It's finals time...finally. After a grueling 4 months, we've come at last to the moment of truth. And what a moment it is here in Germany. Typically, there are no tests at all during the semester. The only thing providing any measure of accomplishment in class are homeworks and frankly I've not had the best ones while here. Usually there are 3 maybe even 4 tests during the quarter at home and they scale in such a way that bombing one doesn't mean a complete failure. Sometimes one is even dropped. Here there is no chance of that. You bomb this, you bomb for good. It's so much pressure! There have been 12 in class practice problem sheets and 12 homework assignments for one class and no indication by the teacher what might be the 'big problem' on the test. You know, the one that should take 20 minutes and call upon a great deal of what you've learned? No idea what I should really focus on and there isn't enough time to really review everything in the fullest. There are so many equations, so many formulas, so many relations, tricks, and concepts that need to be known just to do the homework. I take an hour just looking in textbooks and online for the tools I need to do a problem. I'm not even sure what the equation sheet that will be provided for the test will look like. How will I be able to take a test?
I knew that school here would be more difficult. It seems that since moving away from California 4 years ago I've been progressively increasing the difficulty of my schooling. First changing majors, going to a community college, getting accepted to the University of Washington for astronomy, doubling my major to include physics and now studying abroad during a critical time of my physics education: EM and quantum. I know taking quantum mechanics will be difficult, but now I'm revamping my position to saying it will be near impossible. I do not look forward to taking it this coming semester. What will the test for that class be like?
2 comments:
Do you feel a little better, just from having vented? Actually seeing your frustration in print in an articulate consise manner? Now, take a deep breath and just do the best you can. That's all you can ask of yourself.
your background kind of hurts my face.
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