Hello, hello!
Hello!
Oh, it's so fun to be online when people are active. You have no idea how good it feels to be talking to an actual person.
I agree.
Are you new here? Or are you a long-time champ? I haven't seen you before.
I was waiting for someone to be online and you just happened to come by! Thanks!
Oh, nice! Hehe, I'm certainly happy to be here.
I would say that I am new.
Any particular reason you're here? Just wanted to stop by for a chat, or what?
Exactly, I just wanted to stop by for a chat, get to know someone as well. It's always fun meeting new people.
I agree! That's part of what makes this so fun. So many people to talk to, and then you get rewarded for doing so.
Sometimes I can be a little shy about it, but whenever I do meet someone new, it always turns out to be nice!
Oh, but, hey! It's midterm season, yeah? Well, thus far, you seem pretty all right to me.
Yea, don't remind me about midterms. They cause enough stress as it is.
I see, I see. Not very fun experiences then, I'd imagine. How many do you have this time around? Hopefully not enough to kill you?
Not really since they occupy a lot of my time.
No kidding.
Well I took an exam on Tuesday and I have an exam coming up next week.!
Yeesh. They still scare me every time.
And I have already taken 3 exams thus far with many more exams yet to come.
What classes are you in? They're not too difficult? I know they can be super stressful depending on, well, everything. Wait, wait, what? You've already taken three? Holy cow, how many credits are you taking?
I have a religion class, Finance, Accounting, Two English classes, and American Heritage.
Oh, my goodness. American Heritage, you say? You sound like a freshman.
Yes I have taken an exam for accounting, finance, and Amierican Heritage. American Heritage, excuse my spelling.
Yeah, I gotcha. You sound like you're taking a heavy courseload, though.
Yep you are exactly right.
I mean, it's not something you see every day is what I'm saying.
I guess American Heritage are for freshman usually?
That's, um . . . let me guess. 17.0 credits? Yeah. That's the class most people take when the arrive here.
It feels like 17 credits, but it's actually 14.5.
I wish you could've seen my speechlessness right there.
One of my class only counts as half a credit.
What? But they sound so heavy! How can one of them be only half a credit?
I would consider 4 of my classes heavy, and the rest would be not so heavy.
Four heavy classes is enough to keep you very, very busy.
The class that is half a credit is probably the easiest class I have.
Which is it?
English 198
Hmm. I've never heard of it.
4 heavy classes do take up much of my time, plus working takes time as well.
What do you do there? Storytelling or somethign? Oh, goodness, you're working as well. See, I don't know how people do what you do. I'm fine with school, but when you add a work schedule on top of that, things go sour really quickly. Honest.
It's for English majors. It's a class that informs you about the resources available to English majors. I wish I didn't have to work, but I have to pay for rent, my phone bill, tuition, books, etc.
I'm sorry. That's really hard.
Hopefully I can get some scholarships for next semester and that way I wont have to work. Do you have a job?
I do, but it's not very intensive. I work as a part time tutor. It's really easy. And the pay is fantastic for my hours.
Wow that's really nice! I would like to get a on-campus job, but I haven't seen a job that gives a good enough pay for my expenses. Is your job also like an internship?
Ha, I wish. Nah, my old high school called me up and asked if I'd be willing to tutor a few students. So I said, "Sure! Why not?" It's really nice. I make about $25/hour, which is perfect. I don't get a whole lot of hours, but it works out.
Wow that is an amazing pay! I would love to be paid that much and have an easy job. You are a very fortunate person.
I know. I feel blessed every day that I wake up. Plus . . . I don't know how this happened, but I managed to land myself two merit-based scholarships.
Hahaha with a job like that that pays that well, who wouldn't feel Blessed?
Yeah. I seriously don't know how I got to where I am.
What is a merit-based scholarship?
It's to distinguish it from a needs-based or other-based scholarship. Essentially, it's something I earned.
You seem to be doing something right in your life to have these fortunate events happen in your life.
