The Hardest Class You Ever Had

['Hamas' Jenkins]

I just finished up my coursework for the semester. While Organic I was a comparative breeze, Organic II was a bitch. Honestly, the tests were more of a monster than the actual course load.

Here were the grade breakdowns (all tests were MC):

80-100-A
62-79-B
46-61: C
40-46: D

While the baseline material itself wasn't exceptionally difficult, there were so many exceptions to the rules, and exceptions to exceptions, that the tests ended up as absolute minefields.

With that said, I've heard even worse things about Biochem, and I'm sure that those of you with or pursuing advanced Math/Science degrees have had nightmare courses as well.

What class was it that kicked your ass the hardest?

[BeeHo]

Originally Posted by Fish

Thermodynamics. I thought that course was going to kill me. Only one professor taught it, and he was a sonofabitch...

Seconded on thermodynamics. And fkn quantum mechanics. My mind as blown away.

[Chieficus]

One of my freshman meteorology classes at Oklahoma--designed to weed out the twister fan boys; taught by a Prof named Josh Wurman (of the discovery channel's Storm Chasers first couple of seasons).

Wrote into the syllabus: "I prefer test averages around 50%."

Leaving a question on a test blank would net zero points, guessing and getting it wrong would net negative points--best to not guess.

On our midterm, the average was less than 40%, and we got 10% free just for writing our names and student id on each page. He also began that class day by playing music for five minutes from a tape that contained kids singing about wanting to grow up to be meteorologists. It was a bit sadistic...

[Bufkin]

Probably molecular biophysics for my Masters program.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Same. Luckily I hit the wall junior year of high school. I had planned on being an engineer until I almost flunked physics. I passed only because I got an A on the final, which was a New York State Regents exam. It proved to be easy because it was all stuff the teacher taught the first month of the class. After that, he basically taught a college-level physics class.

I found the concepts fascinating, but I flat out couldn't do the math. I was like a drowning man.

So naturally I became a journalist instead.

Where I went to school, Physics was known as "Pre-Business" among the engineering students. When I got a D on my first exam, I know I considered it.

[RealSNR]

Underwater basketweaving

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by SNR

Underwater basketweaving

It sounds easy, but people underestimate that whole no oxygen thing.

[DrRyan]

I agree 100% with Hamas on this one. I absolutely hated both Organic I and II, but II was much worse. That said, I enjoyed biochem, had no problems with it. The biochem professor was the definition of a hardass, but very good. The Organic teacher was awful, "read the chapter, figure it out" kind of guy.

[O.city]

I didn't think biochem was that terrible

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by DrRyan

I agree 100% with Hamas on this one. I absolutely hated both Organic I and II, but II was much worse. That said, I enjoyed biochem, had no problems with it. The biochem professor was the definition of a hardass, but very good. The Organic teacher was awful, "read the chapter, figure it out" kind of guy.

I actually liked the classes right up until the last month. Our Organic II professor was great in class, but he had his own instructional method that differed from the book just enough to always make me anxious as to how effective just doing a lot of book problems would be, because he often had us just read half a chapter.

Also, a lot of our questions focused more on reagents than mechanisms, which I think forces more brute memorization than understanding the interactions of the molecules.

He would assign problems from the text, so I made sure to do those, but I don't know if it was actually enough practice.

Overall, I thought he was an excellent professor save for the evaluation methods, which relied far too heavily upon trickery.

Originally Posted by O.city

I didn't think biochem was that terrible

That's good; I've heard a lot of horror stories about that class.

[ChiefRocka]

discrete mathematics

[O.city]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

I actually liked the classes right up until the last month. Our Organic II professor was great in class, but he had his own instructional method that differed from the book just enough to always make me anxious as to how effective just doing a lot of book problems would be, because he often had us just read half a chapter.

Also, a lot of our questions focused more on reagents than mechanisms, which I think forces more brute memorization than understanding the interactions of the molecules.

He would assign problems from the text, so I made sure to do those, but I don't know if it was actually enough practice.

Overall, I thought he was an excellent professor save for the evaluation methods, which relied far too heavily upon trickery.



That's good; I've heard a lot of horror stories about that class.

hell I took biochemical twice, once in undergrad, then in dental school. It was somewhat similar to organic With bioactive reactions instead of what you get in organic.

[el borracho]

Any class that does not interest you will seem difficult.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by el borracho

Any class that does not interest you will seem difficult.

I was not interested in art history. It was quite easy.

[mlyonsd]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

I actually liked the classes right up until the last month. Our Organic II professor was great in class, but he had his own instructional method that differed from the book just enough to always make me anxious as to how effective just doing a lot of book problems would be, because he often had us just read half a chapter.

Also, a lot of our questions focused more on reagents than mechanisms, which I think forces more brute memorization than understanding the interactions of the molecules.

He would assign problems from the text, so I made sure to do those, but I don't know if it was actually enough practice.

Overall, I thought he was an excellent professor save for the evaluation methods, which relied far too heavily upon trickery.



That's good; I've heard a lot of horror stories about that class.

It sounds like you go to the same school as my son. He said just about the same thing about his Ochem II class this last semester.

[Bearcat]

Calc II... I heard those who took III said II was the most difficult. Part of the problem was I took Calc I as a freshman and II as a senior.... got a 46 on the first test, easily the worst at any level, and busted my ass to get a high B.

Sadly, it wasn't until then I truly realized how much I should have been studying and applying myself for the previous four, er five years.