Rant Finals

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Wow, you're in for a rude awakening if/when you hit corporate america. 'Hey, we have to have this... in 15 minutes.'

No job in the world that we know sits you down in and tells you to program a complex program without code references by hand in 15 minutes -_-!

-Kevin

 

[xanis]

Normally, I'd be pissed off... but since I just finished the last of my finals, I don't really care.

Today... sleep. Tomorrow... bacon and eggs.

 

[TecHNooB]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Wow, you're in for a rude awakening if/when you hit corporate america. 'Hey, we have to have this... in 15 minutes.'

No job in the world that we know sits you down in and tells you to program a complex program without code references by hand in 15 minutes -_-!

-Kevin

What do you need reference code for? What do you anticipate having to program?

 

[Fingolfin269]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Wow, you're in for a rude awakening if/when you hit corporate america. 'Hey, we have to have this... in 15 minutes.'

No job in the world that we know sits you down in and tells you to program a complex program without code references by hand in 15 minutes -_-!

-Kevin

Ah true, but what about if you are in a support role and you get the call "Err, if you don't get this fixed in 15 minutes it's going to cost us $x". These situations do happen.

Besides, in the business world you know to expect these things. This is no different than a college final. I mean, I assume everyone knows there are going to be finals?

 

[Schfifty Five]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
I am extremely annoyed with how colleges structure finals.

As of right now I had an exam that ended at 5 last night. I had an exam this morning at 10AM, I have another exam at 3PM, and another tomorrow at 10AM.

When IN THE WORLD does a college expect you to be able to study for all that. I didn't qualify for an exam change. So as it stands, I studied immensely for my first exam (Graduation in 2010 hinges on it), and then began studying for the next exam. Now; having taken that with no more than 3 or so hours of studying, I have to go to another exam in 2 hours.

Furthermore, I am a CS major. What is the point of an exam!?!?!?!? When is an employer going to sit me into a room with a desk, slap a piece of paper in front of me, give me a pencil, and say write the code for this, this, this, and this and give some random definitions?!? All with no code references?? I have an A on every project, HW, and lab in the class, yet I fail the tests like no other...

-Kevin

ah young grasshopper, you have much to learn about the real world.

 

[acheron]

Originally posted by: Mizugori

that's crap. i've had several CS jobs and it never goes further than informal questioning, which is done verbally.

Oh really? What kind of research were you doing?

Or did you mean a programming job? CS is not programming. CS is mostly math.


Also, unless you're at ITT, your classes are not about "preparing you for employment". They're about teaching you material. It doesn't matter if an employer will never give you a test.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Originally posted by: TecHNooB

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Wow, you're in for a rude awakening if/when you hit corporate america. 'Hey, we have to have this... in 15 minutes.'

No job in the world that we know sits you down in and tells you to program a complex program without code references by hand in 15 minutes -_-!

-Kevin

What do you need reference code for? What do you anticipate having to program?

I would expect to be given the framework of a program, then be asked to write a few methods using the functions already in place. At least, that's what the tests were like when I took Java.

 

[vshah]

are you sure your university doesn't have some sort of policy? at mine, if you have more than 3 exams within a 24 hour period, the professors or 4th and up are obligated to re-schedule for you

 

[QurazyQuisp]

I was the exact opposite this semester. I was wishing mine were crammed together. I'm used to having 4-5 all crammed within 2-3 days, unfortunately I had three this year spread over 5 days. It was painfully boring.

 

[imported_apocalypse]

The university doesn't know what your individual schedule/courses are, especially for electives. They just schedule everything to minimize overlaps and fit it in to whatever schedule is good for admin purposes.

 

[frostedflakes]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: frostedflakes

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
boohoo?

college ain't meant to be easy.

Let me add that a typical final should be an accumulation of what you learned over the semester...not a quick cram session....

At my school I was able to change SOME finals if it was too close to other finals.

This. If you've been keeping up with the class during the semester, it should all kind of fall into place for the final. Maybe spend a few hours going over the earlier material to refresh your memory, but if you're cramming, you're doing it wrong.

That is impossible and impractical. I have never heard of someone only studying a few hours for a final and then getting an A on it in any respectable school and class.

For instance in my Computer Organization class: We have gone from MUX/ADDers in HW, to Finite State Machines, to ALU and Circuits, to Binary Opcode, to Assembly, to C, to Data Structures in C.

That isn't something that you get an opportunity to practice all year - and it isn't something easy where you remember it and everything works. You try creating a 16bit ADD or Multiplexer on the spot and tell me how it goes...

-Kevin

Like I said, *if you've been keeping up in the class* it's just be a matter of refreshing the material. You admitted yourself that you've been struggling with one of your classes, so you're not just refreshing -- you're learning material for the final, and obviously that takes a lot more time.