I hope so. I don't know. I don't really know how it happens. Because I didn't have to work much during my first two semesters, I got a 4.0, which led to another scholarship.
That's nice. Earning a scholarship must bring a nice feeling of satisfactions
Sort of. I kinda feel like I didn't deserve it. I did well in high school, which meant a half scholarship. That, paired with a good job meant more time for school.
Is your job something anybody would be able to do as well? For example, would I be able to be hired?
Well, I don't know. Maybe? It's just simple math. I think so. If you could teach it well enough. It's just algebra, you know?
Are there other subjects you could tutor students on?
There are. It's mostly math, but if they need help with an essay or something else, I can be there, too. Math is a daily thing, though, and they assign a lot of homework. Which is why I'm mainly a math tutor. But I just . . . I feel bad. So many other people work harder than me and get rewarded less. Who am I to get such a cushy job while going to college, you know?
How many hours do you work a week?
And it just compounds. I'm doing well in school, which means scholarships and good grades and looking good on transcripts and whatnot. Right now? Not a whole lot. I think somewhere between 10 - 15 hours. But I'm not enrolled in any classes. I'm leaving on a mission soon.
That's nice. So you are not studying this semester?
Not in any official classes, no. Just . . . killing time, I suppose, before I leave.
Have you received your mission call already?
I have. I leave in February. It's kinda strange. I wasn't asked to leave for five months.
Where do you leave to?
Argentina! I'm, heh, kinda excited. It's right along the coast. Lots of beaches, lots of cold.
That's nice! Do you already speak Spanish?
I'm fluent enough to speak Colombian Spanish, but it's going to be a while before I pick up the accent. It's a strange mix of Portuguese and, uh, something else, I think. I'm not perfect, but I DO understand when people talk to me. Or, well, maybe not Argentinian people.
I don't think it's particularly hard to understand them. They just have an accent and speak with "Che" or something like that. And I believe they speak in "vos".
Haha, yeah, that's what I've heard. I'm not so keen on the "vos" part, but I hope I'll pick it up. I suppose we'll have to see when I arrive, though, huh? But I'm really curious now. What's your major? Have you decided yet? Or is that what the English class is for? I know a lot of people stress about their major when they arrive
Yea, it probably could be hard, but I know you will catch up. Hearing the people talk in "vos" daily is going to help you.
I vos going to do that.
Well right now I am an English major.
Makes sense. Think you're going to keep it?
I think so. I wanted to do a business minor, but the classes of finance and accounting have discouraged me from getting a business minor.
Wait, what? Why? I heard a business minor was one of the best things you can do. Are the classes really that difficult? Or just too math-based to your liking?
Yea, well finance is just too math-based for my liking. Accounting is not so bad.
Gotcha.
I actually kind of like the accounting class, but it is kind of hard.
Well, hang on. How did you hear about this contest, then? I thought it was only being advertised in places like computer science and statistics.
I mainly wanted to get a business minor in case I ever wanted to start a businesss.
Yeah, I get that. It's really useful. If you want my advice, a total stranger's advice, I say go for it. If it's something you really want to do, that is.
Hahaha, well the funny thing is that I have a brother who is majoring in electrical engineering.
Oh, do you really? Does that mean you hear a lot of EE stuff?
Well he is a freshman as well. We are Both starting.
Are you twins?
So he doesn't know a lot yet. Yes we are twins.
Makes sense. I was wondering if you were either born really close to each other or skipped a grade or something. Oh, wait! So you both made it into BYU?
Yea we both made it to BYU, which was a huge surprise for me. I didn't think I was going to be accepted into the major. I mean the school.
Why?
Just because I never took the ACT. I only took the SAT, and I heard that BYU looks more at the ACT score. But by some miracle, I got in to BYU! And so did my brother.
I thought the SAT and ACT were equivalent in measuring progress. I mean, I knew they were a little different a few decades ago, but didn't that change? Can't you convert between SAT and ACT pretty easily? Or that was my impression, at any rate. 'Cause I took the SAT, too.
