Summer Prep in San Diego


It's hard to believe that I've been in San Diego for nearly two months now. The fall quarter has just started, but before the main event were six weeks of prep. The first two weeks of prep I had Math Camp; the class was even cooler than the name sounds. Following math camp I had a Quantitative Methods (QM) class as well as Economics.

The classes had homework and a final, and although we received a grade, it doesn't count towards our GPA. So basically prep is supposed to be a way for you to refresh your skills, particularly in math, before it really counts for anything. I'm definitely glad I took the courses, because it's been nearly ten years since I studied any math. The QM class deals with statistics, which I took senior year of high school, and Microsoft Excel, which I've barely used, so again, I needed a review.

In addition to the subject classes we had career orientation several times a week, in which we learned about various industries where alumni work, the ins and outs of interviews, networking, and internship applications. Several alumni who came back to talk with us mentioned how, when it comes to finding a job, grades really aren't that important compared with networking. I hope I can keep that in mind during the quarter when I have tests and papers due!

Aside from school, I did have free time to get out and about in San Diego, particularly on the weekends. When I first arrived in San Diego, my dad came with me, and he rented a car. I can't thank him enough for coming, since I don't know how in the hell I could have furnished my room without him! We drove to IKEA and made several trips to Target and Vons with the rental. Aside from struggling to put together an IKEA bed-frame we also went for a ride along the beach in La Jolla and Pacific Beach, and checked out a neighborhood near downtown called Barrio Logan.

Renting a Uhaul for a furniture run at IKEA with my dad

The first night my mattress was on the floor;
we needed more work on the fram!

A quick lesson in housing costs in San Diego

Ocean cliffs at La Jolla

My room set-up after some construction and rearranging

Once my dad left it was a lot harder to get around; San Diego has many perks, but walkability is not one of them. There are a few dense neighborhoods, but out here near campus things are spread out. My apartment is close to campus, but I still need to cycle; well, walking to my classes would probably take 40 minutes. Also to go grocery shopping or grab food I typically need to cycle or take the bus. There are a few restaurants nearby, but the round-trip walk is still 30 minutes. Far cry from where I lived in China or Korea!

I got a bike the first week here in San Diego, and I definitely need it

During several weekends of prep I went out with students from the program, and I feel like I've gotten to know many of my classmates. I also saw Kyle, a guy I lived with at Ohio State who works in San Diego. During Labor Day weekend I bused up to Santa Barbara to visit my cousin Leslie, stopping along the way for a night at my friend Andrew's place in LA. Another weekend Justin visited, and we explored a few museums downtown and went to the cove in La Jolla. Here are a bunch of photos from the rest of prep:

Torrey Pines state park, where I took a hike with my classmates


Group photo on the hike

Our prep classmates also went to a Padres baseball game


Cliffs within walking distance of campus, which I explored with Justin



The Midway aircraft carrier museum downtown


Seals at the La Jolla cove


Out for beers with my buddy Andrew

Hanging with my Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, her husband, and their daughter

So overall it's been an eventful start to my life here in San Diego, and I've taken advantage of the free time, cause there won't be much during fall quarter. Former students and second years keep telling me how stressful and heavy the workload is; I'll soon see!

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