Students who took Patterning the World in winter quarter were asked to give advice to students taking Patterning this spring. Here are their wonderful and generous responses:
- I would tell them to keep well organized and to keep track of assignments. Also, I would let them know that they should read the assignments very closely and make sure they do all that is asked of the assignment.
- The advice I would tell someone who is going to take Patterning this spring is to get your labs done the day you do the lab. It makes everything easier later. It is much harder to make up a lab later when you don’t remember things well than it is to just do it right then. Also start homework on Tuesday. That is the day that you have just enough class that learning the information is much easier, but you also haven’t procrastinated too much. Then you have both the problem sessions and the long break after class Wednesday to visit the Quasar. Speaking of which Andy was the best helper in the Quasar hands down.
- Definitely staying on top of your work is key – especially in a math/physics class, where everyday builds on the prior weeks. It is my understanding that in thoroughness is also a key skill that will aid you in a class like this one. Taking good notes and just generally taking time to be sure you fully understand is what has gotten me through this class. Finally, don’t be afraid to ask questions.
- Some advice I would give to a future student of this course would be to show up to class everyday, start your assignments on the weekend before class and ask for help when you need it.
- I would tell them that they need to be disciplined in their independent study, and that practice of the material makes the class more rewarding. I would also tell them to complete their lab notebooks every week.
- GET ORGANIZED and stay on top of your work. And do not be afraid to ask for help.
- My advice to a student planning on taking Patterning this spring is to take effective notes from lectures and the text. I also advise students to ask questions regularly to enhance and reinforce their knowledge of the material. If a student is finding difficulty with the material, they will have to take responsibility for their difficulties and come to the instructors with their issues, and attend the workshops and the QUASR as often as is needed. This kind of hands-on experience is the best way to overcome math-anxiety. Finally, students will have to maintain their lab notes so that they can aid them in understanding the material in a more concrete context.
- Give yourself plenty of time to learn the material and treat the class as a 16 credit class because it is time consuming. Open up to fellow classmates and don’t hesitate to reach out for help whenever you need it. Try to approach every day with a positive outlook and look for the fun in the problems you are solving, it makes all the difference.
- I would strongly advised them to pay total attention to everything that is presented the first day. Don’t assume that it is a suggestion. Write everything down and keep it. The book is not bad but not totally clear so make sure you take good notes. I would encourage them not to get discourage if the going gets rough. If it does, seek help immediately. I would advise them that although it is a beginner’s class, they will still need to bring something to the table. So if they are weak in algebra and geometry skills perhaps they should tighten that up a little before taking this class. It is fast pace and due to the amount of work that is required, you must be good at time management. Other than that, I would encourage them that it is a lot of fun, the instructors are patient, and they will learn a lot of very useful skills.
- Start the problem sets before Thursday. Do the reading before Monday. Fully read and understand what you’re doing before you do it. Be prepared to do college level precalculus and physics work. Ask lots of questions. Work on something until you really understand it. Don’t get behind. Go to every class session.
- Make a friend you can work through the problem sets with
- Stay on top of your homework, and work ahead of the curve whenever possible. Connect with your fellow students whenever possible, and be sure to establish a study group or connect with your faculty members. Don’t be afraid to ask questions; you’re here to learn, and so is everyone else. Play around with the tools and the toys you are given, but stay focused on the goals you are set. Be mindful of the passage of time and the energy requirements for absorbing new information.
- Start or join a study group. Diving into the course work solo felt like I was drowning at times but with others, bouncing ideas off each other and having the ability to have concepts explained by people other than the professors is so great.
- I would tell any student planning on taking this course in the spring to finish work as early as possible and to take notes both during class and while reading text.
- I would tell that student to make sure they keep up on any labs that they don’t have time to finish in class. That has been something many students have had trouble with. Also, I would advise them to take good notes in all sessions. There were many times I was thankful for writing down little things that were said in class, that at the time didn’t seem too important. Of course, go to class is some important advice, even though I have missed quite a bit towards the end. I have learned my lesson though, because it takes twice as much work to catch up.
- I would advise future Patterning the World students to finish their labs the same day or as close to as possible. I would also recommend starting the portfolio from day one.
- I would suggest learning how to keep a lab journal for experiments. This is something that is useful for all information journals.
- I would tell them to keep their work neatly organized, because it makes it soo much easier to find at the end of the quarter when everything is due. I would also tell them to start their problem sets earlier in the week, because they can be challenging and take up alot of time. I would also tell them to read the reading for the week before the week starts because the lectures and labs will make alot more sense if they do.
- Some advice i would give a future student in this class is let yourself enjoy the work. It is actually quite compelling once you get started. As long as you make yourself begin each assignment you will do fine.
