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sir_quirky_k (

sir_quirky_k) wrote,
@ 2008-01-23 23:58:00

Current mood:	desperately unsure, still...
Current music:	Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth - For Good
Entry tags:	life-changing moments, songwriting

My woodland stream has met Calculus Boulder
Talk about dumbing-down - Macroeconomics exam today was not 'two questions from a choice of three in each of two sections, two hours' but 'one question from a choice of two in each of two sections, two hours'. The questions were longer, but it is laughable to claim they were twice as long. If I pass, that's why, and I won't consider it legitimate unless I'm at least out of the bottom quartile. And I won't be.

Because I'm useless at algebraic manipulation, graphical manipulation and essentially the logic of economics. The spark has quite spectacularly fizzled out, and the course now seems deadly dull and dreadfully difficult.

Politics, on the other hand, feels alarmingly manageable. I say 'alarmingly' because I was still convinced that in fact I am a mathematician making excuses for his non-ability even in mathematics by taking a cowardly way out towards a pure essay subject, one that just about anyone can do. Clearly, Politics must be lacking in rigour if I, a mathematical type, can do better in it than Economics.

Never did I consider the possibility that I am in fact better at essays; that their internal logic is more suited to my autistic mind than algebraic manipulation; that my way with words exacerbates this advantage in essay-writing, allowing for interesting and/or concise expressions of ideas, a talent further honed through my lyric writing (lawks, five years I've been doing that now - doesn't feel it, but then I couldn't imagine a time when I wasn't doing it now). Two years not studying maths can't have helped, but I suspect it wasn't the critical factor.

Spoke to my tutor, who was most helpful, and pointed out that many Aspies are told they're 'meant' to be mathematical when their talents may lie elsewhere. And so it is that two of my four courses for the next few months have been changed, of which the critical change is the addition of a research module in Politics, which acts as preparation for a dissertation.

Read that again. Twelve months after the ill-fated decision to chase the Econometrics stream, I have decided to do a dissertation in a subject I wasn't even studying until two years after it was first a possibility for me.

Who can say if this is a change for the better...

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Better late than never...

daweaver
2008-01-31 07:20 pm UTC (link)

Macroeconomics exam today was not 'two questions from a choice of three in each of two sections, two hours' but 'one question from a choice of two in each of two sections, two hours'. The questions were longer, but it is laughable to claim they were twice as long.

There are many reasons why this might have happened.

1) The course has significantly increased in popularity since it was first offered, and in order to keep the marking more manageable, the structure has changed to reduce the number of questions. In general, it is quicker to mark one long question than two short ones.

2) Equally, the evidence may well have been that the two questions in each half gave very similar results, and that the effort of marking two questions tended to the superfluous.

3) A question need not be twice as long to be as difficult as two old-style questions. I would expect that these were semi-structured, with a relatively simple early part (anyone who understood the basics of the course should get this), a moderately difficult middle bit (designed to discriminate between candidates in the 2.2 and 2.1 boundary), and a taxing final bit (designed to tell the 1st class sheep apart from the 2.1 goats). Making the questions longer than one old question, but shorter than two, will allow candidates to demonstrate their knowledge in the area they're attacking.

A weaker version of this argument applies for straightforward essay questions.

If I pass, that's why

I beg to differ. If you pass, it will be because you have demonstrated sufficient understanding of the material taught in the course to write an examination paper and coursework to that standard.

Never did I consider the possibility that I am in fact better at essays; that their internal logic is more suited to my autistic mind than algebraic manipulation

See, this is precisely what an education system should be for. It's clear that you have some considerable talent in mathematics: most people find the topic becomes an inpenetrable mush long before the point you've reached. But if your talents lie elsewhere, you are absolutely right to pursue those directions. Look to what you can do, not what you cannot.

And so it is that two of my four courses for the next few months have been changed, of which the critical change is the addition of a research module in Politics, which acts as preparation for a dissertation.

It is a change, and it is moving you away from an area you have explored to your limit in favour of new ground. Is it for the better? I am not Mystic Mug, my attempts to predict the future will be bound to failure. And cause my favourite coffee container to literally quake with mirth.

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Re: Better late than never...

sir_quirky_k
2008-02-01 02:01 am UTC (link)

It's clear that you have some considerable talent in mathematics: most people find the topic becomes an inpenetrable mush long before the point you've reached.

