Matthews

U2 concert = awesome!!

Lived up to all my expectations. They really know how to put on a show. I just wish I was a lot closer so I could actually see them properly.




All my marks are back. At the start of the semester I posted looking fowards to my courses and previewing them, so now I'm going to hurredly post a review for them (hurredly because I need to get to sleep because I need to get up early!).


French 102: Introductory French 2
Final mark: A-
Course quality: 85%
As much as I love French and learning French, this course was quite annoying because it got in the way of my Engineering courses -- French assignments were always due in in pairs and often were due on the same days as massive Engineering projects, which seriously affected the quality of the French assignments, as they were second priority. The lectures were great, and so was the lecturer, although sometimes it annoyed me that he placed such a high priority on always attending lectures and spending 10 hours a week studying and doing assignments, when I had three other courses in Engineering that involved about three times the effort (each). So I didn't give my best shot to French this semester, and that's reflected in the fact that I didn't get an A+.
Workload: (Least) - 8 assignments, 2 or 3 tests, 1 exam.



Mecheng 222: Dynamics
Final mark: B
Course quality: 70%
The fact that the tutorials were at 5pm on a Friday night was really annoying as it meant I only went to 2 or 3 of them (and the only one that I stayed the whole time for we ended up having a paper fight in). There were two lecturers, one who was really, really good, the other who couldn't speak English and was always in a bad mood. The test and exam were both open book, which really helped! I was expecting a final mark between C and B-, so a B is a pleasant surprise.
Workload: (Second least) - 1 test, 2 projects, 1 exam.



Mecheng 211: Thermofluids
Final mark: B-
Course quality: 55%
The lectures for this course were EXTREMELY boring! The lecturers didn't engage the class in any way - they just droned to themselves while we spent a semester copying what they were writing on the overheads. My tutor was useless - again someone who couldn't speak English and who also couldn't engage the class. Noone stayed at the tutorials for very long, despite the fact that we desperately needed them. I was just hoping to pass this paper, and was expecting a C- or a C, so a B- is like "what the?!" I'm guessing they scaled everyone up. This was possibly the most difficult paper I have ever done, just because everything was completely new!
Workload: (Second highest) - 10 quizzes, 3 labs, 1 test, 1 exam.



Mecheng 224: System Dynamics Modelling - Animation and Simulation
Final mark: C
Course quality: 30%
For the first submission for the first project I got 0.5 out of 10. Based on the first project and the first test I honestly thought I was going to fail this paper miserably. I didn't understand it at all. Add to that the fact that there were no tutorials, and I was out on my own for a while trying to come to grips with it. Again I was hoping just to pass this paper, so I am happy with a C. This paper had by far the highest workload of any paper - involving a good 20 hours a week (on average) just on its own! This paper is largely the reason I had no life over the semester. It's the reason for most of the stress, most of the nights up until 4am, and it's the main reason for the poor quality of my French assignments. It was a mission.
Workload: (Highest) - 3 projects, 2 tests.


But all in all it was a great semester. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm somewhat concerned about next semester though - 5 papers and I think 2 of them are internal!!