngelWings! I'm so glad you finally got the offer, genetics honours sounds very interesting :)

We should definitely have a Monash meet up sometime in the next few months as people are adjusting. I'm sure everyone would appreciate having more friends this time of year. I look forward to meeting many of you, on the off chance that I can. (I'll be running from either work or Honours stuff. Trust me.)

This is a great idea. A Monash meet up sounds awesome, and it'd be great to hear from a BSc student such as yourself!
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on January 19, 2018, 12:41:45 pm
Congratulations AngelWings! I'm so glad you finally got the offer, genetics honours sounds very interesting :)

This is a great idea. A Monash meet up sounds awesome, and it'd be great to hear from a BSc student such as yourself!
Thanks so much, Vaike! Can’t wait to meet you and many others in person! I’m sure you’ll have some interesting science stories soon, too. :P Feel free to talk with me any time. I swear I don’t bite. Not even a little bit!

Side note: My previous post now has the link provided.
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: Sine on January 22, 2018, 03:03:14 pm
seeing as you are doing honours right now (congratulations  :D) did you do a 3990 research project in 2nd or 3rd year?
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: Joseph41 on January 22, 2018, 05:51:48 pm
Late to the party, but congrats on the Honours offer!
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: Yertle the Turtle on January 22, 2018, 05:54:35 pm
Great job on getting the offer for Honours, massive congrats :)
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on January 22, 2018, 08:16:38 pm
seeing as you are doing honours right now (congratulations  :D) did you do a 3990 research project in 2nd or 3rd year?
Thanks Sine! To be honest, you don't need to do a 3990 project to get into Honours. In the Department of Biological Sciences, the only unit requirement is BIO3011, which I've done an AN review for, so clearly I've done it. I even did that without doing the stats pre-requisites and loved it! Besides BIO3011, you must also keep a minimum of a distinction average in your top 4 Level 3 BIO/ GEN units for entry + have a supervisor and rough project idea(s) ready for application time, which is due November every year for both Sem 1 and 2 intakes for the following year. It used to be that you could waiver the BIO3011 pre-req with a Level 3 genetics unit, which I did an extended major in, so... definitely done my share of those.

However, I did actually do a 3990 project last semester (so... 3rd year in Sem 2, 2017), alongside my 2 GEN units and CHM unit to complete my minor. I got a crash course on evolutionary biology modelling. Not sure if I can discuss this much further than that it was on rates of evolution, but this is a topic I can probably talk to you in person about. Sorry about that. Hope you understand.  :-\ (All the more necessary to meet up one day!)

EDIT
EDIT: I found a post regarding my project on the communal university journal thread. Here it is:
Date: 13th October 2017

Today's events
- Ran in late to my lecture because the bus broke down; thankfully it broke down right outside uni
- Went to collect my first ever scientific poster in print (It was fabric!)
- Submitted said poster.
- Wrote a pitch for said poster.
- Went to chemistry tutorial
- Ran late to a meeting with my supervisor, because tutorial ran slightly late
- Went to poster conference and mingled, discussing my research project.

So close, yet so far! Just two more orals, a big report and three exams... then I'll be done with my undergrad degree!
Honours is considered to be undergrad, so that last line is now false. :-[

Late to the party, but congrats on the Honours offer!
Never late when you're the admin. Just fashionably on time!  ;) Thanks so much, J41!

Great job on getting the offer for Honours, massive congrats :)
Thanks Marvin! First semester last year was tough, but I caught up in the second semester. Just in time too!
Means I'll have to work that much harder to be granted at least a second class Honours (my new goal)!
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on February 14, 2018, 12:12:26 am
Date: 13th February 2018 (This got posted late.)
I'm back with less than a week left until I begin the Honours orientation program, which starts on Monday. I've been in and out of the books and articles for Honours in preparation, but it's been stalled by life (which is what seems to always happen for some reason  ::) ; the uni students will know what I'm talking about). In all honesty, I'm almost done with the articles. The books were the ones I got stuck with due to borrowing issues.

It's quite exciting to know that in just a week, I'll be beginning this crazy journey through my fourth year at uni. (Person: You're still here, AngelWings? Me: Yup.) I'll most likely regret putting myself through it come thesis deadline, but I'm just pleased that I even reached this point at all (I surviiiiiived), so I'm going to feign confidence until it's real. That usually works. Usually.

I'm also a little anxious as I know it's going to be tough. Honours is mostly about the personal journey for me, so I think it might be interesting to see how this will go and whether I can actually endure much more than I believe I can. 2018 will be the year I find out what my limits are.     

Aside, if you've been reading the posts around here, we've established a potential meet up next week (O Week) at Monash as well. There are now around 22 hours until the poll closes to choose when it'll happen, so you better get hopping if you want to vote (click here for the survey). Hopefully this actually takes off and some of us actually get to meet in person!
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: Joseph41 on February 15, 2018, 02:31:20 pm
^Great entry. I think you'll surprise yourself. :)
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on February 25, 2018, 05:47:52 pm
^Great entry. I think you'll surprise yourself. :)
Thanks Nick!

Date: 25th February 2018
So... induction. One week down, one to go. Induction consists of two weeks of the entire Biological Sciences Honours cohort that begin this semester (there's mid year start too) going through the basics and all the obligatory stuff. The reason, of course, is that you can't let a bunch of people just rock up and just start random experiments straight away. On the plus side, we'll be extra prepared and have the time to make friends.

Talking of friends, I walked in on Monday morning having known probably 1 in 5 people and being friends with two of them. About 5 days later, I have become at least acquainted with most of the cohort. "So AngelWings, did you actually make any friends?" I hear you ask. Short answer: yes.

On Wednesday, I met up with the one and only Floatzel98, unfortunately missing everyone else who stopped by, due to induction classes. It was wonderful to catch up with him, having met him in 2016 (if my memory serves me correctly).

Aside, I've been assigned some background reading. I've got a bit of a long weekend, as some of the sessions are project-specific and are not applicable to me. So instead of fighting the back-to-uni crowd tomorrow, I'll be tucked away with my scientific papers, reading and trying to make heads or tails of it.

I'm a little distracted by friends' birthdays right now, but I know everything will be done, if I can just check things off one at a time. I eventually get everything done on time, so I'm not fussed.

