Undergraduate Course Reflections on Eiken

Year 1 · Fall 2022

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I took 27 credits this semester. My GPA was 4.09.

Course Name	Teacher	老師	Credits	Score
Calculus A (I)	Yuki CHINO	千野由喜	4	A+
Physics (I)	LIN Chun-Liang	林俊良	4	A
Introduction to Computer Science (I)	CHEN Chiuyuan	陳秋媛	3	A-
Introduction to Scientific Research and Implementation (I)	Interdisciplinary Science Degree Program	理學院科學學士學位學程	3	A
Linear Algebra (I)	SHIUE Ming-Cheng	薛名成	3	A+
Mentor’s Hours	Department of Applied Mathematics	應用數學系	1	P
Service Learning I	Department of Applied Mathematics	應用數學系	1	P
Basic Mathematics	WENG Chih-wen	翁志文	3	A
Honor Calculus Problem Solving Session (I)	CHAN Chi Hin	陳子軒	1	A
Physics Recitation (I)	LIN Chun-Liang	林俊良	0	P
Physical Education	CHANG Yu-Hua	張祐華	0	A-
English Communication	KWONG Yuemin	鄺越敏	2	A+
Japanese (I)	KAMIJO Sumie	上條純惠	2	A+

Taking 27 credits was tough, especially after midterms. Most grades landed within expectations, with Introduction to Computer Science the exception.

Year 1 · Spring 2023

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I took 24 credits this semester. My GPA was 3.94.

Course Name	Teacher	老師	Credits	Score
Calculus A (II)	Yuki CHINO	千野由喜	4	A+
Physics (II)	LIN Chun-Liang	林俊良	4	B
Discrete Mathematics	WENG Chih-wen	翁志文	3	A-
Introduction to Computer Science (II)	CHEN Chiuyuan	陳秋媛	3	A+
Introduction to Scientific Research and Implementation (II)	Interdisciplinary Science Degree Program	理學院科學學士學位學程	3	A+
Linear Algebra (II)	SHIUE Ming-Cheng	薛名成	3	A
Mentor’s Hours	Department of Applied Mathematics	應用數學系	1	P
Service Learning II	Department of Applied Mathematics	應用數學系	1	A
Physics Recitation (II)	LIN Chun-Liang	林俊良	0	P
Physical Education	CHANG Yu-Hua	張祐華	0	A-
Japanese (III)	KAMIJO Sumie	上條純惠	2	A+

Twenty-four credits felt more tiring than the previous semester — probably the last time I would ever take more than 20 in one go.

Year 2 · Fall 2023

Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I took 15 credits this semester. My GPA was 3.69.

Course Name	Teacher	老師	Credits	Score
Introduction to Analysis (I), Honor Class	WANG Kuo-Zhong	王國仲	4	B
Differential Equations	LIN Te-Sheng	林得勝	3	A
Microeconomics	HUANG Hsing-Hua	黃星華	3	A+
Probability Theory	HUANG Hsin-Yuan	黃信元	3	A-
Vector Calculus	Yuki CHINO	千野由喜	2	A-
Softball	HUANG Shan-Ying	黃杉楹	0	A+

Surprisingly, these 15 credits felt heavier than the 27 I carried in my first semester.

Year 2 · Spring 2024

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I took 17 credits this semester. My GPA was 3.98.

Course Name	Teacher	老師	Credits	Score
Introduction to Analysis (II), Honor Class	WANG Kuo-Zhong	王國仲	4	B+
Softball	HUANG Shan-Ying	黃杉楹	0	A
Management	HSIAO Chan	蕭嬋	3	A+
Statistics	WANG Hsiuying	王秀瑛	3	A
Computational Mathematics	WU Chin-Tien	吳金典	3	A+
Introduction to Data Science: Concepts & Practice	CHEN Chang-Sheng	陳昌盛	2	A+
Data and Everyday Life	PERNG Sung-Yueh	彭松嶽	2	A

Seventeen credits, and still a heavy load.