I mean don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing you. I'm as guilty as anybody of cramming, and I'm in engineering, so I know it's difficult. I just don't agree that students aren't given ample time to study for finals -- you have the entire semester to study, preparation doesn't start during dead week.

 

[Mizugori]

dude if its that hard for you maybe you don't belong there

 

[TecHNooB]

Originally posted by: Mizugori
dude if its that hard for you maybe you don't belong there

I'm sure he does fine; he just doesn't like the system, hence the 'rant' part

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: TecHNooB

Originally posted by: Mizugori
dude if its that hard for you maybe you don't belong there

I'm sure he does fine; he just doesn't like the system, hence the 'rant' part

Yea thats more or less it. I just don't feel that Exam's make sense for CS as much as a Final timed Project on a computer or something.

So far I only have one exam back.

In my Data Structures in Java Class, I got a 64 on the Final which should give me a B or B- for the course.

I am still awaiting Computer Organization I (Circuit Diagrams, Binary, Assembly, C, etc...) which, though I only had time to study for about 2 hours for, I felt I did the best (And this was my hardest class throughout the year).

I am also still awaiting my Discrete Math grade (I needed to get a C to get a C in the course).

Finally, I'm waiting on my Core Elective History of Landscape Architecture which was a very hard exam that he will probably have to curve based the response from the class (I normally get A's in everything in non Engineering Classes).

-Kevin

 

[Pacemaker]

When I was in college I got "Lucky" one semester and had all 5 of my finals on Monday. I was taking tests from 7am till about 7pm with only a couple of real breaks in between, but at least I was done 3 days early.

 

[oiprocs]

That's nothing. We have schedule finals at 7pm, that can last till 10pm. If God hates you, he will give you an 8am final the next morning.

 

[QurazyQuisp]

Originally posted by: oiprocs
That's nothing. We have schedule finals at 7pm, that can last till 10pm. If God hates you, he will give you an 8am final the next morning.

We have this as well... I've had that a few times, it blows.

 

[Leros]

Quit your whining. You had all semester.

I had three exams in one day.
9am -12 noon
2-5pm
7-10pm

Then I had 2 finals the next day.

... quit yer whining.

 

[RKS]

Originally posted by: oiprocs
That's nothing. We have schedule finals at 7pm, that can last till 10pm. If God hates you, he will give you an 8am final the next morning.

We had a couple exams scheduled from 6PM to 10PM but the teacher allowed for an extra hour. A lot of people stayed until 11PM. The exam was 100% of semester grade.

BTW: The real world doesn't give a fuck about your scheduling conflicts or work load. I've had pre-trial meetings with 2 different judges scheduled for the same time, and the judges have short tempers and long memories.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

FYI: If you don't know the material by the time finals roll around, you never will.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
FYI: If you don't know the material by the time finals roll around, you never will.

Nope - I learned and mastered the Principle Of Mathematical Induction and various function laws while studying for Discrete Math.... I didn't understand it completely prior to that and then it just clicked!

Quit your whining. You had all semester.

I had three exams in one day.
9am -12 noon
2-5pm
7-10pm

Then I had 2 finals the next day.

... quit yer whining.

Engineering classes? No? Yea not anywhere near the same then...

-Kevin

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Quit your whining. You had all semester.

I had three exams in one day.
9am -12 noon
2-5pm
7-10pm

Then I had 2 finals the next day.

... quit yer whining.

Engineering classes? No? Yea not anywhere near the same then...

-Kevin

5 electrical engineering classes, upper division

quit being such a whiny jerk

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: Leros

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Quit your whining. You had all semester.

I had three exams in one day.
9am -12 noon
2-5pm
7-10pm

Then I had 2 finals the next day.

... quit yer whining.

Engineering classes? No? Yea not anywhere near the same then...

-Kevin

5 electrical engineering classes, upper division

quit being such a whiny jerk

Oh I'm being a whiney jerk? You posted in MY thread saying you had it bad and for me, the OP, to quit whining? To me that seems like a jerk :roll:

-Kevin

 

[hanoverphist]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

When IN THE WORLD does a college expect you to be able to study for all that.

all year long. by the time you get within a couple days of your finals, you shouold be able to lightly review your old notes and course materials and be ready. as long as you studied and did well throughout the semester.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: Leros

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Quit your whining. You had all semester.

I had three exams in one day.
9am -12 noon
2-5pm
7-10pm

Then I had 2 finals the next day.

... quit yer whining.

Engineering classes? No? Yea not anywhere near the same then...

-Kevin

5 electrical engineering classes, upper division

quit being such a whiny jerk

Oh I'm being a whiney jerk? You posted in MY thread saying you had it bad and for me, the OP, to quit whining? To me that seems like a jerk :roll:

-Kevin

No one in school can whine. Try 3 work deadlines in one day. Until you experienced this....go cry me a river.