Undergrad doing chemical biology major here, also with a minor in data science. I just got my grades for my junior spring semester and I got C+ in a molecular bio course and pchem 2, both of which I feel like I put a lot of effort in relative to the grades that I got. Both these classes are not super related to what I do, especially pchem, but still count as major classes. That and the amount of burnout caused my GPA slipped from 3.61 to 3.52. I wasn't really a straight A student but a C+ is something I've never had before. I'm really not sure as to what my directions are from here, I go to a really prestigious undergraduate program so pretty much all of my upperclassmen friends have graduated to go to grad school like Harvard, Stanford, MIT etc.
I've been doing research for every semester apart from sophomore Spring, and I've been with my current lab since last year, but I don't think I'll get published anytime soon. Originally I wanted to do a PhD program straight out of grad but at this point I don't know if my entire application has already been jeopardized. I have an internship this summer, and at this rate I'm thinking if I should just ditch the PhD program and hope my company gives me a return offer, work for a few years, and if they really need me to get a PhD I'll just change career paths. Please help me I'm super stressed out and I'm at a loss since it's really late in my academic career and these are the most dire grades I've ever received.

Bonjour bonjour, J’ai un petit problème; L’école primaire juste devant chez moi mets de la musique à tout les jours pendant les dîner et l’après-midi (et même parfois le matin à 8h!). C’est tout à fait correct et normal de mettre de la musique une fois de temps en temps pendant les événements importants de cette école, mais à tous les jours??? C’est très chiant pour moi qui fait du télétravail pendant la journée et qui a des murs fin.
Je ne suis pas sûre de ce que je dois faire ou si il y a une solution à ce problème. Je veux quand même pas appeler la police (je trouve que c’est beaucoup trop exagéré) mais je dois porter un casque antibruit dans ma propre maison pour pouvoir ne pas les entendre et en plus, je sens les vibrations alors que c’est de l’autre côté de la rue. Je suis crissement tannée s’il vous plaît aidez-moi à trouver une solution je vais devenir folle. Merci

