Rocking OutMy first semester for sophomore year has been completed! My GPA is now just over a 3.0, and now I am in more advanced courses. I am taking Calculus for Engineers, Electronics for Computer Engineering Majors, PERL Programming, Technical Communications, and Work Energy and Conservation (Physics).
My courses definitely have been giving me more homework than I was given throughout my last three semesters, but we are learning some pretty cool stuff. It makes sense that as the courses get more challenging that they would also get more interesting.
In Electronics for CEM we are learning more about how the circuits work on an atomic level. My previous circuits courses looked at the basic forms of circuit analysis, but this course seems to pay more attention to the individual components. We learn about how they are constructed, and how their construction allows them to function in the way that they do. It is very interesting stuff because these are the same components that we rely on for every day things. My major will teach me all the ins and outs about all of these components, and by the time I graduate I should be able to have quite a thorough understanding of how they react to one another. :)
My Calculus for Engineering course is also more interesting then I thought it would be. I think that it is because we are exploring an area of math that I haven't explored before. I have been doing extremely well with all of the homework up to this point, but I know that I need to make sure that I stay on top of it because it is really easy to fall behind in that class. We are given a lot of work to do each night, and if we don't build a proper foundation with previous topics then present and future topics will be significantly harder to learn about. College courses are not about learning what you need to learn in order to pass the next exam... they are about developing a thorough understanding of the material being presented, and doing so even if you have to go "out of your way" to learn it.
We haven't done much in PERL Programming yet because that is simply writing programs using a scripting language. The language is great for regular expressions, file handling, and for writing programs in a timely manner.
Work Energy & Conservation is my physics course this semester, and it simply expands on the physics course that I had last semester. We are in the process of reviewing what we learned last semester, so I have yet to experience any of the new topics we are expected to cover.
Technical Communications is a pretty good class. My professor happens to be my all-time favorite English teacher/professor. Technical Communications is basically meant to teach students how to write technical documents. This includes resumes, cover letters, letters of resignation, proposals etc... Throughout this semester we will be writing an analytical report that is 8-10 pages, and covers a topic of our choice based on technology.
I am actually surprised that it took so long for me to update my blog. It has been quite a while since I last did so. I did quite well on all of my exams from last semester, and I ended up passing Technical Math with a B-. Statistically, a student has a single letter grade difference between Technical Math and Calculus for Engineering. This means that if you were to get a B in Technical Math then you should get a C in Calculus. As a final note I would like to present my goal for this semester: I want to beat the statistics. Instead of my grade dropping by a letter grade... I want it to go up by one, pass with an A, and in turn be exempt from the final exam. It is going to take a huge effort on my part... but I am doing quite well with keeping that going so far. ;)
My courses definitely have been giving me more homework than I was given throughout my last three semesters, but we are learning some pretty cool stuff. It makes sense that as the courses get more challenging that they would also get more interesting.
In Electronics for CEM we are learning more about how the circuits work on an atomic level. My previous circuits courses looked at the basic forms of circuit analysis, but this course seems to pay more attention to the individual components. We learn about how they are constructed, and how their construction allows them to function in the way that they do. It is very interesting stuff because these are the same components that we rely on for every day things. My major will teach me all the ins and outs about all of these components, and by the time I graduate I should be able to have quite a thorough understanding of how they react to one another. :)
My Calculus for Engineering course is also more interesting then I thought it would be. I think that it is because we are exploring an area of math that I haven't explored before. I have been doing extremely well with all of the homework up to this point, but I know that I need to make sure that I stay on top of it because it is really easy to fall behind in that class. We are given a lot of work to do each night, and if we don't build a proper foundation with previous topics then present and future topics will be significantly harder to learn about. College courses are not about learning what you need to learn in order to pass the next exam... they are about developing a thorough understanding of the material being presented, and doing so even if you have to go "out of your way" to learn it.
We haven't done much in PERL Programming yet because that is simply writing programs using a scripting language. The language is great for regular expressions, file handling, and for writing programs in a timely manner.
Work Energy & Conservation is my physics course this semester, and it simply expands on the physics course that I had last semester. We are in the process of reviewing what we learned last semester, so I have yet to experience any of the new topics we are expected to cover.
Technical Communications is a pretty good class. My professor happens to be my all-time favorite English teacher/professor. Technical Communications is basically meant to teach students how to write technical documents. This includes resumes, cover letters, letters of resignation, proposals etc... Throughout this semester we will be writing an analytical report that is 8-10 pages, and covers a topic of our choice based on technology.
I am actually surprised that it took so long for me to update my blog. It has been quite a while since I last did so. I did quite well on all of my exams from last semester, and I ended up passing Technical Math with a B-. Statistically, a student has a single letter grade difference between Technical Math and Calculus for Engineering. This means that if you were to get a B in Technical Math then you should get a C in Calculus. As a final note I would like to present my goal for this semester: I want to beat the statistics. Instead of my grade dropping by a letter grade... I want it to go up by one, pass with an A, and in turn be exempt from the final exam. It is going to take a huge effort on my part... but I am doing quite well with keeping that going so far. ;)