For now, I'm going to get that birthday stuff sorted out. Until next time, AngelWings out.


Side note: One friend was the one I mentioned below on the Random Thoughts thread.
Any ideas on thoughtful birthday gifts to a close friend (guy)? I always get stuck on this and trusty ol' Google ain't so helpful this time around. Would prefer to reference Japan where possible due to past events.
I figured it out, with the link to Japan. Found a nice little card which seems to do the trick. Rest of the gift appeared in a thought I had this morning and have done previously for a bunch of my friends before, so I'm pretty sure he'll appreciate it. Thanks to all that gave me advice! :)
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on March 04, 2018, 09:39:17 pm
Date: 4th March 2018
This past week has been slightly more technical and I've now finished my orientation for Honours.

Monday & Tuesday: Reading and associated activities for Honours.
Wednesday: Caught up with my supervisor.
Thursday: Had some more orientation sessions. I now know how to use a fire extinguisher where necessary, so I think that's pretty cool. Had another session discussing maintaining our health and all of its facets throughout Honours. One part was on not overloading on sugar and caffeine (I feel like mentioning Joseph41 here). What made this ironic was that my mate was openly eating from a packet of chocolate and drinking his coffee occasionally - and we were seated in the front row, right in front of the professor! 
Friday: Some more safety stuff. Somehow we helped out a first year (our safety session was held next door to their labs) and my friend invited her to join us for lunch, so she did. Random question: how many people do we have here doing BIO1011? Some of the biological sciences buildings are beside the first year biology labs, so I might accidentally bump into some of you there.

So far, so good. Tomorrow marks the start of the real deal. Here's hoping these first few weeks go well! 

I'll be heading to the Employability Expo this coming week, which should be good. I'd recommend registering, because they usually scan their cards from what I can remember from previous years.   
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on March 29, 2018, 11:17:01 pm
Date: 29th March 2018
It's been almost a month, so I thought I should update. Several events have happened, so I'm going to pop them all in spoilers. Hopefully I’ll clear up a couple of questions about my journey this year thus far along the way. I'll also be explaining what my project is about now that I know a little more about it. :)
AngelWings' Honours Project
Quickest explanation is that my Honours project is on chromosomal evolution in complex life cycles using biological models.
To make sure this lasts, I'm learning a lot of this from scratch, because my base knowledge in biological modelling hasn't always been the best. I’ll also be graphing and simulating a lot of this on the computer to check that this works.
Some recent events:
1. Offers - what is the deal with me talking about them? (I swear this will be the last instalment for a good while!)
The Tale of the Offers
At the end of last year (3rd year, Bachelor of Science), I applied for four different courses.
1. Honours (ecology) - 2nd preference
2. Master of Environment and Sustainability - lowest preference
3. Honours (genetics) - highest preference
4. Master of Biotechnology - 3rd preference

As I didn't have stellar grades, I didn't expect to receive much success in any of these applications, if at all, and applied to several to ensure that I, by chance, would at least land one of these. Due to a solid performance in my final semester, I was able to apply for Honours with a tiny, but comfortable, margin. If you've been reading this journal, you'll recognise that I previously received offers for Courses #1 to #3, in the order that they're listed in above and eventually enrolled in the Honours (genetics) course.

On Labour Day (in Victoria, that was on 12th March), I received word about my application to the Master of Biotechnology... and that was a successful offer too. (The reason the offer came so late is because this is actually a new course that has its first ever cohort next semester.) As I'm already really ecstatic about studying Honours and have clearly started, I had to reject this Master offer like the previous one.

What did I learn here? That I need to have a bit more faith in myself. My natural pessimism tends to make me overthink and believe that I won't make it, but I now know that I can, given a little elbow grease. (Also, I feel like this also shows the severity of my imposter syndrome. ::) )

2. What I've actually been doing.
Recent uni recounts
Besides catching up with friends more regularly, I've been getting old results from previous research again from the beginnings to figure out the inner workings. My supervisor and I also started getting into the finer details of my project by delving right into the beginnings of one of several models we’ll have to construct! Highly exciting stuff!

I've read probably 15-20 more articles (most likely more). Sounds boring, but the good part is to come. We have a literature review due in a few weeks, but they're expecting top notch quality, so I'm reading and writing like a madman.

I've been reading so much that I went to reply on this post last week:
And yet I am a man, the best kind of man...
I am a woman. :-D
And almost posted "When you do too much biology and automatically translated woman as XX. Then realised it could be ZW. Then realised this has nothing to do with sex determination. Exactly why I needed this break from my article reading marathon." Oops. ::) 

Besides this, I’ve been looking into a bunch of graduate programs and applying for them. Currently in a couple of stages into one, so that’s pretty good news. Hoping to score a graduate place somewhere for 2019 and will see how that goes.

Hope you guys have a nice break!  ;D
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on April 23, 2018, 06:04:42 pm
Date: 23rd April 2018
Literature review was due today and, boy, despite being prepared, it took me forever to get it done. I only hope that literally a month’s effort doesn’t go to waste and I fare well. I would hate to let anybody, especially my supervisor, down after all of that. It did feel a little basic because there were so many corrections to the drafts and I only understood one of the concepts my supervisor was trying to explain to me a few days ago when it finally clicked in my head. (Love it when that happens, am I right? :P )

I’m feeling exhausted from that, so tonight will be an early night for sure. Taking the rest of today easy and just catching up on things.

Aside from uni, it’s been pretty much the same old, same old, albeit a little monotonous. I stopped applying for grad programs a while back to concentrate on the literature review and am yet to hear from two companies, but I’m hoping (fingers crossed) that it takes longer. Longer usually means they like you and they considered you thoroughly. Usually.

Trying to keep a positive mindset lately because it looks like the people I contact are in stress mode. Makes sense given it’s over halfway through semester and a month, nearly two, into Honours. The assessment is starting to trickle into our lives, so everyone’s a bit testy at this time of the year. Otherwise everyone seems to rely on study-related memes that fills my Facebook timeline. (Not that it irks me. Just a trend I noticed.)

