Post Mortem: Sem 2 (Part 1 of 2)

Jan 2011- June 2011

As a whole, I think this semester ended pretty well compared to the 1^st semester. I have to admit, after the blunders I had to face in the 1^st sem, I wasn’t really aiming that high. My target was just to keep my 90 and judging by how difficult my subjects were this year, I was not too optimistic about making the grade here in CPU.

So, let’s begin with the analysis

My target was really simple

Judging by how my colleagues and seniors kept saying

Calculus with Ms Foo “ Die lor “

Physics with Mr tan “ Good luck la bro”

I only wanted to survive this sem, doing well was another question altogether

So problems:

1. Coping with Teachers

I was supposedly ‘lucky’ to get Mr Wise, Mr Tan, Ms Foo. The 3 teachers are known for their strict assessment, hard exams and no nonsense attitudes. My heart literally skipped a beat when I saw the 3 names coming up on my timetable. It was a good thing though that I knew 2 out of 3 of them as Mr Wise and Foo were my past semester teachers, so at least I had a fair bit of knowledge on how to handle them, how they mark and how they work. I’ll be honest and say straight out that, these teachers are going to pummel you to the ground if you don’t know how to deal with them. Ms Foo can get pretty fiery in class, so it pays to have a hard shell on when dealing with her. When she screams, its not that she wants You to cry or anything, it’s just that she wants you to respond. She purposely puts obstacles and fear in front of your face to test how brave you are to walk into the realm of the unknown.

Mr Wise is a disciplinarian. He works using tried and true systems. For every unit, you must have a notebook and he would always prepare the teaching plan 6 months ahead so that we are all informed of what is coming ahead. Mr Wise is not a fan of messy and disorganized work (I was guilty of that a few times) . So make sure you try to get everything as neat and organized as possible, it’s worth the time. Believe me. Mr Wise also encourages independent thinking and open inquiry. If you don’t understand what’s taught in class, Mr Wise would be more than willing to give you a more detailed and clear description of what you learned in class outside of the classroom. Another thing, for me the most interesting part about Mr Wise’s classes is that, he does not spoon-feed you but rather guides you through the units your learning. He helps you conceptualize your thoughts so that they are logical and understood. In other words, being in Mr Wise’s class makes you a better thinker as he allows you the freedom to express your thoughts in a logical and concise manner. He made me smart :D whee !

Mr Tan is a man of many professions. He is awesome with the drums as he is awesome in the classroom. He looks more of a rockstar than a teacher, but believe me, listening to him was like listening to Mozart conducting his famous orchestras. He explains physics in such a way that even a 3 year old would understand and giggle, because he makes so much SENSE. You come out of his classes feeling like you understood the meaning of life and in doing so, waste countless hours youtubing quantum mechanics and the photoelectric effect. AND YOU ACTUALLY GET WHAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT. He empowers you with the belief that physics is actually accessible and even….. FUN :D. Do well for the quizzes, do as well as you can for the lab and rubey. Don’t screw up that badly for the unit tests, they are difficult but they are not impossible to answer. That’s a recipe for a 90 average right there.

2. Dealing with Schedules/ Time Management and General Management

Contrary to popular belief, I believe time is platinum, not gold now. What im saying is please, please, please manage your time wisely. Even Napoleon Bonaparte’s secret to winning his battles was down to time management

“The biggest flaw that my enemy can make is to disregard the value of 5 minutes in a battle” or something of that sort

Seriously,

In the bus

Read a book

Before bed,

Read a page of Life of Pie or Kepler’s Law

While tying your shoes,

Memorize the periodic table

In the toilet or shower

Memorize the ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy

While Going down the lift

Explain simultaneity to a person right beside you

Time is of the essence, seriously

And please, keep your stuff organized. I literally flipped my house upside down to find one lost piece of assignment paper and that alone took me the whole night. So not only I wasted one night, I also lost time for other things such as eating and bathing 0_0.

So don’t waste time

It also helps to be a bit more proactive,

After class, it would also not kill to take some time and refresh what you learned in class. I tried it out for physics where while waiting for Banana Leaf to send the food up to my room( easily 20+ mins). For some reason, once you do refresh yourself with what you learned, it is a lot easier to remember at a later time. And boy, time flies here. You are going to have at least one quiz and one unit test once a week so you have to be on your toes with the knowledge you have.

3. Basic plan on how to deal with assignments and projects

A large bulk of your marks will come from ISU’s. ISU’s are independent study units, they are literally the bread and butter of this course. If you can get a 90+ for your project, your certain to get an 80% average at least for your final sem marks. For assignments which require teammates, focus on establishing team dynamics. The groups with the most balanced (you have an inventor, a builder and a planner) setting is the most likely to succeed in projects. Always consult with your teachers, they know a lot about these assignments and how to do well on them so always inquire and ask for advice.

That’s enough for today, at another time I’ll post my solutions or things that helped me cope in CPU at a later date.