Difficult to realise that sometimes. Especially in the company I keep; there are an awful lot of people doing scientific courses here, and I have befriended perhaps a disproportionate number of them. Although the most over-represented course - yes, even including my own two departments - is Music. (And that's partly out of a conscious determination to break into any cliques that may exist. If I have weakened them, that's all the better.)

The problem; I'm good at arithmetic (certainly good enough to be snarky-cum-snobbish at certain game show contestants) and at logic (at least in some senses). Calculus at this level is not arithmetic, and does not fit my particular logic, and just generally exists in a vacuum I can't get into. No such concerns with essays. In retrospect, it was Further Maths in Year 13 that should have been sending off the messages of 'no, you are not a mathematician'; in retrospect again, I only studied it in the first place to acquire the 21-unit (3.5 A-level) tally that is the generic suggestion, and the one universities tend to seek. Given that my parents were never going to let me go in 2004, this was not something I needed to chase in the first place. But now we're into regrets.

I think it's the feeling of climbing a new ladder that hurts the most, because to sidestep onto each new one it is probably necessary that I fall down a few rungs. This, of course, is not of significance if I can climb that many rungs and then some on this new ladder, when I could not on the one I was on previously. And it may be that I derive greater utility from climbing this ladder than the other one; certainly, I'm quite sure I derive greater utility from my limited musical achievement than from my far more substantial achievements in some other fields. Were I to possess the talents of Lyndsay, I have no doubt I would be far happier with my life than I am now. But then again, this is a view distorted by my desire to improve in composition, I have myriad career options of which many are lucrative, whereas someone with Lyndsay's skill set will likely be far more insecure in that respect.

(Though Lyndsay has the lucrative path of providing private tuition, and does so through the same agency as Shylo. And Chris, but he offers lessons separately, at a lower cost than the agency does; by contrast, I saw Shylo's lessons being advertised separately at a higher cost than what I was paying her.

While I mention it; another music student, Helen, is offering singing lessons. £5 per 30 minutes. Under one-quarter of the cost of Shylo's lessons, for half the duration. More than worthy of consideration; expect a request for a trial lesson shortly, followed presumably by a blog post shortly after any such lesson occurs. Main concern; Helen is a classical singer, pigeonholing may be a danger. Whether this is a bad thing or not, I'm increasingly unsure.)

But I digress. I'm following a new path. It'll be impossible to judge how I'd have gone had I not, but... there are very good reasons to believe it would have gone spectacularly awry.

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Re: Better late than never...

daweaver
2008-02-05 05:54 pm UTC (link)

Calculus at this level is not arithmetic, and does not fit my particular logic, and just generally exists in a vacuum I can't get into.

That is probably fatal to any hopes of studying pure mathematics beyond A-level. While it's possible to have a couple of blank areas (I never got the hang of integration-by-substitution, and was terribly weak at Newtonian mechanics) these were at fringe parts of the programme.

in retrospect again, I only studied it in the first place to acquire the 21-unit (3.5 A-level) tally that is the generic suggestion, and the one universities tend to seek.

Ah, I'm clearly out of the loop in the education lark. Back in the dim, dark distant past of 1991, the standard was three substantive A-levels. General Studies was nominally an A-level, some places considered it a full subject, others a partial credit, others would take account only if the substantive offer were narrowly missed. AS-levels were a two-hour-per-week course for two years, and S-levels were available as a single extra paper for advanced students.

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Re: Better late than never...

sir_quirky_k
2008-02-05 07:01 pm UTC (link)

Back in the dim, dark distant past of 1991, the standard was three substantive A-levels.

Now, that plus a fourth AS is the standard. It was initially mooted that the fourth should be contrasting, I don't think this was terribly common or for that matter advantageous. Though it didn't stop one of my friends from trying it. A-level Chemistry, Maths and Physics with AS Theatre Studies anyone?

General Studies was nominally an A-level, some places considered it a full subject, others a partial credit, others would take account only if the substantive offer were narrowly missed.

That's not changed much. Sometimes you'll get specific mentions of it (not) being accounted for, often you won't, it's generally seen as a standard complement to the 3.5.

S-levels were available as a single extra paper for advanced students.

The new-look equivalent is the Advanced Extension Award (AEA).

On the general point, absolutely right. I'll stick to handling data and number substantially better than Joe Public - smirking smugly in the process. My true talent is probably elsewhere.

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