stanford-quarterly-reflection-03.md (10897B)
1 +++ 2 title = "Stanford Quarterly Reflection (Y1Q3)" 3 date = 2024-07-18 4 updated = 2024-07-22 5 [extra] 6 type = "post" 7 +++ 8 9 This quarter was a radical departure from the previous two. It was 10 profoundly different and, at times, extremely difficult. Having now come 11 up for air on the other side, and looking at the great joys that I did 12 experience, I feel pretty positively about the whole affair. And the 13 change never stops, as I leave behind the great change of this year for 14 a whole new world: summer. 15 16 <!-- more --> 17 18 ### Academics 19 20 I was in the lowest amount of units possible, a measly 12. These were: 21 22 1. COLLEGE 110: The Spirit of Democracy 23 2. CS 107: Computer Organization and Systems 24 3. CS 12SI: Spatial Computing Workshop 25 4. SUSTAIN 132: Sustainable Societies Lab: Exploring Israel's Innovation 26 Ecosystem in Human & Planetary Health 27 28 This significantly reduced courseload was a mistake. I felt unmoored 29 with so little work, attending to my classes by catching assignments 30 just before they fell off my metaphorical plate. I don't believe this 31 was the most effective means of learning or academic growth. I ended up 32 in this situation because I was afraid to adapt my schedule to change, 33 and I could have avoided it by embracing risk and authoritative 34 decision-making. "Strong opinions, loosely held" feels like a phrase 35 that could be adapted here. I had structured my schedule around a 36 specific class (DESIGN 11) but ended up dropping the class in 37 exasperation after two weeks. I should have found a supplement (likely 38 DESIGN 1 or ARABLANG 21A), and reorganized my schedule to accommodate 39 it. The past being immutable, I will simply acknowledge that I believe 40 this would have been a better choice for me academically and, in certain 41 respects, emotionally as well. 42 43 Nevertheless, certain aspects of my academic experience during these ten 44 weeks deserve recognition. CS 107 introduced me to genuinely new aspects 45 of computer science—it forced me to engage with topics that I have 46 intentionally avoided in my own work, grapple with them, and come out 47 fully understanding them. These subjects include working in 48 memory-unsafe languages such as C, reading and interpreting x86_64 49 assembly, certain UNIX system details, and other topics in this orbit. I 50 received a relatively poor grade in this class! This was largely due to 51 my handling of the homework, and one assignment in particular which was 52 significantly late. It was still one of the most fulfilling learning 53 experiences of my engineering career. 54 55 The highlight of COLLEGE 110 was the opportunity it afforded me to 56 experience Larry Diamond in his element. We exist at a time of great 57 consequence, and his framing of the world, with its challenges and 58 opportunities, was enlightening. I feel very fortunate to have been able 59 to get to know the man. The events I attended with him that paralleled 60 the class were also remarkable. I met [Salam Fayyad], and gained a new 61 two-truths-and-a-lie fact from our personal interactions. I also enjoyed 62 [the Boiling Moat] panel on Taiwanese security, which I attended with my 63 friend [Jacob] while he was visiting. One panelist absolutely terrified 64 me, and I would like to work for him. The ebook is living on my Kindle, 65 and waits high up on my reading list. 66 67 CS 12SI and SUSTAIN 132 both represent the unparalleled latitude that 68 Stanford presents its community. A class exclusively diving into the 69 just-released Vision Pro, with real expert access and attention to each 70 student project, is an unbelievable offering. Like CS 40, CS 12SI was 71 new a little bumpy, but I can see it growing into something extremely 72 impressive and startup-accelerator-y, especially under [Gabriel's] 73 excellent guidance. SUSTAIN 132 lives in such a cool niche of academic 74 study I am grateful that it exists at all—and it helped that the 75 teaching staff was cool on top of it all. 76 77 ### Personal 78 79 Social engagement was without a doubt where my focus lay this past 80 quarter. My sleep schedule lurched around the clock, [Oura] be damned. 81 And pouring all of my energy into a complex web of human relationships 82 occasionally reminded me of the [gossip trap] theory of prehistory, 83 which was less than pleasant. 84 85 I should spare a moment to appreciate and bid a very depressing goodbye 86 to the seniors who made this year special for me, and will not be there 87 when I return. Losing you all really took me by surprise, and I will not 88 be the same without you. Emily, you've been there for me like no one 89 else and I cannot acknowledge that enough. I'm rooting for (and counting 90 on, honestly) your return. Ben, you changed the trajectory of my career. 91 I was honored to receive some of *your* reflections in my inbox, and do 92 hope to see that continue, if only for my own enrichment. Joven, we met 93 for the first time in earnest over spring break, but by the time we were 94 the last two people in London, enjoying blueberry muffins and sipping on 95 lattes on our way to the airport, we had hit our stride. No one else 96 will debate the finer points of [café society] with me, and that is a 97 deficiency on their part. And of course, Sophia—I was perpetually amazed 98 at our relationship. You're the best, and I have faith that there is 99 little that can stop you from continuing to be just that. 100 101 In a somewhat surprising turn of events, this quarter I joined the 102 fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. This unique aspect of American university life 103 played no role in my parents' experience, and thus I was raised without 104 a great desire to participate in it when I went off to Stanford. 