Official: Harvard 2007

[Sundarban1]

In anticipation of this semester ending, please feel free to continue!

Happy Chriskwanzikkah everyone!

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[prav]

And don't forget Festivus, for the rest-of-us!


Prav (who can't see Seinfeld in the same light anymore, after the whole M. Richards thing..)

 

[Sundarban1]

And don't forget Festivus, for the rest-of-us!


Prav (who can't see Seinfeld in the same light anymore, after the whole M. Richards thing..)

Prav! Where have you been hiding??

 

[BobLJ99]

Excuse me (in Ron's tone)!!!!! You just made a fatal mistake Sundarban. You can't start the 2007 thread in 2006. You just wanted to beat me to it...gunner.

 

[Sundarban1]

Excuse me (in Ron's tone)!!!!! You just made a fatal mistake Sundarban. You can't start the 2007 thread in 2006. You just wanted to beat me to it...gunner.

Ahem, if I can't outscore you on exams I must win at something

 

[Maxprime]

Judgement day w/ Fixsen tomorrow night . . . I would kill to get that exam back before the end of class. I say we bum-rush him at the beginning of lecture.

This semester went by quickly - I've heard that Fixsen's class is a little easier in Spring, any confirmations? Does anyone know of an MCAT prep course that's not at night?

BTW, I googled the Australian haploid male ant question from bio - reproduces mitotically.

 

[dut99002]

Any estimates on how much one can expect to pay for rent while attending the extension school? I know that Boston is pricey. Is it possible to get anything for less than $1000 a month (and not be in a complete dump)?

I'm married and would therefore not be able to just stay in any old dorm. I've checked out craigslist for Boston as well as looked over some of the housing links at Harvard's webpage.

I appreciate everyone's help. Thanks in advance!

 

[Maxprime]

Any estimates on how much one can expect to pay for rent while attending the extension school? I know that Boston is pricey. Is it possible to get anything for less than $1000 a month (and not be in a complete dump)?

I'm married and would therefore not be able to just stay in any old dorm. I've checked out craigslist for Boston as well as looked over some of the housing links at Harvard's webpage.

I appreciate everyone's help. Thanks in advance!

It's possible, but tough - especially since (I assume) you don't want a roomate. Many people told me that the key to cheap housing is living on the red line - which I didn't fully understand until I moved here. The T (subway) is very reliable and can get you anywhere pretty quickly - if shopping on a budget I would look for a place further away from campus but still on the red line.

 

[Sundarban1]

It's possible, but tough - especially since (I assume) you don't want a roomate. Many people told me that the key to cheap housing is living on the red line - which I didn't fully understand until I moved here. The T (subway) is very reliable and can get you anywhere pretty quickly - if shopping on a budget I would look for a place further away from campus but still on the red line.

Craigslist is the way to go, however realize you won't find anything that reasonalbe (low rent, close to the subway, school, etc.) until April/May when students are graduating. I'd come back around that time and look. Most people live along the "red line" as MP said, simply because it's the subway line that goes right to campus. Look in Davis, Porter, Harvard, Central, or Kendall square in Cambridge. There are parts of Somerville that are nice too, just not close to the subway. You will notice the prices increase the closer you are to public transportation (bus/subway) but like I said you should be able to find something reasonable once the students begin to leave. Will you find something around $1000? Probably not unless you want to live really far from public transportation and can deal living in a college-like dorm style apartment. Otherwise, consider finding a roommate or at least a house with graduate students. Good luck.

 

[solipsis]

i have been meaning to ask, how is bio treating you? hang in there, we're almost done.

 

[Sundarban1]

Since I'll be away from internet access over the Holidays I'd like to leave all of my current and future classmates my absolute fav holiday song as Mr. Garrison shares my hopes of spreading xmas joy to all!

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJw7pKWuSvo[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Maxprime]

i have been meaning to ask, how is bio treating you? hang in there, we're almost done.

I think I could be the only person in the entire class that didn't improve substantially on the 2nd test.