My life has been a little empty as I’ve noticed I don’t tend to relax much, so any recommendations or advice on the following would be much appreciated:
- how to force yourself to sleep regularly or, more broadly, how to introduce some regularity/ discipline in my life (Since I started honours, especially because I do theory, I’ve been associating emotion to work. It’s as if there’s an impossibly high threshold of motivation, much higher than it used to be, which reminds me of this video.)
- hobbies/ activities I should try
- how to induce some spontaneity and spice my life up ever so slightly (because balance is key)

Hope all is going well with everybody. :)
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: zofromuxo on April 23, 2018, 08:52:39 pm
My life has been a little empty as I’ve noticed I don’t tend to relax much, so any recommendations or advice on the following would be much appreciated:
- how to force yourself to sleep regularly or, more broadly, how to introduce some regularity/ discipline in my life (Since I started honours, especially because I do theory, I’ve been associating emotion to work. It’s as if there’s an impossibly high threshold of motivation, much higher than it used to be, which reminds me of this video.)
- hobbies/ activities I should try
- how to induce some spontaneity and spice my life up ever so slightly (because balance is key)

Hope all is going well with everybody. :)
To your first point: "If you want to be tougher mentally, it is simple: be tougher. Don't meditate on it". Jocko Willink. Seems simple, but many people over-complicate it. The simple way to induce sleep is sleeping and getting up the same time, every single day.
Falling asleep
-No screens for 1-2 hours before you sleep
-Establish a nighttime routine and stick to it
-Make sure you have your bedroom or sleeping place as dark as possible
-Make sure you have no to minimal sound disturbance

Waking up
-Expose yourself ASAP to natural light aka sunlight
-Set your alarm away from your bed like the door to your bed and have no snooze alarm
-Have a morning routine and stick to it

For your second point: Join the dance club. Yes a dance club. Dancing lesson. Solo and partner (partner can be a sore spot for a jealous significant other, so if yours is then best to do it with them.), Learn how to draw, Learn how to code/program (Google AN forum for threads on these or just ask Aaron), Learn to meditate, Practice observe/people watching and/or Walk around without your phone & Observe your surroundings (It is a good litmus test for how addictive you are to your phone measured by your anxious levels). You can always try reading (But you may not want to due to all the reading you need to do for your honours)

For your third point, Talk to people. Anyone. Women, Men, Children, Old people, Cops, Tourists (My main group since I'm always helping them find their way around). Skipping, no seriously try it. That is sure to spice your life and get people's attention. Laying out the ground for 30 seconds and be on your way. Pay for someone's lunch/coffee/movie tickets/breakfast/books/whatever you want & can afford. These should get you going, if you need more give me a holler and I'll give you a whole list that will you set you for life.
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on April 24, 2018, 09:57:16 am
To your first point: "If you want to be tougher mentally, it is simple: be tougher. Don't meditate on it". Jocko Willink. Seems simple, but many people over-complicate it. The simple way to induce sleep is sleeping and getting up the same time, every single day.
Falling asleep
-No screens for 1-2 hours before you sleep
-Establish a nighttime routine and stick to it
-Make sure you have your bedroom or sleeping place as dark as possible
-Make sure you have no to minimal sound disturbance

Waking up
-Expose yourself ASAP to natural light aka sunlight
-Set your alarm away from your bed like the door to your bed and have no snooze alarm
-Have a morning routine and stick to it

For your second point: Join the dance club. Yes a dance club. Dancing lesson. Solo and partner (partner can be a sore spot for a jealous significant other, so if yours is then best to do it with them.), Learn how to draw, Learn how to code/program (Google AN forum for threads on these or just ask Aaron), Learn to meditate, Practice observe/people watching and/or Walk around without your phone & Observe your surroundings (It is a good litmus test for how addictive you are to your phone measured by your anxious levels). You can always try reading (But you may not want to due to all the reading you need to do for your honours)

For your third point, Talk to people. Anyone. Women, Men, Children, Old people, Cops, Tourists (My main group since I'm always helping them find their way around). Skipping, no seriously try it. That is sure to spice your life and get people's attention. Laying out the ground for 30 seconds and be on your way. Pay for someone's lunch/coffee/movie tickets/breakfast/books/whatever you want & can afford. These should get you going, if you need more give me a holler and I'll give you a whole list that will you set you for life.

Thanks so much for the advice! Will try to act upon it. First I have to work on my sleep; it’s been waaaay too long since my ‘routine’ was regular. I did, however, get lots of sleep last night so... very first baby step, tick! :)
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on May 18, 2018, 07:26:10 pm
Date: 18th May 2018
It's been a while since I last updated, hasn't it? Heh, oops. Might be a short update, because I've a bit to do right now.

A bit has been happening since my last entry, with a tiny roller coaster of emotions over the past 3 weeks (technically, past month). I've been chugging along - albeit slowly - with my project. Currently stuck at a point, but I'm not done trying things yet. (I might explain this properly in the future, but I'll see...) I've also been reading up on the current state of evolutionary biology and ecology a little more, which has been rather interesting.

Friends from previous years came back to graduate this week. It was a bittersweet moment to see them again. It's the feeling that you get when you see your friends from primary school again after many years. You feel like it's been a while and that you've changed, but you also feel awfully familiar with telling them what's actually been up with you and not the abridged version that you would tell an acquaintance.   

Oh and remember my last post about those issues I mentioned? Still working on it, but it's getting better. I made sure to be more social, exercise a little more and be a little less workaholic, although all of those are still works in progress. I tend to act all-or-nothing, so I find that I have issues hitting a good intermediate sometimes, but that's something I intend to fix about myself in due time.
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on June 15, 2018, 04:08:24 pm
Date: 15th June 2018
Really quick update, as I've got an assignment due Monday Just thought I shouldn't leave this hanging.

I'm now about halfway into my Honours year and I've been pretty happy with my progress thus far. At the moment, I'm trying to figure a way to make my project more accessible and presentable. Despite a few issues (we had to redo a model once), things are actually going alright and pretty much to plan. I've been lacking the biological interpretation of what my models mean and that's something I'm hoping to elucidate once my assignment is over. Once I interpret everything, I should be able to start writing up a section of my thesis, although I still have a number of models to go. I've also added to the project since I discussed it in the literature review I talked about a few posts back (which was actually combined with a project proposal), so I've actually got a good chunk to talk about already.

