'Kiara'
Hey blogging friends!
This last week has been CRAZY fabulous for me and it’s mainly because of WiCS (Women in Computer Science.) Was my title enough of a hint? Lol. Last week I had two WICS events, which meant lots of laughs and fun times for me. First we had a Qualcomm bowling event at the Union Underground. YES! There IS a bowling alley right here on campus 
. Elynn, Vicki, and I were the only freshmen there so we got exposure and cool points for hanging with the older members; it was a really nice bonding experience. Ok, so I’m not sure if Elynn posted the pictures of the scores yet but in my defense; I was under the impression that bowling was like golf, and the object was to get the lowest score possible ;p. For all of you out there who don’t believe my excuse, I have a back-up: ELYNN’S SCORES DON’T COUNT BECAUSE SHE HAD THE BUMPERS UP!!! Even though she didn’t even use them, just knowing the bumpers had her back if she bowled badly gave her the confidence to BEAST haha. Seriously though you know something is wrong with your lane when the person with bumpers has the highest score and isn’t even using them haha! After the wonderful bowling night on Monday, on Wednesday night we had a WiCS meeting and planned booths for the Computer Science Groundbreaking Event Dig CS and received some Google Swagggg :] . My camera is charging as I type this so I will definitely be putting up pics with my Droid stuffie. I can’t wait for the event, because we’re learning the Thriller Dance so we can all do a flash mob at some time during it. Ooooo, if things go really nicely I may even attend the thing where everyone in the world starts dancing to Thriller at once, I believe it’s called Thrill the World. Either way I’m extremely excited because I’ve never participated in a Flash mob before, and it’s just the sort of quirky thing I love 
Education wise this past week has been so chill. You never realize how much you’re stressing about an exam until you don’t have anyone. I swear my subconscious must be constantly screaming at me to study whenever there’s an exam coming up, because once it’s over my brain seems so quiet; I love non-exam weeks =). Sadly, despite the fact that there were no exams this week I still had a lot of work, especially in Comp Sci. I spent all of Friday afternoon in the lab and still had to go back Monday morning and afternoon to finish up my Rock, Paper, Scissors project. It wasn’t that it was a hard assignment or anything; it was just a lot of coding to be doing by myself. It turned out really well though, and I’m going to work on expanding it and using it for one of my FRI (Freshmen Research Initiative) inquiries. Along with the project I also had a lot of homework to do for Comp Sci, plus Pre-Cal and Chemistry. At this point Chemistry is definitely the bane of my existence D: I used to love it back in high school but for some reason now even thinking about Chemistry gives me a headache lol. I seriously dislike it. Maybe it’s because there are soooo many people in the class it’s easy to zone out or become disengaged from the lecture. Unlike my Comp Sci and Pre-Cal class, which are about half the Chem class’ size at 200 people, you can’t stop the professor and ask a question so if you get lost on one point you’re lost the rest of the lecture and until you go figure it out on your own time. Other than Chem though I still love school, especially Comp Sci, I can’t wait until we get our next Assignment. Well, I must go, the evil Chemistry homework is calling me.
College Tip: No matter what college you go to, when you finally get there make sure you make some time for FUN. For example this Sunday my iPal mentors (another WiCS program) and my fellow mentee and I went out to the Alamo Draft House to watch the Social Network. The Draft House features their own special mini shows before the movie starts instead of previews and serves full course meals during the movie. It’s the kind of experience I never would have gotten on campus, and it was so refreshing to get away from school work for a few hours.
October 20th, 2010
Hellooooooo everybody,
Gosh it feels like it’s been FOREVER since my last post. Lately the days have been flying by. Every week seems like it’s getting busier and busier but that’s probably because I’m getting {Dramatic Pause} Wait for it…
A SOCIAL LIFE!!!!