Yea I think you can convert the score.
Huh.
It was just something my sister told me because she went to BYU.
Ah.
I don't know if it's actually true though. Who knows. Did you take the ACT?
Yeah. I took them both. I ended up getting the same score, which I found kinda funnny.
That's nice. I imagine you got a good score on them. Are you an engineer? Or majoring in some sort of engineering major?
Yeah. They call it software engineering, or computer science. It's a softer sort of engineering. Some of us go to work on physical hardware, but that's not my emphasis right now. (Though I should learn.) It's just me and code right now.
Are you good at coding?
Well, um, I hope I'm not bad?
My brother was having a hard time with the coding class he had.
Was it CS 142?
I think so. He didn't like the Professor very much. He said he didn't really teach that well.
Yeah, the professor can make or break the class, especially for those introductory classes. I know a lot of people struggled. Which is such a shame because we need all the coders we can get.
He ended up withdrawing from the course because he was taking an exam and he did not understand what to do.
Wait, wait. When was this? Was this last year?
This year.
Ah. I thought I might've known him, then.
Why?
I knew there was a person who stood up in the middle of a midterm and started walking out. He decided to withdraw without even finishing the exam. I wondered if he may have been that person.
This what last year? Or this year?
Last year, I believe. Back in 2017. It was a rough fall semester for a lot of people.
I imagine.
I ended up okay somehow, and I spent a lot of hours those weeks leading to the finals just helping people survive the labs. I was a volunteer tutor, see. Lots of people needed help. I really did try. I met with as many people as I could.
I know that coding can be very hard and if my brother had a hard time understanding coding, then I imagine it's hard.
I wouldn't describe it as "hard," per se, just a very different way of thinking. There's a reason they call them computer languages. They're entire languages. Complete with their own grammar, phrasing, and structure.
Yea he said it's basically another language. Learning a new language is always difficult.
No kidding. Especially when it's math-based. It's supposed to be an introductory course, and it IS, but it's still very difficult if you don't have a solid math background.
Yea. I wouldn't consider math to be my strongest subject. Yea, my brother came back from the mission without thinking about math and then he comes home, and has to know some math at least.
But they don't tell you that. I met so many people who took their first C or D in their entire BYU academic life--and these people were juniors and seniors.
Yea, if they did, it would be nice to help prepare students.
It's a required class for a lot of majors for some reason. I'm not sure what else they can do to prepare students, though. It's not exactly a matter of "git gud."
I guess it's not for everybody.
No, it's not. Which is okay. I couldn't do art for the life of me.
I know that it probably isn't for me.
I wish we could switch. You could write my essays, and I could do your math homework. I think I'm decent enough to write essays and pass, but it's not my favorite, and it's something I definitely wish I were better at. If absolutely nothing else, my grammar is fine.
Hahaha, well I wouldn't consider myself an expert at writing essays, but hopefully as I go more into my major I will get better.
Oof. I can't imagine trying to be an English major without feeling competent in my ability to write essays. I would think writing essays is to English as using computers is to computer science.
I see that there are a lot of opportunities to win money by writing essays.
Yeah! No kidding. They're everywhere. It really surprised me, actually. They give out thousands of dollars. And you don't even have to win first. There's lots of runner-up prizes, too.
Yea! I was surprised by it too. Maybe next semester I can win some money by writing essays.
I sure hope you do! Especially with you being an English major and all. It'd be a good way to earn a bit of cash on the side.
It will be good practice as well. Yea nd I can definitely use a bit more cash. And*
It's so strange to me. Because of my two scholarships, I'm actually being paid to go to school. And because I still live with my parents, I don't pay housing costs, either. The only thing I really pay is gas for my car every few weeks. Which is still a lot cheaper than rent and is kinda useful.
I didn't even know a scholarship existed where you could be paid.
That's what happens when you get so much scholarship money that it covers tuition. I have a full-tuition from BYU and about $1250 every semester from Regents.