Talking of which, I received the literature review back a while ago and didn't fare too badly. Seeing as I knew it wasn't the best and my project is complex to begin with (I was warned), I wasn't expecting to do well in relation to my cohort, but I actually did alright. So I'm pretty pleased with how that went. I also received my Bachelor of Science certificate (without Honours) the other day and can't wait to frame it up.   

I'll explain my project properly in due time, but once I'm out of the woods. The next few weeks will be composed of coursework assignments, practising for said assignments and starting some new models, which I've been researching relevant species for this past week. I've also got some personal events going on, hence the lack of updating time.

For now, I've got to sign off though... life and Honours are calling for me. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask below, whether it's "What's Honours like?", "How did you figure out you wanted to do a science degree instead of architecture?" or "What's your favourite colour?". Okay, maybe not the last of those, because it's off topic, but anything related to science, uni/ education, life, etc. is more than welcome. :)       
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: Joseph41 on June 15, 2018, 04:11:14 pm
Nice work on the lit review! And congrats on the degree. ;D
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on July 13, 2018, 05:55:27 pm
Nice work on the lit review! And congrats on the degree. ;D
Thanks J41!

Date: 13th July 2018
Missed meeting up with the AN VIC crew today :( , but pretty busy this week. Also, random tangent: every time I check this journal, it's literally a month later. How does time fly so fast?  :-\
I'll explain my project properly in due time, but once I'm out of the woods.       
The time has come. I've been procrastinating on this for a while, but I should probably explain what I've been doing for a solid 4-5 months so this journal makes more sense. Honours, at least in my department, is run in two parts - the research project and coursework, so I'll discuss these in two separate sections below. Hopefully, this will provide some insight into my experiences.

1. Research Project
Research Project
The research project is the part everyone knows about and thinks of when you tell people you're studying Honours. The question people always ask is: "What's your project about?" or something along those lines. Projects are an individual thing, so every Honours student you talk to will be doing something different.
 
My research project has been modified since the start, so if this doesn't quite match up with what I said earlier, that's the reason why.

Currently, my project discusses chromosomal evolution in mixed mating species. In its most fundamental form, I am looking at how different modes of reproduction - asexual and sexual reproduction (especially how combinations of these) - affect the genetic make-up of a population in the context of evolution. More specifically, how does parthenogenesis (a form of asexual reproduction) at varying degrees, affect genetic variation? To do this, my supervisor and I are using models to describe how this should work theoretically. Along the way, we make a bunch of assumptions that limits the types of genes and organisms that these models can be applied to.

Plan is to form 4 models, each with 3 different types of genes depending on which chromosome they're from (autosome, X or Z chromosomes), as that'll affect how they're inherited. The 4 models are distinguished by broad differences in how the asexual reproduction happens and the composition of each generation.

At the moment, I've been making several versions of the first model of the 4. It's taking a long time because we've made mistakes several times, we've  found specific cases (but weren't general enough, so we tried again) and we really wanted to confirm that what we got was right. Right now, I'm on a break from finishing this and graphing the results. Next week, I should be starting the next model, which is exciting news.

2. Coursework
Coursework
Besides the project, we have another mandatory component to ensure that we have the toolkit of a scientist. Things like analysing data to derive scientific conclusions, being able to discuss current research and present our research to the average layperson are essential skills. As a result, Honours students, at least in my department, are assigned a bunch of assessments that also count towards our grades.

About a week ago, I received my grade for the statistics assignment. I was relatively happy with my mark.
Around the same time, I had another assessment task. I was a little disappointed in myself about it, but I still hope I did well. (Marks haven't been released for this yet.)

Other News
Other News
Aside from the hectic assessments and my project in general, I've been trying to keep friends and classmates around me positive, as a lot of their experiments and such are just not working or they've lost a lot of motivation. I've been taking breaks regularly (as I am now) to ensure that I don't burn out. Something I also haven't mentioned yet is that there are two Honours intakes; I was a part of the first semester 2018 intake. The second semester intake begins next week, so I'm hyped to meet new people again. 

I've also been catching up with old friends and other life lessons/ events. New graduate programs, jobs and internships are popping up now as well, so I've been busy trying to apply for as many as possible. Talking of which... this reminds me of a few summer internships undergraduate students are able to apply for, so if any penultimate or final year (typically 3rd year) science/ health science/ medicine undergrad students are interested, please PM me.    

Overall, I'd say I'm over the largest hurdles of Honours right now and just need to sprint towards the end at full speed. Honours has been a pretty big learning curve so far and, just like I suspected, I've not just learnt a lot, but I've also been growing a lot personally. There are still many things I am yet to fix, but I'm working on it. I can say for sure that I'm trying my best right now, so that's what really matters, isn't it? :)

Anyway, I should probably go back to my project. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend or break, as the case may be, and I hope you're ready to go come term/ semester. To any currently demotivated VCE/ HSC students, please know that everyone has these lulls in motivation - even at Honours level and beyond. It is natural. If this is happening to you, take a day off when you can and just chill. Rest up (properly) and you'll be back with that motivational fire in your eyes in no time!  :D   
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on August 10, 2018, 02:31:52 pm
Date: 10th August 2018
Another month gone by. I've had a few things happen, but all in all, it feels like the same old, same old. I guess I need to work on my spontaneity, but that's right after I work on taking more breaks. I realise I don't relax much (I think I mentioned I'm a little more workaholic than I should be before.) and need to ease on the accelerator sometimes. 

How's Honours?
Question of the hour. I seem to get this a lot now. Really don't know how to answer but "It's going ok.". It's a default answer like everyone says "I'm fine." to "How are you?".

In all honesty, it is going okay and it's no lie. If I had to be specific, I'm probably somewhere midway into the second model and we (my supervisor and I) think it'll be my last one for the year, just because we've run out of time. It takes roughly a month to do a model and, add in checking, troubleshooting, coding and simulating, it takes about 5-6 weeks now. Not to mention, I have just 2.5 months left until thesis is due. Slightly disappointed I didn't get to do more, but I'm still happy with my progress and current work. You always have such a grand plan and wind up realising you only can do a portion of it - it simply happens. Oh well. The stage I'm up to right now is just checking my models and seeing if they're right. I'll probably have this complete in the following two weeks or so.

