Pre-University

I received credit for advanced placement (AP) exams I took back in grade 11 and 12 of high school:

• BISC 101-4 General Biology

• BISC 102-4 General Biology

• MATH 151-3 Calculus I

My high school didn't offer an AP biology course, so I opted to study for the bio exam all on my own... which I didn't... but still managed to achieve those credits with flying colors! Teehee...

I know several people who acquired their AP credits but didn't use them and chose to take the courses anyway. I can't say accepting the credits and skipping the courses was worth it for me (e.g. sometimes I feel like I missed out on the lab component of the biology courses), but if you're not going to use the credits, why bother taking the exam? That's valuable money going down the drain for a fleeting moment of pride!

Fall 1999

• BISC 204-3 Introduction to Ecology

• CHEM 121-4 General Chemistry and Laboratory I

• CRIM 101-3 Introduction to Criminology

• PHYS 120-3 Modern Physics and Mechanics

• MATH 152-3 Calculus II

This was academically my worst semester of all. I entered university with a big head, I left my first semester with a new sense of humility. CRIM 101 was definitely my favorite course of the five, but it was also the course in which I received my worst grade! (Go figure.)

I was so bored and frustrated in BISC 204, but probably not the prof's fault as I used to think. Maybe I just wasn't ready for the 2nd year course. Who knows? But I ended up rethinking majoring in biology after this one course...

I learned that, although 5 courses may seem so little compared to the 9 per year I took in high school, it's a lot more than I bargained for, especially during my first semester. So if you're apprehensive about starting university, my advice is not to take more than 4.

Spring 2000

• BISC 202-3 Genetics

• CHEM 122-2 General Chemistry II

• CHEM 126-2 General Chemistry Laboratory II

• PHYS 121-3 Optics, Electricity, and Magnetism

• PHYS 131-2 Physics Laboratory II

Academically, this was my best semester and I really needed it after that miserable first semester.

BISC 202 absolutely rocked; it renewed my love of biology. And now that I think about it, it's the only semester I received a whoppin' 96 and 99 on my midterms (am I allowed to brag here? trust me, this is the only thing I think I can brag about!) I'm known for screwing up midterms and then kicking ass on finals a little too late, so this was definitely an accomplishment. Everything just made sense... and other students thought the prof rocked, too, so I know I'm not crazy. ;) I'm just grateful I took this course when I did!

PHYS 131 lab was an "experience", being only one of two girls among a group of hard-core engineers! Seems like the ultimate dream for a gal to be stuck in a room 4 hours/week with a bunch of available guys? Not a chance if they're hard-working, physics-obssessed, female-phobic engineering students...

Summer 2000

• CHEM 281-4 Organic Chemistry I

• ENGL 199-3 Introduction to University Writing

• KIN 142-3 Introduction to Kinesiology

• MBB 221-3 Cellular Biology and Biochemistry

SFU in the summer can be so hot and stuffy, yet so relaxed with smaller classes and empty computer labs. KIN 142 sparked my newfound interest in kinesiology. MBB 221 threw more info at me than I needed in one semester, and ended with the prof saying she couldn't go over beta-oxidation and photosynthesis but we would have to read it all ourselves and know it for the final -- and somehow I got through it (thank God!). In ENGL 199, I blew myself away when I learned I could actually write pretty good -- I mean, well. ;) And in CHEM 281... I burned my hand with a thermometer -- not the hot plate, but the thermometer. At least I didn't spill a bottle acid on my hand or stab myself with a pipette like other students did that semester!

Fall 2000

• BISC 305-3 Animal Physiology

• CHEM 282-2 Organic Chemistry II

• CHIN 100-3 Mandarin Chinese I

• KIN 205-3 Introduction to Human Physiology

• STAT 301-3 Statistics for the Life Sciences

This was the most "blah" semester I've ever had. One of the profs admitted that he wasn't cut out for teaching and that previous students have called him an "arrogant bastard". And I hate to admit I can see where they're coming from... BUT I got to know him somewhat better after that class was over, and he really isn't as bad as I thought. ;) Plus, at least he tried, right...?

I've pretty much forgotten a lot I learned in Mandarin class! However, I still remember my final oral exam... I had a horrible cold and I could barely hear myself speak. Not to mention how tough it is for a speaker of only Western languages to hit the tones of the Asian dialects... So I made a fool of myself, I swear!

