The High School/College Thread (1 Viewer)

[LDfan]

Count me in as a former biology major. Graduated from george mason university in virginia back in 2000. I must say Immunology was the toughest bio class I had to take.


Jeff

 

[Chris Farmer]

Current biology major finishing up my med school apps now, hope to get them off tomorrow. Thank God the MCAT is over with, I feel sorry for those of you preparing for your graduate school level tests.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

I'll be taking the MCAT for the third time.....

Shudder.....

BTW, anybody want to explain ocular dominance columns to me?

 

[CaseyLS]

Yeah my uh accounting class is uh tough. Yeah uh bye.

 

[Eric Brunton]

Is this a pissing contest? LOL

 

[Mark Dubbelboer]

i find an 800 word essay to be more difficult than one that gives you more space to explore your ideas.
800 words forces you to be concise, none of those 800 words can be filler or you'll find your paper doesn't accomplish what it's supposed to.

I'm just starting my MA in economics and dammmmmmmmn, i haven't taken calculus since semester 1 - first year and i'm just warning you nick. keep that book. i used my old calculus text more in the first week of grad school then i did the entire semester i was actually in the class.

double integrals are the devil

who's good at calculus here? i'm having a hard time taking integrals of natural exponents and the only examples i can find are like e^x. i need more complex examples to actually understand how to do them.

 

[Darren Davis]

This might be a good thread for me as I'm currently straining through school (the work isn't difficult, the workload coupled with a job and other inconveniences is) and working on college applications. I'm in the International Baccalaureate program in high school, which is basically like taking all AP classes (many of the IB and AP classes double up and we take both exams at the end of the year. IB, however, focuses on the total achievment with other requirements and papers due rather than just a final test).

But this college stuff has me kind of confused and I'm still trying to figure out what would be best for me. My problem is that I'm fairly split down the spectrum. I like math a lot but I also like creative writing. I like science but I also like acting. I'm not set on just one direction in my life. But, after weighing options and thinking about what would be best for me I am looking at a major in either business administration or computer science. But now I'm getting people telling me those aren't that great to major in. My guidance counselor told me that A LOT of people major in BA and that if I really liked that I should just major in whatever I wanted and then go on to get an MBA. My mother is encouraging me to go the computer science/math route (math is so I can always become a teacher and have something to fall back on in the worst case scenario) but from talking to a few people they've told me that computer science is now not as important as people in the tech field are getting jobs from certification tests and experience. Anyone care to shed some light?

 

[Michael R Price]

It depends on whether you can easily respond to the question. In English class we get a lot of silly prompts for which it is difficult to write pages of real content. Even a typical 2-3 page essay is sometimes a bother. I find that with scientific papers, I can write as much as I want and still feel like it's solid information. I am entering in the Intel research competition and it's annoying that my first draft, missing all pictures/charts and a couple sections, is already over the length limit.

But I love double integrals! (OK, not really, but they're much better than surface integrals. ) I wouldn't consider myself particularly good at calculus but I have done some of the basic multivariable concepts (multiple integrals, differential equations and vector stuff).

 

[Holadem]

Is this a pissing contest? LOL

I guess so. And I am winning.

--
H

 

[Andy_G]

CHA.

I see you work[ed] for EGR. I guess this means we may have met at some point (I volunteered at the gubernatorial campaign a couple of summers ago (I still have my button somewhere…).

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Right now as a senior in High School, I'm taking 3 AP classes: Physics, Calculus, and French 5 (we have a rotating block scheduling system, so I have all 3 AP classes as all of my morning classes on some days, and it SUCKS).

I only have regular level History 2 and Honors level English 4. The 4th day of school, we had an essay due for English. I actually wrote one that was too long (had to keep it under 500 words so we could use it on college applications). I got a 99 on it because I accidentally made something plural when it should have been singular.

Other than that, I have Human Behavior (easy class), Gym (easy, plus we play frisbee all year), and TV Production 3. TV3 is kind of annoying because it's a lot of working outside of school and then editing in school. I'm also partially responsible for the morning announcements over the TV system at our school, so I have to be at school by 6:30 AM every day (though it's usually 6:45). Currently, I have to get video clips from movies to use as part of a trivia question segment we do each day, which means getting the clip after school, then editing graphics around it the next day so it can go on the day after that. It's crazy.

And yeah, lots and LOTS of homework.

But math is easy. Why? Because I LOVE Math. Is it because I'm half-jewish? Maybe...

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Actually, the whole point of this thread is to let off steam from hard classe/exams and whatnot and to see if we can help one another with our problems.

I was kind of serious when I asked if somebody could explain ocular dominance columns to me. So far, the gist seems to be that neuronal afferents from the left and right eyes are segregated in the 4C region of the visual cortex. Ocular dominance columns form during post natal development, and if they don't form properly, you could be blind in one eye.