105 Nevertheless, as I met more and more Phi Psis, I was startled to realize 106 that I really enjoyed hanging out with them. I no longer find this 107 nearly as startling, having been to the ends of the Earth and back with 108 them (or at least, military bases, casinos, and watery watchtowers). To 109 the brothers that convinced me to join—Odin, Reisner, Lichu, Deveen, 110 Deitrich, Gareth, Farman, Santi, Milo—I owe you a great thanks, and 111 perhaps an apology as well for being so stubborn. I've wanted to be a 112 rapper for as long as I can remember, and you brought that out of me. 113 I'm extremely grateful. And to the fresh set of brothers—Bradley, Panos, 114 Arjin, Tiao—that I am a part of, you make me excited for the future. 115 116 I have not forgotten about the London gang, nor my promise to write 117 about the trip in this reflection. For those readers planning an outing 118 to the kingdom on which the sun never sets, I have only three important 119 notes—the white saffron hot chocolate at [Dark Sugars] will change your 120 life, the chai at [Dishoom] is bottomless, and if you're ever having too 121 much fun at an interactive performance of [Guys and Dolls] the dude to 122 your left will berate you. My deep thanks to the Danielpours for playing 123 host to us all, and welcoming us into your home for a lovely shabbat. 124 Everyone on this trip changed my life this year, and I love you all so 125 very much. In London and at Stanford, to have such friends is life's 126 greatest joy. Many of you have made your way into this post already, but 127 I will descend into lists again for those that have not. Stella, you 128 built a home on campus in the Warehaus that did not have to exist, but 129 was for me a heaven of frosted flakes and late night antics. Zach, I'm 130 coming for your PRs and your creatine water bottle. You undoubtedly fill 131 out the commemorative London shirt the best of all of us. Daniel, you 132 inspire me consistently by moving to action when I'm standing still, 133 afraid. Name a more [iconic duo] than us. And Kelly—you are so 134 wonderful. 135 136 But these are not the only people at Stanford who are important to me. 137 Vivek, I cannot wait to live with you next year. Nate, you are simply 138 way better at tennis than I am. Trun, we are living the lives we have 139 always wanted. Jack, if there is anyone in my life who possesses the 140 magnetic people powers of Gatsby (which I say as someone who, at 141 present, admires the man with no qualms) it is you. Sam—to meet your 142 family was a great honor and I'm sorry they saw me give you a piggyback 143 ride right before. Vedant and Riya: just because we're no longer all in 144 the great dorm of Crothers doesn't mean tea at 3 in the morning has to 145 stop, and indeed I hope it doesn't. Ryan, you've once again ended up a 146 key player in a crazy highlight-of-the-quarter evening and I can only 147 hope that this continues. Longhair, it didn't work out this quarter, but 148 come fall you bet we will hit the Pyramid of Giza. And Naama: you are 149 the only person with whom I have a weekly scheduled meal. 150 151 I miss you all. 152 153 It occurs to me that turning the personal section of a reflection into 154 basically a list of thank-yous is perhaps not particularly reflective. 155 It's somewhat hard to keep a journal in public. Perhaps this is just the 156 nature of things. Perhaps I have just once again waited too long to 157 finish writing and publish this post. Perhaps I shouldn't be married to 158 the format I've used in previous posts. We shall see. 159 160 ### A Year Complete 161 162 I remain the person that I was when I began Stanford, but I happily 163 believe that have become an improved and refined version of that person. 164 165 I have aquired two new greenfield skills, in Arabic and assembly 166 language. I had no knowledge of the two before this year, and now I do. 167 These allow me to tangibly do things I could not do before. 168 169 The majority of my development, however, has been less tangible—but all 170 the more profound. Being at Stanford has placed me at the center of the 171 most incredible environment I could imagine; remarkable people surround 172 me at all hours of the day, and their effusive brilliance cannot help 173 but be impactful. 174 175 As the summer continues, and the community that comprises this small 176 Eden is dispersed, I have a hard time imagining that this year happened 177 at all. My time at Stanford was a short, recent burst. I'm now back in 178 San Francisco, and though I've maintained as large a sprinkling of 179 Stanford in my life as I can, it feels almost as if I have just awoken 180 from the most vivid, marvelous dream. 181 182 This summer will be exciting and hopefully rejuvenating as well. It will 183 also comprise its own Q4 reflection! But I'm not embarrassed to say that 184 I'm looking forward to returning to the Farm in the fall. I enjoyed 185 dreaming, and I have a feeling that it's not over yet. 186 187 [Salam Fayyad]: https://events.stanford.edu/event/a-conversation-with-salam-fayyad-former-prime-minister-of-the-palestinian-authority 188 [the Boiling Moat]: https://www.hoover.org/events/boiling-moat 189 [Jacob]: https://jacobneplokh.com 190 [Gabriel's]: https://gabriel-lipkowitz.com 191 [gossip trap]: https://www.theintrinsicperspective.com/p/the-gossip-trap 192 [café society]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Café_society 193 [Oura]: https://ouraring.com 194 [iconic duo]: https://open.spotify.com/track/4Flfb4fGscN9kXPOduQLrv 195 [Dark Sugars]: https://www.darksugars.co.uk 196 [Dishoom]: https://www.dishoom.com 197 [Guys and Dolls]: https://bridgetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/guys-and-dolls/