50% of our grade still isn't done - does anyone know how much the lab practical is worth (as % of our lab grade)? Also, does anyone know score ranges on the final? I don't think it's possible to get an A in the class w/out acing the final - I've already started studying.

 

[DoctorPhud]

To quote the course web site:

GRADES: Each midterm will be worth 1/4 of the final grade; the final exam will be worth 1/3 of the final grade and lab will be worth 1/6.

There are no grade ranges specified... Essentially, Dr. Fixsen has full freedom to put the boundaries where he likes and move people up or down if he chooses to.

He did quite clearly state that improvement will be rewarded by skewing your final score towards your final grades and de-emphasising the first and possibly second mid-term.

There's everything still to play for! Hopefully your lab results have been going well... Pay attention in the pre-lab-practical review session, and revise like heck for the final.

That's what I will be doing....!

 

[Maxprime]

Labs have been going well and I actually paid attention so the practical shouldn't be too bad. I'm not really worried or anything - it's just daunting to know that you HAVE to get an A on the final to get an A in the class.

I may have already said this - but WTF happened to Tucci? Did someone shoot his puppy or something? The whole semester is a joke and on the last lecture he skips all the way to coordination compounds!? I had to go to the TOC to find the chapter then to the freaking index to find what a brownsten-laury or whatever acid was - you can make coord complex questions a lot harder than simple first semester gen chem. I was really surprised - starting to understand why people said be wary of the final.

Physics is physics - hopefully he'll play the repeat game again for the final and life will be good.

How great was Fixsen's last lecture? I wish he taught more bio classes . . . I wouldn't want the amount of work his class requires, but you just feel great at the end of it all.

 

[solipsis]

fixsen is outstanding lecturer, but the bio TFs should step up and make this course run like chem (except towards the end).

it's just daunting to know that you HAVE to get an A on the final to get an A in the class.

i agree to some extent. it's true that he looks favorably upon upward trends, your performance in the lab, and extenuating circumstances. but as he said, this is still a numbers game.

i would say that someone in the A-,B+ range has a shot at an A. those with B's or lower has a slim chance. but this is only a wild guess, i actually want to be proven wrong!

best luck to the exams, and let's go make the grade.

 

[usethe4ce]

I may have already said this - but WTF happened to Tucci? Did someone shoot his puppy or something? The whole semester is a joke and on the last lecture he skips all the way to coordination compounds!?

Could be like the time this summer that in mid-sentence, he finished, "...but you guys look tired, so let's talk about crystals instead." I remember coordination fondly as the first thing in the class that I had never even heard of before.

How great was Fixsen's last lecture? I wish he taught more bio classes . . . I wouldn't want the amount of work his class requires, but you just feel great at the end of it all.

I walk away feeling like I've just been to a pretty good lecture. But then I do a practice exam, and I go work on some orgo, and I am reminded of what is terribly wrong.

With Gregg and Logan, you know exactly what is expected of you. You have a list of which few things you must memorize, and which will be given on the exam. You can tell each week whether you are proficient in solving that week's type of problems. If Gregg runs out of time before he gets to something in his lecture, you can trust that it won't be on the exam. If there is critical information, it will be printed in the lecture notes. You can also trust that if you show up for everything, pay attention, and do all the assigned problems, you will be adequately prepared.

With Fixsen it's worse than being on my own, teaching myself rather than being taught, because I can't even identify the learning objectives. He has actually said, "Don't ask me or I'll tell you that you have to memorize it," and I don't think it was a joke . He assigns chapters from the book to read each week, but then doesn't follow them in the lecture. Testing on things from chapters we were never assigned is bad enough, but worse still is testing on things that aren't in the book at all, aren't printed on the handouts (which are a mess), and aren't even written on the overhead for us to copy down. It's pretty scary seeing people bring tape recorders to class, especially for a strongly visual learner like me. Luckily I have a good memory, but if I had to study, I'd be in huge trouble. All too often the exam questions (5/6 of our grade) are ambiguous or unclear ("Why are you alive? Be concise! (16 pts)").