Spring 2001

• BUS 251-3 Financial Accounting I

• CHEM 286-2 Organic Chemistry Laboratory I

• ENGL 105-3 Introduction to Issues in Literature and Culture

• KIN 110-3 Human Nutrition: Current Issues (Distance Ed.)

• MBB 222-3 Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

This was definitely the most enjoyable semester I ever had -- classes from 4 different faculties! That was an awesome mix.

BUS 251 was so tedious, but I loved how straightforward accounting can be. My business-majoring cousin was also in this class with me, which made it a little more interesting...

In CHEM 268, I burned myself with the hot plate instead of the thermometer. (What next? A bunsen burner open flame??) I was the queen of low yields, but it was a fun lab. One of my fumehood buddies even compared it to cooking!

ENGL 105 was probably the most philosophical course I've ever taken -- and I loved it. My essays stank, but I left the course with a lot to think about, which obliviated the reality of my poor writing skills.

KIN 110... I enjoyed the freedom of studying at my own pace and this course totally ignited my passion for the field of nutrition and dietetics. I also made an online pal with a 60-something elderly woman in Victoria who was also taking the course. The worst part of the semester was typing up a 25 page report on my dietary habits (which included elaborate charts) and subsequently losing the computer files just 2 days before the due date.

MBB 222 was one of those obligatory courses that can be boring if not presented in the right way. But it was all good... It frustrated me that I missed an A+ by only 0.05%! Maybe I could have begged the instructor...?

Summer 2001

• BISC 303-3 Microbiology

• BISC 329-4 Introduction to Experimental Techniques

• BISC 333-3 Developmental Biology

• BISC 400-3 Evolution

• KIN 320-3 Cultural Aspects of Human Movement (Distance Ed.)

This was the semester I suffered biology-overload, although I definitely loved the course material. BISC 329 was probably the driest of all the courses, but the instructor was awesome and did the best he could with the curriculum. Developmental bio made so much sense -- and the TA was fantastic, which is an oddity! Microbio was fascinating, especially the lab component, but it was TOO MUCH INFORMATION -- especially since the prof didn't put up notes and he just talked to us for a whole hour in a monotone. Of course, there was the occasional black-and-white, splotched, incomprehensible figure...

KIN 320 was a miracle. Being a distant ed. course, it was unfortuately sacrificed among my 4 intense bio courses. I did the 4 research assignments and somehow aced them all -- even though some were late on account that I was swamped with midterms and other assignments. However, when it came to the actual course material... I put that off until 5 days before the final exam. Yes, I crammed 11 chapters of sociology material in 5 days -- which is no small task for a science student! And... I ended up with the highest mark on the exam. A miracle! Sort of reminds me of that Felicity episode in which a course wasn't successfully dropped and she had to cram for the final in one day without having ever attended class -- and passed. It can happen!

3 of the 4 bio courses had 3 midterms each, so I never had a moment's rest. At the end of the semester, I ended up with 3 exams on one day, plus a 4th the day after! My grandmother also suffered a massive stroke this semester... plus I was practising hard for my ARCT piano exam... And it was a stiffling hot summer, to top it off. By the end, I was totally worn out.

Fall 2001

• BISC 302-3 Genetic Analysis

• BISC 331-3 Molecular Biology

• BISC 473-3 Special Topics in Biology: Neuroscience

• MBB 321-3 Intermediary Metabolism

• MBB 322-3 Molecular Physiology

MBB 321 was another one of those awesome courses that just made sense. However, I messed up one of the midterms because I slept in late one morning and didn't do my traditional 3:30AM cram... I set the alarm and but didn't turn it on! Thankfully the prof was understanding and told me she'd weigh that midterm less if I did well on the other 2 midterms and the final. And I got 99% on the final exam, thank God! Although I know my final grade could have been much higher if I had done better on that one midterm... Stupid me.

Neuroscience was everything I expected it to be -- but better. I knew the prof from another class, and I definitely remembered what an impossible tyrant he can be. =D But I still registered for the course anyway because neuroscience fascinated me. And know what? I'm glad I did because I gained a whole new perspective on him. Although he wasn't the best instructor in the world, you could just feel the passion he had for the field and that was an awesome thing. (If you don't have a passion for something, you just shouldn't teach it -- and trust me, the students can tell.)