Have you gotten scholarships for every semester?
I have. I didn't start off with a full-tuition, but I worked my way up.
What grade are you in?
It's just my second year. I only have two semesters finished. So saying I've had a scholarship every semester isn't as impressive.
How did you work to a full-time tuition? Hahaha, but maybe you will get a scholarship every semester.
Well, BYU has a scholarship matrix, see? They took it down because it was inaccurate, apparently, but I kept looking at it before they did. And I hope I do. It'd be so nice. Basically, it's based on your GPA. And GPA alone. So long as you apply and meet their GPA standards, you get the scholarship. That's all.
Ohh and you need to have good grades.
Yup. Right on the money. Keeping a 4.0 is ridiculously stressful, but I guess it pays off.
It's kind of hard for me to have good grades when I have to work as well. You have a 4.0?
Exactly. School is so much harder with work. Yeah, I have a 4.0. Somehow. I honestly don't know how I pulled that off.
I didn't even think that was possible.
I know, right? And I somehow survived the hardest class in the major.
Did you get 100s in all your classes?
Not 100s, but straight A's.
What's the hardest class? Oh yea, I forgot you don't need a 100 to have an A It just depends on the professors.
It's called 224. It's nominally known as the hardest in the major, mostly because it relates little to the rest of your coursework and you take it really early. Yeah. My highest A cap was 95%. That was an awful class, let me tell you.
Was that the religion class?
No, actually. I was taking an Honors writing class. . . . yes, I'm realizing I'm also in Honors.
Wow. What does that mean, that you are in Honors? Is it harder classes?
You'd think so, right?
Like taking AP courses?
Nah. It's just a fancy title. It's not at all like AP anything. They're just classes that are more discussion based than homework based.
How come you took an Honors writing class? Discussion based does sound nice.
Because I enrolled in the Honors program, I think? I don't really know why I did.
How do I get that?
And it really, really is. There's a link on the BYU website.
How do I enroll in the Honors Program?
Enrolling in Honors is the easiest thing I've ever seen.
Are there any requirements?
I'd link here, but there's no paste. None whatsoever. It's easier to apply to Honors than it is to fill out a survey. They ask for your name and intended graduation year and then, boom, you're in! I think.
So literally all I have to do is go to the website and enroll?
Yup.
Wow.
And then you can take Honors classes. I know, right? It's a hidden gem.
And do they give you tests based on the discussions?
They do, but they're not any more difficult than regular classes.
In the honors class?
Well, the whole Honors program is a beautiful thing. No one really knows about it.
I didn't know about it.
I think there's a stereotype about the type of people who take Honors. Yeah. They reached out to me in an email.
Are all of your classes Honors classs?
Hahahaha, no. I wish. Honors classes are the nest. They only offer a few, though, so I take the ones they offer. They fulfill two GE requirements at once.
Wow that is nice. I definitely want that.
I took a Bio-Letters class last semester which was, truly, one of my favorite classes. You should, you should!
Bio-Letters?
And if you end up hating it, there's no penalty for dropping out.
What did that consist of?
Yup! Biology and Letters. The latter is like, um, English, I think.
Biology and Letters? Do you write about biology stuff?
They smushed the two classes together. Sometimes. Not usually, though.
Seems like a weird combination.
It is! That's why they do them. They call them "Unexpected Connections" courses. They deliberately choose two classes that sound strange together. Like Physics and Social Science.
Was the class hard? Biology classes I took in high school were a little hard so
Or, um, others. I can't remember them off the top of my head. Not at all. Bio-Letters was one of the easiest I've taken thus far. You write maybe three papers and read a few books. And participate in the midterm discussions, of course.
You don't have to know anything about cells and the mitochondria or stuff like that?
Nothing at all. They teach you everything.
Midterm discussions?
Yeah. Midterms had a written portion and a discussion portion.
Is that like a test that is discussion based? A discussion portion? How does that work?
Yup! The teacher will ask some questions, and you'll discuss, and then you get graded. It's a little arbitrary.