I've recently completed my third year of computer engineering at UofT, and I wanted to share my thoughts on the courses I've taken. I hope this will be beneficial to incoming first, second, and third-year engineering students. My area of depth is 6 (Software) and my areas of breadth are 4 (Control) and 5 (Computer hardware/networks).
Difficulty: How hard it was to comprehend course material and/or complete practice problems accurately. Keep in mind that difficulty is subjective but I tried to eliminate personal bias and be as objective as possible.
Workload: The amount of work to complete outside of lectures (labs, assignments, homework, studying for tests/exams).
All engineers take the exact same courses in their first year first semester and similar ones in second semester. I took these courses in 2021 during covid so some information might be outdated.
First Year Semester 1:
APS100 Orientation to Engineering:
Difficulty: 1/10 Workload: 3/10 Course Average: N/A
There is no technical material in this course. All coursework consists of Ethics analysis, creating a schedule for time management, creating your resume, and discussion board participation. During tutorials, the TA typically asks behavioral questions to the class and covers slides pertaining to engineering principles, the learning environment, test readiness, and related topics.
APS110 Engineering Chemistry and Materials Science
Difficulty: 6/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: B
This course blends elements of chemistry, physics, and mathematics, requiring lots of formulas and memorization. The assignments and online quizzes were moderately difficult. Not sure if he’s still teaching but Scott Ramsay was a really good professor. Really enjoyed watching his video demonstrations.
APS111 Engineering Strategies and Practices I
Difficulty: 3/10 Workload: 6/10 (Variable) Course Average: B
Students are organized into groups of 5-6 and are assigned the task of developing a solution for a client, following the engineering design process. Success in this course heavily relies on your team. Throughout the semester, there are several milestones where you need to submit large reports with your team, making it crucial to have capable teammates. Many teams resorted to last-minute cramming the night before each milestone (not a good idea). Additionally, there are two peer reviews, so make sure you contribute to avoid being perceived as an unproductive member. In most cases, you don’t need to worry about this though. You’d likely all be good friends by that point (and give each other a perfect review).
CIV100 Mechanics
Difficulty: 9/10 Workload: 9/10 Course Average: C+
The consensus among most students in my year was that this was the toughest first year course. It's incredibly calculation heavy, with questions that may appear straightforward in theory but require multiple steps to solve. Even a minor error can screw up your entire calculation process. The assignments are extremely time-consuming, and the quizzes pose significant challenges. I suggest you work in a group for the assignments. Furthermore, both the final exam and midterm were exceptionally difficult.
MAT186 Calculus I
Difficulty: 4/10 Workload: 4/10 Course Average: B
If you’ve taken IB or AP this course will be a breeze. Even without that background, it's still relatively straightforward. Very little on integrals, mostly derivatives, rates of change, and graphs. PCEs and WebWorks were trivial, and the midterm and exam were easy.
MAT188 Linear Algebra
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: B-
The majority of the course revolves around relatively straightforward operations on matrices and vectors. However, it does introduce abstract concepts like higher-order dimensions, which may require some deeper thinking to fully grasp. Webwork assignments were slightly more challenging compared to MAT186's, and completing assignments took a while. Once again, you should work with a partner or as a group. Pay attention in the MATLAB practicals because you’ll be using MATLAB pretty often in future courses.
First Year Semester 2:
APS105 Computer Fundamentals
Difficulty: 6/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: B-
If you’ve taken programming in high school, you will likely find this course very easy (2/10 difficulty). The course covers simple programming syntax, along with basic sorting algorithms, without delving into more advanced concepts beyond linked lists and binary trees. I think that this was one of the more enjoyable courses of first year.
APS112 Engineering Strategies and Practices II
Difficulty: 5/10 Workload: 7/10 (Variable) Course Average: B+
This course is essentially a continuation of APS111, but with the added component of being assigned an actual client with a real-world problem statement. Each group works with a unique client, and at the end of the term, you present your final report directly to them, along with your supervisors. As with APS111, the quality of your team plays a crucial role in your success. Another thing to note is that unlike APS111, there were multiple individual assignments to complete on top of your team reports.
ECE110 Electrical Fundamentals
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 6/10 Course Average: C+
Definitely one of the harder first year courses. This course marks your introduction to circuits. Topics covered include capacitors, Ampere's law, Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's laws, AC/DC circuits, magnetism, Thevenin and Norton equivalents, and more. The material is extensive and requires thorough understanding, as many future courses will build upon its concepts. Make sure that you understand the content well, given its foundational importance in subsequent courses.
ECE191 Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering
Difficulty: 0/10 Workload: 1/10 Course Average: N/A
Seminar course. You just need to show up to the lectures (one per week) and submit a 100-ish word report about what you learned.
MAT187 Calculus II
Difficulty: 6/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: C+
The workload in this course is comparable to Calc I, but the content is more challenging (obviously). It delves deeper into integrals and introduces concepts like ordinary differential equations and polar coordinates. But again, you’ll manage just fine if you did decently in Calc 1, and especially if you’ve taken AP math or IB HL math.
MIE100 Dynamics
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload 4/10 Course Average: C+
I personally found this to be the most challenging course in first year, but it seems that most people disagree with me. It shares similarities with CIV100, but you’re instead dealing with dynamic systems (moving) rather than static ones (not moving). Some concepts may prove difficult to grasp initially. However, if you focus on memorizing the relevant formulas and understanding when to apply them, you should be okay. Expect an emphasis on physics in this course.
Second year was the worst (for ECE) and a very big step up from first year. If you struggled in first year, you better lock in for second year.
Second Year Semester 1:
ECE201 ECE Seminar Course
Difficulty: 0/10 Workload: 0/10 Course Average: N/A
Another seminar course, except you just need to attend 7/10 lectures to pass. Most students just scan their Tcard at the entrance then leave right after. The lectures are pretty useless except the Magellan one where they show you how to choose courses for 3rd and 4th year.
ECE212 Circuit Analysis
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 8/10 Course Average: B+
This course provides a deeper exploration of circuits, extending beyond circuit solving to include frequency and sinusoidal analysis. Questions tend to be long so careless errors will cost you. Personally, I found the labs challenging, particularly because they required working with oscilloscopes at a higher level than I was used to, and I could not for the life of me figure out how to use that thing.
ECE241 Digital Systems
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 8/10 Course Average: B-
This hardware course focuses on the foundation of hardware. A lot of the content is at the fundamental level so it’s not too hard to comprehend. However, the main challenge lies in learning Verilog, a hardware description language. I hate Verilog. All the labs are done using Verilog, and frustratingly, the course provides no instruction on the language, nor are there many helpful resources available online. This lack of guidance made what should have been straightforward labs much more difficult. Thankfully if you are in CE, you’ll never need to take another course with Verilog again. The midterm was easy but the final was borderline impossible.
ECE244 Programming Fundamentals
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: B-
This course is the sequel to APS105, delving into more advanced concepts like pointers, constructors, polymorphism, and inheritance. Many of these topics may feel familiar if you have prior programming experience, particularly from high school. Consequently, if you're already proficient in programming, as many computer engineering students are, you should be able to navigate through this course well. The labs were generally manageable, although a couple of them were time-consuming.
MAT290 Advanced Engineering Mathematics
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload 8/10 Course Average: B
In this course, you’ll learn a lot of miscellaneous mathematical concepts that will be relevant in future courses. The goal is to establish a strong foundation to facilitate understanding in third and fourth-year courses. There is also a quiz every week. They were terrible from a time management standpoint, but as long as you spent 3-4 hours per week completing the assigned textbook questions, you should be alright since one (out of two) of the questions on the quiz is guaranteed to be an assigned textbook question (at least, that was the case when I took the course).
MAT291 Calculus III
Difficulty: 9/10 Workload 9/10 Course Average: B-
The entire workload comes from studying for those damn weekly quizzes, much like MAT290. Personally, I found it to be one of the most difficult courses I've ever taken. Think of calculus 2, but now everything is in three dimensions, encompassing concepts like surface integrals, flux integrals, and more. Additionally, the course introduces abstract topics that I still struggle to grasp. Balancing the demands of this course alongside everything else was an incredibly stressful experience.
Second Year Semester 2:
ECE216 Signals and Systems
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload:7/10 Course Average: C+
I think everyone hated this course. It was so poorly taught and the midterms felt haphazard and unpredictable. I relied on the power of BS to pass (worked surprisingly). Other than working with many graphs and MATLAB, I don’t remember much about this course because it was so uninteresting.
ECE221 Electric and Magnetic Fields
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: C+
This course serves as an introduction to fields, while also expanding on the principles covered in ECE110. Many concepts build upon intuitive ideas, such as the repulsion of identical charges and attraction of opposite charges, which can make seemingly complex topics less intimidating. There are also many procedures that you need to know to solve specific types of questions. The labs are generally straightforward. You just need to follow the steps on the lab worksheet and answer a few simple questions from the TA.
ECE231 Intro to Electronics
Difficulty: 9/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: C+
This course is basically circuit analysis but significantly harder. It combines everything you've learned about circuits thus far, introducing new topics on top of that foundation. There are so many new concepts to learn and the final pretty much tests you on all of them. I’ve encountered multiple scenarios where I saw two concepts that I thought were completely separate from each other being integrated into a single question on an exam. Also very calculation heavy. Despite my experience in this course, I must admit Khoman Fang was a great professor.
ECE243 Computer Organization
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 6/10 Course Average: B
This course is a direct continuation of ECE241, and surprisingly, I found it a lot more enjoyable than its prerequisite. The focus is on Assembly language programming, which I found to be way more understandable compared to Verilog. Assembly operates at a fundamental level, so you’re technically working with the most basic building blocks in programming. The labs often involved seemingly simple tasks like counting to 10 on a HEX display, but the nature of Assembly meant that achieving this could require hundreds of lines of code. I appreciated these labs as they provided a refreshing change from the usual programming tasks. Final and midterm exams were relatively easy.
ECE297 Software communication and design
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 9/10 (Variable) Course Average: B+
Despite the demanding workload, this course was one of my favorites. The main project involved collaborating in teams of three to develop a geographical information system (similar to Google Maps). Unlike other courses where teams are assigned, here you have the freedom to choose your own teammates. Starting off, your team is given only the OpenStreetMap database, and the APIs, granting you complete control over your project's design, functionality, and optimization. Performance enhancement and pathfinding algorithms were key components of the project. It's crucial for all team members to contribute effectively for success in this course; And trust me, this is not a one or two person project. To succeed in this course, all three members must be doing their share.
Third Year:
They say that third year is the easiest year for ECE, but that depends on what courses you choose. For me, it was only slightly easier than second year but still significantly harder than first year.
APS360 Fundamentals of Deep Learning
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload : 8/10 Course Average: B+
This course felt fundamentally very different compared to the other programming related courses. If you’re unfamiliar with deep learning, the content can be overwhelming but the inner workings behind AI are both fascinating and challenging to grasp. Fortunately, much of the coding in the course revolves around preparing data, setting up AI architectures, and training/testing models, rather than building an AI from scratch. While the labs are manageable, the final project can be very time consuming, particularly as training a single model can require hours or even days. Regarding this aspect, make sure you start early. Both the midterm and final exams were quite difficult.
ECE302 Probability and Applications
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 3/10 Course Average: B-
The first half of this course is very straightforward. Just an introduction to probability. The second half is where the difficulty quickly ramps up. Make sure you don’t underestimate the second half of the course. I made the mistake of assuming the material was easy after performing well on both midterms (midterms were very easy), leading me to neglect the final third of the course so I flunked the final. FYI, our marks were determined solely by the 2 midterms and the final.
ECE344 Operating Systems
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 10/10 Course Average: B
This course had the most difficult and demanding labs I’ve ever seen in my life. They are due every two weeks and some of them took most students more than 15 hours to complete. I’ve seen people staying up all night in the GB computer rooms to finish these labs. One positive aspect of the course if Jon Eyolfson is your professor, is that all lectures are both recorded and live-streamed, allowing attendance in person, online synchronously, or asynchronously. But if you have Ding Yuan, good luck. I heard he is not only bad at teaching, but also makes you program an operating system from scratch. The course content is quite interesting and the Midterm and final exams were fair.
ECE345 Algorithms and Data Structures
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: B+
If you're one of those programming geniuses who have been doing Leetcode since like 3 years old, you’d have likely already learned all course content before you’ve even started the course. You could probably write midterm and final exams without attending any lectures. However, if you're not as experienced, attending every lecture, taking detailed notes, and staying focused is crucial. Personally speaking, some algorithms were incredibly difficult for me to grasp, while others were simple. Assignments typically include both coding and long-answer components, which can be time-consuming, but you can work with a partner.
TEP444 Positive Psychology for Engineers
Difficulty: 1/10 Workload: 3/10 Course Average: A-
This course overall was very enjoyable and a nice refreshing experience from the other technical courses. You go on excursions to various locations with your group and write reports. It's an excellent opportunity to expand your social circle and make new friends. If you aim for an A- grade (80-85), you can breeze through with minimal effort. However, achieving a higher grade (A or A+) would require significantly more work (like 5 times more, no joke), which is not worth the extra effort in my opinion.
CSC343 Introduction to Databases
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 10/10 Course Average: Unreleased
The content of this course is actually pretty interesting and is taught well. But the assignments were excessively time consuming. There are only three in total, but each one demanded such a significant investment of time to the point where I contemplated dropping the course altogether. You do work with a partner (going solo isn’t even an option if you want to complete the assignments) but even so, be prepared to invest 15-30 hours per person, per assignment (they also mark hard). Despite the workload, I do recommend taking this course because knowing SQL can substantially benefit you in the future. Just start the assignments early. On a positive note, the midterm and final were relatively straightforward.
ECE311 Introduction to Control Systems
Difficulty: 10/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: C+
This course didn't come with a heavy workload, consisting only of three labs and two midterms. However, I found the content to be very challenging. It felt like they condensed and combined every concept from every engineering math and physics course into one. Topics ranged from circuits and dynamics to Laplace transforms, matrices, Bode plots, and more. It didn’t help that Prof Scardovi didn’t record any lectures, has messy handwriting, and uses a damn chalkboard instead of modern technology like other profs do. The midterms and final were somewhat lenient compared to the lectures, but this course still ended up being my lowest mark.
ECE361 Computer networks I
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 9/10 Course Average: B
This course requires a lot of memorization compared to other courses. You’ll have to understand calculation processes but also memorize a lot of general knowledge about networks. A problem with this course is that some concepts that show up in tests are not adequately explained in lectures. By far the best way to study is to do past exams. Professor Valaee often recycles questions, sometimes even directly copying past midterms and finals (like he did in my cohort). Unlike other courses, there is no big assignment/lab for this course, but it makes up for it with quantity. There’s a quiz every week, a wireshark lab every 2 weeks, a programming lab every 2 weeks, and a midterm. The programming labs are already difficult by themselves, but this cumulative workload felt very overwhelming.
ECE472 Engineering Economics and Entrepreneurship
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: B+
This is straight up an economics course, no engineering at all. You’ll learn about investments, equity, financing, and related areas. There are 4 quizzes throughout the semester, with quiz 3 (quiz 3 specifically) being by far the hardest (average in the 50s). Since you're able to bring your textbook to the quizzes and exam, my biggest tip is to write past quiz and exam solutions in your textbook, as there's a limited pool of questions, and new questions often resemble some kind of variation of past ones.
ECE421 Introduction to Machine Learning
Difficulty: 9/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: unreleased
While the course content itself may be challenging, surprisingly, the midterm and final exams were pretty easy. There's a slight discorrelation between the lecture material and what appears on the exams, but relying on past exams for preparation should be enough. The course leans heavily on mathematical concepts, much more so than APS360. The assignments were difficult and tedious but I recommend you work with others to complete it.
With that, I've covered my thoughts and tips for all the engineering courses I've completed. Transitioning into your next year in engineering, particularly if you’re transitioning from high school, can feel daunting. However, remember that you're not alone in this experience – many of your peers are facing similar challenges. If you need any more advice or have questions, feel free to reach out to me via DMs!

