What is the hardest class you have ever taken?

[soliloquy]

I'm in mine right now so I thought I would ask.

[rebel100]

"Body Systems" basically pre paramedic anatomy and physiology 1 and 2 all compressed into a summer class. So proud of my B- too!

You didn't tell us what you're talking now???

[cookderosa]

I'm in mine right now so I thought I would ask.

OMG I think it was Advanced Nutrition in grad school. I got an A-, but I worked HARD for that grade, and the only reason it wasn't an F was because we had all open book quizzes and heavily weighted weekly forum+homework. If had to take that one butt in seat it would have derailed me.

[dfrecore]

Calculus for Engineering Majors my freshman year of college. With a grad student teaching it...who was Chinese...from China...English was NOT her first language (it was barely a 2nd language). She was completely impossible to understand, and roughly half of the class got less than 50% on the first exam. She yelled at us and said that we obviously didn't study hard enough! I think almost everyone dropped that class... After I left that public state college and went to a community college where I had excellent teachers in almost every class, I figured out that this whole college thing was coming apart at the seams, and that things were not going to go well for students in the near future...and that was in 1988.

[NAP]

I just took mine, so I have tons of empathy about this topic, and I completely understand Rebel's comment! Mine (so far) was graduate-level, theory-based, and calculus-based statistics in 9 weeks - so much material and so little time.

The first week was really hard. Keep moving forward and try not to get behind. I'm rooting for you! I know that you will get through it successfully and you'll be really proud of yourself!

[soliloquy]

I'm taking Engineering Economic Analysis

My brain is not wired for this.

Week 1:

6. You want to save up for a down payment on a house, and figure that by cutting out your daily Starbucks, you can save $5 per day. You stop by the bank and make a $5 deposit each day. You can earn 1% compounded annually. How much have you saved at the end of 5 years?

Answer:

F = P(1+i)^n
P = $152.08, i = 1%, n = number of years each deposit earns interest.
F = 152.08(1+.01/12)^59 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^58 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^57 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^56 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^55 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^54 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^53 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^52 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^51 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^50 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^49 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^48 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^47 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^46 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^45 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^44 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^43 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^42 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^41 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^40 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^39 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^38 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^37 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^36 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^35 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^34 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^33 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^32 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^31 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^30 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^29 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^28 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^27 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^26 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^25 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^24 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^23 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^22 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^21 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^20 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^19 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^18 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^17 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^16 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^15 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^14 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^13 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^12 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^11 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^10 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^9 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^8 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^7 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^6 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^5 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^4 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^3 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^2 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^1 + 152.08 = 7991264103365771264/854427035770929 = 9,352.78


Week 2

4. You want to buy a small garden tractor. There will be no maintenance cost during the first 2 years while the tractor is under warranty. In year 3, the annual maintenance cost is estimated to be $80, and it will increase in subsequent years by $40 each year. How much should you set aside now in a fund earning 8% interest to pay for the maintenance cost of the tractor for the first 6 years of ownership?

P’=A(P/A,i,n)+G(P/G,i,n)
P’=80(P/A,8%,4)+40(P/G,8%,4)
P’=80(3.312)+40(4.650)
P’=450.96

Then

P=P’(P/F,8%,2)= 450.96(.8573)= 386.608008=386.61

Our exam....25 questions...1 hour.

*faints*

[cookderosa]

Calculus for Engineering Majors my freshman year of college. With a grad student teaching it...who was Chinese...from China...English was NOT her first language (it was barely a 2nd language). She was completely impossible to understand, and roughly half of the class got less than 50% on the first exam. She yelled at us and said that we obviously didn't study hard enough! I think almost everyone dropped that class... After I left that public state college and went to a community college where I had excellent teachers in almost every class, I figured out that this whole college thing was coming apart at the seams, and that things were not going to go well for students in the near future...and that was in 1988.

On a wayyyy lesser note, my Asian Cuisine class was taught by someone with a very thick accent. I graduated culinary school with a recipe for fur balls (with my hand on the bible I swear it's true) only to find out almost 20 years later they were PEARL balls.

[wombat777]

Can't remember the name of the course, but it was a required class for all math majors. The class was ALL PROOFS. We all dreaded this class. Typically students waited until the last possible moment to take it so that it wouldn't affect the GPA until the very last minute (so it wouldn't blow any scholarships). I took it Spring quarter of my senior year.

I believe I got a score somewhere in the 25 - 30% range on the first exam, but with the curve that was a D. I improved to a C- on the second exam with a "stellar" score somewhere in the 30s.

I faithfully attended every lecture, but I had no clue whatsoever what I was doing. The entire grade was based on three exams. After the first two, I wasn't doing so hot. But the class was required, so I had to stick it out.

Then, to top it off, my father was dying of cancer. The final two weeks of my classes he was in the hospital, waiting for the end. I requested early exams from all my instructors so I could finish early and go home. When I went to make this request of the professor for this class, I burst into tears. He had such compassion for me. He looked at how much I had "improved" from test 1 to test 2. He offered me a C- for the class without taking the final. I jumped at it! Worse grade I ever received in all my academic career, but I was thrilled.

[gingerbeefE]

I'm taking Engineering Economic Analysis



Week 2

4. You want to buy a small garden tractor. There will be no maintenance cost during the first 2 years while the tractor is under warranty. In year 3, the annual maintenance cost is estimated to be $80, and it will increase in subsequent years by $40 each year. How much should you set aside now in a fund earning 8% interest to pay for the maintenance cost of the tractor for the first 6 years of ownership?

P’=A(P/A,i,n)+G(P/G,i,n)
P’=80(P/A,8%,4)+40(P/G,8%,4)
P’=80(3.312)+40(4.650)
P’=450.96

Then

P=P’(P/F,8%,2)= 450.96(.8573)= 386.608008=386.61

Our exam....25 questions...1 hour.

*faints*

... Story of my life on the Business math DSST. There is a reason why that test has a 1% pass rate.. and I am pretty sure that 1% was just a lucky guesser.

[bluebooger]

.. How much have you saved at the end of 5 years?

F = P(1+i)^n

P = $152.08, i = 1%, n = number of years each deposit earns interest.

F = 152.08(1+.01/12)^59 + 152.08(1+.01/12)^58 ...

how is 59 the number of years ?