Yep I’m finally making FRIENDS 
. By that I mean new ones and not just the three I came with from high school. I know I probably sound really lame right now but I promise I’m not antisocial. It’s just when all your classes have at least 120 students in them and you’re sitting by a new person everyday it can be hard to get a name let alone a Facebook, number or email address. So yes everyone I, Kiara Davis, have made friends (I just love using that word now it makes me feel so accomplished), so now I can share some adventures with you :]
So this week was the first week I’ve had two tests in a row, and one was our Comp Sci Midterm, which was our first test in that class. I feel like I did pretty well actually, the only thing that I’m concerned about is whether or not I used parseInt correctly. Despite my little panic with the String class I definitely passed and I’m hoping for an A. Now, onto the juicy, fun FRIEND stuff that I’m sure yall have been waiting for. Along with the Comp Sci exam I also had my Chem exam this week so a group of my friends from Littlefield and I gathered some people together and were able to get a group of seven people!!!!!! It was like a party lol. No seriously though seven was a big feat for us because we’re all sort of lacking in the friend department {sheepish grin}. Anyway Wednesday night was like the night of college so far. We “studied” for about 4 hours and in those four we crammed inside jokes, laughs, talking, Tiff’s Treat’s, Pizza, Drinks, all three homework assignments, the review sheet, AND flash cards. Oh yea, we BEASTED. The only people who didn’t have a good time were the ones at the table behind us trying to study. I think they were just jealous they didn’t get an invite to the group session :p. The moral of the story: STUDY SESSIONS ARE AWESOME!!!!! I don’t know about yall but I’ve never been a study group person. I’ve always been the type who would volunteer to work on a project alone if there were an odd number of people in class because I’d rather do everything on my own. So if you are a lone wolf like me, try a study group! If you need to you can study alone beforehand so if the group isn’t productive you’ll still be prepared. Either way you will definitely have a ball.
Well I’ve got a Comp Sci lab to work on so I shall see yall next week!!
Coming soon: Pictures from the OU Torchlight Parade (Yes I know late, sorry 
):
October 7th, 2010
Helloooooo,
Sorry but I’m sure this will be a relatively short post due to all the craziness of yesterday. It really kind of overshadowed all the other things that have been going on in my life. One thing I will say regarding the incident is make sure you put your name on the mobile messaging list so you can get updates from the police. The texts were reaaallllyyyyy helpful because I was leaving for class right when I got the second message telling us to stay in a sheltered place. They also came in handy during the lockdown because they were easier to understand than the loudspeaker.
Anyways the OU Torchlight Parade was tonight and it brought back a sense of normalcy. I will admit I was not the most school spirited person before tonight—but I am NOW . I loved it. Seriously there couldn’t have been more energy running through that place it was amazing. Best part of the night?? THE CUTE LITTLE DANCER’S BELLIES!!! I have no clue what kind of work out they do but it works. Some friends and I already have a plan to facebook stalk them and force them to let us work out with them lol. I promise you I’m not being overboard, their abs were that great
Well it is most definitely night night time for me. So I will..write? to yall next week. Hope you have a safe and good time until then J
Kiara
September 30th, 2010
Hiiiii!!!!
This week was definitely the most. Intense. Ever. I LOVED it x]. Soooo the busy-ness kicked right off on Monday. After my 3 classes were over I went to my first WiCS (Women in Computer Science) meeting!! Can I just say UT has to be the best place to be a Computer Science major?!! There are so many opportunities I’m being offered as a freshman that most people don’t get as juniors and seniors. For example, next Thursday I’m having lunch with Microsoft representatives, possible dinner with Amazon, and the Thursday after that, lunch with Google! Those are only some of the great chances for networking, getting an internship, and meeting new people that I heard about at the WiCS meeting. If we’re receiving all of this exposure as freshmen imagine what kind of prospects we’ll be getting as sophomores, juniors, and seniors? After the WiCS meeting I rushed over to the BSA (Black Student Alliance) meeting and had another blast. It was nice to hear what’s going on around campus that directly pertains to African Americans and also receive some academic tips. I’d really recommend joining some type of club or group for freshman year whether it is religious, ethnic, athletic, or just one that has to do with your interests. The clubs I’ve joined so far have made campus seem a lot smaller. It’s nice to be able to walk down Speedway and see a familiar face.
