CS373 Week 9

What did you do this past week?

Last week was so very hectic. It was the first week back from spring break and I had two projects I due Thursday, one of which my group had barely started, and another I had to wait until I got back from spring break to make any progress because I needed a lot of help from the TAs. I also had a test for Algorithms the day before those projects were due, and I didn't do too well on that. So overall a pretty bad week.

What's in your way?

Currently in my way is starting the two new projects for the classes whos' projects just ended. One project is just a continuation of what our group has already been doing, so it shouldn't be too hard to get started, but the other is a completely new kind of project. I haven't done anything like it before, so I am nervous to get started. 

What will you do next week?

Next week I will start on the new projects. I will go to TA office hours and Lab hours so I can get a good foundation on these projects and hopefully not have to wait until the last minute like I did with the last ones. I will also be preparing for a Chinese test at the end of the week that is supposed to be harder than the ones we have taken before, so I should definitely study for it.

What was your experience of Project #3: IDB2?

While I did not think the content or the timeframe of this project was unfair, our group was plagued with so many small and large issues in getting the website actually displaying and loading correctly, the stress may have actually made me get mildly sick. I know it is probably untrue, but the timing is so perfect, if I had to blame something, I would blame the stress.

What's your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?

My tip of the week is that even if you have a group project and some of the time to do it is over spring break, some of your group just won't be in contact during that time, so you can not reliably progress any significant amount during spring break. If at all possible you want to do as much of it as you can before spring break, and if the project is assigned right before the break starts, and due the week you get back, well, you better be good at whatever the project is about.