But it could be so much worse. As a lecturer, he is relevant and somewhat engaging. Sure, I lost a few points for not memorizing the names of all the chemicals in the Krebs cycle (after he said, "I don't expect you to memorize the names of all these chemicals"). But most of the time, the focus is on actually understanding things. Choosing to focus on biochemistry and genetics (rather than, say, a list of phyla) lends itself well to that, though I imagine teaching biology in general is just plain hard, from the nature of the subject.

 

[Maxprime]

With Fixsen it's worse than being on my own, teaching myself rather than being taught, because I can't even identify the learning objectives. He has actually said, "Don't ask me or I'll tell you that you have to memorize it," and I don't think it was a joke . He assigns chapters from the book to read each week, but then doesn't follow them in the lecture. Testing on things from chapters we were never assigned is bad enough, but worse still is testing on things that aren't in the book at all, aren't printed on the handouts (which are a mess), and aren't even written on the overhead for us to copy down. It's pretty scary seeing people bring tape recorders to class, especially for a strongly visual learner like me. Luckily I have a good memory, but if I had to study, I'd be in huge trouble. All too often the exam questions (5/6 of our grade) are ambiguous or unclear ("Why are you alive? Be concise! (16 pts)").

I don't know if it's Fixsen's style or just that he takes for granted how difficult the class is for people taking bio the first time, but you really do have to teach yourself the basics. I always tell people to learn everything before lecture, then try to get the higher level points that Fixsen makes that aren't in the book (things like epigenetics).

I saw a copy of the previous version of our book - looks like Fixsens lectures are still scheduled to those chapters, not how they're divided up now.

"Why are you alive? Be concise!" ROFL - priceless and very Fixsenesque.

Personally, the class has taught me to ask questions about what I read and to learn things well enough that I start intuitively understanding new concepts that I haven't been taught. In that sense, I can answer questions I don't know the answers to by thinking through the problem (i.e. his exam questions) and it's a skill I will hopefully never lose. This has probably been the most time I've ever spent on a single class and it has been worth it.

But it could be so much worse. As a lecturer, he is relevant and somewhat engaging. Sure, I lost a few points for not memorizing the names of all the chemicals in the Krebs cycle (after he said, "I don't expect you to memorize the names of all these chemicals"). But most of the time, the focus is on actually understanding things. Choosing to focus on biochemistry and genetics (rather than, say, a list of phyla) lends itself well to that, though I imagine teaching biology in general is just plain hard, from the nature of the subject.

Things like the Krebs cycle steps are places where Fixsen over-estimates either our intelligence or knowledge. To him, you don't need to memorize the Calvin cycle because you should be able to piece it together by understanding carbon fixation and knowing chemical naming. For those of us in reality, it's much easier to memorize it.

As for him as a lecturer, if he wasn't as good in lecture as he is, the class wouldn't be worth it. His lectures are awesome - fastest 4 hours of every week.

 

[usethe4ce]

Personally, the class has taught me to ask questions about what I read and to learn things well enough that I start intuitively understanding new concepts that I haven't been taught. In that sense, I can answer questions I don't know the answers to by thinking through the problem (i.e. his exam questions) and it's a skill I will hopefully never lose. This has probably been the most time I've ever spent on a single class and it has been worth it.

Now that I think of it, the poison problems were pretty cool. When I practiced them, I really had to think through the mechanisms of each step, and it motivated my brain to finally see such details as useful. That there are problems like that at all says a lot. It's easy for a course like this to degenerate into a giant vocabulary lesson, which would be at once harder (for me anyway) and less valuable.

Things like the Krebs cycle steps are places where Fixsen over-estimates either our intelligence or knowledge. To him, you don't need to memorize the Calvin cycle because you should be able to piece it together by understanding carbon fixation and knowing chemical naming.

That's exactly what I thought, and exactly what I tried, but I guess it wasn't quite enough.

To his credit, things like that will stick out in my memory, but they are really a small minority of the questions. I would have a hard time creating biology exams as good as these.

