Calculus 251H
Fall quarter 2011 I signed up for the Honors Calculus class offered to students for the added challenge and the potential learning outcomes. This class challenged me in many more ways than I anticipated and served as an eye-opener to college for me. My professor was extremely knowledgeable and well suited for the teaching job. He was a no-nonsense kind of guy and got straight down to business promptly at the start of class up until the very end. He was very thorough with his teaching and was both helpful and approachable regarding any questions one may have with any of the topics.
Although I cannot say for sure, I believe that I was better prepared for the exams and quizzes through taking this class than I would have been taking any other class. The class setting was much smaller than most of my other BME classes, which made it an ideal learning atmosphere as well as a more personal experience. Because the class itself was so fast-paced and challenging, it forced me to develop good learning habits from the beginning. I quickly learned I had to adapt to the professor's teaching style as well as stay focused throughout the duration of the class and make full use of office hours, peer help, and the learning assistance center.
As opposed to previous math classes that I have taken in high school, this particular class did not simply just teach me about math, it also taught me about my strengths and weaknesses as a student. Procrastination is the bane of my existence, but I also work extremely well under pressure. Test taking is definitely not my forte, but I am extremely responsible when it comes to getting homework assignments completed and turned in on time (even if it requires pulling an all-nighter). This class was important for me to take my first quarter of college because it forced me to shape up, change my habits, and improve as a student.
Although I cannot say for sure, I believe that I was better prepared for the exams and quizzes through taking this class than I would have been taking any other class. The class setting was much smaller than most of my other BME classes, which made it an ideal learning atmosphere as well as a more personal experience. Because the class itself was so fast-paced and challenging, it forced me to develop good learning habits from the beginning. I quickly learned I had to adapt to the professor's teaching style as well as stay focused throughout the duration of the class and make full use of office hours, peer help, and the learning assistance center.
As opposed to previous math classes that I have taken in high school, this particular class did not simply just teach me about math, it also taught me about my strengths and weaknesses as a student. Procrastination is the bane of my existence, but I also work extremely well under pressure. Test taking is definitely not my forte, but I am extremely responsible when it comes to getting homework assignments completed and turned in on time (even if it requires pulling an all-nighter). This class was important for me to take my first quarter of college because it forced me to shape up, change my habits, and improve as a student.
Calculus 252H
I chose to continue the series the following Winter quarter based on my good experience from the Fall. The professor was the same, as well as most of the students in the class, and the general set-up was similar as well. Curriculum wise, I felt that the material was much more difficult and challenging this time around compared to the previous quarter. I had a much harder time keeping up the professor and completing the homework. Whether this was because all my classes as a whole became more challenging or because the class itself was harder is still up in the air.
I still had a good experience with the class, and have no regrets with continuing the series, however I noticed more so in this class than with the other, the presence of a "calculus committee." I felt that the professor was still thorough with his teaching, however I felt less prepared when it came time for the exams, which were written by an outside math committee. There was extra material that the professor covered at times that was not included in the exams, and more times than not, material on the exams that was not covered entirely in class. Although this proved to be slightly detrimental to my grade, it also was a learning experience in itself, because it taught me not to be dependent on my professor. I learned the hard way that I had to learn outside the classroom on my own and to certain extent go above and beyond in order to stay at the top.
All in all, I thought it was important that I continue the Honors Calculus series and apply what I learned in the previous quarter to the new, fresh quarter; which I felt I did do. In addition, I thought it was important to keep challenging myself academically and continue to develop as a college student.
I still had a good experience with the class, and have no regrets with continuing the series, however I noticed more so in this class than with the other, the presence of a "calculus committee." I felt that the professor was still thorough with his teaching, however I felt less prepared when it came time for the exams, which were written by an outside math committee. There was extra material that the professor covered at times that was not included in the exams, and more times than not, material on the exams that was not covered entirely in class. Although this proved to be slightly detrimental to my grade, it also was a learning experience in itself, because it taught me not to be dependent on my professor. I learned the hard way that I had to learn outside the classroom on my own and to certain extent go above and beyond in order to stay at the top.
All in all, I thought it was important that I continue the Honors Calculus series and apply what I learned in the previous quarter to the new, fresh quarter; which I felt I did do. In addition, I thought it was important to keep challenging myself academically and continue to develop as a college student.