I'm also starting to think of how I can present this to a general audience, as one of the final assessments is to give an oral presentation. Not exactly difficult, except for the fact that I'm doing my Honours in a field none of my peers have really done much on or previously studied much of before. Which means a solid chunk of terminology I use on a daily basis is out the window. Great. -.-

Aside from the pessimism, I feel pretty ahead on top of things at the the moment. I hope that lasts for a solid few months before the last few weeks of constant mayhem and panic of thesis deadline (late October) sets in.

Side tangent: My supervisor got a new Honours student with the mid-year intake and I've been teaching the ropes when he needs it.

What have you been doing besides uni?
I've tried to be more social lately, but it's just not happening with everyone because we're all equally busy. I did, however, attend a party, so that was good. Again, still applying for jobs and grad programs.

Beyond this, as I said at the beginning, trying to implement more breaks into my life (like right now). I'm also going to attempt to shorten my screen time, which is kind of difficult for the Honours project I've been doing. Exercise is slowly getting back into my life, as has a slightly healthier diet. My part-time job is about to see some changes, so I'm also a little anxious about that in the background.

Anything else?
I know that VTAC (and maybe UAC soon?) are opening for preferences. Feel free to drop a PM if you want someone to talk about the Bachelor of Science at Monash, especially if it's anything from biology, chemistry or first year maths (and Japanese, just because). You can also ask me about architecture selection (I tried out for Monash Architecture), having really random preferences, Honours --- pretty much anything.

If you're a student at Monash, feel free to also shoot me a PM for random career opportunities (part time, casual and full time) and such. Also, if anyone has a Year 9 sibling (or you, the reader, are a super organised Year 9) who wants to find work experience for 2019, I know of a list of places too.
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on August 14, 2018, 01:25:51 pm
Not an update. Just wanted to show some of the work my classmate has been doing:
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on August 31, 2018, 10:19:17 pm
Note: This post is going to be quick and disjointed, because I don't have much time at the moment.
Date: 31st August 2018
August 2018 will be done in a couple of hours. Every time I start a post, it's about how time's flown - and it really has. I have just under 2 months left until thesis deadline.

Honours Project
The models I've been working on are nearly complete. I'm currently finishing some checks, interpretations, graphs and such to tie up all of the loose ends. I've also been starting to write up my thesis and it's coming along slowly, but I'll need to read some more for better references.

Coursework
Don't think I mentioned this last time, but a week after the last post, I had another coursework assignment due. Yesterday, I received feedback for that assignment and I'm pretty happy with the result.

Last week, the cohort had a few sessions regarding 2019 and onwards - basically giving us information on what's next after Honours. They also introduced the next coursework assignment, which I'm hoping to finish really soon.

Other
Besides Honours, most of my time has been dedicated to job hunting. I realise that my spare time is slowly getting eaten up by Honours and the impending load of thesis writing, so this section will seem really sparse for the next couple of entries.

In terms of how I'm feeling right now, I'm a little tired, but I think it's to be expected at this point of the year with the continuous workload and the fact that it's a Friday night. Otherwise, I'm okay and just need to sit and do things. Recently, there have been some ups and downs, but most of those are related to job applications and not uni-related, so I won't put them into this journal. Anyway, I've run out of time today, so I'll sign off until next time. Have a nice weekend, everybody! ;D
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on September 30, 2018, 03:05:22 pm
Date: 30th September 2018
This past month has seen me burn out and recover. Still in the recovery process, but it's slow.

Honours Project
The project is now complete, with only two big assessments left: an oral presentation and my thesis. The oral is what I'm working on currently. I had a practise run last week, but it was pretty terrible and the complexity of my project meant I needed to redo my script to make it even simpler to understand. After a bunch of editing, I'm now practising it again over the next few days and making minor edits to my slides that accompany the presentation.

Thesis writing has therefore slowed for the moment, but will be back as soon as my oral presentation is over. With the oral assisting me in realising the results, I'm hoping to just smash out the rest of my thesis immediately after my oral and have it done within a week. I already had about a third of it ready before the oral took precedence, but it wasn't quality and I wasn't proud of it at all. Armed with my new direction, I should be able to just sit and write (well... type) like a madman.

Coursework
Our last non-project related assignment was due a few weeks ago in mid-September. It was only worth a small amount, but I felt like it wasn't worth losing any marks over, so I tried to make it perfect. Results have yet to be released for this.

Other
As I said, I crashed and burned for a couple of weeks, but used that time to fix up several things. Some were related to my project like fixing graphs and simulations, reading relevant articles and writing little bits and pieces of my thesis. Some were related to jobs, since I found a few jobs to apply for or I proceeded to the second stage (interviews usually). (Side note: Those changes in my current part-time job I talked about two entries earlier happened, which went relatively smoothly.) I spent a lot of time procrastinating during those weeks I burnt out. Fortunately, I've recently figured things that I need to avoid. Thankfully, AN isn't one of them. About a week ago, I inadvertently regained a little of my motivation after meeting with my supervisor and that's the push I needed to get back into the action. I'm hoping it lasts. (Also, my thesis is now due in less than a month, so I'll probably have finished by the time I write my next journal entry. I'm in a real time crunch, so please excuse my erratic presence on AN until I'm done in late October.)

Life beyond Honours at the moment is still a mystery. Hopefully, I'll be employed full-time somewhere for the next few years. If I do well enough in Honours to go for a PhD, then I might do that in a few years' time. Since my project has been theoretical, I'm intending to bring my technical skills back up, gain a little life experience and then come back, but I'll see how I go first before I make any concrete plans.

Alright, that's all for today. I'll keep this updated whenever I get the chance.
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on October 23, 2018, 11:13:32 pm
Date: 23rd October 2018
This month has flown past and seen me racing against time more often than not. Over this past month, I've done an oral presentation (which I discussed in my previous post) and my thesis.

Oral Presentation (aka Final Seminar)
My oral presentation, which we call the 'final seminar', went down surprisingly well. This was despite:
- redoing my script 4 times until I was satisfied with it and the last iteration was done literally the night before
- having an 18 minute speech prepared for a 15 minute oral (students were strictly timed)
- doing a theoretical project - one of the hardest projects to discuss, due to the depth of the concepts
Add that all together and you have one very difficult situation.
Somehow, I managed to not only speak fast enough to finish exactly on time (i.e. took up the 15 minutes allocated; I'm usually a fairly slow talker), but also communicate my complex project to a general scientific audience and still deliver an impromptu joke at the end (and got a laugh in response, which eased my nerves).