 

[punkindrublic]

And don't memorize the cancer subway. I don't expect you to memorize this, just understand that it's complicated. You know, unless I do. If you prepared like I told you to, you would see that I've asked about it in the past, so you would have known to memorize the pathways I seemed to emphasize, even though I told you not to.

BTW: I did fine on this problem because it was on an old exam and figured it had a decent chance of showing up again. It's just this kind of thing that gets to me about Fixsen. I really don't see much point to his lectures other than to keep in mind what he emphasizes; they're disorganized and I really find that using the book and old exams/problem sets is the only way I'm learning in this class. I think this kind of example shows that he doesn't really pay any attention to his lectures; between the disorganization, the thrown together handouts, and the seeming lack of recollection about what he says we need to know (which I think we've all learned to disregard by now, due to the catch-all "I expect you to know everything"). Compared to the rest of the classes at HES, I've been really disappointed. His exams and problem sets are great though, they really make you stretch and understand the material, I just wish he would use them as a sort of guide to his lectures...

 

[daylight324]

is anyone taking Principles and Techniques of Molecular Biology or/and Principles of Genetics?

 

[Sundarban1]

is anyone taking Principles and Techniques of Molecular Biology or/and Principles of Genetics?

I think most people are getting their moneys worth of molecular bio and genetics in "general" biology. :evil:

 

[Maxprime]

I think most people are getting their moneys worth of molecular bio and genetics in "general" biology. :evil:

Agreed - when you can't find the stuff you're covering in your "intro" class in most genetics books, you're getting your fill.

Fixsen assured us that the next print of our textbook will possibly contain some information about epigenetics - arty: - I'd still take great notes next year.

Time ticks away towards finals . . .

Does anyone have any insight for a possible curve in Physics? I've heard a TF claim that he's expecting (but has not heard about) somewhere around a 5 point bump for everyone. Another person I talked to had Ron in high school and said he sticks pretty hard to his non-curving attitude. A free 5 points would really make life easier for all of us.

Any suggestions on finals besides the usual stuff? For gen chem, how heavily does he wait more recent material (i.e. coordination compounds)? Anyone have a gauge on what scores were like for the bio practical? TIA

 

[DoctorPhud]

I would doubt that the Physics will get much of a bump :-/

A lot of people did well on the last exam, and dilligent work on previous problem sets and labs should have made those mostly free marks.

Honestly, I expect the final exam to be hard, as Ron tries to reduce back down the grades of the people who did well in the last midterm on the back of all of the duplication of questions from past exams. He needs to differentiate students based on conceptual understanding now... I would be surprised to see many if any past problems on the final.

That said, maybe some A- grades will get promoted to an A, if the final exam is better than the second mid-term and the rest is strong...

As for bio, I'm just doing the past papers like mad. The problem set was pretty easy, and the long questions in the final exams have been pretty easy. Just expect a lot of ambiguous multiple choice and obscure stuff like "Why do bacterial restriction enzymes not cut the bacteria's DNA?". Best practice is to read the book once and do all the past multiple choice questions until you understand them all and get his intent.

Meanwhile, my memory of respiration and photosynthesis aren't perfect, and that was costing me about 15-20% on the past multiple choice, so I'm slogging away at learning all of that.

 

[Sundarban1]

Offically official thread

 

[Anon15]

x

 

[BigBoyOrtho]

Is getting your undergrad degree(ALB?) from Harvard extensions valued the same by med-schools as getting an undergrad degree from a top 25-30 university?

Also, can u attain you ALB degree AND get sponsorship?

 

[Sundarban1]

Is getting your undergrad degree(ALB?) from Harvard extensions valued the same by med-schools as getting an undergrad degree from a top 25-30 university?

Also, can u attain you ALB degree AND get sponsorship?

No to your first question. As far as getting ALB and sponsorship, just call the school to find out.

