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(04/28/22 5:04am)
Many of my midterm exams at Penn so far have been emotional rollercoasters. Going toward the end of my first year at Penn, I’m finding a common pattern after taking each exam: thinking that I absolutely failed it at first, until the professor releases an announcement saying that the exam will be curved. Talking to many of my friends, I’ve learned that I’m not alone in feeling strained by this recurrent situation. Although everyone appreciates getting a curve on any assignment, I can’t help to point out a much simpler solution: Create exams with more reasonable levels of difficulty.
(02/16/22 2:07pm)
Having been an international student since high school, I celebrated Lunar New Year for the fifth consecutive time without my family. Just like all other Quakers who observe this holiday, I was trapped on campus, embraced by a bizarre and complicated feeling of jubilee, homesickness, and stress. Unlike Western holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, which happen over extended breaks and provide ample time for people to go home to celebrate with their families, Lunar New Year can be a uniquely emotional experience for the Asian community at Penn.
(11/11/21 7:08pm)
One of the legacies of remote learning is the addition of video recording devices in many classrooms, a legacy that still plays an important role for students who can’t attend class due to COVID-19 related complications. This technological advancement also benefits the entire student body as more and more students choose to watch lecture recordings virtually in lieu of going to a physical classroom. While there have been voices pushing for a more flexible mode of teaching through online learning, Penn should take a step further and make all large lectures asynchronous through recordings.
(11/11/21 6:00am)
Coming to Penn this August, I was more or less prepared to be surrounded by the University’s infamous pre-professional culture. However, I didn’t expect the overwhelming feeling of anxiety and stress that stemmed from such a culture as I tried to navigate through the first month of my first year. Whether I was at the club fair, in the classroom, or even over the dining tables in the cafeteria, people seemed to always overburden themselves with countless commitments whether it was seeking out an internship opportunity, preparing for a competition as a club member, or networking with a guest speaker. The fact that everyone else was constantly doing something to ensure a secure future constantly made me question why I was not doing the same. But it soon occurred to me that the more perplexing question is: Why exactly is everyone doing so much? The current pre-professional culture at Penn asks students to invest too much in packaging themselves as the perfect applicant at the expense of exploring what their desired career is really about. Penn students need to take a step back from acquiring the skills and experiences for a job until they have thought enough about the reason for doing so, which is the crucial step that defines our humanity.
