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ā€¢2 min read

So I Started University Today

lifeuniversitybeginnings

so today was my first day at unsw sydney. computer science, bachelor of science. sounds official when i say it like that.

in reality i spent 40 minutes looking for the right building on kensington campus and walked into the wrong lecture hall twice. the second time there were already people sitting there and i had to do the walk of shame back out.

first impressions

everyone here seems like they know what they're doing. there's this guy in my intro to programming class who already has a github with like 200 contributions. meanwhile i've been coding since i was 14 and my github has three repos, two of which are unfinished.

the campus is massive. like, genuinely huge. i got lost going from one building to another building that was supposedly "right next door". it was not right next door.

the classes

my schedule this semester:

  • intro to programming (wait, i thought i already knew this?)
  • calculus 1 (pain)
  • foundations of computing (cool name, no idea what it means)

the intro to programming lecturer started with "who here has never coded before?" and half the room raised their hands. the other half (me included) tried very hard to look humble while internally panicking about whether we actually know as much as we think we do.

spoiler: we don't.

why computer science

people keep asking me this. honestly? i like making things work. i like the feeling when code finally runs after you've been staring at it for three hours. is that a good enough reason?

i don't have some grand plan to change the world (yet). i just know that when i'm coding, time disappears. and that feels like a sign.

the imposter syndrome begins

there's this voice in my head that keeps saying "you don't belong here". i'm trying to ignore it but it's loud. very loud.

maybe tomorrow i'll feel better. maybe i'll find my lecture halls on the first try. maybe i'll make a friend.

for now: i survived day one. that's something.

update: i made sinigang for dinner and called my lola to tell her. she said my measurements were wrong but was proud anyway.