Ok so Tuesday I decided to start trying out for the novice rower team. You’re probably like whaa, ROWING, huh?? But I must say so far it’s been really fun. I heard about it from one of my WiNS(Women in Natural Sciences, haha this women in _____ thing just keeps coming up) friends and figured I should check it out because it’d be a good way to meet new people and get/stay in shape. Originally the plan was to go Monday but there were three bus stops within less than half a block from each other so I got SUPERconfused lol. I’m sure I was the butt of many jokes for the 15 minutes I was outside waiting at the stops. I kept walking between all the buses, looking around in a daze lol; I even tried to play it off by sitting on a bench rocking back and forth, but yea, I was definitely a newb :p. Even though you can look up the bus schedule online I would definitely recommend that if, strike that, WHEN you come to UT you have a friend come along your first time so that if you get lost you can have someone to go missing with . Anyway, Tuesday came and I went with my WiNS friend to Rowing practice. Of course I chose the day they were running the 2.5 mile run to be my first day. It was tiring, but the best workout I’ve gotten in about a year. Let me just say I played Volleyball, Basketball, Track and Cross Country in high school and Rowing is one of the most intense sports I’ve ever played. I’m pretty excited about it though, I’m planning on being a coxswain and as the season goes on I’ll keep you updated.
So the highlight of my week by far was definitely MY FIRST COLLEGE EXAM!!!! x] I took my Chem test on Thursday and I was very proud of myself because I actually *gasp* studied, which is something I’ve never done before. I really, really, reaaallllyyyy miss my graphing calculator. On the exams we have to use Scientific non-graphing calculators and I spent more time trying to figure out how to work that thing than I actually spent taking the test =/. Don’t laugh at me but…I didn’t know you had to use the EE key for exponents *hides face in shame*. I can feel you judging me but before you get to disgusted in my defense I’ve been using graphing calculators since 7th grade and I always just used the ^ key. Despite all the chaos, I ended up with a B on the exam and my score was 19 points higher than the class average so I think everything turned out well.
Well today is the beginning of the weekend and I think I deserve some relaxation so I’m going to go!! Hope you enjoyed reading and I can’t wait to experience next week’s adventures to share with y’all. Have a good week!
College Tip: When you get to college be prepared to study. I invested more time to get that B on my Chem exam than I’ve ever invested on any academic related topic. People aren’t kidding when they say college is more work than high school.
September 17th, 2010
Hi all
So the lesson for this week is DEFINITELY time management. Let’s just say Labor Day completely messed up all my scheduling and plans =( lol. First off, I’d like to promise yall I did NOT procrastinate. I knew I’d be going away to the Air Force Academy in Colorado for the weekend so I spent last Wednesday and Thursday scrambling to do “all” my homework, which turned out to be only some of it. So ever since I got back to Austin Monday I’ve faced a bajillion of catastrophes. Here are just some of them:
- I ended up 40 miles from Austin on the way back from the airport.
- I couldn’t turn in a Quest assignment that was due before I could make it back to the dorm.
- A night before it was due I realized that I’d forgotten to do an inquiry (basically a lab) for FRI (Freshman Research Initiative, a wonderful program since we’re planning to be computer scientists and that means skills in researching ways to solve problems,) and had to rush one out.
- For some reason after a three day weekend it’s really hard to get out of bed in the morning so I was running a wee bit late Tuesday.
- I managed to misread my schedule and missed my Comp Sci discussion because I ended up on the other side of campus where my lecture is.
- Somehow I was able to lose both my driver’s license AND UT ID in less than 24 hours.
The moral of the story is: be very careful during Labor Day Weekend, crazy things happen o.O
On the bright side it was really nice to get back to Austin and see my crazy roommate. She always drags me on some adventure around campus. For example, having us walk all the way to the stadium for free food that you actually have to pay for haha. She definitely makes sure I know alllllll about anything that’s going on at UT. Ooo! Also, today I went to Comp Sci for the first time in about a week and it was good to know I haven’t fallen behind. Since you’re all interested in Computer Science I’ll let you know what we’re doing in the Intro Class right now so you can know what you have to expect. Basically we’re trying to reduce redundancy in our static methods, so we’re grouping lots of little methods that work together and occur repetitively, in a method that includes them all. That way instead of calling the same methods over and over we can just call the few larger methods they are a part of. It’s pretty fun. Also, if you’re nervous about taking Comp Sci in college because you’re taking it now in high school or you’ve heard stories about it from a friend who’s taking it don’t stress!! College Comp Sci is going muuuuch slower than AP did. Everything’s explained thoroughly and plainly so I doubt you’ll have any problems with it.
