| 2000h
Mood: lousy Happiness of the day: received an email from an old hwachong friend. Event of the week: watching a movie this weekend, maybe? A miserable day for me. Sigh. My pol sci exam was expectedly screwed up. I promptly fell asleep after I took the shower last night. Apparently hot showers make you feel so comfortable you are sleepier than before. By the time I woke up in a panic, I only had time to finish about half of what I was supposed to study. Fate has it that the bulk of the hardcore questions were about the half I didn't read. Sigh. As expected, anyway, isn't it?
And to think I'm thinking of taking up political science as my 2nd major too. Is this a sign? Is this an omen? Hmm...
I still have 2 years of education left, on my scholarship, before I have to return to singapore to serve my bond. Originally, I planned to use the last year of my allocated 4 years to complete a masters degree. But now, as I get into the depths of electrical engineering, experiencing first hand the exasperating technicality of my engineering degree, and knowing in my heart that engineering is not quite my forte, I wonder if I actually really want a masters degree in engineering. What do I do with it? I may not necessarily work as an engineer for the government, and by the time I complete my bond, whatever I study now would have become obselete. In Singapore, typically a masters degree doesn't mean much either. Someone told me once that practising engineers in singapore require only a degree, and teaching engineers require a phd. A masters degree is like an intermediate step that doesn't make much of an improvement in status.
I wish I can do my major in dance, french, or in japanese, but I know that is practically impossible, and psc will most likely say no, immediately. Political science is my next best choice, a choice that has a much higher chance of being approved. I guess uiuc isn't quite the best place to get a pol sci degree from, but well, uiuc is really good for electrical engr, I can't really have the best of both worlds. And the added incentive to taking a double degree and hence staying at uiuc for the next 2 years is, I will have enough time to complete a double minor, for international studies in french and japanese as well. So as opposed to having a BEng, a MEng, and an international minor in japanese, I get a BEng, a BA, and two minors. Hmm...how's the comparison?
I still need to talk to my parents about this. My gut feeling is, they would really rather have me come back with a masters degree than two degrees. There's also a question of whether I will be able to complete my 2nd degree within the next 2 years, because that is all the time psc will offer me. I've been planning my work plan, inclusive of my masters for some time, so I know I can definitely complete my masters, if I want to. In my mind, my plans have not changed yet, I'm still doing a masters. It's too early to decide to drop my masters plan just like that, simply because I need to find out more about the requirements of the pol sci degree. I also need to get pass my parents. I do hope to study political science though. It's such a theoretical course, I think it suits me. Big pictures, theoretical analysis, inter-state relations, power vs morality....I think I can actually enjoy this.
Hmm...but after today's demoralising exam...sigh...I hope this is not a sign....
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