Never before have I had so much fascinating information pulsing through my brain. From lessons on spherical trigonometry to debugging my OD code that never seems to work, over the course of these last three weeks I have learned more about math, physics, astronomy and coding than I had ever learned before!
I knew that when I applied to this program it would be difficult, fast paced and include lots of information that I would barely understand. I am glad to admit that all of these expectations have manifested themselves these past three weeks. Fast paced has definitely been a hallmark of this program. I only fully comprehended the crazy pace of SSP when, in a period of just two hours, Dr. Domingue’s lecture on physics blitzed through concepts that took my AT Physics I class months to learn. Thank god I had already learned some physics or else my brain would have actually exploded. The fast pace of this program has presented me with so much information, although some of it, I’m embarrassed to admit, I hardly understand (why is the Taylor series so complicated and how does Leibniz’s notation work!?!) Nevertheless, I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this program and I am blown away by all that I have learned and how talented and smart my peers are.
All that I have learned from SSP has caused my brain to enter a new dimension of learning, and with it a new dimension of pain. When the super informative, yet draining, five hour learning blocks come to an end and I click on that little red “Leave Meeting” button, I usually spend 15 minutes just sitting at my desk letting my brain cool down and reflecting on all that I have learned. Afterwards, I take a quick nap and by the time the work-play block rolls around, I am refreshed and excited about applying all that I have learned to challenging and interesting problems. Usually, this excitement comes crashing down on itself when I look at the first problem and my brain is taken to a new dimension of confusion. After (usually only figuratively) banging my head against a brick wall for a while, the announcement of “mandatory fun” always puts a smile on my face. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing games such as code names (which I am utterly miserable at) and geoguessr with the other SSP participants. By the time the clock strikes midnight where I live, my SSP day is over and I’m always disappointed about leaving the work-play zoom, but excited about learning even more the next day. At this point, my brain is hurting like crazy.
This hurt isn’t a bad hurt, but instead a good hurt, no, a fantastic hurt. I enjoy the pain since it is a reminder of all that I have learned so far, and all that I will learn throughout the rest of the program. I enjoy the pain since it represents how myself, and all of the other SSPers, are developing as humans. I enjoy the pain since it is the result of a level of intellectual stimulation that I have never experienced before, but have since grown to love. I enjoy the pain since it is the side effect of me doing something I cherish, which is learning all that I can about science. My enjoyment of this pain makes me excited about the future. This feeling has made me even more excited about college (although lots of this excitement is canceled out by my fear of the college application process) and the possibility of learning more science in the future. In a way, this pain has redefined how I think about science and learning and has awakened within me a burning desire to learn all that I can, making me forever grateful for all of the wonderful teachers, TAs and students at SSP.
– Tyler
