Neccessary School Changes

[BinoAl]

So, staying up all night doing a 20 slide, 4000 word powerpoint on financial risk management that somehow became necessary for me to pass intro to programming, I've decided something. I am NEVER having this teacher again. Of the ~30 people that started the year in this class, all but 8 of us dropped it. So, where do I even begin? The professors for each class aren't known until the last few weeks before the trimester begins, and my counselor told me last trimester that there isn't any way to know in advance to avoid having him. I don't want to change schools, and the Baker College campus in Clinton is the only baker campus with the game programming degree. There are computer science degrees available in Clinton, Owosso, and Muskegon, but I don't know if I want to move that far. I'm considering Ferris State University, but I doubt I would be accepted (barely passed high school, despite a 29 composite ACT score). The biggest option for me is taking the classes I would have this professor for at a community college and just transferring the credits to Baker. Has anyone gone through something like this, or has advice?

[TheAnarchitect]

I quit my calculus classes in college because all available professors had thick foreign accents. It's not that I couldn't understand them, it's that it was impossible for me to respond in class without mimicking the accent, and thus embarrassing the teachers and myself. It turned out that I had AP credits from high school I could transfer in for a small fee, so I did it. I think taking the classes elsewhere and transfering them is a good move.

I also had a good friend who went through 3 years of hell because his masters program was run by a psychotic bastard. He stuck through it and is reaping the rewards, and every year his school contacts him asking for Alumni donations, he tells them he'll donate provided they fire the guy. He's convinced a few of his other former students to do the same, and he's hoping that if he can get enough they might go through with it. Complain about the professor to your school, and get other people who dislike him to do the same. Maybe you can get the bad professor gone.

[PatrickSJ]

This is a prereq to intro to programming so I'm assuming it is a 100 level course. Given that ~22 people have dropped from an introductory level course I'd say you should drop as well. Is the issue the professor is plain bad or just going too quickly?

As for switching colleges... I did the transfer routine and I found I received better teachers, but I didn't know in advance how good the teachers were. Now you can check out the universities' professor ratings.

Also, 4000 words over 20 slides is too dense for a presentation. Are you making a case for various financial risk options or stating your knowledge about financial risk management (condensing notes to PPT)?

[BinoAl]

This is a prereq to intro to programming so I'm assuming it is a 100 level course. Given that ~22 people have dropped from an introductory level course I'd say you should drop as well. Is the issue the professor is plain bad or just going too quickly?

As for switching colleges... I did the transfer routine and I found I received better teachers, but I didn't know in advance how good the teachers were. Now you can check out the universities' professor ratings.

Also, 4000 words over 20 slides is too dense for a presentation. Are you making a case for various financial risk options or stating your knowledge about financial risk management (condensing notes to PPT)?

Nah, Intro to programming is easy shit. He just marks you off for disproportionately large numbers of points. For example, since it's an intro class, it's all done in pseudo code. I used the syntax:
While (Condition)
Do (Commands)
for a basic while loop. I lost about a third of the points for the homework (which had 7 problems). I tried to argue against it and say that the whole point of pseudo code is to not worry about syntax, and he basically told me it was too bad. Anyway, since so many people dropped this class, the dean of the CS department actually made him give us extra credit opportunity. This financial powerpoint is that extra credit. Oh, and the word limit isn't actually what's on the slides, just what we have to put in speaker notes. The slide content is another thing entirely. But yeah, we have to read nearly an entire textbook on financial risk management, and this powerpoint is supposed to highlight 10 key topics we choose from the book.

I quit my calculus classes in college because all available professors had thick foreign accents. It's not that I couldn't understand them, it's that it was impossible for me to respond in class without mimicking the accent, and thus embarrassing the teachers and myself. It turned out that I had AP credits from high school I could transfer in for a small fee, so I did it. I think taking the classes elsewhere and transfering them is a good move.

I also had a good friend who went through 3 years of hell because his masters program was run by a psychotic bastard. He stuck through it and is reaping the rewards, and every year his school contacts him asking for Alumni donations, he tells them he'll donate provided they fire the guy. He's convinced a few of his other former students to do the same, and he's hoping that if he can get enough they might go through with it. Complain about the professor to your school, and get other people who dislike him to do the same. Maybe you can get the bad professor gone.

Yeah, this guy was born in india, got a theology degree, then moved to iraq, got a CS degree, then worked for chrysler for a while before going to teaching. His accent is... insane. Lol. This guy has tenure, and apparently people in his classes always have major issues with him, yet he is just... untouchable. Ahh well, they're the ones losing potentially thousands of dollars per student, and most of us are just taking the classes elsewhere.

[PatrickSJ]

... What was the correct answer for the pseudo code? If he can't explain why his is correct and yours is wrong then he isn't worth having.