BISC 302 was a joke -- sorta. If any of the labs worked, it was only for the Friday people. All of us in the Tuesday/Wednesday labs were treated as guinea pigs and suffered through the humiliation of failed experiments while the Friday groups improved on the mistakes and saw success. =P When I got my grades at the end of the semester, I was shocked to find a devastating B representing the stress and hard work put into that one course, as well as the disappointment coming out of it, and I bitched about it until the end of the winter break. Fortunately, it had been entered incorrectly and I squirmed my way up to an A. I learned that if you think you deserved better than what you get, fight it out and don't give up. ;)

One thing I got out of this semester was a new sense of respect for my instructors. I mean, I'm sure that they all try their best and that most of them hope for their students to excel, but there will always be one's that we appreciate more than others -- some that can connect to us and reach our minds in a way no other can. Nevertheless, they all touch us in some way during our academic journey and, whether to a large or miniscule extent, they all teach us something about the world and about ourselves. They are human, like each and every one of us, and we learn from them as much as they learn from us. Even the ones that have made me want to rip my hair out, I am grateful for the opportunity to haved learned from them. So a big shout of thanks to the teachers of the world!

Spring 2002

• BISC 431-4 Molecular Biotechnology

• BISC 457-3 Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

• CNS 210-3 Foundations of Canadian Culture (Distance Ed.)

• KIN 311-3 Applied Human Nutrition

• KIN 325-3 Basic Human Anatomy (Distance Ed.)

This semester was definitely the worst semester I ever had. I came down with a horrible throat infection/fever/flu/cold in the middle of January and missed over a week's worth of classes. The courseload was already heavy, and falling behind sucked, especially right at the beginning of a semester. I should have dropped the Canadian Studies elective, but I've always been too stubborn and I just told myself I wouldn't give up, I could handle it. Big mistake. Don't get me wrong; I loved the course material, especially because I've always been fascinated with the "boring" history and culture of Canada, but I just didn't need the course as a degree requirement and I was already worn out as it was.

BISC 431 was with the same prof as BISC 302, and the labs were a repeat of the 302 disaster (refer to last semester) =P. But I had no choice; I had to take it because BISC 405 was cancelled (*grumble grumble*). BISC 457 conflicted with KIN 311, but I really needed both courses, so I ended up taking them simultaneously and subsequently missed lectures of one or the other (it was no easy task playing catch-up in either). However, KIN 311 nutrition was awesome (as I expected) and learning more about plants in 457 was more interesting than I expected, so it wasn't all bad.

I focused my CNS 210 ditzy major term paper on Canadian hockey as a unifying factor of Canadian identity... and I got an A! (I would've posted it in my "academics work" section, but I've conveniently lost the file and I'm definitely not re-typing 15 pages.) I was a little disappointed that the only comment I received was "well-written, well-stated"; no other comments or justification of why I didn't get an A+ -- not that I deserved one, but I would've liked to know what the instructor was thinking! I never got around to contacting him because of the chaos at the end of the semester...

4 final exams in 5 days, all at 8:30AM. On top of that, I had to throw together a 50-page lab report for BISC 457. I didn't sleep a wink that whole week... and I did it all without a dose of caffeine. After being sick in January, I never really caught up. By the middle of March, I was exhausted. By April and finals, I could've perished. I truly thought I'd never make it through the week... However, because I completed all my finals during the first week of exam, I had a whole extra week of "spring break" while everyone was still cramming and that sure felt good. In the end, although my grades didn't skyrocket through the roof, I did better than I expected, so at least I have something to show for the disaster of a semester. My advice, though: if you can avoid it, don't ever schedule courses with finals so close together. It's not worth it.

But one thing I definitely learned: I'm a survivor. (Bring it on, Mark Burnett... hehheh)

Summer 2002

This is what I have planned for my final semester:

• BISC 498-3 Undergraduate Research

• KIN 431-3 Environmental Carcinogenesis

• KIN 461-3 Physiology of Aging (Distance Ed.)

Nice and easy...? I replaced MBB 435 with BISC 498, and then dropped PSYC 100 and SPAN 102 because I was on the verge of going crazy before the semester even started... =D

My undergrad research will be in the area of Drosophila melangaster fly genetics, in the Verheyen Lab. More details to come later!