Well, I must go. I still haven’t quite caught up from my Labor Day hiatus :p so there’s a lot of homework to be done. I must admit Colorado is beautiful but it has nothing on Texas. Even during a tropical storm with thunder storms and all, it’s STILL hotter here than it is there (: Gotta love Texas weather, talk to yall next week.
CollegeTip: If you lose something all hope is not lost. There’s a lost and found you can report your missing items too at www.utexas.edu/police/lostandfound
Rocky Mountains
September 8th, 2010
Hola Hola 
Although you’ve probably already seen it on the Bio page, my name is Kiara and I’m a freshman Computer Science major at UT. So even though I’ve only been a college student for, exactly six days, it feels like I’ve been here forever and I must say Austin is really starting to feel like home . One of the first things I noticed about UT is how different it was from what I’d heard college would be like. It’s as different as night and day. For example:
Myth #1: The Sucky Dorm and the Big. Bad. Roommate.
Ok so I don’t know about y’all but I’ve heard some scary stuff about college dorms! I’ve heard everything from horrific shower stalls and closet-sized rooms, to bully roommates named Olga who beat you while you’re sleeping. So I must say when move-in day arrived I was pretty apprehensive, especially since my dorm, Littlefield, had been closed for renovations during my orientation and I didn’t know my roommate. All I had to go off was the virtual tour and pictures online (which I know from my online shopping experience can be very misleading), and my roomie’s Facebook page. When I arrived at the Honors Quad the first thing I noticed was how beautiful it was. There was none of the trash and destroyed buildings and equipment like I’d been told there would be. Instead all the greenery and pretty landscaping reminded me of The Secret Garden:]. IT WAS AWESOME ! My entire dorm experience turned out to be the opposite of everything I’d heard. Although I’d heard that Littlefield dorm rooms are small, the size seems perfect to me, it’s nice and homey and cozy. Also, my room has a huuuuuuugeeeeeee walk-in closet. I don’t know how I could ever fill it up; I actually feel like I under-packed, which is unheard of for me. As for the roommate business, I didn’t want to room with any of my friends from home so I let Housing choose for me . I must admit, I was extremely nervous once it was finally time to meet my roomie, Fabi, and I’d pretty much talked myself into camping out in my friend’s rooms. Luckily I didn’t have to worry because she and I get along wonderfully. I don’t know if the roommate choosers are psychic or what but we have so much in common! We’re almost the same height (that’s a big coincidence considering I’m a midget lol), have lots of similarities and even wear the same shoe size x]!! Overall my whole living situation couldn’t have gone better :].
Myth #2: The Evil Professors.
If there was one line I always heard from my teachers in high school it was, “We baby you here in high school, when you get to college they’re not going to care if you show up to class or about whether or not you learn for that matter.” This would definitely have to be the biggest lie ever! I quickly found out on my first day of classes that Professors care quite a bit about whether or not you show up to class, so much so that all of my teachers except one even count attendance as a daily grade. Also, I’ve yet to meet a mean or even unapproachable professor x]. All of my Professors have super- fun, quirky personalities and are so easy to relate to. You don’t have to be scared to ask a question; as a matter of fact you don’t even have to raise your hand . My largest class, Chemistry, has over 400 people in it, which is more than my graduating class at Killeen High School. Despite the large size that I’m definitely not used, it’s still a breeze to learn and stay engaged in lecture. So don’t worry about large class sizes there are large projector screens and the professors all have microphones to ensure you get their message. Let’s just say I haven’t fallen asleep in one class so that tells you how BEAST it must be lol.
So far I can definitely say this college life isn’t bad at all. Even though I’m on my own in a large city everyone on campus is so nice and supportive. Chefs at the Cafes pass out free coffee and soda passes, the first few days there were people posted to provide help with finding classes, and every person I’ve stopped to ask for directions has pulled out their iPhone and used their map to try and help. I’m really excited to see how this year goes at UT Austin. HOOK ‘EM!!! \m/
So I know everyone else is giving a little tidbit of advice too, but hey I guess this just means more knowledge for y’all =). Here’s a college tip, and don’t be frightened to ask me questions, I’d love to answer them.
Start applying for college and scholarships early. Most of the good privately funded ones come out between August and November. Also, don’t forget UT’s scholarship deadline is before the application deadline so make sure you apply early!
Thanks for reading ,
Kiara
August 31st, 2010