Year 3 · Fall 2024 — Exchange at École polytechnique

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

My first semester on exchange at École polytechnique. Lecturing in English was never a problem — my English was already fine — and, honestly, the biggest thing I took from the whole year had little to do with coursework: this was where I learned to live on my own. I took 16 ECTS.

Course Name	Teacher	ECTS	Score
Algorithms for Discrete Mathematics	Lucas GERIN	3	A
Object-oriented Programming	Gaël THOMAS & Julien TIERNY	5	A-
Macroeconomics	Mehdi SENOUCI & Gauthier VERMANDEL	5	B+
Beginner French	Alexia BRUILLON	2	A+
Sports - Year 2 (Climbing)		1	A

Algorithms for Discrete Mathematics

A carefully designed course with little coursework beyond a capstone project, and plenty of class time set aside for it — the project itself just asks you to pull together everything you have learned. It is a solid introduction to NumPy, SymPy, and SciPy. Professor Gerin is sharp, with a dry, applied-mathematician humor that still keeps one foot in the theory — close to my own taste, though I will admit I care even less about proofs and am often happy as long as something works.

Year 3 · Spring 2025 — Exchange at École polytechnique

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I took 16 ECTS this semester.

Course Name	Teacher	ECTS	Score
History of Economics	Béatrice CHERRIER	3	A
Machine Learning	Jesse READ	5	A
Econometrics	Laura RECUERO VIRTO & Arne UHLENDORFF	5	A
Intermediate French (B1/B2)	Marie-Chantal GERARD	2	A
Sports - Year 2 (Racketlon)		1	A+

History of Economics

Less my personal peak than the peak of my course-selection luck. The format was role-playing debates on a set of given topics. My group went first, on “is economics too mathematized?” — a spicy thing to argue as a math major (and worth noting that BX students all double-major, one of which must be mathematics). I was on the affirmative: that economics piles on complex models that still do not prove all that useful — which of course turns straight into a fight over what “useful” even means. Being week one, the room had not warmed up yet; later weeks were livelier, with topics like “is economics objective?” and “is economics too ideological?”. I like logical debate — not the angle-switching sophistry of competitive debating, which is pointless here and gets called out on the spot. More than anything, this course taught me how to think, and how to write something a reader can actually follow.

Year 4 · Fall 2025

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I took 18 credits this semester. My GPA was 4.05.

Course Name	Teacher	老師	Credits	Score
Algebra (I)	KANG Ming-Hsuan	康明軒	3	A
Softball	HUANG Shan-Ying	黃杉楹	0	A+
Directed Individual Study (I)	Yuki CHINO	千野由喜	3	A+
Advanced Statistics	WANG Hsiuying	王秀瑛	3	A-
Machine Learning	LIN Te-Sheng	林得勝	3	A+
Financial Management	TSAI Bi-Huei	蔡璧徽	3	A+
Futures and Options	LEE Han-Hsing	李漢星	3	A-

Algebra (I)

My first encounter with abstract algebra. Compared with analysis, the toolkit is much smaller, and that is the upside: you usually know which tool a problem wants the moment you see it, and it is the kind of subject where simply writing forward shows you how the proof should go — relatively low-stress. The content is still rigorous, taught in a style that balances interaction with formal precision and plenty of worked examples, and the otherwise hard exams are softened by going through past papers beforehand. Special thanks to the TA — the recitation sessions were invaluable. I don’t love the subject, but I get along with it.

Year 4 · Spring 2026

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I took 9 credits this semester, all graduate-level courses. My GPA was 4.3.

Course Name	Teacher	老師	Credits	Score
Survival Analysis	CHENG Yu-Jen	鄭又仁	3	A+
Python and Machine Learning Algorithms	LIN Chin-Hung	林晉宏	3	A+
Time Series	KAO Chu-Lan	高竹嵐	3	A+

Survival Analysis is offered by the Institute of Statistics and Data Science at National Tsing Hua University; cross-registering there left me convinced that its reputation as the strongest statistics institute in Taiwan is well earned.