Everyone in the Honours cohort presented ridiculously well too. The quality of everyone's presentations was amazingly high and I don't think anyone scored less than 85%. That's 85% with the academic staff (i.e. the professionals) being harsh, by the way, which, as you can imagine, was not easy.

My coordinator probably thinks I'm slightly crazy for cheering like a madman and fist-pumping the air for some of my friends as they walked up and down for their presentations. In my defence, I'd say that was justified by the quality of their presentations and the reactions from the audience.
Thesis (the scarier part)
Pretty much the day after the oral presentations, most of us were writing our theses. The whole process kept going for the following few weeks.

We'd come to campus or hibernate at home, typing, reading articles and editing like crazy. Some had extra meetings with supervisors to discuss their results and discoveries in more depth. Some faced huge adversities by having to redo large quantities of stats several times, complete lengthy analyses in the space of a few days, have computers malfunction and rewrite entire sections of their thesis a week out from the deadline. If we ever came to chat, it'd become long conversations and venting our stress.

After all of that, the deadline (yesterday) arrived and everyone except those with extensions submitted.

"Wait, Angel Wings, does that mean...?" I hear you ask.

Yup, I'm done. (Well... effectively.) I finished Honours. I did it. It's over.

And I don't know how to feel about it.
Ecstatic? Sure. Anybody should be. Proud? Of course! Sad and strange because it's over? Sure, those too.
It's hard to think that I started this journal with basically zero knowledge on my project and a handful of friends. Fast forward to today and I've become friends with most of the cohort (which was already twice the size of normal cohorts to begin with), have countless memories to cherish and, somehow, I'm considered an expert in a niche field of research. It's pretty crazy when you look back. It's been such a journey that this journal will never be able to adequately express everything I want it to say. This year will not be forgotten any time soon.
Now, there's only one thing scarier that looms ahead of me. What's next? I've had a number of people ask me this already, having gone back to campus earlier today to tie up some loose ends. 
And the answer is that I simply don't know. All I know is that I need a break from study and so I won't be studying next year, although I'm hoping to do a PhD in a few years, if everything permits. I'm hoping to look for work again soon, but I think I'll need to take time and recover first. I haven't had a proper day off since I began Honours in mid-February/ early March, so I think I'm well overdue. I don't know what the future holds, but it looks promising. Until I figure things out, I'm going to hope for the best. And when the day comes that I do know what's next, I'll give it my all. 

Signing off until either results come out or something uni-related/ interesting happens, Angel Wings (a newly finished Honours student) out.     
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: Joseph41 on October 24, 2018, 10:18:59 am
CONGRATULATIONS! Amazing work - sounds as though it's been super hectic, but you're right: it's absolutely, 100% something to be proud of. :)
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: Bri MT on October 24, 2018, 10:23:34 am
CONGRATULATIONS! !!

Hope you're able to make the best of your well-earned break!  :)
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on October 24, 2018, 08:18:56 pm
CONGRATULATIONS! Amazing work - sounds as though it's been super hectic, but you're right: it's absolutely, 100% something to be proud of. :)
CONGRATULATIONS! !!
Hope you're able to make the best of your well-earned break!  :)
Thank you, J41 and Miniturtle!
It was super hectic right up until the last minute, but we all made it in the end and that's what counts.
The break is going to be well used for sure!
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on December 31, 2018, 09:42:51 pm
Date: 31st December 2018
"Warning: this topic has not been posted in for at least 30 days. Unless you're sure you want to reply, please consider starting a new topic."
Sorry, little message, I know you're well-intended, but I'm going to go against you.
I know, I know. I'm well overdue, but I figured I might want to update this before 2018 ends. I've been postponing this over and over again for many reasons. Mostly it's because I've been busy - both in life and on AN. You'd know what I'm talking about if you were on AN a few weeks ago (thanks so much for all your questions again!):
(Look at the left of the picture.) Yup... I did that.
(https://imgur.com/EVM1kNX.jpg)
It's also because I've had issues trying to type this post. I couldn't quite phrase what I want to say without making this into an incredibly long post, so that's what this is going to be - a long post. As this is supposed to be a mostly university-focused journal, I'll try to keep it on topic.
Preface
To fully comprehend my scenario, I need to go back to some things I never mentioned in my previous posts. My ambitions. My personal goals. Why I was doing all this.

We need to go back to the start.

My Ambitions and Personal Goals
I had started this year with few ideas and fewer major goals. I had low expectations, mostly because I didn't know what to expect. My goals were trivial at first. Do research, get a Second Class Honours (Distinction), do my best, get out, get a job.

As the year rolled on, these ideas became a lot clearer. Inspiration lit a match of hope and passion, while clarity began fanning the flames and soon, my burning motivation was there. I don't want to merely survive this year. I want to thrive. I'll do my best, but ultimately, I want a First Class Honours (High Distinction), have the opportunity to do a PhD and come back in a few years. I'll work while I wait to do the PhD. I know I'm not ready yet for a PhD, but I know I will be in a few years.

Why did I want a PhD so bad now? Career choices. I'd been looking into what I might want to do in 2019 all the way back in March, particularly employment prospects. The more I searched up jobs that I genuinely enjoyed or was interested in, the more I realised I would need a PhD. I hadn't even considered further study at the start of this journal, but now, it became nearly a necessity.

I found out through a postgrad study info session that there were multiple paths to a PhD at Monash, but the main one consisted of two parts:
1. Get a certain mark for Honours.
2. Get into the top half of my cohort, which I've mentioned before, was already huge.
These got added into my goals.

There was a slight problem with these goals though: they hinged on the fact that I would even make the cut. To make it into a PhD, I needed more than a First Class Honours... and I know I'm not the best student. But I wasn't going to let that deter me from trying. Instead, I put my blood, sweat and tears into everything.

That's exactly how I continued throughout most of the year until near the end. I burnt out for a month, took it easy again and then did one last sprint towards the finish line. That's the part that, if you've read any other entry in this journal, you will have read. I omitted a lot of the smaller internal struggles, seeing that each journal entry was more of a general overview since the previous entry. However, I struggled a lot with overworking myself and imposter syndrome, signs of which have come up here and there in my entries.