I've had a Smart Plug and smart bulbs for years and while the plug would occasionally disconnect from the internet I've had no major complaints.
I recently purchased my first home and began the process of setting up all my smart devices. I got all my other devices set up except for the C by GE/Cync ones. It has been driving me crazy.
After a month of trying various work arounds, tech support and countless reboots I was able to connect it. I am posting this in hopes that it saves someone in the future (I'm going to throw a lot of the key words I used during my research in here in hopes this will find them through the depths of the internet).
Important Context:
I am a diehard Android/Samsung user. My wife is an Apple user.
My wife is the one that set up our Google Fiber wifi on her iPad/iPhone. This was the root of the problem.
My journey (you can probably skip):
I had been sure it was something to do with the fact that I had dual band and couldn't isolate 2.4GHz from the 5GHz, because I had that problem previously. But any workaround for this failed.
With the Cync tech support's suggestion I set up a guest wifi and tried connecting my smart plug to that. I was astonished when it connected to my aptly named network: guest. I figured the guest network for Google Fiber must be the 2.4 band.
Wanting everything on the same network I decided to rename the guest wifi to the same name as the wifi all my other devices are connected to. For those who don't know this hack it's very useful for the not connecting to the 2.4 problem, turn off your wifi and set up a hotspot on a different phone with the same name and password as the wifi you wish to connect your stubborn device to, connect your phone to it and proceed to set up the device, turnoff the hotspot and the device should now connect to your wifi.
For GFiber you cannot have your guest wifi set up with the same name/password as your primary so I gave my primary a temporary name Pepper. With newly instilled confidence I go to set up my C by GE Plug in the Cync app and am SHOCKED when it doesn't work. The security settings (WPA/WPA2) and the band were all the same as when it was named guest, there's no reason it shouldn't connect!
For shits and giggles I tried connecting it to my primary wifi, now named Pepper, not expecting it to work at all because it hadn't ever before connected to my primary. And to my disbelief it connected in seconds.
The solution: My wife named our primary network Pepper’s Wifi
If you didn't know iOS special characters are different than every other special character. And Cync does NOT support iOS special characters. See under SSIDs and Router Compatibility here:
https://cyncsupport.gelighting.com/s/article/wi-fi-and-network-compatibility?language=en_US
So Apple product lovers, or if you're like me and begrudgingly love someone that loves Apple products, BEWARE iOS SPECIAL CHARACTERS. This goes for passwords too!
Pepper’s Wifi is not the same as Pepper's Wifi. If you squint really hard you'll see the difference.
Kind of Related Pro-tip:
If you've found yourself having just moved, and you're trying to save yourself time resetting up your smart devices by using the same Wifi Name/Password you had at your old place and for the life of you cannot figure out why they won't connect to the newly set up wifi that you triple checked is matching the old one. Check again. Those special characters might be the problem.
Yeah I've been burned by iOS Characters twice in my life, here's to hoping I never will be again!
Hope this helps someone.
PS. Cync tech support was very helpful and patient with me. So if I didn't solve your problem and you haven't tried them yet because you're like me and are stubborn and don't like to ask tech support for help, I'd give them a shot. I know you've spent far too much time Googling for your answer at this point.

