It’s been a year since I published first year of UT is in the books. I’m now halfway through college, which is insane. Let’s do another recap for semesters 3 and 4:
coursework
- 3rd semester (4 courses, 13 hours):
- M375T, Introductory Game Theory, Dr. Rafael Veiel
- M427J, Differential Equations with Linear Algebra, Charles Mills
- M358K, Applied Statistics, Kanthimathi Sathasivan
- ECO304L, Introduction to Macroeconomics, Dr. Paul Tran
- 4th semester (4 courses, 13 hours):
- M373K, Algebraic Structures I, Chiara Damiolini
- ECO420K, Microeconomic Theory, Gerald Oettinger
- HIS315K, The United States: 1492-1865, Dr. Rachel Ozanne
- GOV312L, U.S. National Security, Dr. Jason Brownlee
I quite enjoyed M373K and M375T despite both being rather theoretical. I also liked GOV312L more than I expected; in retrospect, all of my courses were pretty solid.
extracurriculars
- chess club: I was the operations officer for chess club this year, which meant (among other responsibilities) that I brought the chess wagon to & from Dobie Mall every Monday. I had great fun meeting new people and playing different variants of chess, including bughouse, and I’m excited to be the president of chess club next year.
- board game club: I was the treasurer for board game club this year. I am grateful to have a place to fulfill my board game itch with friends every week.
- hill house: I went to many Hill House events this year. It’s a great place where I’ve found and strengthened friendships, and I think of it as an especially good third place.
- terrain journal: This year I wrote in Weathering, the third edition of Terrain. It’s been great to talk and brainstorm ideas with all the creative and driven people in Terrain. Next year, I’ll help out with the ops/financial side of things.
- ignite: I’m a counselor in Ignite this year. I’m ready to serve incoming freshman with my camp and am pumped for summer retreat!
- tutoring: I tutored 4 students in math, which has been rewarding. I’m taking a break from tutoring for a while, though.
- part-time work: I worked part-time for the investment firm MOZAYYX. It’s been awesome & interesting work, and I’m continuing to work there this summer.
- running: I trained for the Longhorn Run 10K with my friend Kevin. Running with a friend makes me far more motivated. I set a PR for the 10K with 48:02 (7:47/mile)!
I’m quite happy with the number of side quests I’ve done this year. Every now and then, I look back at my life and think “ah, I could have done more”, but you know, I also could have done less. Hindsight is 1.
social life
I’m happy with the friendships I’ve strengthened this semester. I feel that I’ve found a solid group of people who are kind, witty, intelligent, and funny, and I’m excited to get to know them even better. I also have grown a lot from my freshly graduated high school self. I was introverted back then, and transparently, not super well-versed socially. Now, I feel more confident in how I conduct myself, and I think I’ve become more extroverted.
trips
I didn’t travel first semester, but second semester, I went on 5 notable trips. Insane. I’m very grateful I had the opportunity to take so many trips.
- Jan 2026: I took a four-day trip to Chicago, IL, to play in the 2026 Pan-American Intercollegiate Championship. I was on Team A; we went 4/6. Not bad! We had the opportunity to explore Chicago briefly as well.
- Jan 2026: I backpacked with my good friend Lance and my dad in the San Bernardino mountains for four days and three nights. The scenery was beautiful. It did get pretty cold during the nights—winter backpacking will do that to you. But it was a great trip, and a really good time to unplug & not look at any phone or computer or device at all.
- Feb 2026: I went to Boston for the 2026 Veritas weekend with the other people in Terrain. Great conference and a ton of fun to be in the snow in Boston.
- Feb 2026: I went on a ski trip with friends & family in Vail. We were missing some people from last year, but there was still some excellent skiing & hanging out. The Vail tradition of kid/young-adult pizza in Vail Village continues yet another year.
- Mar 2026: I took a solo trip to NYC on the weekend of Mar 28! I spent around 48 hours in NYC, during which I walked 22 miles in 1 day, hung out with old friends, took some decent photos, consumed some great desserts, thoroughly enjoyed the cool weather, and overall had a great time. It was really nice to visit NYC for the first time since 2023, because I spent my childhood there. I also only spent ~$800 on the whole trip, which my wallet was happy about.
conclusion
I sometimes have trouble believing that I’m halfway through college. My college experience has been pretty great so far, and I am afraid of it going too fast and ending too soon. But I’ve done a lot, and I’m quite happy with how I’ve spent my first two years here at UT Austin. To the next two years!