3 ms·

When I went to Purdue, all my math classes and most of my CS classes were pretty much zero sum in that they would make the tests super hard so that the average

by mrep 7y ago

When I went to Purdue, all my math classes and most of my CS classes were pretty much zero sum in that they would make the tests super hard so that the average would be like a 60% and then they would bell curve everyone's grade around the average. Combining the bell curve with the fact that you need a C or higher to pass the class resulted in some students out of each class having to retake it just to continue on with their major. I myself had to retake 3 classes and I have been advising a worried parent whose son is currently at Purdue majoring in CS because he is now having to retake a 4th class and he is only a junior.

lonelappde 7y ago
That seems fine. Students who learn quickly move up quickly. Students who learn slowly take more time to learn the material (and set the curve next time). It's bad to push ahead to higher level courses while still not understanding fundamentals.
- NotSammyHagar 7y ago
  This sounds horrifying to me! Is it common at other schools for cs undergrad or other stem, that people in the heart of a major have to take a few classes over? I have never heard of this. I'm not saying you are a terrible student (I'm thinking the opposite, to survive that, you or the OP must have a lot of will power and resilience!) it just sounds like a very, very difficult major; what if you don't pass something well enough the second time? I went to a far less prestigious school that you've never heard of. There were some people not passing classes in my cs major, but it was rare, almost unheard of after the first year. After I got to grad school I realized in comparison my undergrad wasn't that challenging. If I had failed a class or even gotten a C in undergrad it would have been pretty devastating. I was the top student in the dept (not bragging, I'm sure at mit or another great school I would have been far from the top ;-)). When I went to grad school to get my phd (at a much better school) it was much more challenging, and I wasn't at the top like I was in undergrad. People did struggle a lot more than at my undergrad school. I was still a good student, I thought. But I also didn't see the undergrads retaking classes where it was a semi-common thing.
  - armitron 7y ago
    To me this illustrates that your CS undergrad school wasn't very good [1]. In my experience (CS at CMU), it's the undergrad years that are the most brutal and require the most (assuming you strive for excellence and not just passing). I've had friends and coworkers who went to MIT, Caltech and Stanford pretty much agree with this. Those of us who continued to graduate and postgraduate studies, have (generally) found the "mental effort" - not time investment - far reduced. [1] Mark Tarver has written a great essay on this: http://www.marktarver.com/professor.html http://www.marktarver.com/professor.html
    - NotSammyHagar 7y ago
      Thanks for the reply. I'll never know that experience you describe, somehow I made it this far ;-)
- evv555 7y ago
  In my experience fraternities and Chinese students would hoard previous semester exams and resources within their in-group. This heavily skewed the curve and solidified a sense of me versus them

by mrep 7y ago

lonelappde 7y ago

That seems fine. Students who learn quickly move up quickly. Students who learn slowly take more time to learn the material (and set the curve next time). It's bad to push ahead to higher level courses while still not understanding fundamentals.

NotSammyHagar 7y ago
This sounds horrifying to me! Is it common at other schools for cs undergrad or other stem, that people in the heart of a major have to take a few classes over? I have never heard of this. I'm not saying you are a terrible student (I'm thinking the opposite, to survive that, you or the OP must have a lot of will power and resilience!) it just sounds like a very, very difficult major; what if you don't pass something well enough the second time? I went to a far less prestigious school that you've never heard of. There were some people not passing classes in my cs major, but it was rare, almost unheard of after the first year. After I got to grad school I realized in comparison my undergrad wasn't that challenging. If I had failed a class or even gotten a C in undergrad it would have been pretty devastating. I was the top student in the dept (not bragging, I'm sure at mit or another great school I would have been far from the top ;-)). When I went to grad school to get my phd (at a much better school) it was much more challenging, and I wasn't at the top like I was in undergrad. People did struggle a lot more than at my undergrad school. I was still a good student, I thought. But I also didn't see the undergrads retaking classes where it was a semi-common thing.
- armitron 7y ago
  To me this illustrates that your CS undergrad school wasn't very good [1]. In my experience (CS at CMU), it's the undergrad years that are the most brutal and require the most (assuming you strive for excellence and not just passing). I've had friends and coworkers who went to MIT, Caltech and Stanford pretty much agree with this. Those of us who continued to graduate and postgraduate studies, have (generally) found the "mental effort" - not time investment - far reduced. [1] Mark Tarver has written a great essay on this: http://www.marktarver.com/professor.html http://www.marktarver.com/professor.html
  - NotSammyHagar 7y ago
    Thanks for the reply. I'll never know that experience you describe, somehow I made it this far ;-)
evv555 7y ago
In my experience fraternities and Chinese students would hoard previous semester exams and resources within their in-group. This heavily skewed the curve and solidified a sense of me versus them