December 17, 2010

Econ What?

So. This semester I took a class I shouldn't have taken. It was waaaaay out of my league. Well... more accurately it was in a completely different league than I am in. In more ways than one. I must not be the only one feeling this way, as our prof, often commented about how he has never had such a low average in his class. (My lowest mark of all time... somehow still made it above the class average! Whats the deal!) I literally thought for sure I was going to fail (I suppose I still might... I technically haven't gotten the mark back). Today. I wrote the final. I have never felt so... unprepared after so much studying... for any other exam. I was convinced it was going to be worse than worse. Somehow when I entered that gymnasium lined with rows and rows and rows of desks... I was going to disintegrate... or combust... or a hole in the floor was going to eat me up...

Now. I must pause to tell you. This prof... has his quirks. He likes to bust out jokes quite frequently (particularly against university of calgary grades)... that often are... well... they are what they are I suppose. Sometimes we laughed, sometimes we didn't. (I more often not than the rest of the class I think).

Well. After nearly failing both midterms. This prof was convinced he needed to do something different to raise the class average. A change in teaching style perhaps (though if that is what he chose... I certainly did not take not of any differences...), a ridiculous final exam maybe?... Yes. That would be what he would choose.

This is the exam I DREADED with a dread I have never ever felt towards a final exam ever.

Can I give you an example (or maybe even 2) of the craziness of this final...

Question... ("note consider the following two questions together")
Question 1
In north american society people have green pine trees inside their houses on the shortest day of the year. This is because
a) the shortest day of the year causes pine trees to grow inside peoples houses
b) having a green tree inside people's houses causes the shortest day of the year
c) both a and b
d) neither a or b; they are both caused by some other 3rd factor
e) they are University of Calgary grads

Question 2
High interests rates are prevalent during a recession because (or some other econ-speak variation of this question i can't remember)
a) high interest rates cause recession
b) recession causes high interest rates
c) both a and b
d) neither a or b; they are both caused by some other 3rd factor
e) they are University of Calgary grads


Some other possible choices for other questions

e) because chickens started producing buffalo wings

b) university of calgary grads are running the government


the rest of the questions that had answers that made sense... still most had one very obviously right answer... (well... here's hoping anyways! Maybe I just thought they were more obvious than he usually has them...)

Anyways. I just wanted to give you a small taste as to what I experienced today. Just try to imagine your hardest the stress and dread I was feeling... and then writing a test with questions like that...

It. was. interesting.
But. I suppose I passed? That's all that matters at this point right? .... Right?

4 comments:

Unknown said...

The first question really made my day! What kind of Econ. class was it?

Cheryl. said...

Hey. Thanks for stoppin in and reading!

It was simply Econ 100. An 'into'. Boy oh boy. You've taken econ before?

Toyin O. said...

Glad you passed, economics classes can be tough:)

Toyin O. said...

Glad you passed, economics classes can be tough:)