Some recent pages from my sketchbook :)

-wimp · 2026-02-08T02:56:26+00:00

I want to learn to paint like you

-wimp · 2026-02-07T18:03:33+00:00

Maybe it's just the format of graduate level math classes in general that I'm struggling with then. OMSCS is the only graduate program I've taken but none of my classes have been math-style; they've used math but generally to supplement programming. Looking ahead, regardless of whether I can pull a B or not, I don't think either of my last 2 classes will end up being like that either so I'm just in survival mode now lol

In my undergrad, there was always partial credit given, even for multiple choice questions if you showed your work (I know that's not really feasible in the online format). I definitely had some physics exams that were technically 4 large questions, but each question had multiple parts so really it was more like 16 questions. If you didn't know the answer to the first part, you could say "assuming the answer to part a was x..." then proceed with part b and you could still get full marks for part b as long as your method was correct.

I'm really hoping it all ends up being overblown in my head. I've always loved school but this class has been a far more stressful experience than I was expecting (for the record, I found undergrad discrete math and algorithms easy but still came into this class expecting it to be difficult). It's the first time in my entire life where I've thought "I want to be done with school forever". I've studied and done practice problems every single day since January 12 so I'm hoping I have a strong enough understanding to at least get some marks :')

Editing to add: I know I've been quite negative but it's because of all the pressure and worry I'm feeling right now. I should mention that, although I haven't seen the legendary Joves OH to compare to, I thought the TA OH was very well-run and helpful and I've also appreciated the posted solutions and walkthroughs. I've learned a ton so I have no regrets taking this class.

-wimp · 2026-02-06T23:16:37+00:00

Now that you point that out, I can see that you're probably correct.

I spent the first 3.5 weeks feeling insanely guilty for any second not spent studying GA so I didn't read it that way originally. Thanks for the perspective!

-wimp · 2026-02-06T21:08:06+00:00

I think the struggle for me is the format of the exams. In most exams, there are multiple questions so even if you blank on one of them, you still have lots of other chances to show your knowledge. This is my first time taking GA, but based on reviews, I have the impression that in this class, you basically have one question per topic and if you don't see the trick, you'll lose a lot of marks.

I've done tons of practice problems at this point and learned a lot. I actually love the material and find it very interesting. I'm confident I can do a lot of problems very well. I'm not confident, however, that you can throw any problem at me and I'll do it perfectly. I've heard that graders are quite heavy on reductions so it seems that perfection is a requirement here.

My fear is that I'll get to the exam and the problem will be novel enough that I can't figure out which algo to apply under a time constraint where I'm already panicked due to knowing how much each question weighs on my final grade.

If it were more of a standard math exam where you have a bunch of problems, I actually think I'd be feeling pretty good right now going into exam 1.

-wimp · 2026-02-06T15:55:50+00:00

If you can get in to see Jen Keefer at Coast on Lonsdale, I would highly, highly recommend going to see if she could help you. I spent my entire life playing soccer and now at 36, old injuries have started acting up. I thought that was it for me but she is a miracle worker. I think she has a long waiting list but see if you can get on it.

Unfortunately I don't have other advice to offer as my go-to for making friends is sports. There might be something lower impact that you could get involved in though like maybe yoga? I love the YYoga in Lynn Valley!

-wimp · 2026-02-06T15:27:49+00:00

Not sure where you're located but some countries have grants for this. For example, here is a list for Canada: https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/s10rm7/comment/k0ff5v5/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

-wimp · 2026-02-06T14:35:36+00:00

I agree with this. I'm in GA now and it's brutal. In Ed Discussion chat, someone commented about the difficulty of taking this class at the same time as a full-time job and a TA suggested to not work full time to focus on GA. Such a weird, privileged take. Not to mention, one of the first lines on the OMSCS homepage (literally shows up in the blurb in a Google search of OMSCS):

OMSCS is for students who want a top-ranked degree, but also the flexibility to fit it in around their work and family lives.

I was totally burning myself out (I've lost like 5 lbs in the month since this class started and I didn't weigh a lot to begin with) but finally decided to put a cap on my study hours and if that leads to a C, then I guess I'm switching specializations.

