- Published on
First Year - A Retrospective
- Authors
- Name
- Thanussian Sharvananthan
- @Than_Sharva
Table Of Contents
Overview
About two weeks ago, I finished my first year as a math major at Toronto Metropolitan University.
There were a considerable number of road blocks along the way. COVID being the big one. Yet, I've come past them all.
I can finally enjoy a life without COVID, I was able to knock out some tough classes and I met many wonderful people.
This post is a (pretty long) look back on this year. The classes that I took,
My Classes
I took 10 classes this year. They can be broken down accordingly...
10 classes
|_ 7 required classes
| |_ Computer Science 1
| |_ Discrete Mathematics 1
| |_ Calculus 1
| |_ Calculus 2
| |_ Linear Algebra
| |_ Orientation
|_ 2 Science Classes
| |_ General Chemistry 1
| |_ Computer Science 2
|_ 2 Liberal Classes
|_ Understanding Crime in Canadian Society
|_ Zap, Pow, Bang: Pop Lit
At the same time, I dropped two classes
|_ Discrete Mathematics 2
|_ Intro To Spanish
Here, I will break down each of these classes, how I felt about them and my grades in each class.
Computer Science 1
Grade: A+
Computer Science 1 can be considered as a typical "intro to programming" course with Python.
For me, this class was chill.
Given that I knew Python beforehand, I didn't need to worry about learning a new concept.
As a result, I didn't attend classes. It didn't help that it was fully online.
Anytime there was class I would be out with my friends, having fun.
However, there were weekly labs that required you to be in class.
At FIRST, I tried to get them all done.
By the time we reached the end of the year, I couldn't be bothered.
This class was a real GPA saver if I'm being honest.
Once you take a look at my other classes, you'll see this especially.
Moral of the story? Chill class.
By chill class, I mean class that I skipped... all the time...
(totally not any sort of foreshadowing or anything)
Computer Science 2
Grade: C+
I just didn't show up to any of the lectures.
I didn't hand any of the labs in. So there went 10% of my mark.
The best part about this was that I didn't even READ the feedback.
So we're down to... a 90% at most?
Alright... THIS CAN'T GET ANY WORSE...
I didn't finish an assignment on time. So there went another 10% of my mark.
What made it worse was that I didn't read the course outline properly.
As a result, I didn't know about the late policy that they had (which was that if you submitted an assignment in 3 days late, it was an automatic 0)
Without this knowledge, I proceeded to finish the assignment... in exchange for not showing up on campus for a week... and handed it in 4 days late...
In short, I missed out on - Going to lectures - Hanging out with my friends - Being outside and HAVING GRASS
... all for an assignment that I didn't even get a percent for.
It was completely my fault. I'm nothing but an idiot during this entire process.
So we're down to... an 80% at most?
Thankfully, I had gotten a 100% on the midterm.
All that I needed to do was pass my final and do well on the second assignment.
DOUBLE WOO HOO. I DID IT. I DID IT.
So at LEAST, 10% of my mark at this point is secured.
All I now have to do is kill the final...
Before I go on, let me make note of the weights of this class...
Yeahhhhh... this is not going to be fun.
Long story short, I got a 50% on the final.
Froze pretty badly seeing the first question and just suffered through the 2 hours we had.
It's honestly a miracle that I got a C+ in the class.
Discrete Mathematics 1
Grade: B-
My relationship with discrete math is... complicated to say the least.
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the concepts.
Regardless of whether I understood the concepts or not, I enjoyed studying them.
It's just that... my god... there were so many concepts.
By the first test, it threw me quite off guard.
Granted, a 75% isn't THAT BAD...
However, one issue... I just... forgot to... STUDY.
That's a lie... I didn't forget...
Ye ole' high school mentality came and kangaroo punched me across the face.
By the second test I was just writing random words and letters and greek and hoped for the best.
Of course, I got a mark that matches writing random words and letters and greek.
To make a long story short, I pulled through by my third test...
At the end of the day, I can't really hate this class.
At the same time, I don't think I would go very far doing discrete math...
Discrete Mathematics 2
DROPPED
Just as I finished Discrete Math 1, it hit me
I have to take ANOTHER SEMESTER of this
Cue pain.
It sucked.
The class just ripped me to shreds.
Yet, just like discrete math 1, I LIKED THE MATERIAL.
I suppose that being a math major is supposed to feel like that.
Sure, you don't get the material.
Sure, you're bombing the class
Sure, your GPA is on life support
However, math is fun.
I remember walking into my first lab.
The TA was showing examples of graphs. I just sat there in awe.
I found what I liked... even when I barely understood the material.
Even teaching myself the work was fun.
However, I had a class I needed to pass.
The class is weighed the same as in the first semester.
Three tests were worth 30% each, and some homework was worth 10%.
Walk into the first test and...
OKAY, I JUST NEED TO DO BETTER ON MY SECOND TES-
I didn't bother.
I had a 46.5% for about 60% of the offered marks.
Don't get me wrong, I could have risked it.
However, I didn't bother. I dropped the class.
One thing that I'm quite happy about is that this class doesn't represent a pre requisite until my third year.