- Take advantage of the optional sessions. Get ahead so then if you don’t understand you have time to ask questions.
- Be prepared to work hard and have fun, I would advise them to stay in touch with faculty for any reason of concern. Also to stay on top of the work and take full advantage of the Quasar and to form study groups, so that there that experience in the course is not fully stressful due to not understanding the material. The students in the group can help one another and contribute to each other’s knowledge. Participating in Labs and Problem session was effective towards my learning so leading a math or physics lab when in groups and staying on top of the reading would be the best way to get the most of this course.
- If it’s been awhile since you have taken a math class, you will be better off not taking another course concurrently or having a job. It takes a lot of time and repetition to really learn and understand the program material. Structure and thoroughly plan out your calendar, and commit significant time daily. Make use of external learning resources early on.
- I would tell them to ask a lot of questions and read the material before coming to class. Otherwise you are incredibly lost. Also, don’t miss a class session for that same reasoning.
- To a student taking this program next quarter I would advise to read the material every sunday before monday lecture ritually, to utilize the wonderful help of the quasar tutors, and DON’T PANIC!
- Some advice that I would give to other students who are planning on taking Patterning this spring is that they need to make sure and do the readings ahead. Even though I always tried to do that, there were times where things came up, and I really regretted it. I would also suggest going to the optional problem sessions. I was never able to go to them due to scheduling, but from everyone that I talked to who went, they all said that it was really helpful and they would recommend going. I would also recommend that all students keep track of all assignments that are due and that they follow the specific guidelines in the syllabus. I would also recommend that they continue to work through the problems even if they are stuck or confused and that they understand that there is always a way to learn.
- Dive all the way in, let the math become creative, let the physics take you on a journey. Don t hold back even a little bit, even if your scared or hesitant, take the plunge. Failure isn’t what you once thought it was, instead failure is growth, learning, while having patience and gratitude for the process. Let your emotions get into your work, be proud of yourself when you’ve spent a weekend doing the work even though you still don’t quite get it. Trust your faculty, they are amazing. Most of all trust yourself, its going to change the way you look at the world.
- You should first take a refresher course on some basic algebra if you’re uncertain if you’re ready for pre-calc.
- I would say, use your resources. And take it seriously from the get-go.
- Patterning is a coarse for self starters and people who learn on there own. If you do not fit in to that category choose your friends wisely and build those relationships early.
- I would HIGHLY advise that the student not work more than 16 hours a week. Anything above that makes it’s next to impossible to work through the class work, study and maintain some semblance of dates, times, and a regular life.
- Unless you have a pretty good foundation already in math and physics, don’t attempt this program AND have a job! Balancing college and work becomes too stressful and your performance at both will be lacking. Otherwise it’s a good course for getting a dose of many concepts. Be prepared, like conventional math classes, it moves very quickly through the material. If you can keep up with the homework and complete the written take home problems, you should be okay. Don’t fall behind! Complete the labs ASAP; trying to remember them later is a discouraging burden!
- Organize your work! Find a study buddy or three. Use internet resources to help with algebra skills if needed. Write down more, not less. It is so helpful to have detailed records of problem-solving processes.
- First and for most, come into this program with the intention that this is all about getting your head wrapped around math and science. Forever changing your outlook on math and science forever. Second, come to class prepared with any questions you have that you couldn’t figure out on your own. And lastly believe in yourself that you can do this!
- I would let new students for spring now that having just an algebra 2 math background is going to be quite challenging to keep up with this programs pace. I would also let them know that if they really want to try and complete the program it will take a lot of free time in the quasar and with other students to maintain an efficient level of understanding. There is a lot of new and exciting concepts in this program for new students if they have never done physics. Most importantly I believe I would like to pass on Krishna and Neal’s philosophy of don’t panic! It really helps to stay calm and take a step back with some of these math/ physics problems. As long as you listen to the advice of Krishna and Neal you will realize that you can preserve and solve the problems given to you !
- I would advise a future Patterning student to start the problem set as soon as it’s posted, take advantage of extra resources like the Quasr and optional workshops, stay on top of all the work, and don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you need to if you aren’t understanding a concept.
- To keep your binder organized, start homework early in the week, and construct study groups as a good support base for your learning.
- Focus. It should go without saying but you really do need to focus in this class. If there’s ever a point where you just stop paying attention for a bit you’ll be really lost for a long time until you catch up on what you missed out on during your daydreaming. It might be only a 12 credit course but that doesn’t mean it won’t strain your brain a bit, especially considering that there are a few times the faculty love to just test how much you’ve learned through some problems that are specifically meant to trip you up a bit.