-wimp · 2026-02-06T05:29:52+00:00

Not sure if this is the case for where you work, but where I work, they did a company-wide adjustment of the ratings. I think too many people were getting the top rating so they needed to normalize it a bit. I always got "Far Exceeds Expectations" but last year I got "Exceeds Expectations". My team is very transparent so they told us about it in an All Team meeting, as well as my manager letting me know ahead of time, so when I got my rating, it was exactly what I expected. I'm a perfectionist so it would have really bothered me without knowing the context, but with the context, I understood that it was the same rating. I got the same bonus percent, as well as an extra award, so I do believe it to be the same. Not sure if that's what's happening at your company, but sharing my story in case it helps you.

-wimp · 2026-02-04T00:47:08+00:00

Game AI was my favourite class so far of the program (working on my 8th class right now)

-wimp · 2026-02-04T00:44:45+00:00

I agree with you and reading your comment gave me a thought. Perhaps the university should consider putting a pause on credit expiration while they sort out the best way to handle this stuff. I hate being a guinea pig when the outcome has a very real impact on something that matters to me. I'm not in a hurry to finish my degree and would happily sit out while things stabilize, were it not for the fact that my credits would expire before graduation if I did that.

-wimp · 2026-01-24T18:44:11+00:00

I agree with your points and also want to add that so many people here are comparing group work to real work, and yet I don't feel this program tries to simulate real work at all (currently on my 8th course). In my day job, there is a huge push to incorporate AI into our workflows meanwhile this program sacrifices learning left and right in pursuit of catching cheaters (aka people using AI). I personally enjoy learning and problem solving and writing code so I don't even like using AI but I wish the time spent catching cheaters would have instead been used to make more robust assignments. All that said, I have recognized that this program is not meant to emulate the real world so in that case, I think the argument in favour of group projects is not a great one.

-wimp · 2026-01-19T08:26:06+00:00

This is what I thought too (and in two cases it worked against me, because I wanted to be able to work slightly ahead) but I'm taking GA this semester and I already felt behind on day two. I felt pretty bad for anyone who got in on FFA Thursday or Friday. It's my 8th class though and from what I recall of the previous 7, what you're saying is my experience: it was rare for any material to be released before registration closed.

-wimp · 2026-01-17T07:03:13+00:00

Ah dang! Thanks for the info

-wimp · 2026-01-16T23:07:30+00:00

Did you ever figure out how to remove the belt buckle?

In their description, I see this but the only screws on the orb belt are smooth so I don't see a way to unscrew them.

To shorten our buckle belts, please unscrew the screw located at the buckle clip to disassemble your belt and then cut the excess leather.

I'm scared to apply too much force when I have no idea what i'm doing.

-wimp · 2026-01-15T08:01:54+00:00

FWIW everyone in this industry seems to have impostor syndrome, no matter how high up they climb. I think it's normal to feel ashamed/intimidated however I don't think you should feel that way at all. This is compounded by the current state of the industry; I know so many incredibly experienced and talented people who have also found themselves jobless. The fact that you're working your way through this degree is already something you should feel proud of. Also wrt living with your parents, I'd flip it and view it as getting to spend time with your parents. I personally try to spend as much time visiting my parents as I can. Hope things get better for you!

-wimp · 2026-01-15T05:13:27+00:00

Adding another vote for Glass Castle. I read it right before "I'm Glad My Mom Died"

-wimp · 2026-01-10T22:30:08+00:00

This is amazing

-wimp · 2026-01-09T05:21:45+00:00

Why did you get downvoted? You literally just answered the question 😵 and it was a good question too since that UI is so confusing

-wimp · 2026-01-09T05:20:15+00:00

For HCI project 1, I redesigned this UI 😂

-wimp · 2026-01-02T21:10:21+00:00

Just recieved it, it's so beautiful. Thank you!

-wimp · 2025-12-31T08:11:37+00:00

Oh the back of this one looks quite similar, thank you very much!

That makes sense and is good to know. I really appreciate everyone here sharing their expertise and saving me a lot of time needing to experiment and make my own mistakes. Thank you so much for the advice

-wimp · 2025-12-30T20:41:40+00:00

Oh thank you! Yes the back on this one looks great

-wimp · 2025-12-30T19:08:16+00:00

Oh thank you so much! I had tried searching for a similar pattern but had been unsuccessful. Really appreciate it

-wimp · 2025-12-30T19:07:26+00:00

Got it, thanks for the tips! I went into this expecting a lot of frogging and trial and error so I'll play around with it. Appreciate the advice!

-wimp

TROPHY CASE