My tasks as a "James Joyce" Catholic basically amount to:
1) Relentlessly critiquing my own religion's authorities and stances, especially in front of Catholic hardliners 2) Smiling and nodding at family events 3) Making things as awkward as humanly possible without any confrontation when someone attacks Catholicism (as above)
Just a few minor chores, but ones I take relish in.
I've pretty much gotten to the point in my education where I can do almost nothing but what I consider to be below-average work and still get As and Bs. The system fails again!
I've pretty much gotten to the point in my education where I can do almost nothing but what I consider to be below-average work and still get As and Bs. The system fails again!
Even at RIT, you could get a B if put the absolute bare minimum effort into a class. You'd get an A if you tried at all, and a C if you basically did nothing all quarter. Of course, there were rare exceptions, but this was the general rule for most classes.
Of course, there was the old adage: 1. Study 2. Show up to class 3. Do the classwork
If you did any two of these, even minimally, you were guaranteed to pass the class, most likely with a B.
Even at RIT, you could get a B if put the absolute bare minimum effort into a class. You'd get an A if you tried at all, and a C if you basically didnothingall quarter. Of course, there were rare exceptions, but this was the general rule for most classes.
Just a note, it depended a lot on what class you were in.... I.E. Microbiology where the test averages were a 32% were exceptions to the rule I would assume (I got a B in that class :-p)
Just a note, it depended a lot on what class you were in.... I.E. Microbiology where the test averages were a 32% were exceptions to the rule I would assume (I got a B in that class :-p)
Maybe I should clarify. Most of the exceptions were a few major-specific classes. ^_~ All of the general ed, and most of the liberal arts classes were automatic-pass. The rule also assumes one is very smart. Considering the over 50% freshman-year failure rate while we were there, one could argue that there were to distinct classes of students.
1. Smart
These students will graduate no matter what in most cases, and can follow the 2/3 rule. Passing a class is the default, minimum-effort path. They often shot for the holy grail of RIT grades: "the low B."
2. Shouldn't have come to RIT
They study hard. You can see them in the library every morning studying before classes. They join the large, safe, boring clubs on campus. They live in the designated "quiet" dorms their freshman year. They ask questions in class that make you question how they even managed to get out of high school. They never skip class, try really really hard in group projects (to the annoyance of everyone else, who want to shoot for the holy grail grade), and at some point before Springfest, disappear. (The exception, of course, is if they fail out, but have money. Then, RIT will usually let them stay another year before failing them out for good).
They study hard....They never skip class, try really really hard in group projects (to the annoyance of everyone else, who want to shoot for the holy grail grade)...
I tried really hard in college, Rym! Stop being a jerk.
Bah! I have a better GPA than you, so there. Also, my professors would totally fail people for skipping class. I had to ask PERMISSION to skip 3D class to go to a concert.
Unless they went to the effort of a roll call, that kind of thing can be avoided by not going to any classes at all, so they won't notice your absence.
I tried really hard in college, Rym! Stop being a jerk.
You tried hard at a school other than RIT. ^_~ The rule only applies to RIT, where they let anyone in and then fail half of them. You actually had work to do, rewarding lectures to attend, and a value-add from your professors. My RIT professors rarely provided anything that a few minutes of Googling or a scan of the textbook couldn't. There was no reason to attend class, since the labs and tests were all that mattered, and class was where all the soon-to-fail kids wasted my time asking stupid questions.
Bah! I have a better GPA than you, so there.
I had a 4.0 until I stopped caring! =P Actually, I was fine until I joined the anime club eboard. You can graph my level of responsibility to the club directly against my slipping GPA quarter-by-quarter, culminating in the final slide to a 3.4 once I was president. XD
I tried really hard in college, Rym! Stop being a jerk.
