First, a slight rant against a religion class. On my final I was asked a question about my study habits. Through the semester our teacher posted several videos online of apostles speaking about New Testament doctrine, stories, and characters. The last question of the final (worth 12 points out of 200 so 6% of the test) asked how many of the videos did I watch through the semester. I have watched maybe half a dozen. I couldn't play them on my computer. What I saw was information I knew and mostly came from General Conferences of the past. I answered honestly knowing I'd lose 11 points. I do not know why I answered honestly. I'm not even glad I did. I'm frustrated that my study habits were being questioned. The test is to prove acquisition of knowledge not how it was obtained. The test shows understanding of a subject not how often it has been studied. The test is to permit passage to a higher difficulty in the subject not show the diligence in work to get there.
Sorry friends, I have one more thing. I do not like BYU's grading system. It produces what appears to be an influx of B students. I have classes that require a 94% to get an A in them. Maybe that is the standard we should be graded on. But I've shot for a 90% my whole life. Well, a 92% in case I mess up on a final. So I'm getting an A- in many of my classes. This would appear as a 4.0 at NAU and at many other universities I'm sure, but here it appears as a 3.75 (which is not even high enough for most scholarships mind you). 3.75 came from having a few B's, not by having straight A's. Also frustrating, but something I'm slowly caring less about.
Honestly, today might be the most embarrassing I've had in a very long time. I just missed my Arabic final. All week I've been telling myself 2 to 5, that's my last final, Friday from 2 to 5. Well, it was actually 11 to 2 today, which is what I wrote down in my planner. But why would I check that when I knew it was from 2 to 5... On my way to the final I ran into a guy from the class riding away. I asked where he was going. So I even found out I had completely missed it before walking into the class in front of everyone. Instead I got to quietly wait around the corner, talk to my professor, and figure things out. What this means is an answer to a prayer, honestly. I've been wondering a lot if I should retake Arabic 101. I love the language and I want to be good at it. I want to understand this stuff but it never clicked this semester. If I had gotten a C in the class I probably would have tucked my tail and kept going, never catching up. But this forces me to retake the class. I failed. Outright. First F in a class of my life. But when I retake it I'll be able to focus on what isn't clicking. I can learn the names of letters, get better at numbers, do all the homework, memorize more, and speak more clearly. It is not what I would have said I wanted (a good grade) but it is what I want (to really understand Arabic). Hey, life is good.
Sorry friends, I have one more thing. I do not like BYU's grading system. It produces what appears to be an influx of B students. I have classes that require a 94% to get an A in them. Maybe that is the standard we should be graded on. But I've shot for a 90% my whole life. Well, a 92% in case I mess up on a final. So I'm getting an A- in many of my classes. This would appear as a 4.0 at NAU and at many other universities I'm sure, but here it appears as a 3.75 (which is not even high enough for most scholarships mind you). 3.75 came from having a few B's, not by having straight A's. Also frustrating, but something I'm slowly caring less about.
Honestly, today might be the most embarrassing I've had in a very long time. I just missed my Arabic final. All week I've been telling myself 2 to 5, that's my last final, Friday from 2 to 5. Well, it was actually 11 to 2 today, which is what I wrote down in my planner. But why would I check that when I knew it was from 2 to 5... On my way to the final I ran into a guy from the class riding away. I asked where he was going. So I even found out I had completely missed it before walking into the class in front of everyone. Instead I got to quietly wait around the corner, talk to my professor, and figure things out. What this means is an answer to a prayer, honestly. I've been wondering a lot if I should retake Arabic 101. I love the language and I want to be good at it. I want to understand this stuff but it never clicked this semester. If I had gotten a C in the class I probably would have tucked my tail and kept going, never catching up. But this forces me to retake the class. I failed. Outright. First F in a class of my life. But when I retake it I'll be able to focus on what isn't clicking. I can learn the names of letters, get better at numbers, do all the homework, memorize more, and speak more clearly. It is not what I would have said I wanted (a good grade) but it is what I want (to really understand Arabic). Hey, life is good.
Yo. Sorry I disappeared. I went home for winter break and didn't have my computer with me. A friend came from the UK to stay with me for a month and I didn't want to get caught up with online stuff while he was here. Then I got back and started the new semester and my work hours changed (I'm working 45-50 hours a week while is about as much fun as it sounds like) and classes started and I just haven't been online in a while.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your Arabic class. That really sucks. I actually ended up sleeping through one of my finals last semester too. What was worse was that my flight home was two hours after the test so I had to run, take the exam in 10 minutes (it wasn't too terrible), and I just barely made it to the airport in time for my flight.
I'm going to be starting Arabic too in the fall once I'm back home in D.C. :)
I would love to e-mail. I do not know if you kept your old e-mail address but I will try you there. If you get this and the e-mail did not work then please send me something, I've kept the same address from the last time we messaged.
Delete