Demos: 33yo, AFAB, 5'8" and 135 lbs, white, nonsmoker Current medication is just 300mg gabapentin at night, plus some vitamins and supplements like vit d, c, calcium, potassium, iron
Twice in the last year I had an experience in a hospital setting that has me entirely stumped, and I want to see if doctors out there in the wild have ever seen this.
First instance I was staying in a hospital for a few nights after a spinal fusion surgery. I was having headaches upon sitting up, and they had ruled out a dural fluid leak, so they started me on an infusion of magnesium. It infused super rapidly, can't remember the dose and rate but my partner who is a nurse was with me and commented on the speed of the infusion. I almost immediately had the most intense reaction- felt like crawling out of my skin, felt like I was dying, was thrashing around on the hospital bed, couldn't speak. Once they stopped the infusion and put me back on plan saline I was fine again.
Second instance just happened today where I went to the ER for intractable migraine and they started me on a migraine cocktail, first drug was Benadryl. It was partially diluted with saline and then pumped right into my IV. Almost immediately I was dry sobbing, thrashing on the bed, felt like I was going to die, shaking uncontrollably, couldn't speak for 30-45 minutes. Gradually got relief as they hooked me back up to plain old saline and it gradually diluted the meds in my system.
I regularly take Benadryl and magnesium in pill form, so neither of these are toxic to me as a general rule. I am thinking it's the speed and concentration of compounds being introduced to my bloodstream that absolutely overwhelmes my central nervous system? Has anyone seen a patient behave this way after infusing something? My vitals were all entirely fine throughout. Not even an elevated heart rate. I don't have any major psychiatric disorder, whatever anxiety I have is very well managed. An Ativan did help me get through the reaction I experienced today so it does seem to be about my nervous system?
Any ideas welcome as I'd really hate to have this happen again, it is pure terror and indescribable pain that feels like it could kill me when I'm in it!

Article: https://heatworld.com/entertainment/made-in-chelsea/inga-valentiner-guy-connolly/
Title: Wait, is Inga Valentiner dating Made in Chelsea co-star’s ex?
It looks as though Yas's ex and Sam's ex have struck a potential new romance and it's giving major teen drama energy. Think Gossip Girl meets The O.C - wait, is that showing our age? How about Elite meets Outer Banks?
Inga recently appeared on the Instagram story of Guy Connolly. You know, Guy Connolly, the chap Yas dated back in the Spring of 2023 when she was flirting it up a storm with Miles Nazaire, WAY before snogging Sam Prince came on the scene.
Inga bowed out of MIC when things started to become serious between Sam and Yas and although she never confirmed she had quit she has been noticeably absent for the past series. Turns out she's enjoying some beach time with Guy. See? Outer Banks energy. Sharing a video on his Instagram story, Inga was playing with a cute little doggo on the beach and filming said furry creature as Guy filmed the interaction.
Guy's social media is private atm so unless you're one of his 1800 followers you won't be able to catch their day out at the beach but trust us it is giving major date vibes complete with a gorge sunset and giggles from Inga. Romance or not, we definitely ship this duo.
The last paragraph gave it away that someone sent Heat World the video/story. If Guy wanted everyone to know that he’s spending time with Inga his profile would’ve been public for everyone to see

First off, congrats to everyone for the past application cycle! No matter what your outcome was, it's a big accomplishment to have gone through the whole process. I'm a non-trad who was accepted to Queen's this year, on my 2nd application cycle. I will be 27 when I start this Fall. It feels surreal and I always told myself I'd write a post about my journey if this day ever came - and here we are.
I didn't decide to apply to med school until after I finished undergrad, and while doing my research, I always wished I could read/hear perspectives from others with my background. Even though everybody's path will be different, I hope that my story can provide some insight (or even hope) for other non-trad applicants out there.
Before we start, here are my stats because that's important:

• cGPA, OMSAS: 3.53
• wGPA, UBC: ~85%
• MCAT: 515 (127/129/130/129)
• Casper: 4th
• IP: BC and ON

I'll go in chronological order, briefly describing some of the major events that led me to today, starting from high school. Please ask me any questions in the comments - (almost) nothing is off limits :)
TLDR: I was a software engineer who quit after a year to go to grad school and pursue medicine. It took me 4 years from when I decided to pursue this to getting accepted at a Canadian school. I did a Masters in stats and applied 2 times. My biggest takeaway is to do a lot of what you are passionate about, do it well, and take it far (for me, that was teaching and research).
Some demographics:

• My parents and I immigrated to Canada from Asia when I was 3
• I grew up in the GTA and did undergrad in Ontario
• I'm the first person in my family to pursue med school. My immediate family and I are the only people in our whole family who live outside of Asia, and nobody in my parents' network of family friends is in healthcare either.