Calculus 1
Grade: B-
I don't have much to say about this class.
The summer that preceded this class, I spent most of it practising single variable calculus.
I don't really know why I did either.
I suppose that it was because I was online for the last part of grade 12??
Even then... WHY CALCULUS?
That goes past this post.
Since I studied a lot of calculus beforehand, I told myself "I don't need to study".
So I didn't.
I definitely could have done better.
Even an HOUR a day wouldn't have killed me.
But... NOPE. I let my ego get the best of me with this class.
The professor was also rather laid back.
Calculus 2
Grade: D
A couple lines ago, I mentioned how I let my ego control me.
GUESS WHAT? It carried into calc 2... the WORST class to have ego in.
My mark explains it perfectly.
I remmeber seeing a 62% on my Calc 2 final and being RELIEVED.
Linear Algebra
Grade: C+
Fun class. Not so fun mark.
Linear Algebra is an interesting part of math.
The computations and the theorums were fascinating to scroll past.
The weights of this class were also REALLY interesting.
Take note of how the midterm is worth 36%... and that the final is worth 42%.
78% of my mark... on two tests.
UNIVERSITY. That's all I have to say.
I went through the lessons pretty well. It's just that I had a feeling.
I suppose I was pretty scared of the class. At the same time, I felt as if I wasn't putting in enough effort.
Come midterm, I was pretty scared. I felt like I barely knew any of the material.
Okay... so I HAVE A CHANCE?
I didn't even expect this mark, so as far as to GET IT.
I remember getting a call from one of my buddies, telling me that the midterm results were out.
I go and check... AND I SAW THAT.
To say the least, it was QUITE a relieving feeling.
Come FINAL... okay NOW I'm terrified.
At least when the midterm was around, I told myself
Even if I bomb the midterm, I still have the final that I could kill
GUESS WHAT??? The final is HERE.
I wrote to the best of my abilities... and...
WOO HOO.
I DID IT. I DID WELL ON MY FINAL.
So where did that C+ come from?
To say the least, about 22% of my mark went down the drain.
Who knew that you needed to attend labs? (I'll speak more on this later)
Orientation
Grade: PASSED
I would consider this class a "Welcome To Ryerson" course.
In short, you go through videos and learn about the basics of the school's sites and services.
Cool set of videos.
It's also probably the only class I paid attention to 100% of the time.
Learnt quite a lot of cool things about the school.
General Chemistry 1
Grade: B-
I took chemistry in grade 12.
I needed a science.
I heard bad things about the physics department.
Screw it, CHEMISTRY IT IS.
Long story short (cause it's a blur to me at this point)... the profs were SUPER SWEET.
They were laid back, nice and made being online a WHOLE lot better.
Dr. Noel was one hell of a prof to say the least.
All that I remember about this class was that the tests were these multiple choice questions on a Google Forms like UI.
However, there were these word problems at the end of each test that I would always get wrong.
Past that, chill class. Thank the LORDS I don't need to take a science again.
Understanding Crime in Canadian Society
Grade: B-
I took this class because a bunch of people on Reddit said that it was easy.
No it wasn't.
I thought to myself,
Crime? I watch a lot of true crime. This class must be EASY
No... it absolutely was not.
There was NO TALK of serial killing and police interrogations.
I remember going into the first class, seeing a slideshow and leaving.
I didn't even BOTHER FOR A MINUTE.
Never showed up to any of the classes and just studied on my own.
Looking back at it now, I don't get why I didn't swap the class out.
ANYWAYS.
The material itself wasn't half bad. It was just SO MUCH READING. I couldn't believe how much of it there was.
I remember sitting back and planning out my reading... only to realise how many pages there were.
The one aspect that saved me in this class was the exams.
The class had a midterm worth 40% and a final worth 60%.
However, they were both a week long, and you could take them home.
It wasn't half bad.
Sucked that I can't write if my life depends on it.
The only reason why I even tolerated this class was that it was online.
I had nothing to lose.
If this were an in-person class, I would've dropped it or moved to another professor.
Yet, I have nothing against the class.
I CAN'T have anything. I didn't even SHOW UP.
Intro To Spanish
DROPPED
So I wanted to learn Spanish.
I saw nothing to lose... and I was like "might as well".
I was pretty excited as well. I've wanted to learn another language and this was that chance.
Unfortunately, the first month of the class was online.
So I go to my first class... and I nearly fell asleep.
I can't really blame the professor. He was really nice and taught at a great pace.
I just found it... REALLY boring. I suppose that I walked in with eyes that shined too bright.
I dropped the class.
Zap, Pow, Bang: Pop Lit
Grade: B+
Right before I dropped the class, I was talking to a friend about my situation.
She was in the same boat as me. She ALSO took a class that she wanted to swap out of.
All of a sudden, she tells me about this English class with a well rated professor.
I enroll in this class... and WOW IS IT REALLY ENJOYABLE.
It surprised me as well since I don't like English.
However, going to his classes were really enjoyable. Granted, I only went to two classes
Final Thoughts
Nothing much to say past that.
Quite a year to say the least.