Catching Up

I'm terrible about keeping up with my own blog, even though I religiously view others. One drawback of posting less often is that I often feel compelled to write a huge uber-post that covers what several smaller posts would have done better. I'm going to try and avoid that in hopes that I will start writing here more often, so let's just talk about my summer plans for now.

This summer I'm working for the Segal Design Institute, which is really just a fancy name for Northwestern's design engineering department, which received a significant amount from money by Gordon Segal, founder of Crate and Barrel, in exchange for his name. Basically, I work to redesign, test, and manufacture various EDC projects that the RIC felt sufficiently lacking in fail to pursue further. So far, I've worked on a jar opening device for people with only one functional arm, and a feeding system for a girl with very little manual dexterity/strength. The next project involves a bit more engineering design, and is a pair of swimming goggles for people with limited upper-body dexterity. None of the projects particularly appeal to me, perhaps because I lack the disabilities to make any of these products necessary, but it certainly has been familiarizing me with the shop tools. Perhaps I'll even make something I'd be willing to put in my portfolio! Having flexible hours is also a perk that I've been taking advantage of a little too much :-P

I'm also taking GEN CMN 102 (Public Speaking) and ECON 311 (Intermediate Macroeconomics) this summer. The main reason I'm taking these classes is because I really want to do a senior thesis (for whatever bizarre reason I cannot say), but can't unless I raise my GPA to a 3.5 by the end of the summer. Having taken a few too many unnecessary classes that destroyed my GPA (*cough cough orgo*), this is my last chance.

In many ways, this summer is my last chance to really shape up in preparation for next year. I had been putting off preparing for the future, thinking "Oh I have time, I'm taking 5 years with the BS/BMus program", but signs now point to me graduating in 4 years with a BS in Mechanical Engineering (hopefully with honors thesis) and Certificate in Engineering Design, so I need to start thinking about finding a job or getting into grad school. This is the summer to beef up my GPA, refine my portfolio, ace my standardized tests (GRE and GMAT in September), and do the relevant things that will land me a nice job/grad school. Oh, and I should keep practicing piano so I can give my senior recital this fall. And learn Chinese better. And get in shape. And maintain some semblance of a social/romantic life. Time really does pass by faster as you age... and yet there are still people that complain of boredom.