 

[booradley5]

I think most people are getting their moneys worth of molecular bio and genetics in "general" biology. :evil:

I completely agree. I'm taking Neurobiology now and Fixsen's nervous system handout (one lecture in the 2nd sem) contained at least half of the information needed to get an A on the first neurobio midterm. Furthermore, the lectures on hearing, vision, and muscles are coming in very handy going into the final. I would be willing to bet that you could get a solid B in Neurobio if you knew just what Fixsen taught and dropped in for the final. Of course, we learn more detailed stuff on neural pathways and ion channels, etc., but Fixsen's class makes this seem like cake. If I don't get an A, I should be shot.

 

[Sundarban1]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t09nwnsPJ9M[/YOUTUBE]

Don't worry, I won't laugh

 

[Maxprime]

Laces out, Dan. Football is cruel.

 

[Maxprime]

No comments on the physics final yet? I figured everyone would've slept off last night by now . . .

I wasn't surprised, just pissed that I knew I missed stuff. The yo-yo problem (pulling parallel to the ground) - which way did it roll? Does a pendulum conserve linear & angular momentum? I thought it was a no brainer, but when the pendulum switches directions to swing back, all of the velocities flip their signs. So if you take that moment as a snapshot, momentum is not conserved for a period of time.

 

[DoctorPhud]

Heh... It was definitely challenging. I was very well prepared, but it still left me very unsettled about my answers and unsure about the multiple choice questions in particular.

For me, I worked the Yo-Yo problem through in all sorts of different ways, none of which were really satisfying and eventually took a wild guess that it goes left because the angular velocity eventually leads to a greater linear velocity left, since the radius of the edge is greater than the radius of the string groove. This doesn't mean that it might not change with differing force values, though....

But I have no clue. Most of the other answers are possible, too.

As for the pendulum, energy is conserved, not momentum (linear or angular). Consider the case of it reaching the limits of the swing. Instantaneous rest... w is 0 rad/s, v is 0 m/s. Therefore Iw and mv are both 0 at that moment.

As for the rest of the questions... goodness knows!

 

[Maxprime]

As for the pendulum, energy is conserved, not momentum (linear or angular). Consider the case of it reaching the limits of the swing. Instantaneous rest... w is 0 rad/s, v is 0 m/s. Therefore Iw and mv are both 0 at that moment.

As for the rest of the questions... goodness knows!

YES! I knew it - everyone glossed over it as a no-brainer, glad I stuck to my intuition.

I google'd the Levi jeans problem as well - glad to see that it's the same with two horses or one. Just an FYI for those that hated that entire MC page (yo-yo, cons. of pendulum momentum, & levi's).

Most still expect a curve, but those who know Ron are all telling me not to hold my breath. I talked to a TF, finals won't be graded for a pretty decent time.

How about chem TF's getting our finals graded in under 12 hours!?

 

[punkindrublic]

Just so you guys in physics know, I don't know if Ron'll do it differently than Ruekner, but last year we only got our grades when they officially came out on the website; he wouldn't let our TF's even give us our grades on the final.

 

[Maxprime]

I saw on the forum that he said they wouldn't release final grades (semester grades) until the 7th. He cited university policy. But I figured that grades for our final examinations were more than okay to give out? Crap.

*edit - re-read it, looks like we're not getting anything until the 7th - what a load.

Oh well. Welcome, fellow classmates, to Physics e1b. T-minus 12 more lectures with Ron & counting.

 

[ncb]

Does anyone remember what they did for the connected springs long answer problem?

 

[DoctorPhud]

I equated the T=2<pi><root m/k> equations for both springs, assumed that they would distributed the mass in some manner in order to harmonise their periods. So then I got a ratio of masses as a ratio of the Ks. Then I knew that M1 + M2 = 0.4kg and found the masses. Plugged one back into one equation and got T.

My answer was something silly like 0.23s, though...

 

[ncb]

That makes sense. What about for the first two parts? What did you get for the stretch in the springs, and for the min work needed was it just the sum of the elastic PE in both springs.

 

[Maxprime]

IIRC, .12 & .08 for the distances. You could add the k's to make what I would call a composite spring b/c you push on one and pull on the other when you moved the "massless box". I thought it was a pretty interesting question (probably only because I got it right, hehe).

