Schools Post the Funnest/Hardest Academic Semester you had in university

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers around the challenges and experiences of students managing rigorous academic workloads, particularly in physics and mathematics. Participants share their toughest and easiest courses, highlighting subjects like Computer Graphics, Neuropsychology, and Quantum Mechanics as both enjoyable and demanding. One contributor recounts a particularly intense semester, taking a heavy course load that included Calculus, Biochemistry, and Organic Chemistry, while also balancing work and personal challenges, including a breakup. The conversation touches on the mental and physical toll of such demanding schedules, with some expressing relief at surviving their experiences and looking forward to future semesters. The dialogue emphasizes the resilience required to navigate these academic pressures, with comparisons made between the workloads of physicists and engineers. Overall, the thread reflects a shared understanding of the stress and commitment involved in pursuing advanced studies in challenging fields.
neurocomp2003
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Mine would be 3rd year 1-2 term and 4th year term 1

3.1 Funnest/Hardest-(woke up at 9am and slept at like 3am)
Computer Graphics
Neuropsych I
Astrophysics: Stellar
Quantum I
Probability Theory
Number Theory

3.2 Easiest
Theory of Computation
Combinatorics
Automata and Langauge Theory
Computational Geometry
Psych Modelling Project: Reinforcement Learning

4.1 Would have been my funnest
AI(worse course I ever took/teacher was bad but other courses were good)
Neuropsych II
Cosmology
ODE
Math Phys
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Mmm, hardest?

Last year undergraduate, double major physics/mathematics

Fuctional Analysis
Topology
Statistics, Probability & Measure theory
Analytical Mechanics
Intro to Quantum Mechanics
Special Relativity & Electrodynamics
Numerical Analysis
Thermodynamics
Intro to astronomy
Electronics
Advanced labwork

Nearly killed me, but I survived :biggrin:
 
Dimitri Terryn said:
Mmm, hardest?

Last year undergraduate, double major physics/mathematics

Fuctional Analysis
Topology
Statistics, Probability & Measure theory
Analytical Mechanics
Intro to Quantum Mechanics
Special Relativity & Electrodynamics
Numerical Analysis
Thermodynamics
Intro to astronomy
Electronics
Advanced labwork

Nearly killed me, but I survived :biggrin:

You took ALL of those during the same semester? Or are you talking about an academic year?
 
ok, let's see:

Calculus 2
Algebra based physics 2 (someone told me that you couldn't pass calculus based physics 2 without taking calculus 2, total BS BTW)
Biochemistry 2
biochemistry lab
gross anatomy + lab
organic chemistry lab
a public speaking class
intro to native American literature

Pile on top of that:
working 30 hours per week
6+ hours per week training and competing in MA
spending 6 hours per week in a MCAT prep course
spending 10+ hours per week studying for the MCAT itself for the following spring

OH YEA, and the ultimate "in your face"
Fiancée of 2.5 years dumped me for a 42 year old, lazy, part time substitute school teacher who managed to lose $200k day trading in the stock market in about 6 months. The reason for the dumping? I didn't know to get her moose tracks ice cream while watching movies, so I couldn't possible "KNOW" her like he does.

About half way through that semester, I just stopped going to class or showing up for tests. I took the MCAT the following spring and scored a 32, not bad considering. I got a full time job and had to work for 5 years before I realized what a huge mistake I had made by leaving school.

WOW, as painful as that was to type, I feel oddly better.
 
kdinser said:
OH YEA, and the ultimate "in your face"
Fiancée of 2.5 years dumped me for a 42 year old, lazy, part time substitute school teacher who managed to lose $200k day trading in the stock market in about 6 months. The reason for the dumping? I didn't know to get her moose tracks ice cream while watching movies, so I couldn't possible "KNOW" her like he does.
You were dumped over ice cream? I think that guy did you a favor. :wink:
 
Maxwell said:
You took ALL of those during the same semester? Or are you talking about an academic year?

One semester. If you add up the hours, it basically amounted to the amount of coursework one normally does in a year.

I'm really looking forward to my next semester, though

A course on integral equations
Elementary Particles Theory (standard model)
QFT (path integral formalism)
General Relativity
 
damn 10 courses in one semester? even engineers don't take that much. how did you fit in all the exams?
 
I spent a year at our military academy.

On top of 25 odd contact hours (Aero eng), I had 8 hours of military classes (leadership etc), 2 hours of drill and several hours of just random ****.

Couple that with all the other things that go along with it, like keeping rooms perfect, perfect uniforms etc, it was probably my hardest year. I had no desire to stay in the RAAF, so now I am out enjoying civvy uni.

:D
 
neurocomp2003 said:
damn 10 courses in one semester? even engineers don't take that much...

Physicists are tougher then engineers :-p

neurocomp2003 said:
how did you fit in all the exams?

Well, over here we have a three week exam period. Also, numerical analys didn't have an exam, just projects. I managed to do my thermo and astro exams before the official examinations period as well. You can get away with a lot if you're a little creative...
 
  • #10
Ha! And here I am questioning whether 5 math classes, with nothing else, will be too much in one semester! Yeah you guys are insane :smile:
 
  • #11
Well in one year I had to do the remaining halves of 2 full language degrees, finish a degree in mathematics and applied physics and also do training for the army.

I had literally not 1 day off for 6months.

-NewScientist
 
  • #12
I've found that not having a single day off is what really burns me out when I pulling insane hours like 80+ per week. I could stand working 13.5 hours per day, 6 days a week, a lot longer then I could do 11.5 hours per day 7 days a week.
 
  • #13
Mine toughest was last semester (spring) and this one (summer).

Spring:
Diff Eq
PHY II with lab
ENGR designing with autocad (loads of homework)
Writing class

Summer:
Statics
Dynamics

Add to that 40 hrs/week of work.
 

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