# UW-Madison Spring 2022 Recap
###### tags: `studyabroad`, `UW-Madison`
> [time=Wed, Aug 24, 2022 12:17 AM][name=Eric Hsienchen Chu]
Other semester: [<Eric Hsienchen Chu: UW-Madison Fall 2021>](https://medium.com/hsienc-study/uw-madison-freshman-fall-2021-recap-mandarin-ver-14c0ebfb9828)
Table of Contents: [TOC]
---
## Overview
人權圖那肯定先上。

* ^Spring22 Course Schedule & Letter Grades @ EricHsienchenChu

上學期Fall21飽受中午連堂之苦，這學期Spring22刻意只把課排在早上下午，空出時間好好吃飯（家人群組: 你變圓了）。這學期稍微不同之處是我終於declare majors (Econ honors & Statistics)了，課程選擇上就盡量同時兼顧兩邊要求。不過大一也沒什麼修課彈性可言，基礎課選一選跟語言、通識課疊加就塞滿學分上限啦。

---

## ECON 102: Principles of Macroeconomics
**Instructor**: Stella Chan
**Materials**:
- Mankiw Principles of Macroeconomics, 9/e
- Cengage Mindtap for graded problem sets ($$$..)

**Lecture description**:
每週兩堂75分鐘LEC+一堂50分鐘DIS。LEC上課模式很單純，教授在臺上即時投影寫筆記，我們就在臺下抄下一模一樣的筆記，整學期不提供課程錄影，所以基本上是一定要出席。DIS助教會發worksheet，簡單過一過課程重點，剩下時間就自己就近找人一起寫、簽到賺分數。上課有人講話sc會直接停下來不上，所以我是在DIS上才有認識到朋友。

**Workload**:
完全可以算Low. ECON102跟101的學生組成很不一樣，沒意外大多只是ECON major或商院的同學來修這堂必修課，既然大家都有ECON背景知識，對於最頂的那群應該每週作業跟小考都是滿分，因為前者提供3 attempts & record only the highest score、後者一次只有3題還會預先放出practice quiz，正式quiz就從練習考裡面出1題identical＋2題similar. 區分想拿A的人，唯一的變數就在2次Midterms與1次cumulative Final，我自己的感想是多數題目跟教授提供的past exams相仿，然後出一兩題難的鑑別題（不過我通常都掉分掉在略為送分的美國經濟史題，一些上課提到要記憶的政策跟數字細節）。沒考滿分去office hour自己還怪羞恥的。

**Personal thought**:
Easy peasy. Prof. Chan manages to provide a WONDERFUL introductory Macro course, and I genuinely enjoy this ECON102 based on her engaging teaching style, relaxing workload, and enriched office hour. Prof. Chan is extremely caring during office hour, as we discuss extended course topics, my journal club article faculty review, and future PhD plan. She is always ready to help and gives precise opinions. I thus visit her OH on a weekly basis whether I actually have questions about class materials. Till now we still exchange emails on my ongoing RA work and updates on my research interest as well as course selection strategy. I would say sc is the gem in our Econ department. Definitely a 10/10 Professor.

>短評：簡單的大一總經，零壓力的成績

---
## MATH 222: Calculus and Analytic Geometry II
**Prof**: Andrei Caldararu
**Materials**:
- Stewart Calculus, 8/e
- Cengage WebAssign for graded problem sets ($$$..)

**Lecture description**:
板書教育. In DIS, TA spreads out worksheets and then we do those problems on our own. Ask him questions if needed.

**Workload**:
Moderate. The problem sets on assignments are terrible, either with complicated descriptions or with unpleasant number setups. I really hate doing those PSets since they might be messy and costs me 1.5+ hrs on each one. Worksheet in Discussion is less difficult than homework, and some of the questions are inspirational as prepping weekly quiz and exams. Grade depends on exams heavily (84%). The most cost-effective way is to invest in past exams, which contain similar questions on your actual mid/final.

**Personal thought**:
MATH222 is regarded as the most challenging course in Calculus sequence, since it covers topics in differential equations, tons of tests for convergence and divergence, and confusing Maclaurin-Taylor series. Personally speaking, I did feel the threshold and challenge in the middle of this semester. I messed up one of the convergence test in Midterm 2 as well while seeking excitement of turning in exam sheets in 35-ish mins and be THE first one walking out of room. Yet in general the class is totally manageable. The last part of this 222 introduces vector space and elementary operations in matrix, which we already learned in typical Taiwanese high school curriculum. All of a sudden it becomes a breeze again. Worth mentioned is that I learn a lot of advanced math ideas from our TA Connor Simpson. He is an insanely intelligent guy graduated from Cornell. He accurately answered/ gave intuitions to my questions every time. Connor also sent additional handouts to me and my Rowing Team friend just to justify a tiny, rough thought he mentioned during our previous conversation. So to be frank DIS is more fun than Lectures.