High school, 2011-2015: I was always interested in medicine as a kid, but math was always my favourite subject. I applied to several science and math programs, and was choosing between Western Med Sci and Waterloo Math. I did not apply to Mac Health Sci and looking back, I'm not sure why (perhaps a sign that I didn't believe in myself). I ended up choosing Waterloo Math and giving up on the medical school route in grade 12, for a few reasons: the math program had 6 co-op terms, meaning I'd graduate with 2 full-time years of job experience, and I wasn't particularly good at biology and didn't have strong reasons for pursuing medicine back then. Med school also seemed like an impossible goal, especially since I didn't have any mentors in the field.
Undergrad, 2015-2020: This was honestly a fun time for me. I double-majored in stats and CS and I did 6 co-ops, 5 of which were in software engineering roles. I had originally planned to do actuarial science, but quickly saw the earning potential in the tech industry and made it my goal to get a job at a big tech company. A lot of personal stuff happened during this time as well that affirmed my decision pursue a software engineering career. One part of it was that I didn't want my parents to worry about me, and being able to show them that I was able to do well for myself in tech felt really good.
Halfway through my co-ops, I realized that I wasn't feeling the most fulfilled in software roles, but management roles also didn't appeal to me. I didn't really take the time to fully explore this feeling, and it was easy to put it away in light of the high income and getting to live in big cities for internships. Still, I did well in my co-ops and built up my software skills. After realizing that "grades don't matter for getting tech jobs", I let my grades slip. It wasn't until 4th year that I decided I wanted to keep the door open for grad school, and starting taking classes I liked and getting better grades. I graduated with an 82% average, with my grades all over the place (which I'd later learn was bad for calculating my OMSAS gpa lol).
Throughout undergrad, I still wanted to be involved in clubs and stuff, so here's a list of all my undergrad ECs. All these were only 4-8 months long.

• 1st year: I was a member and president of my first year residence council
• 2nd year: I was in a leadership position at the statistics club
• 3rd year: I was an event coordinator for co-op students in a city away from home
• also 3rd year: I was part of a club that builds software for non-profits

Another activity from undergrad that made it onto my application was a research project I did at one of my co-ops. It was in NLP and I worked on it even after finishing that coop term. It ended up taking 4 years to get published.
Full-time software engineering, 2020-2021: I signed a return offer from one of my co-ops, and had planned to move to Seattle in the summer after graduating to start working. But Covid changed all that. I moved back home with my parents in the GTA and worked at my software job remotely for the full year.
It was during this year that I was really feeling unfulfilled in my job, and did a lot of thinking about how I wanted my career to look. I started to remember that med school was something that I once wanted to do, and I also started reading/watching a lot of content from people in medicine with non-traditional backgrounds. My partner, who is also from Ontario, was accepted to an international med school, and many of our friends were also getting into schools in Canada around the same time, so this reaffirmed to me that it was actually possible. While working for the year, I made a plan to apply to grad school (academia would be my back-up) and take the MCAT. Here's what my 2020-2021 looked like:

• July: started full-time work
• December-January: wrote personal statements and applied to 5 Masters programs in biostatistics
• February-April: acceptances to Masters programs came in, and I was studying for the MCAT
• June: took the MCAT, scored 508, and told my manager that I'd be leaving by August to start grad school

During this year, I also wrote out a 3-year plan that included my masters and 2 application cycles. I wrote out what courses I would take to fulfill prereqs, which schools I would apply to each year, and what my back-up plan would be. I think this was important to do rigorously since it gave me a clear idea of which schools I was eligible for, and how much work it would take me to become eligible for the rest of them.
I will also add that this is a rather objective recount of my process that year. In reality, I completely recognized how insane it was to quit my job to go to grad school, and I'm super lucky that I was able to.
Grad school, 2021-2023: I moved to BC to start my Masters in statistics in August. This choice was partly to gain IP status in BC, but mostly, this was really the best program for me out of the schools I applied to. Even looking back now, I would have chosen this program even without the IP consideration.
Here's a breakdown of everything I did during the first year of my Masters:

• Started a new volunteering role (tutoring) right away. Still doing this today, almost 3 years later.
• Took a first year English class to fulfill the UBC requirement. Side note: it felt very odd being a 25-year-old in a class of 18-year-olds, but I did well in both classes probably because of being older. At first, I dreaded taking these classes since English was never my strong suit. But being older meant that I allowed myself to be truly curious about the topics being taught, and I treated it more as an experience to learn more about the world than to just check off some boxes.
• Took the MCAT again, at the end of my first year of MSc. I had already confirmed a supervisor by then, and thankfully she is/was incredibly supportive of my goals. I took it in June 2022 and got 515.
• TA'd stats courses throughout the year
• Started working on my thesis research with my supervisor

First application, 2022: I applied only to UBC for my first application cycle. In retrospect, I should have just applied broadly right away, but I didn't feel like I had enough references built up by then. And UBC doesn't require references unless you get an interview. I honestly had very high hopes of getting an interview this year, and was crushed to receive a rejection in December with an NAQ of 50-75. I thought that my application was unique, but upon reflection, I realized that the lack of volunteering and community service was a big gap in my application.
So here's a breakdown of everything I did in my second year of my Masters and beyond:

• TA'd stats courses throughout the year, and was the head TA for one of them (I think this showed leadership and commitment to teaching)
• Started another volunteering role at the food bank
• Took another first-year English course
• Continued my research with my supervisor
• Got offered (and started) a lecturer role for an undergrad course at the university, which was such an amazing opportunity. My supervisor helped me a lot with getting this position, since I TA'd for her one semester and she recommended me to the department. This was a class of 150, and I was also in charge of a few TAs. I ended up teaching this class 2 more times after this!
• Finished my Masters in August 2023
• Started working full-time as a biostatistician in September 2023
• A first-author paper I started working on during undergrad was accepted in Fall 2023. I had been working on this on-and-off for the past 4 years so it was incredible for the work to finally pay off!

Second application, 2023: This time, I applied to UBC and every school in Ontario that I was eligible for: Queen's and Mac. I was rejected by UBC pre-interview again. Same NAQ, and my total score didn't change. I was totally crushed and thought it was over for this year. I was very honest with myself about the Ontario applications - Mac was a total throwaway application and Queen's felt like a complete gamble. I was rejected from Mac pre-interview but one fateful day in January, I received an email from Queen's. It had a very generic "Application Status" subject line and I opened it fully expecting a rejection. I was totally shocked when it said I was invited for the MMI! And a few months later, I was also invited to the Panel.
Some of my thoughts and preparation for the interviews:
MMI - Aside from the usual resources that are posted here, I also took advantage of the following:

• Support system: I had a lot of support from my partner, who had gone through MMIs from non-Canadian schools, and many of my friends who were already in med school.
• Resources: I paid for a prep session on AcceptedTogether and had a positive experience there. I also used the BrightStudent question bank and although the questions were good, the explanations and overall experience were mid. But their YouTube video was extremely useful.
• Mindset: Throughout my whole MMI prep, I was honestly very interested in exploring each prompt, and I think this mindset was extremely beneficial for making my answers both unique and genuine. During my Masters, I also took a class that covered topics in social determinants of health, and I semi-regularly enjoy reading about current events in this area, so both of those pieces of background were super helpful for me.

