Posted by alexandra_k on December 2, 2014, at 20:19:03
In reply to Re: law, posted by alexandra_k on December 2, 2014, at 2:33:34
i really am unbelievably happy over that grade. i pulled on my shoes and went for a big walk around the city around mid-night. i gave some thought to forgetting about medicine and going for law. some serious thought. i realised that i'm really very disappointed in how i've done in my science classes this year. going into the year... i told myself i'd be happy with A-'s. but that was me trying to convince myself, really. trying to convince myself that it wouldn't be the end of the world if i didn't get A+'s or A's. i thought that A-'s would be realistic... and would set me up well for the following year. i am very disappointed, indeed, to have come out the end with B's for science.
i think i really did start to worry that i might not be able to get A's even in philosophy papers here. maybe i only got A's before because I didn't go to a particularly competitive university... so the law grade... feels like a huge f*ck*ng relief to me. i know that the majority of the serious contenders for law school did the paper in the first semester, so i was mostly going up against people with odd program structures... and lots of international students with sketchy english... but still... i wouldn't expect that i would necessarily come out with an A+ for the other law paper... but i'm not going to let anything take anything away from how happy i feel about that grade right now. i didn't realise just how much i really needed it.
am ticking away on biology... there is a crap load of content to be learned from each lecture if you really get into the spirit of learning ALL of it. as in... reproducing tables from scratch. of course we wont' be asked to reproduce them from scratch... we'll be given parts and we need to fill in the rest. or whatever... but seems to me that reproducing them from scratch is the safest way of being able to reproduce part of them when you don't know which part you will be asked to reproduce in advance. it is material that will be consolidated through the year... e.g., learning the 11 organ systems (in order? otherwise you forget one and can't figure which one you forgot!) a certain number of organ components and a list of major functions... but it is tested week 6 so... and the 6 levels of structural organisation and the 4 tissue types and the 3 embryonic layers. and that is lecture 1.
but that is fun. and then i think... if only i found chemistry 1/2 as fun such that i spent 1/2 as much time working chemistry problems... or even reading the textbook / listening to lecture material... because SOMETHING would soak in with the later even if it isn't exactly the most efficient way of doing well in it.
and then i think... that i really don't enjoy doing equations. 2 websites now... assessing my math at the 8th grade level. there are some skill sets there that i haven't mastered. i think i probably could learn maths and / or physics if i stuck with it over the years... but i also think... i don't enjoy it that much. i am so very grateful that i got the opportunity to learn it. to have done the classes i've done this year. to have gotten a taster. to have been (so nicely!) asked to write a paragraph on hydrogen bonding and state changes for part of the thermodynamics section of the exam... but i can't calculate anything. SYNTAX ERROR. DOES NOT COMPUTE.
I like organic because there is no other way to feel about organic. i am scared... the second half of organic seems to be kinetics and acids-bases and spectroscopy... i'm concerned that the second half is going to be equation focused... that it might get me... like i got got for general...
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so... after meeting that guy... i posted that i had a great time learning psychology because i had a good group of really motivated people to study with. i said i'd be interested to meet with people (BEFORE things get crazy) to see... and i got an email from a grad who might get offered a place in which case they will make her do first year next year. i could well get more bites like that once offers come out. which would be... wonderful, really.
i'm not sure how much people study together vs apart for the first year. i noticed a few people expressing surprise that it was good to study with others for second year... i guess it depends on the group... and on how you work together... i'm not sure that it would be helpful for chemistry... i don't know. i found it great for psychology... explaining things (they can correct misunderstandings) and asking questions... learning what you don't know... a smart and motivated group... and of course supportive, too. people who you can relax around.
and of course focusing on study is appropriately structured for me... and it is pleasant enough to meet with someone and have coffee... even that guy... i did enjoy meeting him, a great deal. he is an interesting guy... he reminded me a lot of me at this time last year... i wonder what will become of him...
life is good.
poster:alexandra_k
thread:1058481
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20141123/msgs/1073911.html