Alumni Check-in: Carolyn Cheng (Class of 2025)

Q. Where do you live now? Why? What are you doing?

A: Right now I’m living in La Jolla, California because I go to UCSD and I’m studying Applied Mathematics here. I live in one of the newest dorms at my college, so I like my living space a lot. I love where I’m living because the weather is really nice, I could go to the beach everyday if I wanted to.

Q. What are the biggest differences between there and Kaohsiung? What’s the biggest similarities?

A: I think the culture here is very different from Kaohsiung, it is much more lively in La Jolla, and people in Kaohsiung are typically more reserved, but I honestly prefer Kaohsiung.

A big similarity is the convenience of the public transportation in both cities, when I want to leave campus, I take the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) trolley or bus, and I can get to a lot of places without much walking (but a lot of transferring between buses).

Q. What does a typical day look like for you?

A: I don’t have class until 1 pm every day, so I like to sleep in. I go to my classes, study or go on my phone in between, and end the day by doing assignments. I’ve also been cooking a lot in my room using an electric pot I recently bought.

Q. What's one thing you miss most about being a high school student? 

A: I miss having structure, now all of my classes are spread out throughout the day and spread throughout the huge campus. We also have to keep track of our own assignments, quizzes, and exams, it’s not like high school where our teachers constantly remind us of them, so it is easy to miss something and the consequences could be really bad because professors don’t care and rarely give extensions.

Q. What's the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the "real world" that you wish you knew while you were in high school?

A: I learned that free will is really dangerous, because now I could theoretically skip class whenever I want and it’s my responsibility to catch up, if I don’t, I face the consequence of failing the class.

Q. What advice would you give to your high school self?

A: Don’t neglect your mental health! 

Q. Did your KAS experience prepare you for life after graduation?

A: Academically, yes, since I did the IB program, I was ready for the college course load.

In other aspects, I don’t think KAS played much of a role in my life right now.

Q. What are you looking forward to most in the next five years?

A: I’m looking forward to getting an off-campus apartment in La Jolla during my third year, get a car, get internships or a job, and figure out what I want to do with my life.

Q. Anything else? 

A: UCSD has pretty good food!