I didn't want this to be a pissing contest, but hey, I see no harm done.

 

[CaseyLS]

Yeah I have three tests tomarrow. I am only a bit nervous.

 

[Chris Bardon]

Part time MSEE (Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering, dumbass), 2 classes and full time electrical engineer (that ain't 40 hours btw, I go to work on saturdays every so often). Beat that.

Ok...how about just completed Master's in Engineering with a 180 page thesis and two journal papers in the process of being published. (sorry, couldn't resist getting in on any sort of contest).

Darren-if you like math, but also like to be creative-consider Engineering. You get all the cool technical content you could want, as well as the ability to use your creativity in the design stage of projects. True, there may not be as much "creative" writing in Engineering, but look at it this way-if you become an Engineer, you can always take time off to write a novel at some point.

 

[Mark Dubbelboer]

i was serious too.
does anyone know any decent websites that deals with integrals?
i guess i'll just go out and buy the schaum's outline.

 

[Holadem]

Yes Chris, but were you working?

Actually, the whole point of this thread is to let off steam from hard classe/exams and whatnot and to see if we can help one another with our problems.

OK, I'll let off some steam all right. Embedded Digital Control Systems class. The professor is this young PhD, very friendly, but also very enthousiatic. Result? Homework every week, 4 exams and a design project. WTF? We don't want a watered down education but let's not go crazy either, no undergrad professor ever gave 4 exams in a semester, who the hell does that in grad school, when most of us have day jobs? After some serious bitching from the class, he decided to tone it down: 2 exams, final will be take home, and we will have 2 weeks rather than 1 to return our homeworks. We were quite happy until we realised that he was still giving out homework every week, just that now, we have 2 week to do'em:rolleyes.

It was bit strange going back to school, if only after a year and a half. It was all there, from the geeks at the front whose questions serve no purpose other than to show off their knowledge (to which the prof invariably says "yes, we will get there"), right down to the wisecracking idiots at the back of the class who can't ever shut the fuck up (that would be me).

--
H

 

[JustinCleveland]

Holadem,

I had lots of major exams on a regular basis... the pains of a small, liberal arts school. I'm looking to attend Northwestern for my Ph.D. and I know it'd be tough for me to teach, since it's such a BIG school, but I love testing students. Make sure they know their shit, and can APPLY it.

 

[Seth--L]

Andy_G,

I went to Friends' Central.

I worked in EGR's finance dept. on the campaign, was staff on the inauguration (built the 27,000 invitee database and co-coordinate ticket sales) and this past summer I interned in the Governor's scheduling office.

 

[Chris Bardon]

does anyone know any decent websites that deals with integrals?

You're probably best off picking up a copy of Schaum's-it's not all that expensive, and really it's a good reference to have around.

I'd offer to help, but my basic calculus is rusty as hell (haven't touched it in 5 years). Linear algebra-all the time, but I haven't had to integrate anything since my second year of my undergrad. Have you got a specific example of what you're trying to integrate though-maybe I can help...

 

[Dome Vongvises]

I hope CaseyLS did well on his tests.

Anway, I have my own tests coming up on Thursday. I have a Physics test and my first physiology test (the one I keep bitching about).

Physics isn't hard, but the type of problems the professors give you isn't suitable for the 50 minute time limit. I don't think it's fair personally. In effect, you're being tested by how fast your recall is, not how well it is.

Physiology is killing me. I've had a lecture everyday, and my test is covering everything up until this past Monday. It's not hard, just voluminous (if such a word exists).

Here's a good topic of discussion: what are your exam or lecture pet peeves?

My immunobiology class has different lecturers for each topic. The current topic is about complement, and the professor lecturing this segment is the absolute worse I've ever heard. She keeps a slow, constant rhythm, but her problem is she never fucking stops. You're writing to catch up to her, and she doesn't allow any time at all to let anything sink in.

I've had arrogant bastard professors I hate that lecture better than this one.

I'm not saying it's requisite, but if you want to get your students to learn, you have to stop or momentarily pause during lecture to allow times for students to either catch up with writing or let concepts sink in.

My only exam pet peeve is when professors design questions/problems that aren't suitable relative to time constraints. It's one thing to challenge students and try to minimize basic fact regurgutation, but it's simply ridiculous to have students establish logic/thought processes on par with a doctorate in small time windows.

Here's an incident that happened three years ago. I didn't have this professor, but I had friends who did. This was a question on an organic chemistry I test:

What happens when you smoke the enantiomer of nicotine? Support your answer with details

The unfairness of this question derives from the fact that A.It comes at the end of the exam after four other essay questions and B. the question doesn't reflect the thought processes/levels involved with sample questions/problems that had been given during the lecture material.

Discuss away.

Just in case you're wondering why I'm typing here instead of studying, I've been in the library from 3:15 to 11:05. My only sustenace for a long while was Peanut M+M's.