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Has anyone taken a college course where they didn't understand most of the material or at least half?
- Thread starter hwarang
- Start date
I took an advanced theoretical computer science course with zero theoretical computer science background. I think I ended up understanding at least half of the material and somehow managed to get a B+ on the final and an A in the course. But I was certainly at office hours every single week...
Computer Architecture where we would design basic CPUs. The CS department at my school was transitioning to a new curriculum to separate Computer Science and Computer Engineering more. They replaced one of the prerequisite courses that had a lab with another course that was supposedly the same content. It was not the same at all and I had to drop that course because I was so lost. After graduation I taught myself that stuff, but I'm still pissed about it.
I took a "Modalities of Logic" class that was advertised for undergraduates with only 1 pre-requisite, and it ended up becoming a graduate's level class that probably needed 3 more per-requisites that I didn't have under my belt.
I should have dropped the class after realizing most of the attendees were professors and grad students. Us undergrads were taking a beating with the exception of one genius in the class that pulled all of us through the finish line.
I haven't ever been as lost in the sauce in any class up till then or since.
I should have dropped the class after realizing most of the attendees were professors and grad students. Us undergrads were taking a beating with the exception of one genius in the class that pulled all of us through the finish line.
I haven't ever been as lost in the sauce in any class up till then or since.
Information Theory certainly felt that way. I'm usually someone who learns best from reading textbooks, but the textbook for that class was just indecipherable. All I can remember from it now is Shannon-Nyquist's sampling theorem.
Formal Methods was another one. I can appreciate them for what they are, but personally, I want nothing to do with them.
Formal Methods was another one. I can appreciate them for what they are, but personally, I want nothing to do with them.
I took mineralogy and thankfully managed to drop the class before the midterm.
I started studying for the class and while I understood the written part just fine, there was also a lab portion around identifying minerals based on a bunch of different categories and I had NO idea how to do that.
A lot of money down the toilet, but at least it didn't hurt my GPA.
I also took Java during the spring one year, didn't do great but well enough to pass, then I took Java 2 after forgetting everything over the summer. Was taking 3 other classes and my grades were slipping so I had to make the class pass/fail to avoid the hit to my GPA and just stopped doing anything for the class.
I was also taking physics classes while being a class behind in the math prereqs. They said it would be fine if I was taking them concurrently, but one of the first classes I remember seeing a symbol and asking my friend "what's that?" and it was an integral, something I didn't learn until the NEXT Calculus class.
Managed to do well enough in then anyways even without the math, but my GPA was pretty rough for a while.
This was most of my classes in college, now I help design most of the chips phones run on, it's all right to feel clueless.
Discrete Math, this was mostly because the professor taught like he was having a conversation with a colleague instead of actually teaching the class. I had no idea what was going on and the book didn't help. Thankfully, I withdrew from the program altogether.
Java II was hard for some reason. At the midterm, I was on track to get a D+. I did so much extra credit that I turned it into an A- and I actually learned in the process.
Starting tomorrow, I will be taking an Intro to Transportation Engineering course with no real engineering background. That's going to be fun.
Java II was hard for some reason. At the midterm, I was on track to get a D+. I did so much extra credit that I turned it into an A- and I actually learned in the process.
Starting tomorrow, I will be taking an Intro to Transportation Engineering course with no real engineering background. That's going to be fun.
California Geography
I took it thinking it'd be easy credit, what I got was a overbearing professor with a incomprehensibly-thick accent who took points off of assignments for inane shit like not capitalizing common nouns
I took it thinking it'd be easy credit, what I got was a overbearing professor with a incomprehensibly-thick accent who took points off of assignments for inane shit like not capitalizing common nouns
It was vector calculus for me! I just didn't understand the professor, textbook, or assignments
Then I took another class in advanced electricity and magnetism, took a look at the first chapter of that which covers vector calc from the angle of a physicist and thought "WAIT. THAT'S ALL VECTOR CALC IS??"
Then I took another class in advanced electricity and magnetism, took a look at the first chapter of that which covers vector calc from the angle of a physicist and thought "WAIT. THAT'S ALL VECTOR CALC IS??"
My third Java programming course. I did really good my first and second semesters of it and was even offered a job as a tutor for it twice. The third Java class was completely lost on me. I learn better by doing things hands on, but the entire class was lecture/note taking and then working on projects for homework. It's difficult for me to replicate and get familiar with processes without first doing them myself. A guy in my group was pretty good, so we agreed that he'd do the coding and I'd write the papers.
Basically every 400 level math course. The fact that I got A's in all of them should be an indicator that there's a problem with the system, because I definitely didn't learn anything
I took Vector and Complex Calculus when I was a sophomore in undergrad, fuck that class was brutal. I was very happy to get a C, especially when I got a 28% and 30% on two of the exams.
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C++ 2. I took the first class months before and I think that's what messed me up. Functions were the focus of the first week and I was completely lost.
Yes Physics , and I was putting alot of effort into it. Although I will say I wouldn't mind trying again
For undergrad I was an engineering & econ double major with a math minor.... just to flex I decided to sign up for a graduate econ course in auction theory and its modeling applications. Think about multi-variable differentials with nested probabilities, I can probably do those now, but back then..... woof!
Edit: I have nobody to blame but myself since I spent too much time partying.
Edit: I have nobody to blame but myself since I spent too much time partying.
My final undergrad semester, I needed a blowoff class so I could stay full time for aid reasons. My advisor pointed me to some religion class and told me to take it P/F as the pass rate was something like 90%.
Now, I am very familiar with world religions and such. I figured it wouldn't be too bad to pull a Pass with minimal effort.
The first day of class, the professor opens with "now, most of you will do just fine. However, for some of you, this will be absolutely incomprehensible".
Guess which group I fell into?
To this day, I have zero understanding of any of the material he was teaching. I found the textbook when I was moving a couple years ago and decided to skim with a fresh mind. Still don't get it. I guess my brain just isn't wired that particular way.
Now, I am very familiar with world religions and such. I figured it wouldn't be too bad to pull a Pass with minimal effort.
The first day of class, the professor opens with "now, most of you will do just fine. However, for some of you, this will be absolutely incomprehensible".
Guess which group I fell into?
To this day, I have zero understanding of any of the material he was teaching. I found the textbook when I was moving a couple years ago and decided to skim with a fresh mind. Still don't get it. I guess my brain just isn't wired that particular way.
I remember my freshman year advanced physics class being brutal. Like just stupid brutal. The high score in the class on the first exam was something like 10%. I recall leaving that first exam in tears thinking I got nothing right and had just flunked out of college. I passed. I got only a few points correct but it was enough to pass when graded on a curve. Ridiculous class.
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Virtually all of them. The only classes I took that I had at least a modicum of background experience in were manly science classes like Astronomy, because I already knew about planets, stars and stuff as a kid and Intro to Engineering cause the mock CAD program we were using was LEGO Digital Desinger and I was the only person who had experience with it.
