Meet Razi
Name: Razi Asaduddin
Hometown: Houston, TX
Major: Computer Sciences
Minor: Business Foundations
Favorite study spot: The Texas Union
The Perks of Student Life
The opportunity to hear distinguished speakers is almost as important as the national ranking of the college. The university has a wonderful track record and has brought the Dalai Lama, Bill Clinton, Noam Chomsky, Robert Fisk, Spike Lee, and many other noted figures to our campus to enlighten the students.
My best experience happened when I met Robert Fisk and Noam Chomsky in the same year. Robert Fisk is a prominent journalist for the famous London newspaper The Independent and Noam Chomsky is a Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and has made some of the most significant contributions to the field of theoretical linguistics in the 20th century.
Making Fun Fit
Fitting everything that I wanted to do into my schedule was my biggest challenge. I wanted a research job and to be in a theater troupe and in an honor service society – while still going to school. It took a lot of planning and re-planning, but I was able to fit it all and still manage to sleep a few hours. Overall it was definitely worth it.
Lift More Than Your Books
Extracurricular classes keep you sane during heavy course loads and also force you to get some exercise. I am in my third semester of weight training. You can also take tennis, swimming, golf, karate, aerobics, ballroom dance, and much more.
What I think about . . .
Being a Successful Student
Go to office hours as much as you can. You can learn directly from the professor and become a familiar face to them. You never really know your professors until you chill with them. They have more than just lame math jokes. They have advice, recommendation letter hookups, and are usually hilarious in relaxed settings.
I am a punk rock/heavy metal/opera listening Muslim guy that goes to the symphony and likes philosophy and long deep conversations instead of clubbing. I want social change, but I also just want to dance around in a cow suit. I also like financial news and dodge ball. So if I can find something, you can to. Join every club possible and narrow them down by your junior year. Focus on two clubs that you really enjoy and rise to power and be the one calling the shots!
I’m a part of Gamma Beta Phi, which is not a fraternity, but a pure service society, and it has taught me a lot. After being in the society for three years, I have gotten to do everything from teaching elementary school, tutoring, mentoring, park cleanups, science days, homeless shelters, refugee aid, festivals, recruiting, and much more. It has truly built me as a person and has allowed me to understand Austin and humanity in general. Being in a leadership position taught me a lot about managing a few hundred people and working with 13 other officers. These skills are invaluable and I never would have learned that cooped up in the lab.
Balance
Balance is the key. Studying, friends, work, and family are all important and you should always make time for all of the above.
More about Razi
Favorites
Place to eat on or near campus
- Thai Noodle House, Kismet, my apartment
Classes (so far)
- Contemporary Issues in Computer Science, Pre-Colonial India, Philosophy of the Mind and Advanced Swimming and Conditioning II
Books
- A People’s History of the United States of America by Howard Zinn, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky
Movie
- Zoolander, Memento and Paradise Now
UT Austin Experience
- My first big performance with Silk Mangos. I finally found a family of like-minded individuals who are passionate about many things and put them into action. We scripted and directed pieces and performed them at the end of the year. The dynamic of the group is amazing and everyone is a director, actor, writer, and family member. Those were the best times of my life. It made me who I am today.
Things about Austin
- Live Music! I LOVE live music. Sometimes I go to shows that I might not even like, but the atmosphere in Austin is amazing. Even when huge artists like System of a Down or Mars Volta of Coldplay come, they play at a relatively small venue and 8 times out of 10, you get to meet them. The annual spring SXSW (South by Southwest) festival is one of the largest music festivals in the world and the Austin City Limits Music Festival in the fall always brings thousands of people into town.
- Art exhibitions in abandoned warehouses with DJs! My favorite is the new Austin Museum of Digital Art which showcases digital art from around the world. They are housed in the IDEA gallery, which is an abandoned Mrs. Baird's warehouse. It feels like you are in a movie when there are multiple screens looping artwork all over the walls and DJs mixing strange atmospheric music.
- Healthy Whole-Foods-eating political Revolutionaries