Panel - I was so happy to receive a panel interview, and knew that I could not mess this up. I prepped with a few different friends of mine who were in med school, and another friend who was going through Ontario interviews too. Going in, I felt very prepared, and in the days leading up to it, I even felt like my answers were on autopilot and a bit over-prepared. So I really tried to relax and "be myself"/answer genuinely during the panel. The real panel felt quite cold - I didn't get any feedback from my interviewers, and was a bit thrown off by some of the questions. I was also cut off by the Kira Talent timer at the end, and didn't get to say goodbye or thank you. For the rest of the day, I ruminated on all my answers. The content of my answers felt somewhere between "why would I say that" and "just fine" and "great", but I was definitely feeling a bit bad about the whole experience.
Decision Week, 2024: That brings us to this week! In the week leading up to the decision, I flip flopped between "My panel hated me, there's no way I passed the vibe check" and "My answers were good, my MMI felt good, why wouldn't they accept me". I opened the email at 6am (Pacific time) with zero expectations - I truly had no idea what was waiting for me on the other side. The first word was "Congratulations!" and I didn't read much farther than that before I started celebrating :)
So that's it. I told a lot of people I work with, my Masters supervisor, my parents, and my friends, and it felt amazing to deliver this good news. My closing thoughts about my whole journey are that even though I do think my application was great, I still got incredibly lucky. At any point in the process, I could have gotten an undesirable outcome, and there was nothing I could do to control that (other than my efforts prior). I also relied a lot on my support system, and was so lucky to have had + made friends who are in med school or were practising already.
I just feel so grateful to be starting this Fall, and I'm happy to say that my high school self would be in absolute disbelief if she could see where I am today. That statement is a sign to me that I'm on the right path, and I'm just so excited to be starting this long, hard career that is medicine.
If you've made it to the end, thank you for reading!! If you can relate to any part of my journey and have questions, please send me a comment or DM - my inbox is always open.

Prologue

Hello and welcome to my post. I will subdivide this into two large parts. One will cover my thoughts, feelings, my hopes and dreams...While the other will tell you the specifics of how I pass the time, what topics interest me, what passions do I posses. I believe that at the end of this leap into my inner world, you dear reader, will have all the necessary information to judge whether we are compatible or not.

Part I
I am writing this in the hopes of finding something that I lack. Lately I have had this feeling, this tinge of melancholy within the dephts of my being, this yearning to find a kindred spirit, another Soul, much like mine, to form a bond with. Perhaps Loneliness is the right word for what is bothering me, but to use it seems to carry with it a connotation of ungratefulness. Ungratefulness for the people that I do have in my life, although none of them, of course, have the connection to me that I seek here.

I have found it increasingly necessary to seek in this Life a sort of purity of thought. What I mean is, I have began to undestand what ideas and concepts are ultimately compatible with my inner most Self, ergo what guidelines I have to follow to feel the most whole. Naturally I have likewise realised what I cannot add to my Self and what I will henceforth reject with all the power that I posses.

With this new context in mind, I now follow on the path of self improvement. I will now begin to mold my Self into my perfected idea of how the Self should be. This is certainly a significant undertaking, one that will not be easy to follow through on but one that I ultimately have to do. To me such context is essential. It is akin to a Guiding Star shining in the night. I will follow this Star for without it I am lost in the vast Darkness.

Looking back at my life, it was suboptimal, especially if one compares the way it molded me to how I will now mold myself. I suppose I must look on with a hint of regret at all that time which one might consider to be lost. Still... I try to stave off such decisively negative interpretations, after all, I have ultimately came to these conclusions. That means that somewhere along the line I had to have picked up on enough of such ideas for them to become so cemented in my consciousness. Well, either that or I was always like this, but in that case I can at least thank my life up to this point for not being able to supress such manifestations of my inner most Self.

To add to the topic of my life, I must admit that not all the battles have yet been won, not all the Demons vanquished, not every Mountain climbed. I want you to keep such things in mind when deciding whether or not to approach me. Many will shy away, I undestand that much, but the pursuit of true Companionship is just another such battle. Having said all that I do believe that being able to overcome hurdles together carries with it a certain appeal. That is to say, what's the fun in joining once the Game is already over?