That pretty much sets up the stage for what I wanted to talk about today - results.

Finishing Honours and Results
About a month ago
I received my thesis feedback. I had known that I would get some flack for my discussion, as that had been the part that I'd known wasn't great, so I wasn't really surprised when that came. The comments were more or less fair, so that was alright. There was a little bit of disappointment sprinkled in there though, as I got criticised for some relatively minor things and some things that I had thought were good. (I later realised that they were right.)

Overall, I was happy with that, although I was afraid for the mark it'd bring; we'd received the feedback without a mark. Had I done enough (for PhD entry)?

Sunday 2nd December
Marks for undergrad students (including Honours) were supposed to arrive on 3rd December, however, at Monash, we have the option to receive our results a little earlier via text. I had opted for this to ease off the 5-6 weeks of waiting. So did many of my friends.

That afternoon, I received my overall Honours results.

My phone had started pinging around 2:30pm. Group chat. My Honours classmates and friends had been messaging each other, wishing each other luck and then the fateful message. "Results are out." That was paraphrased.

A bated breath. 

Regretfully, I shouldn't have looked at my phone at that moment, because that's when my phone got a text. I'd left it on 'preview mode' - that one that gives you the first line of each text. So, of course, when I got that text... I saw way too much information all at once. Not my best moment, I'll admit. I'd lost my element of surprise. I had hoped to reveal it all at once - you know, "rip it off like a band aid". Not any more, apparently.

I knew from that first line of text exactly what I would feel next...
Results and Reaction
... and it wasn't what I expected.
- Yes, I got a First Class Honours.
- Yes, I was proud of myself.
- But no, I'd missed the mark I'd need to be eligible for a PhD at Monash... and, almost teasingly, I was slightly off.
*

Frustration. Anger (at myself). Internal crying.
Each wave was quick and gone in a split second.
Thoughts crowded my mind, intensifying with each passing second.
It began to morph. Thoughts. Emotions. Static. White noise.

I shook myself out of it. 

A deep breath. A single thought: "Now what?"

Silence.

"Guess I'm going to have to use my back up plan."

My heart sank. It had happened. I failed my goals.   

While I was happy about that First Class Honours, I was also disappointed. Too much had gone in. Too little came of it.
I was proud to say that I finished Honours and I am (somewhat) accomplished, but ... to be so close. Gah!

Another sigh. I would have to take the long route now. Not that it would have changed my plans much; I was still hoping to work in 2019. But I would take it for what it was and accept the hand that I was dealt. There was no use in crying over spilt milk. No point in dwelling on the past.

I would move forward. That was all that could be done... and so, reluctantly, I resigned to that. 

* I found out about a week later that the PhD cut off had been raised by one this year, due to our strong and large cohort.

Since then
Aftermath
At first, I pulled myself into other duties, both on AN and in life, so as to forget, if only for a moment. But as days wore on, I realised how insignificant this would be.

That path I was originally going to take? That was only the criteria to do a PhD at Monash. There were other institutes and, like I mentioned, grades weren't the only path. (I'd basically forgotten about that amongst the emotions.) There was the path of publication - something my supervisor had discussed with me before I ended Honours and something he'd shown interest in (and had an amazing track record for). There was another path, which was simply to gain experience - getting volunteer and/or work experience and doing things. That had been a path I was already working towards from the beginning.

I wasn't going to let this one setback get to me any longer. If anything, I would turn this into a life lesson: accept your losses, but always remember to rise to fight again another day. Not to mention that the world has a funny way of making things work out in the end. Things would be okay.

Despite all this, I couldn't quite take my mind off Honours just yet. There were still gaps in my grades. Two, to be specific: my thesis mark itself (which I had only received feedback, but not a mark for earlier) and a grade from my supervisor. While it didn't really matter what I got there, I grew curious as to what they were, just for the sake of closure....

... and this is where I'm going to end this entry. Yup, going to leave it on a small cliffhanger. For now. In the next (and probably final) entry of this journal, I will conclude with that tale and a proper reflection of my Honours year. I feel that's a fitting end to my academic journal.

Have a happy new year everyone! I'll see you in the next entry.
Title: Re: "I think" - AngelWings' University Journal
Post by: AngelWings on March 24, 2019, 08:36:38 pm
Date: 24th March 2019
Sorry it's been so long *cough* (3 months) since the last entry. I've been wanting to end this journal on a high note and add what happened afterwards, and that's taken a while to happen.

There's 5 main points I'll discuss today:
1. Finishing the story from last time
2. Providing a reflection on the year.
3. Reasons to do Honours and Recommendations if you do
4. My plans post-Honours
5. "What's next?" ... and finally answering this question.

I'll make these into big bold sections, so you can flip to the section(s) you want to read most. Oh and this post is going to be loooooong. You have been warned.
1. Finishing last time's story
Previously...
Despite all this, I couldn't quite take my mind off Honours just yet. There were still gaps in my grades. Two, to be specific: my thesis mark itself (which I had only received feedback, but not a mark for earlier) and a grade from my supervisor. While it didn't really matter what I got there, I grew curious as to what they were, just for the sake of closure....

... and this is where I'm going to end this entry. Yup, going to leave it on a small cliffhanger. For now.
Cliffhanger ends right here, right now.

About a fortnight after my overall marks arrived (the result of which you read in the last entry), I received a message that one more mark had arrived - the thesis mark. While I had received my thesis feedback, as in my thesis had been handed back with comments, I didn't actually get a grade for it. Thus, I'd been curious about because I wanted to know how close I'd been.

Turns out I'd been only a few marks off in my thesis. As in less than 5% more and I would've made it past the line. I knew exactly where I'd lost the marks from. If only I'd had another hour or two, I'd have read over my thesis one last time, found those mistakes and fixed them.

That result stung for a long time. But I'd also expected it and the mark was fair. No use letting myself get sucked into that negative black hole again.

At the time, it felt like I got sucked further in, but, with time, its hold on me diminished with more and more mental processing. I had not been ready for a PhD emotionally and I guessed that this just solidified that fact. If I didn't make it now, I'd try again later; I have the rest of my life to get it anyway. If anything, this was a learning opportunity for me, so I'm glad I had this lesson in humility.