Wow! That seems very easy!
The classes are small enough that the teacher do them in small groups, but, yeah.
As long as you say something.
It is! Stressful, yes, but nothing like a Biology class would normally be. The teachers are good, too. They'll get you to participate. And, man, I still remember stuff I learned in that class. A lot about the immune system.
Do you know how many Honors classes there are?
There's a lot, but the Unexpected Connections classes are about . . . I think seven or so. They only cover GEs, and only a few at that. But there are other Honors classes beyond those. I suppose I should make a distinction. There are classes in the Honors program, and then there are just honors classes. Like honors Calculus.
That sounds hard.
Hahahaha, that's the best part about it!
The hard part is the best part?
One of the students asked on the first day, "So, how is this different from a regular Calculus class?" Our teacher jokingly looked out the door like he was watching for eavesdroppers, closed the door entirely, then said, "It's not." He said the department had tried to change things in the past, but they could never get it to work. "It's just a fancy H on your transcript," he finished. Our class was identical to the rest, only with a tiny class size. I think there was, what, 20 of us? And we had a single teacher.
That just be nice. Must*
We got all the personal attention we liked while being in an "honors" class. Yeah. It really was.
I don't think I would take calculus though. I took it in high school and it was a struggleZ Struggle.
It's certainly not for everyone, don't worry. Though if you must . . . Take it from Bro. Wilson.
I took the AP test and I got a 3
I took it an got a 4.
He is a really good teacher?
Amazing teacher, yes. And did your credits not transfer? I would've thought a 3 would be fine.
Does he make understanding calculus easy?
Yes, definitely, absolutely.
Yea they did transfer
He teaches things so simply that you wonder why people struggle with this stuff at all.
My math requirements are fulfilled.
Perfect. Done and done. You never have to deal with that again if you don't want.
Well I will keep that in mind.
I promise, if you can get him, your life will be so easy in math.
My calculus teacher was good at explaining as well.
Mine was a 4.0 credit class, and I was spending about 2 hours in homework weekly. Oh, really? I love when you get good teachers.
That class was a 4.0 credit class?! 2 hours homework weekly?!
Exactly! And honors! Our teacher taught so well that we got minimal homework while still learning everything.
Man, talking to you has been very informative and profitable!
Haha, I'm glad? I think I just lucked out and got really good classes.
I would never have known about those honors classes.
Me neither.
You are probably being modest.
Honors is amazing. No, no, I really did get lucky. Like, take American Heritage for example. Who's your teacher?
Pope
Yup. I heard a friend call him "No Hope Pope." He's, um, a little harder than the other teacher.
Why? I Who did you have?
Prof. . . . Um. Okay, I'm realizing now that his name was Prof. Wilson.
So he's an easier Professor?
I'm not sure if he's easier? I never took it from Prof. Pope. But I know that the midterm scores for Wilson were higher.
Unfortunately I have to go to class, but talking to you has been nice.
Same here.
It's probabky weird for me to say this, but I would like to meet you.
I'd love to meet you, too. And, no, that doesn't sound strange.
You seem like a nice friend to have.
D'awww, thanks! That's so kind of you.
Well you have been very kind with me, so thank you for that.
My pleasure. How about this. If you stick around here, and we run into each other again, we can try to work something out. I spend a lot of time here. Odds are, it'll happen.
Are you going to be in again? My class ends at 12:50
Oh, sure! I'll be here.
So I will try to get on after class.
Okay. And if I'm chatting, I'll see if I can end it.
We could say a fake name to know we got each other again.
Well, our usernames don't change, right?
Like I could say I am Yello Panda Bear No I don't think so But I can't see your username.
I think I'll recognize you, then. Wait, what. You can't see me? I see you as Keyyan.
Really? I see you as KJ So I guess I will recognize you. I didnt think you saw my name.
I do, yeah.
Okay well now I know
And I'll always be KJ. Okay, yeah, go, go!
Nice!
See you!
See you! Bye!