 

[DoctorPhud]

Correct for the distances... 12cm and 8cm

Work done is the sum of the work required to get the springs to those lengths. The stretched lengths represent the lowest energy state of the system at rest, so the energy required to get *there* is the minimum energy. Just do 1/2kx2 for each and add them up.

 

[Maxprime]

*edited*

Yay for physics semester one being done.

 

[Sundarban1]

OK OK..lets not turn this pseudo informational thread for prospective students into a physics discussion board, you have one already. I hope you all did well.

 

[ncb]

Doug just sent out an email saying we can email him for our grades on January 12th so I guess this problem is solved.

 

[ncb]

I meant to say grades will be available the 16th not the 12th

 

[non sono qui]

Hey HES people,

I'm sending in my HCP app to start taking classes this summer, just after my college graduation (I'm an art history major and will only have taken bio 1 & 2). At this point, I plan on taking a math class during the summer session, followed by gen chem 1 & 2 during the fall & spring, in addition to working 30-40 hours/week. Do you know of any classmates who have a similar schedule & who are doing well with it? I figure it will probably be too much for me to balance my first real job with both gen chem and physics at once...

After working for a year or so, and if all goes well with chem, I will [EDIT: quit work] to take a bio elective during summer 2008, orgo 1 + physics 1 + [EDIT: maybe] another math class in fall 08, and orgo 2 + physics 2 + MCAT prep during spring 09. Does that sound reasonable? (Of course, if I get in, I'll be sure to talk with Drs. Fixsen & Peterson for the final word.) Thanks!

 

[Sundarban1]

H At this point, I plan on taking a math class during the summer session, followed by gen chem 1 & 2 during the fall & spring, in addition to working 30-40 hours/week. Do you know of any classmates who have a similar schedule & who are doing well with it? I figure it will probably be too much for me to balance my first real job with both gen chem and physics at once...

You are quite correct. I'm the only one I know that is working 40hr/week plus taking one class. I think I'm relatively bright, but 2 classes plus work is just too much for what these classes entail inside, but more importantly outside of the classroom.

After working for a year or so, and if all goes well with chem, I will cut down on work hours to take a bio elective during summer 2008, orgo 1 + physics 1 + another math class in fall 08, and orgo 2 + physics 2 + MCAT prep during spring 09. Does that sound reasonable? (Of course, if I get in, I'll be sure to talk with Drs. Fixsen & Peterson for the final word.) Thanks!

Working any amount of hrs and taking 3 classes is not reasonable. Your schedule (at least for the second year) is going to burn you out, especially with MCAT prep and applications. I'd consider another route of completing these classes.

 

[non sono qui]

Working any amount of hrs and taking 3 classes is not reasonable. Your schedule (at least for the second year) is going to burn you out, especially with MCAT prep and applications. I'd consider another route of completing these classes.

Okay, then I probably won't work at all the second year, and then take math the following summer instead of alongside orgo 1/physics 1. Thanks for your advice.

 

[DoctorPhud]

Okay... The thing that you should know, is that the maths in the HCP courses isn't too hideous, and most medical schools don't actually require it per se. See if your likely schools require it. You may want to skip it and opt for biochem or psychology instead.

For your information, most people are doing 2 courses per semester, or perhaps 3. If you haven't got a good science background, you should consider doing 2 and making it easier on yourself. Taking the time to do volunteering will also really benefit your application to medical schools.

 

[jms622]

You are quite correct. I'm the only one I know that is working 40hr/week plus taking one class. I think I'm relatively bright, but 2 classes plus work is just too much for what these classes entail inside, but more importantly outside of the classroom.

Bahaha...what about the one that you know who works 60+ hours with 2 classes?! Still faring quite well...even without the science background!

It can be done, but I wouldn't suggest it if you value a social life or if you don't have the ability to manage your time well. Oh, and also plan on having an erratic sleep schedule. Makes for interesting interactions with the classmates...

 

[Sundarban1]

Bahaha...what about the one that you know who works 60+ hours with 2 classes?!

Didn't know you were alive, let alone still in the program!