by Sarim M.
It is our last Saturday at UNC, and as everything is coming to a close, I am looking back on what my fellow SSPers and I have been through in the last five weeks.
I should clarify something right here and now: SSP is not easy. It is clear that the program has been meticulously designed to break you. It was something I was somewhat aware of, but I still could not have been prepared for the late nights at the lab, or the lectures that covered numerous high-level concepts that I haven’t fully understood yet. There isn’t a day here where you are idle; you are always kept on your toes with new problem sets and coding assignments. And yet, despite the difficult curriculum and routine, SSP is still one of the most fun experiences I have been a part of.
A big part of why that is so is because of the community I have found here. There are our professors and TAs, who have dedicated many of their nights to helping us complete our assignments and understand the complex concepts we covered in class. They were always ready to answer our questions, no matter how silly they were. And then there are my fellow SSPers, in whom I have found the best of friends. I found people who were helpful, smart, fun to hang out with, humble, and most importantly, good-natured. It is with this community of people that I have so many memorable moments. There was the time I was helping Dr. Kim and the TAs set up the lounge printer, which was convinced that it was still the 1980s and stubbornly remained on the “fax only” mode. Then there was that time my friends and I theorized about SSP’s resident killer vampire (you know who you are). And just a few nights ago, my teammates recorded me singing Dancing Queen in the Morehead Observatory (no I will not be sharing footage of that). Here are a few pictures of other stuff I did!
There are many more anecdotes, but this blog wouldn’t do them justice. Overall, it has been a fun rollercoaster ride these past few weeks, but the ride is coming to an end, and I have something to admit: I don’t think I would have gotten through SSP without the support of the wonderful people here. It was amazing to find people that I instantly clicked with; people who were nerdy just like me 🙂
About Me:
Hey I’m Sarim! I am from Lahore, Pakistan and I love desi food! I am a huge Marvel fan so if you have any MCU-related questions, I’m your guy. At SSP, you can find me in the computer lounge working on the latest assignments, or at dorm maining Meta Knight in Super Smash Bros.