I don't shy away from such challenges, perhaps to a fault. Certain troubles that I faced in the past carry with them a long shadow over my current health and well being. Still, I intend to change little in this regard other than the proficiency with which I will clash the current of my Will against the cliffs of Life.
Part II
In this part of my post I will tell you about my interests and hobbies, I will try to be thorough, commonality in this regard is rather important to build a relationship
History. I have had an interest in history for almost a decade now, it started back in school and developed from there. Well, now that I think about it one could argue that it started even earlier in my life as I liked watching the odd historic documentary or film aired on television but it wasn't regular back then, I never actively sought it out. I am mostly interested in European history in the period between the 18th-20th century but I sometimes branch out to other time periods and other parts of the world. I watch various channels related to history and read articles and sometimes books. I have recently got a few books on the German revolution of 1848/1849 and a historical magazine on the Thirty Years' War. Besides that I try to visit museums sometimes.
Literature. Especially old novels. I like to immerse myself in the Worlds of these books, I tend to read them while listening to thematically fitting music and take my time with them. One time you are following a troubled Youth in his quest for spiritual understanding of the world, another you see the aged and decrepit Doctor gambling his very Soul on the promises of abtaining satisfaction in earthy pleasures, then again your olfaction notices the most pleasant scent known to man even as the one eminating it has the appearance of a revolting Frog. These and many other stories open up to you once you decide to set foot into the literary World.
Languages. I know three, with one being a bit rusty. I am currently working intently on strengthening it. I believe that if I continue to apply myself in this regard then I should be able to finally conquer it. What language am I working on? Well, if you were to stack all the major works in it they would be as tall as a house... It is fun to go through different works in multiple languages, the same goes for film, games and such.
Games. I recently played Cyberpunk 2077. Well as recently as I played any major story centric game. Now that the dust has settled and the bugs mostly removed...It's not that bad. The main questline at least. Besides that I tried Fallout 76 (Very average, I'm dissapointed with what they made the "RPG" system) and I might give Deus Ex Manking Divided another spin (since it's somewhat similar to Cyberpunk when it comes to its aesthetics). Dark Souls is one of my favorite series, I still haven't beaten Elden Ring though. When it came out I wasn't in the right mindset to invest a hundred hours into it, with all those bosses and difficult locations. I think I'll only consider playing it if I am streaming it to someone. I am generally interested in either streaming games or having the person I am talking to stream them to me. To be specific I mean streaming to a single person while being on call. Besides that I'm a big fan of Paradox strategy games, especially Europa Universalis IV and Heats of Iron IV, I tend to only play single player since I find multiplayer with many people to be rather stressful but on the other hand I have nothing against a co-op game. I'm not the best player though, despite the ammount of hours I have in them. Another great game I would mention would be Dragon's Dogma. A very underrated RPG. I recently beat it again and it was an atmospheric and interesting experience. It is one of those games that feel like they have an endless ammount of depth and constant new secrets to discover.
Anime and Manga. In recent times my interest in them has waned but I still watch the occasional series here and there. Like Cyberpunk Edgerunners (Which I found to be rather mediocre) and the very good first season from the new arc of Bleach. Some of my favourite series include: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Death Note, Fate;Zero, Psycho Pass, Code Geass and Attack on Titan. I wouldn't mind if you were to introduce me to some new series, maybe based on the ones I mentioned. My favourite Manga is Berserk which I still follow, althought I am still not certain on the direction that the new author is taking. I suppose it really is a matter of contention whether a somewhat (or considerably warped) vision is better than an unfinished work. One could argue that a few novels remain unfinished and possess a macabre appeal to them as such.
Music. Classical music has a very special place in my heart. A few of my favourite pieces would be: Clair de Lune, Nocturne Op. 9 No.2, Devil's Trill Sonata, Danse Macabre, Valse Sentimentale, Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: II. Alegreto (by Beethoven) and Suite from Swan Lake, Op. 20a: I. Scene. Moderato. There are more but these ones always invoke something in me when I listen to them. Besides Classical I also enjoy listening to Synthwave, old Western pop and J-pop, both modern and from the 20th century.
Esotericism. I am interested in things spiritual, mystical, magical and esoteric. I have read religios texts, magical grimoires, introductions to various schools of thought. It is interesting to me.
Epilogue
Hopefully I was able to cast the spotlight upon my inner World in a clear and unequivocal manner. I feel the need to add to the aforementioned that I am rather introverted, which means that I tend to dislike large social gatherings. I managed to condition myself to be able to endure the presense of large groups of people but it isn't something that I would seek out in most cases. Besides that I am neurodivergent and suffer from certain issues with mental health. I have to take medication to keep myself under control. They work well enough but certain days are harder than others. I respect the struggle that others have with mental health but in the context of a relationship I have my limits, no one with BDP for instance. I am also not looking for anything casual. I understand than one cannot demand depth and meaning from a conversation with an absolute stranger, that is akin to trying to build a sand castle right before the waves strike but I ask at least that you enter with a mindset that this might become something of significance. I also do want to say that I am completely Monogamous. My preference? The sickly, pale, intellectual who watches rain droplets slide down the window in Autumn. Lastly, if I enjoy the company of a person I tend to not want to let them go.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post and have a good day. I ask that you send a DM instead of a chat and that you give the English translation of my title in the opening of your message.
Goodbye...Or perhaps untill we meet again

Major League Pickleball (MLP by Margaritaville) and the D.C. Pickleball Team (DCPT) will host the city’s first-ever league event at the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation (WTEF) in Southeast from June 13 to 16
https://www.ethereance.com/post/major-league-pickleball-dc-pickleball-team-pickleball-tournament-pickleball-near-me

The words Intermediate and Advanced seem to get thrown around based on localised reference, rather than a more broader general view. We all watch the same professional players afterall, and we know what a Beginner player is.
Previously, there was a post which discussed on the topic of perceived level regarding players in a competition in Hong Kong, which was an Intermediate Division match.
This is the previous discussion - https://www.reddit.com/badminton/comments/1co2lel/comment/l3exsq7/
This is the video of the match - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccyZOLFw_JE
Reading through the comments, a large majority of people believe that this was in no way an Intermediate level game and at a minimum was an Advanced level game and some even claimed it was a Professional level game. After fact checking, the video really was an Intermediate Division game and Jason Gunawan was actually the Champion in this Intermediate Division, as seen here - https://www.hkbadmintonassn.org.hk/files/pdf/c-result/result_hka2019.pdf
Since a large majority already considered this match an Advanced to Advanced+ level game, I am genuinely curious as to how people would then consider the level of the players in this clip - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ey73oZCnQps
I am not posting this comment to express my opinion, I am more curious about other people's opinions. Therefore, after watching this clip, do you still consider the players in both videos the same Advanced grade, or do you think there is a small/big difference?
Looking forward to reading your responses.

Generally, I like the idea behind the current tiebreaker rules and Shot in the Dark rules. The threat of rocks serves as a test of loyalty for opposing alliances, while the Shot in the Dark serves as a way for a consensus target to save themselves at the price of agency while also serving as an extra strategic layer for the majority to deal with.
What I'm not a fan of is the randomness of these mechanics. These are both mechanics that, when they come into play, decide eliminations, and to me an elimination doesn't feel satisfying or earned when it's based entirely on luck.
So I have an idea to modify the mechanics of each to maintain the core purpose of them while putting more control in the players' hands, adding layers of strategy in the process.

DEADLOCKED TIE RULES

Let's say we have a tribe of six consisting of three opposing alliances: A, B, and C against D, E, and F. This tribe goes to vote and it ties 3-3 between C and F, eventually deadlocking 2-2 as both alliances stay loyal.
At this point, normally what would happen is a consensus discussion between A, B, D, and E. They must unanimously agree to eliminate C or F, as failing to a come to a consensus will randomly eliminate one of the four of them.
Instead, my idea is to put the power in the hands of C and F, giving them the opportunity to eliminate one of the other four if the two of them can unanimously agree (a unanimous agreement would be necessary even if more than two players are in the deadlocked tie). If they agree, the person they chose is eliminated. If C and F can't agree to eliminate someone, then once again they become vulnerable and one of them will go home. At this point I'd be fine with a rock draw, though any mechanic to eliminate one of them would work.
What this does is add a strategic layer to deadlocked ties. If the tribe is anticipating a tie scenario, every player now has to factor in their relationship with the people receiving votes. "Will I be in the line of fire if these two are the ones deciding my fate?" It also offers a point of cross-alliance negotiation which gives power to the people on the bottom if they play the deadlock correctly, one that could shake up the dynamics in the aftermath. This also should make deadlocks more entertaining in general, as there's likely to be a lot of tension in the room, especially given that the people in the tie likely targeted each other and now one of them has to either turn on their alliance or put their own game at risk.

