To make a long story short, by and large only one of my classes is really meeting my expectations. This is both good and bad, as you will see, as some subjects have grown on me while others have proven wildly tedious or boring. I guess the most logical way to go about describing this flip-flop is to go subject-by-subject.
- ERTH10001 -- The Global Environment is the only class so far that is what I expected it to be: the lectures are really interesting. From day one, despite my complaints about the rather fundamental level at which this course is taught, I've learned new things in every lecture. And, as my trip to the Great Ocean Road proved, this stuff is actually pretty relevant. To be quite honest, I think I could do pretty well learning this subject on my own with just the textbook and lecture slides, but I choose to go to class because I am genuinely interested. That's a good sign, people. The one complaint I have, though, is that the practicals are a bit silly--I can't explain exactly why, but they feel more like middle school science class than a university-level lab period. Still, this is my favorite class this semester.
- ELEN90055 -- Control Systems is turning out to be both more manageable and more interesting that I presumed it would be. When I went to the professor before the semester started and he went over all the things that were meant to be "review" at the beginning of the course, I was terrified because I hadn't heard of most of the topics. He reassured me that I would be fine, and I am because it turns out I know most of the review stuff already, I've just never learned them in this context before. So the first few weeks have been pretty interesting, and I've gotten the impression that control systems actually matter in the world of engineering. The pace is starting to pick up, though, and the material is getting harder, so I think my initial nervousness might have been justified, after all. Only time will tell, though. I have two complaints with this course:
- sometimes it seems like the professor thinks we're bumbling idiots and spends nonsensical amounts of time explaining basic algebra (i.e. the quadratic equation), while other times he breezes through more complex concepts
- this is more of an evaluation/comparison of American vs. Australian modes of instruction, but there has been very little in the way of ensuring we are understanding the material because there are no weekly problems sets. I never though I would say this, and any Princeton MAE would probably gape at me like I'm a fool if I did, but I think I prefer the weekly psets. They take a shit load of time, I admit, but they are a surefire method of assessing my understanding. Doing well in this course is going to require a lot more independent studying. That being said, now is as good a time as ever to practice that useful real-world skill, especially since these grades won't count towards my GPA.
- HPSC30023 -- Science and Society, I have to admit, is a let-down. HPSC stands for "History and Philosophy of Science," but in my opinion, there's way too much P and not enough H. So far we've seen very few case studies. What we have done is sit through a bunch of monotonous, open-ended, and overly theoretical lectures. We've also read a thoroughly dry and tediously academic book about the scientist's relationship with society. Now, normally I would just skip the reading altogether with a book like this, but I won't be able to do that because I have to write 2,000 words on it for the midterm.
Speaking of those 2,000 words, today in tutorial we discussed the essay topics. One of them asks us to summarize the author's main claims and describe the evidence he uses. One of my classmates aptly pointed out that the question does not explicitly ask for an argument, so she asked the tutor if one was expected. To put a long story short, he didn't answer. He kept saying something ridiculous like, "if you explain what you're doing, then that's your argument. So if you say 'I'm going to summarize the author,' then you've made an argument." What? Not to sound like an ass, but I've seen literally dozens of these types of essays at the writing center, and 99% of the time the teacher is, in fact, asking you to develop an argument. That's what a thesis is. Without one, you have not written an essay! And considering we're not being asked to make shoebox dioramas anymore, I can't imagine a book report would be anywhere near acceptable. I'm rambling. I suggested to the tutor--who, by the way, doesn't grade the papers--that the word "describe" in the question might be an invitation to critique or evaluate the author's contentions and evidence, not just summarize them, and hence develop a thesis. His next move was clever... while cautioning us not to include anything in our essays that is not asked for in the question (wtf, I know) lest we incur a terrible mark, he also subtly adopted my suggestion to the point where by the end of the class he told us we should talk about which of the authors points are stronger or weaker than others. As you might imagine, I started to get pretty frustrated. This guy has a PhD and everything, and he's offending all of my Princeton Writing sensibilities, telling third-year university students to write like we're in fifth grade. I'll have to go to the professor, who does mark the essays, to clear this all up.
Anyways, it's too bad this class is sucking, because I had always wanted to take something like this. But I won't let one bad apple spoil the bunch. - AUST20001 -- Australia and America is a mixed bag, but overall I'd say I'm enjoying the course. The lectures are awful; the professor has an impossible monotone, and sounds more like he's reading an essay than giving a lecture (in fact, I think he is reading a script). Since they're all recorded, and the slides are online, I see no reason to continue going. (Sorry, mom, I know you would rather I didn't say that.)
The tutorials for this class, on the other hand, are really interesting. There's a pretty good mix of Australians and Americans, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, and that provides fodder for some interesting comments. I'm learning a lot about Australian historical and contemporary issues, which I expected from the outset. What I didn't expect, though, was how much I'd be learning about Americans. Also, the class is pretty easy.
So, there are two weeks left before the break. In that time, since I won't be around for two weeks after, I have to write two essays, prepare a group poster, and study for a midterm. Pardon, the expression, but shit is hitting the fan. Now this would probably be a typical (or maybe even light) midterm load at Princeton, but what makes it difficult here is that it's taking me a really long time to get back into serious student mode. I thought I would be able to just flip the "get on your game and focus" switch, but it's turing out to be more of a slowly turning knob. And I'm nowhere near full volume. All the fun I'm having definitely isn't helping. I've got to kick it up a notch.
The last thing I wanted to touch on is a bit of a sensitive subject, and that is the notion of Ivy League Princeton elitism. Now, as I explained in the post where the kid berated me for my fancy academic credentials, I don't think the Princeton label automatically makes me smarter than anyone at another university. But I'm ashamed to admit I've been getting a sense that the Princeton student community is, on average, significantly ahead of Melbourne's academically. I don't say it out loud (except to my Princeton MAE friend here) because I know it makes us sound elitist, but Princeton is simply harder. Of course, I've met some really smart people here, and I have not been in contact with a large enough sample size to really make a fair judgement. That being said, I think Princeton could learn a lot from Melbourne socially. I don't know what to make of this feeling where, on one hand I vocally reject Princeton elitism while simultaneously and secretly understanding its basis. It's awkward.
Nevertheless, this experience is helping me appreciate my Princeton education and the degree it will give me, despite the fact that it is much more difficult. If you look way back to my first post in this blog, you'll see that one of my goals for this study abroad experience was to prepare myself to finish college with a strong senior year. I think this realization that my home university is such a fantastic institution puts me well on track to meet that goal, so at least my overall frustration with the Melbourne academic community is productive in some sense.
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