You tried hard at a school other than RIT. ^_~ The rule only applies to RIT, where they let anyone in and then fail half of them. You actually had work to do, rewarding lectures to attend, and a value-add from your professors. My RIT professors rarely provided anything that a few minutes of Googling or a scan of the textbook couldn't. There was no reason to attend class, since the labs and tests were all that mattered, and class was where all the soon-to-fail kids wasted my time asking stupid questions.
Bah! I have a better GPA than you, so there.
I had a 4.0 until I stopped caring! =P Actually, I was fine until I joined the anime club eboard. You can graph my level of responsibility to the club directly against my slipping GPA quarter-by-quarter, culminating in the final slide to a 3.4 once I was president. XD
Note this also only applies to IT and liberal arts classes....
That was the minimum to maintain my full ride, so I let it drop. The only difference in my life was 1000% more free time at RIT, and graduating with honors instead of high honors.
...RIT is supposed to be a good school for IT, but it sounds like it is a SUCK school where only the people who already know what they need to know or how to get it from somewhere else can pass. So effectively the reason they produce skilled graduates is that only people who are skilled enough to teach themselves the ropes can get through. That's pretty retarded.
It's a good thing you had a full ride, Rym, or I would call that the biggest waste of your money ever.
I paid for a piece of paper. That piece of paper catapulted me into a very lucrative career which I could not otherwise have had. RIT has the best IT graduates in the world because it forces students to accurately prioritize and be entirely self-sufficient in learning. I also paid for access to the extensive labs filled with expensive equipment I couldn't have otherwise afforded.
The problem is only that RIT needs 100x higher standards for incoming students. You have no business entering an IT BS program if you aren't already technically proficient. The students who succeeded were the hobbyists who already had proficiency and simply needed polish. The rest didn't know what an IP address was.
I paid for a piece of paper. That piece of paper catapulted me into a very lucrative career which I could not otherwise have had. RIT has the best IT graduates in the world because it forces students to accurately prioritize and be entirely self-sufficient in learning. I also paid for access to the extensive labs filled with expensive equipment I couldn't have otherwise afforded.
The problem is only that RIT needs 100x higher standards for incoming students. You have no business entering an IT BS program if you aren't already technically proficient. The students who succeeded were the hobbyists who already had proficiency and simply needed polish. The rest didn't know what an IP address was.
but it sounds like it is a SUCK school where only the people who already know what they need to know or how to get it from somewhere else can pass
Well, the quarter system had a lot to do with it. Basically, RIT is a good school for people who know how to prioritize their work, and are good at working under a fair degree of pressure. You don't get coddled at RIT; it's very much a sink-or-swim environment.
but it sounds like it is a SUCK school where only the people who already know what they need to know or how to get it from somewhere else can pass
Well, the quarter system had a lot to do with it. Basically, RIT is a good school for people who know how to prioritize their work, and are good at working under a fair degree of pressure. You don't get coddled at RIT; it's very much a sink-or-swim environment.
I have never known of a University that did any coddling.
Who decides they want to do IT without knowing what an IP address is?
Most IT entries. That's why they all fail.
I have never known of a University that did any coddling.
Kids just couldn't cut the quarter system, the lab practicals, the fact that you had to schedule you own time with lab equipment.
During my first lab practical (a timed test where, if you fail it, you automatically fail the class), two classmates cried. A third of the class failed. RIT is high pressure, especially if you're not proficient or able to self-manage.
RIT crams each class into ten weeks, and has four such quarters per year. You basically have to hit the ground running with all new classes every quarter, midterm at week six, final after week ten, and then you're done. It's very fast paced, and many, many students cited it as their main reason for failing or leaving. Interestingly, the people who stayed cited it as one of the best aspects of RIT.
RIT crams each class into ten weeks, and has four such quarters per year.
Each class for that quarter? Or each class for that year? Heh, in high school we had a 6 week schedule, with 70 minute classes, no break. University schedules were relieving with 2 hour classes scheduled as 15 min entrance, 45 min class, 15 min break, 45 min class.