I am curious; is this a book about corporate finance risk management or project finance risk management?

[BinoAl]

... What was the correct answer for the pseudo code? If he can't explain why his is correct and yours is wrong then he isn't worth having.

I am curious; is this a book about corporate finance risk management or project finance risk management?

The syntax he wanted us to use was

Code: Select all

While condition
Do command
End while

Basically, he was nitpicking syntax. In pseudocode. *sigh*
The book is Financial Institutions Management: A Risk Management Approach.
ISBN: 9780073530758
Still couldn't find the book as a pdf, I'm working from a summary of it at the moment

[SterlingRed]

I had issues with some of my professors at my university. How I handled it varied from teacher to teacher. I never dropped a class and always stuck it out, my grade suffered as a result in 4 classes. In two cases the teachers I had were new and not tenured, so I worked with my fellow students and ta's to make sure the next class wouldn't have that problem. Let's just say they don't teach at that school anymore. One of these classes was English 101 and it was so bad, I took the second class at a community college and transferred the credit. I had a bad teacher for calculus 2, so I spoke to the other math teachers and got their class schedules for the next three semesters and arranged the rest of my classes around the teacher I wanted. For a few teachers, I had some pull with the dean of the engineering college and had him force professors to offer extra credit if he agreed with my view and got enough complaints. Really you will always have bad teachers, learn how to pick your battles and do the best you can.

[BinoAl]

I had issues with some of my professors at my university. How I handled it varied from teacher to teacher. I never dropped a class and always stuck it out, my grade suffered as a result in 4 classes. In two cases the teachers I had were new and not tenured, so I worked with my fellow students and ta's to make sure the next class wouldn't have that problem. Let's just say they don't teach at that school anymore. One of these classes was English 101 and it was so bad, I took the second class at a community college and transferred the credit. I had a bad teacher for calculus 2, so I spoke to the other math teachers and got their class schedules for the next three semesters and arranged the rest of my classes around the teacher I wanted. For a few teachers, I had some pull with the dean of the engineering college and had him force professors to offer extra credit if he agreed with my view and got enough complaints. Really you will always have bad teachers, learn how to pick your battles and do the best you can.

Yeah, we would definitely have enough students to help out in "solving the issue", if he wasn't tenured. As it is, I don't think they will ever seriously consider getting rid of him, which is unfortunate. I probably am just taking my cis classes at the local community college. I'm already scheduled for my classes next term (in the fall), so I'll probably do a semester or 2 at the community college this winter

[Marasambala]

You know what they say...that which doesn't kill you......

Seriously, the first guy I worked for was set up similarly, untouchable. Everyone who worked for him hated him. He staffed 10 people at any one time and I watched him run off 16 in 5 years. I stuck around long enough (yeah, I'm sick) and finally ended up replacing his ass. Now, 10 years down the road I find myself saying I hated the guy, but I also learned a hell of a lot about life and people and work.

Maybe they use this guy to thin out the ones who aren't tenacious and committed.
Look at it this way, everything will look easier from here on out. Who knows, some of those proffs. who are HORRIBLE first year teachers turn out to the best you can hope for during senior level classes.

[BinoAl]

Look at it this way, everything will look easier from here on out. Who knows, some of those proffs. who are HORRIBLE first year teachers turn out to the best you can hope for during senior level classes.

Eh, the problem isn't really toughness, though. I'd understand if he was rigorous and made sure we knew our shit before passing us. It's more that he nitpicks the tiniest things (like syntax errors in fucking pseudocode >.>) that don't actually help us learn, and just screw our grades :/

[BinoAl]

So, I kicked this classes ass, to those of you who are wondering. With this teacher fucking me over every step of the way, I got a high C. Suck it >:D

[Ribky]

I see your High C and raise you a High 5 for sticking it to the teacher.

Reminds me of when I inched through a class in high school with straight D's and the lowest passing score on the final exam because of my utter hatred of the teacher.

[Gargantuan_Penguin]

I commend you on your ability to remain resolute and resourceful in an atmosphere of extreme pessimism. I have had teachers that I hated... all that got me was expelled form highschool... twice.

[BinoAl]

I see your High C and raise you a High 5 for sticking it to the teacher.

Reminds me of when I inched through a class in high school with straight D's and the lowest passing score on the final exam because of my utter hatred of the teacher.

Haha, I didn't inch through highschool. I just sorta laid down until it was over :)

I commend you on your ability to remain resolute and resourceful in an atmosphere of extreme pessimism. I have had teachers that I hated... all that got me was expelled form highschool... twice.

Haha, thanks. It was actually easy. I normally don't try very hard. But he pissed me off so badly that I just wanted to pass in spite of him :)