You always hear people regard certain schools as "hard", but why is this so? I understand professors are different and that students may fare better at more competitive schools, but shouldn't the material be the same? How do you know if a school might be too "hard" for you to handle? Do you believe anyone can succeed in a class as long as they put in the effort or are some classes simply too difficult for certain individuals? I guess it's good to go somewhere where you know you will be challenged as long as you give it your all, right?
College Difficulty
- Thread starter FM7
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2008
- Messages
- 2,309
- Reaction score
- 27
I'm studying for an exam so I will give a short answer. Although the material might generally be the same, professor can make exams easy or hard. There are many ways to test on the same material. Personally, I think if you put the time forth and enjoy the material, you can do anything.
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2008
- Messages
- 2,260
- Reaction score
- 283
Another huge factor in this is if your school goes grade curving. At my CC they didn't do curves, and so the level of work you put into it had a direct correlation to the grade you got, but at my university, they curve, so you're really only competing against everyone else. It's a mixed bag, and doesn't necessarily mean it's easier, with the curve professors can make tests as hard as they want, because they don't expect anyone to get all of the questions correct. Also some professors are "harder" than others based on their partial credit policies on grading, how much busy work they assign, that kind of thing. Let me just leave you with that fact that on multiple occasions with curved tests I've gotten below 65% on tests and still have gotten A's on them.
No, the material isn't the same. My friend is a math major at Stanford, and the stuff they do is so far over my head that it's ridiculous. He's in differential equations (I think that's what it's called) and even he doesn't understand it - this is coming from a kid who was finished with math (all the way up to Calc 3 I believe) in 9th or 10th grade.
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2008
- Messages
- 2,260
- Reaction score
- 283
The material is more or less the same. General Chemistry is General Chemistry, it's not as though Ivy League schools have their own elite version of General Chemistry. My community college even used the same Statistics, Genetics and General Biology book as the UC I go to.
To the post above, of course if you take higher level math it will be more complicated than lower level math, but that is the same everywhere.
To the post above, of course if you take higher level math it will be more complicated than lower level math, but that is the same everywhere.
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2008
- Messages
- 21,964
- Reaction score
- 181
Differential Equations is something taught in all Math departments, though. It's not that he's taking it because he's at Stanford, he's taking it because he's a Math major.
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2009
- Messages
- 67
- Reaction score
- 0
The material is all the same, it's just the way it's taught and how you're being tested that probably makes it seem harder. Hence, the creation of ratemyprofessors.com.
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2008
- Messages
- 2,726
- Reaction score
- 8
Bookmark ratemyprofessor.com. Know it, use it, love it. This site is amazing and it will save your grades so many times it isn't even funny.
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2008
- Messages
- 2,243
- Reaction score
- 85
How? Do you get to pick your teachers in college?
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2008
- Messages
- 21,964
- Reaction score
- 181
Yes, you schedule your own classes. There are general a few sections of each class at different times, so you can look up the professors teaching the different sections and see who is rated the best and try to get into that section.
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2008
- Messages
- 2,260
- Reaction score
- 283
Haha, oh yes, the wonders of college. Yes, you pick what classes you want to take with what teachers. Always go to ratemyprofessor.com for reviews of teachers and pickaprof.com has actual class grade breakdowns (How many A's, B's, etc) from previous sessions.
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2009
- Messages
- 67
- Reaction score
- 0
Of course. It all depends on the timing, however. If there's only one lecture time for a class you need, you're going to have to accommodate your other classes around it and potentially get a, for lack of a better word, sucky lecturer. There is more than one lecture for pre-reqs in most cases, however.
So if you're fine with taking general bio I at 9:30am and taking the 6:30pm general chemistry I class just to get a better lecturer, that's your prerogative.
