Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Old G
Today after class old G, the section that was G last year, came and spoke with us. They handed down a lot of traditions, including a leopard-print thong for one unlucky guy, a box of twinkies along with matching twinkie hat and shirt to one lucky guy, a Statue of Liberty torch to be handed out to whomever hogs the most airtime each week, a song of shame to sing whenever a cell phone goes off, a team dance and associated cheer, a... I think you get the idea. I'm really pumped to get more involved in the section, although right now I feel like there are so many demands on my time I don't know how I will fit section events in as well.
Classes are progressing alright. I've been having some trouble in TOM, which is the Technology and Operations Management class. The way the case method apparently works is that they introduce a problem (a case) and you try and solve it on your own. The next day in class you try and (usually do) solve it during the class discussion. At the end of the class the professor then explains what concept you just used, and if you had known said concept the previous night it would have made life a lot easier. This is in direct opposition to how I learned things in undergrad, where you would learn some sort of engineering equation and then apply it that night in homework. I'm not saying either system is better than the other, but homework is certainly more challenging when you haven't been taught the concepts yet. On the other hand, I have no desire to return to being lectured in class...
Classes are progressing alright. I've been having some trouble in TOM, which is the Technology and Operations Management class. The way the case method apparently works is that they introduce a problem (a case) and you try and solve it on your own. The next day in class you try and (usually do) solve it during the class discussion. At the end of the class the professor then explains what concept you just used, and if you had known said concept the previous night it would have made life a lot easier. This is in direct opposition to how I learned things in undergrad, where you would learn some sort of engineering equation and then apply it that night in homework. I'm not saying either system is better than the other, but homework is certainly more challenging when you haven't been taught the concepts yet. On the other hand, I have no desire to return to being lectured in class...
