Hello there.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve last sat down and written something. In fact, it’s been about as long as I’ve been studying at university, and not without reason. I simply haven’t found the time to write much during my studies. But still … It’s high time, the first semester is over now, and I have some much-needed time for relaxation and contemplation. So I thought as a first, and hopefully not last, piece of writing during what short break I’ll have until the second semester begins, I’d start with a little look over my shoulder at the last few months at ETHZ.

Well then, let’s hope that all this time writing mathematical proofs hasn’t robbed me of the ability to write not precisely and coldly but colourfully and with feeling (maybe even a bit poetically sometimes), and take a look, shall we?

Though exhausting at times, it’s been wonderful. Really. Just absolutely mind-blowing. I’ve learned about so many amazing things. I’ve been introduced to the fields of set theory, (linear) algebra, logic, dynamic programming, graph theory and algorithmics in general. I’ve constructed binary search trees, layered graphs, broken insecure RSA systems defined on additive groups, watched a professor prove the completeness of the resolution calculus (with respect to unsatisfiability at least), listened to another one explain why the n-th power of the adjacency matrix of a graph contains information about paths of length n in that graph, been walked through Johnson’s incredibly genius algorithm for all-to-all shortest paths by yet another one, and so much more.

If all of that doesn’t mean anything to you, don’t worry; I myself would have been just as confused a few short months ago. But now, I feel like a vast ocean of knowledge lies before me, and I have just started to wet my toes in its waves.

I had a great time, as one can probably tell.

And I do have the answer to some of those questions I’ve asked myself at the very beginning, in An Open Road. Not to all of them, but to some.

Was I prepared enough? Well, yes, that I was. The first few weeks were a breeze, and I already knew most of the things we were taught. After that, it got hard fast, as was to be expected, but I was able to keep up just fine, thankfully.

Did I find new friends? Yes, indeed, I did. I made a great many new acquaintances, and a few of those do actually have the potential of becoming friends of mine.

Was I able to maintain old friendships? To this one as well, I can answer with a sincere yes. I’m still in touch regularly with my closest friends from before, and that is something I cherish so much. There are few things better than that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you meet an old friend, and you can see by the smile on their face that they enjoy your company just as much as you enjoy theirs. It’s the little things, you know?

There is, however, one question I don’t have an answer to yet. It’s the one about being good enough. You know, after starting gymnasium¹, which was the last big step in my academic career (if you can already call it that), it took maybe a few weeks to get past the first tests and obtain some feedback on whether my approach to the whole school-thing was still working. And then it took me maybe another half of a year or so to figure out a strategy that I was sure would carry me to and through my Matura². I was fortunate enough that my grades were as good that I never really had to consider what I’d do if I failed.

But now, I don’t really have that certainty any more. I’m studying at one of the most renowned universities in my country, and failure has become a very real possibility. You can’t really mess up an exam and be like: “Oh well, I’ll be able to get the grade up with the next one.” Everything hinges on your performance in a handful of exams over the course of a few weeks.

So, I’d say that I’ll know that I was good enough when (or if) I’m holding my master’s degree in my (probably trembling) hands. And that won’t happen for quite some time. Hell, this semester’s results aren’t even out yet, so I can’t even tell you with certainty whether I passed these first exams. I really hope so, though. I wouldn’t want to miss all the other new and interesting things this course of study still has in store.

But you know what? That doesn’t matter for now. Now is the time to relax, the time to read, the time to write, the time to make some music, the time to play video games, and the time to do stuff with my friends. It’s the time to spend a week doing things I love doing³.

And so I’ll be doing just that.