Not straight dope. I enjoy it here but it hasn’t given me an orgasm yet or anything. I am talking about this stie.
Amazing. They have the grades that professors give out. Like in one of my courses now there are 3 professors. One gives about 70% of the class an A or B and the third professor give 70% of the class a C. Amazing, because now I can pick and choose the better professors with the more lenient curves.
If that gives you an orgasm (and the SDMB doesn’t, well, I really just don’t know what to say to that.
I dunno, I tend to go for the profs that will actually teach over the profs that just have high curves, but maybe that’s just me. I’ve learned far more in my inorganic chemistry class (where I have a C) than in my intro microeconomics class (where I have an A). High grade does not necessarily correspond to high amount of material mastered.
You haven’t been looking at the right threads.
Try the Doper picture thread. I found some pictures which aided me in… uh… that is… uh…
:o :eek:
LOOK OVER THERE! NINJAS!
Hastily makes a retreat…
Bah. Graduate schools cannot distinguish a class with a high curve from a class with no curve. And although learning the material is good and all, unless you put the material to good use in your life it is just another piece of info. I have tons of things i’ve learned in college I will never use but the grades of those classes will come in handy should I decide to go to grad school, and a class with tons of As and Bs will be more low stress as I know that even if I fuck up I will still be ok in the end. I value getting good grades and low stress more than learning. Whatever I need for a vocation I can learn on the vocation.
:rolleyes: And they wonder why fighting ignorance takes so long…
You also seem to assume that professors don’t know what’s going on in their field. I can assure you that at least at the better institutions the professors in a field will have at least a passing familiarity with the work done by their peers–which in turn means that they’ll know which students are likely to be better candidates for graduate work.
But if you’re comfortable with getting a mediocre undergrad education and then going on to get a mediocre graduate education–well, more power to you, I guess.
My university isn’t all that large. Many courses were taught by one professor only. We don’t get a choice about who we want to take many times. In the classes that did have a choice, I have consistently chosen the professor who was reputed to be more difficult. Not because I’m such a hard worker, but because I will exert myself and learn more in a class where I have to struggle (barring classes where I had to throw up my hands in defeat, drop and retake it–only one). Learning is more, and more important, than just making grades. A B in such a class is often more valuable to me than an A more easily learned. I barely studied in high school. Most of the time I simply didn’t need to do it. College was a complete surprise to me. You mean I have to open this book? On the plus side, I have some heavy textbooks which may have application in a weight training program.
I can’t understand the attitude of the OP at all. I worked my butt off these past three years and I know I’m better for it. Taking easy classes when I could would have felt like a waste to me.
You can’t even understand that there is more to life than learning for its own sake. What about learning to use the info in a productive fashion rather than just blindly making sure everyone knows as much as they can. I would rather live a low stress life where I can get what I want rather than be able to recite the entire periodic table or know tons about molecular orbital theory. Maybe if I spent my life playing trivial pursuit but only people with no life experience and poor priorities would prefer that.
I actually got a job (that I then held until I moved) specifically because of my knowledge of chemistry, a topic I didn’t think I’d really ever have much use for back when I was taking it.
You never know when some random knowledge will translate into a positive life change. That’s why I actually pay attention in class rather than picking a class based on the grade I want; if I pay attention, I’ll learn and I’ll get a good grade, which for my money (and my TIME) is a far better course than simply selecting a class based on the projected grade.
Wesley, one of the major points of learning is to produce a well rounded intelligent individual who will contribute to society via a combination of what he/she learns and the life experiences they encounter. I submit that a professor who challenges you will imbue a greater and more memorable learning experience than one who lets you get through.
Long after you’ve become worm fodder, it will not matter how much money you made, how big your house was, or the newness of your car. What will matter is your interaction with others, and a well-rounded education is an asset in doing so. At some future juncture you’ll perhaps have a family, and dredging up your long buried algebra classes will be part of the time you spend with your kids.
Your education is one of the many parts that makes up you. Don’t you think you deserve the best? 
Darnit, no one has reviewed any of my profs for next semester (or this semester, for that matter).
How do they get the percentages of grades the profs give out?
By the way, I also think it’s silly to go to college just to get the grade. I think it takes more than just the grade/degree to make an impression on people. I think it shows if you have a desire to learn. But I don’t necessarily think that if a professor gives more A’s, he or she is easier. It might also mean the students in the class were inspired to learn, or interested in the material, so learned it better.
I would rather have interesting classes and a B, than an easy class (prof puts notes online, gives you everything that’s on the test, etc etc) and an A.
See thats what I mean, education that you can use is the greatest thing we humans have. But just filling everyones head with something like advanced physics is not that important unless they work in advanced physics. What good is a perfect knowlege of engineering if all you do is sell hotdogs? Someone who works at a truck stop would be better off learning to budget, how productive nurturing relationships with family and community are built and maintained, how to cook and things like that. Teaching him advanced physics will not make the world a better place, and it may just make him hate advanced math and make his life very stressful.
I personally have not yet noticed the well rounded benefits of a college education. It has not really broadened my horizons any but maybe I will change my opinion down the road.
I’m studying chemistry because I like chemistry. But knowing that I don’t have to worry about failing makes the class less stressful, which makes my overall life better. That is my main impedus for doing this, not gettings As or Bs (although that is important, GPA is only one of many factors that go into getting into graduate school). My main goal is to lead a low stress life because my overall mood is better when I do, I sleep better, and my relationships are better.
Then don’t go to school, especially graduate school. I have heard select few people say they’re going to school for the reduced stress level.
Yeah, I have thought alot about that and you’re right. But a masters is only 2 years and the financial and career payoffs will last 30-40 years. So i’m not sure what i’ll do.
But I intend to stay in undergrad, the payoffs are too large to ignore. Its just grad school I am unsure of.
I’d start by asking myself how many laid-back grad students I knew…
I don’t think “laid-back” and “graduate student” have ever been seen in the same sentence… 
Wesley, I really hate to sound like a prig, for honest, but part of higher education means working hard–and working hard means being, at times necessarily, stressed.
It’s far better to get the professor who knows (and gives a sh*te about) their subject than the one who gives out good grades.
Bloody generation Y ers - have you ever thought that learning to learn is how you will cope with life after university? Those who understand themselves and how they learn well, will tend to be successful in their paid work.
The subject matter is not always that important but that you have learned to master a subject, how you did it, and what you learned about yourself in the process, is.