At my high school we have a 9-week quarters- we have 4 classes a day, 88 minute classes, 10-minute passing periods. The awesome advantage is that we get curriculum done twice as fast as normal high schools. Block system ftw.
I'm glad you mentioned the labs and equipment - that's one of the most valuable things schools can offer. I agree though, that the school needs higher standards. But hey, they can get money from the incoming freshmen, and it doesn't hurt their reputation for outgoing graduates because the dumb ones fail out. I do think it might be a tad unethical, but I'm a firm believer that people are responsible for their own choices. I chose a small, collegiate law school because I know what kind of environment I work best in. Lots of bigger schools solicited me, but I did what I thought best for myself. The school has a right to set its own admission standards, and the money from those kids that fail out still goes into making the facilities better for the ones that stay.
At my high school we have a 9-week quarters- we have 4 classes a day, 88 minute classes, 10-minute passing periods. The awesome advantage is that we get curriculum done twice as fast as normal high schools. Block system ftw.
That's what my school had!! W00t! Everyone here, if you school didn't have the block system, it automatically sucks.
midterm at week six, final after week ten, and then you're done.
Sometimes, the midterm would be at week 4. Sometimes, your first grade wouldn't come back until after the withdraw date had lapsed. The pacing basically ensured that if you fucked up and didn't recover inside of a week, you would very likely fail.
EDIT: Except for most liberal arts classes. RIT's liberal arts programs, by and large, were a joke from an academic standpoint; they were fun, but I can't say that I really learned a whole lot or was really challenged by any of them. If a course was "writing intensive," it meant that you might have to write a paper longer than 5 pages.
Comments
1) Relentlessly critiquing my own religion's authorities and stances, especially in front of Catholic hardliners
2) Smiling and nodding at family events
3) Making things as awkward as humanly possible without any confrontation when someone attacks Catholicism (as above)
Just a few minor chores, but ones I take relish in.
Of course, there was the old adage:
1. Study
2. Show up to class
3. Do the classwork
If you did any two of these, even minimally, you were guaranteed to pass the class, most likely with a B.
1. Smart
These students will graduate no matter what in most cases, and can follow the 2/3 rule. Passing a class is the default, minimum-effort path. They often shot for the holy grail of RIT grades: "the low B."
2. Shouldn't have come to RIT
They study hard. You can see them in the library every morning studying before classes. They join the large, safe, boring clubs on campus. They live in the designated "quiet" dorms their freshman year. They ask questions in class that make you question how they even managed to get out of high school. They never skip class, try really really hard in group projects (to the annoyance of everyone else, who want to shoot for the holy grail grade), and at some point before Springfest, disappear. (The exception, of course, is if they fail out, but have money. Then, RIT will usually let them stay another year before failing them out for good).
Bah! I have a better GPA than you, so there. Also, my professors would totally fail people for skipping class. I had to ask PERMISSION to skip 3D class to go to a concert.
(j/k my total cumulative GPA is 3.48 with two commendations for getting on Dean's List)
It's a good thing you had a full ride, Rym, or I would call that the biggest waste of your money ever.
The problem is only that RIT needs 100x higher standards for incoming students. You have no business entering an IT BS program if you aren't already technically proficient. The students who succeeded were the hobbyists who already had proficiency and simply needed polish. The rest didn't know what an IP address was.
The problem is only that RIT needs 100x higher standards for incoming students. You have no business entering an IT BS program if you aren't already technically proficient. The students who succeeded were the hobbyists who already had proficiency and simply needed polish. The rest didn't know what an IP address was.
During my first lab practical (a timed test where, if you fail it, you automatically fail the class), two classmates cried. A third of the class failed. RIT is high pressure, especially if you're not proficient or able to self-manage.
EDIT: Except for most liberal arts classes. RIT's liberal arts programs, by and large, were a joke from an academic standpoint; they were fun, but I can't say that I really learned a whole lot or was really challenged by any of them. If a course was "writing intensive," it meant that you might have to write a paper longer than 5 pages.