17.5%

I just completed my 4th midterm and am officially 17.5% finished with my degree! Even though it is a small milestone, I think it is a reason to celebrate. I felt more prepared for this exam than ever before (and have been happy with my grades thus far). When I walked out, I didn't feel like like I was sinking on the Titanic or had just been run over by a bus. Between office hours and tri-weekly study sessions, I know that I couldn't have possibly worked any harder.

I will never forget how proud I felt on Sunday night/Monday morning. Our study group had planned a study BBQ to get through our optional problem set. When Jessica and I touched base in the morning to plan our grocery run, we promised each other that we would not go to bed until we had finished all of the problems. Our BBQ started at 3:00 and we were all diligently working and helping each other when we got stuck. After we finished our burgers and massive amounts of ice cream, it wasn't long before our group members began to finish up. The first person finished at 7:00 and everyone else had finished by 9:00. Jessica and I were still struggling with problem 4 and were determined to keep each other motivated to complete the problem set. We stopped at Starbucks for a mental break because we knew we would be up for awhile. As the night dragged on, our light bulbs were finally going off and keeping us energized. Problem 9 was the first time we didn't consult each other or the solutions. At 1:45am we both hit "Run Solution" at the same time and held our breath as we checked our answers against the Professor's. Upon realizing that we were both correct, we jumped up, hugged each other, and screamed (not very quietly) with excitement. Shortly after that, we heard both of her dogs barking and her husband's footsteps as he tried to shoosh Phoenix and Farrah back to bed. True to our word, we kept our promise and completed the 10th and final problem at 2:11 am.