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University/College
LTK:
I just turned in the first draft of my literature thesis on metacognition and consciousness. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, but part of me is afraid my supervisor is going to hate it. I'll probably be fine.
Carl-E:
--- Quote from: Loki on 07 Feb 2015, 13:07 ---Carl: how is the equation where the x is not alone on one side "simplified"? :psyduck: (I know you are probably right, I am just confused)
--- End quote ---
Actually, it isn't simplified, bad use of terminology on my part. I tend to think that most students see expressions with fractions as more complicated than those without...
But I was just thinking of an expression closer to the situation of the problem - x percent of the "doable" points being > 70% of the total points. It's a more of a "direct translation" into math, that's all.
And 94ssd, congratulations on that class - your professor obviously saw a good thing and rode it out. I'm sure she's patting herself on the back for being flexible, and will probably remember that as one of her better classes for years to come!
The death thing is pretty unusual, though. Clearly some are random occurrences, car accidents happen to young people all the time. But the cluster of suicides (and I'm sure many people suspect the two others may also be suicides, and they're not being released for that reason) is really troubling.
But the thing is, they're probably just that - a cluster of an occurrence that often happens in an environment of stress. While it's an excellent opportunity for the university to improve its services, it's doubtful that it would have made a difference. Most successful suicides don't actively seek help beforehand.
Of course, it's really hard to know whether people who do reach out for help would have committed suicide without it. There have been some studies, but it's kind of a self-selecting population... :-\
Method of Madness:
Taking an intro to statistics class on Coursera. I'm thinking of taking some stats classes at my old school this fall, and if I do well I may go for a Masters in the field. Combined with my Bachelor's in Classics, it'll open a lot of doors career wise.
94ssd:
Let me take a moment to talk about the theatre department at my university. Both the builder and destroyer of my happiness and dreams.
This department has not kept up with the changing theatre world in many ways. That's evidence in the lack of projection and sound design courses, the almost complete absence musicals and new plays in the mainstage seasons, which student organizations have had to pick up the slack on, and the fact that they require you to take fucking scenic painting.
One of its worst offenses is that it gives design/tech students very little opportunity to design. A typical major can hope for one or two shows assisting a faculty designer and then maybe a dance piece or two on their own. That's it. They're fairly with it when it comes to stage management, with student stage managers taking the reigns on every show, but design is something they're usually unwilling to entrust students with.
I have been extremely lucky. As one of the very few students studying sound design, and because of the lack of a dedicated sound faculty member, I have been given the opportunity to design one show last year and two this upcoming year. I can't express how rare this is. Between the 10 design/tech majors that graduated last year, only one had ever designed a show (as the lighting designer for one production) on his won.
Designing two shows also means I will be extremely busy. I have a friend who is a rising sophomore and, to my great joy, interested in sound design. She approached me about being my assistant designer on one of the shows. Not thinking how there could be any problem with this, I said yes. I emailed the director to let her know I would like to bring on an assistant. She emailed back approving completely, and CC'd the rest of the design team on an email letting them know, in the form of a fact, that there was now an assistant sound designer.
The email included my advisor and the main lighting professor. Who immediately emails me back and overrules the director by stating that "students cannot assist students." Which is just absolutely and utter nonsense. Because any of the faculty designers OR the director could bring on an assistant, or two, if they wanted. No one had anything to say when a professor brought on three assistant dramaturgs for a show this upcoming semester. I break down a barrier but I still am treated as lower on the pecking order, and I'm powerless to help my make sure I won't be the last one who gets these opportunities.
This is just the latest volley in a constant barrage of supreme bullshit. I don't know if I'm complained before about their attempts to stamp out student-produced work even though that's the only way anyone will ever get enough experience to make it out in the working world, because they see it as 'competition,' even though that isn't what it is at all because we always let mainstage shows get cast first and there's still 50 actors and a dozen technicians not involved in any mainstage in any given semester. Not to mention that club shows have brought new people into the theatre major.
Everything in this goddamned department is dysfunctional politics. It's not what I signed up for. And now that I'm a senior and an officer in multiple clubs I have to be on the confrontational side of things, not by choice. I have never heard of a department at any other school being this way. It's so fucking upsetting.
94ssd:
--- Quote from: 94ssd on 11 Sep 2014, 11:04 ---We had a meeting for new design/tech majors yesterday, current majors required to attend.
This freshman described himself as "skilled" as a board op and carpenter. I instantly dislike him and in my experience people who say that aren't actually skilled. He's the board op on a show I'm designing sound for and now I'm worried that he'll fuck it up, especially because it will be pretty complex.
--- End quote ---
So I was looking through my past posts in this thread. Update: he, predictably, fucked it up regularly.
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