And my supervisor's mark? I calculated it soon after receiving my thesis mark. My supervisor had been pretty happy with the work I'd done, receiving a solid First Class Honours/ High Distinction mark in the area, for which I was thankful for. At least all the hard work had gone somewhere and at least he hadn't been disappointed. Again, another fair and just mark in my arsenal.   

2. Reflecting over the year
I have no doubt that I enjoyed the year. Despite the not-so-great final result, I have many fond memories of Honours that will remain with me for many years to come. It's one of those things you do that, while it seems stressful, chaotic and busy whilst you're in the middle of it all, you look back and realise it's not exactly the giant monster you thought it once was, but actually something you'll look back to with a more positive outlook. Kind of like those scenes in comedy horror movies that the protagonist sees a giant beast coming after them, but it turns out it's just a tiny kitten's shadow cast against the wall, making it look like a beast.

Some things that happened included:
- Maturing a lot as a person and discovering more about myself, which is something I mentioned way back was going to be important to me:
Honours is mostly about the personal journey for me, so I think it might be interesting to see how this will go and whether I can actually endure much more than I believe I can. 2018 will be the year I find out what my limits are.
- Made friends and connections that will last me a lifetime, as well as opportunities.
- Really learnt and experienced the life of a researcher and how hard people work. Not all research is fruitful, exciting or new. Things will go wrong. Things will go in directions you don't expect or necessarily even want. Things happen and it's totally okay. As my high school careers teacher used to say, "shift happens".

Some things I learnt included:
- A lot about how evolution works in combinations of asexual and sexual species, which was what my research project was about
- How to communicate research better (especially getting it down to an elevator pitch) and how to implement better rhetoric in general
- How to pick a scientific article from an academic journal and critique it (It's quite the art form.)
- My strengths and weaknesses
- My limits and how to persevere even further than I did previously (including the years in my undergrad degree where I worked two jobs)

Regrets across the year:
- Should've written more practise discussions and reviews
- Should've tackled and handed my first thesis draft in way earlier than I did
- Should've made more use of my connections to get more hands on experience, since I did a theoretical project (I don't regret doing a theoretical project. I regret not asking to help others as often as possible.)
- Should've slept more during Honours and realised mistakes earlier
- Should've been a bit more proactive outside of my supervisor's research group

3. Reasons to do Honours and Advice for future Honours students
I thought this section might be useful considering I get this question occasionally (like 2-3 times a year) e.g. Exhibit A. Specifically, I'll answer the question: Should I do Honours and why? and add a little advice at the end of this section.

Honours is an intensive year where things will be rocky at the beginning and end, but all in all a great experience for those interested in accomplishing research and like their supervisor. Best for curious minds and those interested in careers in research and/or academia.

Should I do Honours?
If you answer "yes" to any of these criteria, you should probably consider Honours:
- You like research
- You want to do a career in research, whether it be in industry or academia. (Just note that your supervisor will be more familiar with the latter.)
- You want an edge in employment, especially those with generalist degrees e.g. Arts or Science
- You want to push your uni grades up for a postgrad degree (This is the blunt truth and often used as a last resort.)
- You are prepared to have some long days/ nights and put in the hard work. (This one is super important!)

Why should I do Honours?
- Pretty much all of the criteria listed above
- Connections and opportunities
- Industry experience, depending on your project
- Want to test yourself and try something new
- It's quicker and cheaper than a Masters, albeit less qualified (Remember: Honours is considered to be undergraduate.)

Advice for future Honours students:
- Pick a supervisor you think you'll work and learn well with - Do this at least half a year before you intend to start Honours.
- Things will change. A lot. Throughout your entire project. Get used to it. 
- Start your thesis early and aim for first draft in really early (and ditto for second draft)
- Participate wholeheartedly. Worst thing to do is staying quiet at journal clubs or meetings.
- Make the best of it. You never know what can come from Honours, including experiences and connections you won't get elsewhere.
- Enjoy it. (Duh!)

4. Post-Honours Plans
Remember how I said I was going to get some work experience and then come back in the last entry?
As the year rolled on, these ideas became a lot clearer. Inspiration lit a match of hope and passion, while clarity began fanning the flames and soon, my burning motivation was there. I don't want to merely survive this year. I want to thrive. I'll do my best, but ultimately, I want a First Class Honours (High Distinction), have the opportunity to do a PhD and come back in a few years. I'll work while I wait to do the PhD. I know I'm not ready yet for a PhD, but I know I will be in a few years.

Why did I want a PhD so bad now? Career choices. I'd been looking into what I might want to do in 2019 all the way back in March, particularly employment prospects. The more I searched up jobs that I genuinely enjoyed or was interested in, the more I realised I would need a PhD. I hadn't even considered further study at the start of this journal, but now, it became nearly a necessity.

-snip-

Not that it would have changed my plans much; I was still hoping to work in 2019.
That's still going on. My intentions are to find work, build my technical, industry and research skills up, maybe get a publication or two ??? and apply for a PhD program in the future. (How far? I don't know yet.) We'll see if that actually eventuates, I guess.

5. "What's next?" and finally answering this question
"What's next?" This still hasn't been answered in this journal yet, but I've been working on it.

Since I finished Honours, I've discovered that, while I enjoy the environmental side of things, I think the health side of things is where my career will lie. This has been a deliberate switch in gears for a number of reasons. One of these has included that I've recently found more of an interest in this area. Another is also because there's more opportunity to help others perhaps more directly - something that I've always been more drawn towards, hence why I've remained on AN for so long. A third reason has to do with my own personal circumstances and past work experiences.

This has been actually quite a fortuitous decision, because it has meant I know where to look for jobs and my searches have been rather directed towards certain organisations. As a result, I've been getting my act together ever since Honours ended, especially on the employment side of things. It looks like this is starting to wrap up now, with things starting to align into place. (Please let me know if you're interested in a post, thread or article on my own careers advice.) 

So what's next? Working in the health field... and finally, graduating from Monash after 4 years there (2015 - 2018) in late May 2019.


For all the highs and lows that my years at university brought, I'm happy to have shared at least a part of them with AN. Thanks so much for joining me on this journal and my journey through uni (well, mostly Honours). If you read all of it, thank you for your time and interest into this sliver of my life. As always, if you have any questions about anything in this journal, feel free to PM me or ask below. :)

Signing out for the final entry in this journal,
Angel Wings