SHOT IN THE DARK RULES

Let's say we have an alternate universe where this tribe of six is a lot more united. F is the consensus target and everyone knows it, even F. It's going to be a unanimous vote, so F sacrifices their right to vote to instead take the Shot in the Dark.
At this point, normally what would happen is that F would have a completely random 1 in 6 shot at safety. If they chose the safe scroll, the Shot in the Dark acts as a Hidden Immunity Idol and saves them. If not, all votes cast against them count and they remain vulnerable.
Instead, my idea is to set a specific criteria for whether the Shot in the Dark would make F safe. For me, I'm taking inspiration from Australian Survivor's Ultimate Vote advantage. The Shot in the Dark will only save someone if every vote cast was against them (if anyone lost their right to vote, that has no impact on whether the criteria is met). If it does, then the person who played the advantage will become safe and everyone who is eligible to vote must begin a revote process to eliminate someone else. Otherwise, the advantage holds no power. That's the criteria I have, but any specific criteria should also work.
What this does is takes the randomness out of Shot in the Dark and adds a strategic layer to the mechanic, putting the power in the players' hands while punishing tribes that choose to be openly united. The majority can counter the advantage by having someone throw their vote, but this comes at the risk of causing distrust and exposing the tribe's pecking order.

Hello, I am currently in the process of enlisting. I’m in the strange now of medical check but I’m worried that it’s going to take forever. I got to the doctor regular and have not had any issues I had one weightless surgery 3 years ago and 2 c sections besides that nothing else major. I’m just getting a bit discouraged on when I could ship cause I’m honestly ready to go lol

I don’t know if I’m exaggerating, but I’m really pissed off about my supplemental claim being denied. Initially I have placed an increase for my mental heath at 50% but was denied stating that I don’t fit the criteria to be 70%. After a 5150 report stating that that I fit the criteria after expressing a suicidal attempts and the policies taking me to the hospital in handcuffs, the separation from my wife leading to a divorce that I told my C&P examiner about along with to a psychologist for an independent Medical Opinion, a lay statement, both C&P examiner and my IMO had rediagnosed my MH from adjustment disorder to Major Depressive Disorder (IMO) and apparently Unspecific Depressive Disorder (C&P). Something isn’t adding up.
I’ve expressed to my examiner and it’s documented in my IMO about the criteria that I do fit in for the 70% rating such as neglect of appearance/hygiene, difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances, suicide ideation, obsessional rituals, and inability to maintain successful relationships, but apparently I still don’t fit in the criteria including with all of my evidence.
I’m so pissed. They even stated that the issue of compensation for borderline personality disorder is deferred for the following information: exam; although I never stated anything about having a personality disorder
Nothing else, no other reason. What do I do? I already submitted in for HLR but I don’t know what to expect or what are the next steps to take. I’ve seen advice about getting an accredited lawyer or scheduling an informal conference call for the HLR which I accepted. I’m just all sorts of angry right now with their decision and the VA. I feel like my C&P examiner might’ve screwed me and/or the reviewer of my claim didn’t pay attention to anything I submitted. Can I get some advice or guidance?

I can't seem to formulate the question in a way that returns good results in a search engine, but I think this particular thing is so common that it must have a name. Let's say that a piece ends with a C major chord, and the main voice is playing the tonic. Over that chord, a secondary voice will often play F, D and then finally joining the main voice with an E. What is this called?

Hello pansexuals!
I'm a 7 year Cast Iron Veteran, and I'm here to tell all of you that even the best of us (and I include myself in that grouping) can do a little oopsie from time to time.
Case in Point: last night I burned my fingies.
Why?
How?
It's because I did not follow the #1 Rule of Cast Iron.
No, not the one about soap. Cripes, not the one about acidic food either. Neither of those matter.

Always assume every Cast Iron is hot.

My wife was in the kitchen and I asked her to preheat the oven. I thought my iron was already in the oven, and like any good pansexual, I like my iron to be evenly heated.
Well anyway, after a half hour, I go in the kitchen to start cooking when I noticed that my pan was still on top of the stove, and cold.
So I went to put it in the oven and it wouldn't go in all the way, and it turns out my small cast iron was in there.
This is where my squirrel-brain crossed its wires and assured me that, because the iron in my hands was cold, then the iron in the oven must also be cold.
Wrong!
But anyway, I reached right into the hot oven and grabbed ahold of the handle of a skillet that had preheated to 450°F (232°C in non-Freedoms).
This resulted in a major ouchy.
The only real explanation here is that my brain just decided not to think properly.
It's worth pointing out that I've had home-repair issues, financial issues, and health issues, and scheduling issues this past 10 days and have been a little stressed and not operating at 100%, and that probably contributed.
Nevertheless, it was an absolutely boneheaded move on my part. I'm 36 —aren't I supposed to have learnt this lesson at age 6?
My fingies hurt, and there's a pretty sick burn on my thumb pad - probably the #3 most painful & least convenient place to have a burn.
Sorta NSFW picture (no gore): https://imgur.com/a/9YaCK5L
Anyway, always assume every pan is hot!

Is it bad if I get a C in calc but I don’t need it for my major. I thought I was gonna do business but changed to communications in the middle of the semester, so I’m not able to drop calc anymore. Is it bad if I got a c in calc?

Hi everyone! I am making this post in hopes that someone might be able to offer me some advice. I am a currently a sophomore (junior next semester) in college. I am a first generation student. Both of my parents did not graduate from high school as they moved to the United States in their teens. I would like to start applying for internships soon but, I am not confident in myself. I am not apart of any organizations or clubs as I have been working during my entire time in college. My grades and GPA are not the best either. My grades for the classes relating to my major range from (B- to D). My GPA is a 3.1 currently. I was thinking of leetcoding over the summer and building some projects to add to my resume to improve my chances of getting an internship. I did take one coding class back in high school where I learned Python and ended up getting a certification in Python mid-semester. I also know JS and C. I really don't know where to go from here but, my main goal right now is to secure an internship. Sorry if this post is a bit of a mess. Any advice is appreciated!