>短評：助教才是數學課的關鍵(重要體悟！)

---
## COMP SCI 220: Data Programming I
**Instructor**: Andrew Kuemmel 
**Materials**:
- [CS220 Course Website](https://www.msyamkumar.com/cs220/s22/schedule.html)
- Bring your fancy laptop

**Lecture description**:
每週三堂50分鐘早9的LEC+一堂75分鐘LAB，有點hardcore. LAB基本上就是為每週的project預熱打底，加上聽隔壁桌白人桌剛開學互相吹噓自己SAT幾分coding多簡單，然後學期中開始每堂LAB舉手找助教找到結束lmaooo。Fall21時這個LAB還是不計attendance的（女友修課體驗），但差一個學期的Spring22除了要去自己section簽到之外寫完code還不能早退，嚴重的助教/學生比使得很多人LAB的問題得不到解決，連帶project無法開始寫，看著心情有點複雜。

**Workload**:
HIGH. 每週有LAB要寫也有project要搞，週五固定還有一個quiz due，是整學期最有挑戰的一堂課。要在這上面拿好成績挺花時間，想好再來。考試相對簡單，刷刷past exams把錯題抄到cheat sheets帶去考試對照著看就好了。

**Personal thought**:
My first coding class in college. 其實一點也不糟，課程內容很有趣很實用(basic functions -> Pandas -> HTML -> SQL -> Visualization)，主要是中期寫愈漸複雜的lab跟project會開始厭煩而已。Prof. Kuemmel 以前是高中AP CS講師，所以上起課來十分活潑，渲染力十足。課程水準跟品質一直很高，只是出席人數越來越少，我到中後期也不怎麼去了，因為發現自己在課程現場動不到腦，沒經過思考卻只有手眼跟著code，效益很低，加上冬天/春天看到外面還下雪起床是會抑鬱的(no joke)，所以我後來會另外安排下午時間看recording，早上就厚臉皮的睡飽一點。對於只在YouTube學過入門等級Python的我，這堂課的前幾週入門還是適應的不錯，至少一開始沒有撞牆太久。學期前中段有一週以為是自己真的能力不足、週末花了8小時code不出來，結果只是誤會題意導致第一步就出問題。過了那週驚魂，後面project都很輕鬆2–3小時搞定了。

>短評：順風順水code完一學期

---
## ESL118: Academic Writing II 
**Instructor**: Steve Timm
**Materials**:
- Firstly Brain & secondly don't you dare plagiarize!

**Lecture description**:
Mostly form small groups to discuss paper topic, outline, and potential arguments. Steve will visit each group and gives suggestions + raises questions as we're heatedly (???) debating. 

**Workload**:
Comparing to ESL116 I would say fair workload. Only have to finish 3 papers in total for a semester, and writing papers that of topics of your genuine study interest (in ESL118) is apparently WAY MORE FUN than taking notes on book & memorizing details of articles for exams (in ESL116). Periodt.

**Personal thought**:
I had Steve on ESL116, and fortunately I also got him for ESl118. Steve is simply the best teacher who truly cares what you believe and how you compose/construct an academic paper. Learning how to make good drafts and tailer outline to highlight your punchline is the most basic yet essential skill to succeed in college, since paper assignments happen almost in every class. I learn to naturally lay out the central topic/issue (what is going on?), provide credible/valid sources to support arguments (what may cause the problem?), and suggest possible solution to the issue (how we can solve/mitigate the problem). My final ESL paper "Inequality in Access to College Education and Intergenerational Mobility in the U.S." walks through financial barriers and information gap between students from low- and top-income families and suggests feasible adjustments on scholarship programs that may mitigate the worsening low social mobility. I am genuinely grateful to Steve, totally, as he challenged my arguments every time in conferences (so that I defend my points & think deeper into the topic)and also my classmates Gabriella & Jinwan who peer-reviewed & helped me shape this paper into a better form. I later found a summer Research Assistant position in a similar higher education topic mainly because of this paper. My takeaway is that: as long as you invest some time grinding outline & state central claim clearly and properly, writing a (term) paper is no longer daunting as it sounds to be. 

>短評：ESL選課是看不到教師，盲選兩次都是Steve的人應該要是天選之人

---
## Nutr Sci 132: Nutrition Today
**Instructor**: Yirong Wang
**Materials**:
- Course slides!!
- Common sense in Bio / Nutrition

**Lecture description**:
每週三堂50分鐘的LEC，內容大致簡單，當聽故事跟反思自己飲食習慣很快就過去了。

**Workload**:
Low. Totally manageable. 作業的paper topic跟project topic都很有趣，像是用Cronometer記錄自己飲食並提出可能的風險（e,g, 寫自己potential high blood pressure lolll）、結合學期學到的兩三個nutrition名詞寫一篇paper（e.g. 我寫自己剛來美國狂拉肚子腹瀉可能跟喝旅館生水&microorganism shock相關並且煞有其事的cite幾篇paper）。壓力最大可能是在課堂中發現自己飲食習慣踩中多少地雷吧（倒是提醒大家不要bodyshame或刻意節食呀）！

**Personal thought**:
逛Reddit跟RMF看到的一堂Bio通識課，以結果來看根本一大偷。中間學到一點代謝開始變得複雜，不過大方向還是用國高中生物知識就能應付了，考試前也都會發study guide，班平均分85上下，我自己則是超過100，以臺大的標準叫紮實甜。老師人很好，還弄了一個document整理Madison美食 [(file)](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rYeEbIdBRJNdyjmmljMZ-qGKzc_vGLDPeaW1wvYSTSA/edit?usp=sharing)，總之是有空位就該選的一堂3分生物課！

>短評：課可以很甜，但平常飲食別太甜