View Full Version : Hardest class you've taken?
Insidious
2008-03-14, 21:56
I would have to say for the time being that the hardest class i have taken had to be Philosophy 202: Theory of Knowledge/Epistemology.
That is probably going to change becuase i plan on taking high end math's and Physics classes.
At this point in my college career, probably abstract algebra, but I have a feeling this will change once I take complex analysis. (Math major here)
Bleeding_Fetus
2008-03-15, 05:37
Algebra II/Advanced Mathematics, because letters should not be in math. Ever.
Fuck calculus too, I have to take it next year.
i poop in your cereal
2008-03-15, 09:56
Physics.
Never got anything above C.
whocares123
2008-03-15, 19:27
so far, general chemistry 2.
fulfilled my science general requirements, i'm done with chem and all science forever.
napoleon_complex
2008-03-15, 19:54
Organic Chemistry was challenging in that there was a ton of material coupled with one of the hardest exam set ups I've ever taken.
We would cover four chapters worth of material, have to memorize countless mechanisms and reactions and naming rules, then the exam would be 25 questions, all multiple choice(no chance for partial credit if you can't remember one small part of the mechanism), four points a piece.
It's no coincidence that this course was also one of the few courses I've had where a curve HAD to be implemented.
Optionryder420
2008-03-16, 05:56
I haven't really had a hard class... I just sometimes get a bad grade because I don't care.
It seems when I put effort into most classes, they come really easily. Any class I've ever seriously studied for, I've made good grades in.
physical chemistry. calculus combined with abstract and difficult theory. im pretty sure i failed, but only passed on scaling.
although i don't think some classes are naturally hard, they are just badly taught. a good teacher can make our worst subject completely understandable.
Calc II... had to take it twice. The first time I believe it was the teacher's fault. Started the semester with 26 kids, by the end there were 3. One was autistic, one was in her 70's and the math tutor (she just takes the classes over and over to keep the knowledge), and the third failed. Second time it was still hard, but actually do-able.
Jive Talka
2008-03-17, 05:18
Bio I.
Analytical and Computational Foundations - all about limits of infinite sequences, L'Hopital's Rule, mathematical induction, Newton-Raphson method and similar stuff involving series. Coursework was okay...exam is in a few weeks, but looking at past papers? Horrendous.
Funnily enough despite the fact that it linked into other modules like Calculus or Foundations of Pure Maths, which I'm a-okay with, it's all stuff that I simply fail to grasp. Ugh.
TheMessiahComplex
2008-03-17, 23:51
At this point in my college career, probably abstract algebra, but I have a feeling this will change once I take complex analysis. (Math major here)
Man, definitely abstract algebra for me, since I was a mechanical engineering major and had no real experience with the math they taught in that class.
But for whatever reason, it was on the list of suitable technical electives for mechies to take and I picked it. Myself and one friend of mine were the only ME majors there, everyone else was either math or computer science.
And to compound it, this was my very last semester of college where I wasn't particularly motivated to learn an entirely new branch of math.
Man, definitely abstract algebra for me, since I was a mechanical engineering major and had no real experience with the math they taught in that class.
But for whatever reason, it was on the list of suitable technical electives for mechies to take and I picked it. Myself and one friend of mine were the only ME majors there, everyone else was either math or computer science.
And to compound it, this was my very last semester of college where I wasn't particularly motivated to learn an entirely new branch of math.
Yea, thats weird cause I can't see how that kind of class would be useful in ME, but then again I'm not an engineer so I guess I wouldn't know. But I can definitely see that being really hard for someone not used to math classes like that. Mine would've been easier for me, but I had one of the worst teachers I've ever had for it.
Entheogenic
2008-03-19, 08:38
Philosophical Logic.
Entheogenic
DonMuttoni
2008-03-28, 21:04
Gym..
l33t-haX0r
2008-03-28, 21:20
Maybe quantum mechanics, the maths was alright but the concepts are difficult and it's all very abstract.
Or electromagnetism II, both the maths and the concepts are quite tricky.
Real.PUA
2008-03-29, 01:34
For me it was a bioinformatics class. Statistics + biology + basic programming.
Doors_Of_Perception
2008-03-30, 09:18
Government and Politics is a real bitch.
Don Killuminati
2008-04-01, 13:08
Accounting in 1st year of uni... not so much difficult as it is boooooring.
beergoggles
2008-04-01, 13:55
Music theory. Goddamn, I never thought I'd have to know HOW to write out a scale by knowing the patterns. Key signatures motherfucker, he made us do it the hard way. We didn't even have a book in that class because the school didn't deem it "important" enough. I learned some of the weirdest things but maybe 20% of it I could apply. We spent alot of time doing nothing.
Teacher was a dick though. I play string bass for the concert band now which is shitty contemporary music. I think I'm the one kid who he doesn't call out in the middle of class. Quite the opposite he completely ignores me unless it has to do with how fast I'm moving my goddamn bow. Who else would take the time, or want to learn the most stupid/awkward/impractical instrument ever. During the evaluation I had to have people help me move all the shit because the bass required two hands to move and ALOT of manuevering through doorways and around people.
Sorry, I'm a frustrated bass player :(
Physics II (Electricity and Magnetism) at my college.
The material is hard on its own, but the difficulty of the tests just puts it over the top. At my school generally grades above 25-30% pass the test, it's just that hard.
Scouse18
2008-04-01, 14:28
Classical Greek prose composition.
wolfy_9005
2008-04-01, 15:15
school in general, but probably english, and only because i saw no point in learning it after 17 years of learning the same shit.....
It's tied between AP Physics C in high school and Calculus II. Physics C covers both mechanics and electromagnetism. There are some very difficult concepts you have to understand. I worked my balls off for that class because I was fascinated by it. We had an exceptional teacher, and it paid off. I learned so much physics, it was awesome.
Calc II just packs a shit ton of stuff into one semester. A lot of it is just different integration techniques that can be difficult to remember how to apply in every situation. There are also a few concepts in there, but it's mostly just very fast-paced. I'm not so gifted when it comes to math; I would've failed miserably if I didn't spend several hours a week on homework for that class.
I'm a 1st-year mechanical engineering student so I'm sure I'm going to encounter even more difficult things in the future.
although i don't think some classes are naturally hard, they are just badly taught. a good teacher can make our worst subject completely understandable.
That's what happened with my last math teacher. She would explain and gives examples entirely with a powerpoint presentation that followed exactly the order of our book and what was written in.
When there was something that I didn't understand well, I just had to check out the exemples and explanation from my book and I was ok. I've never had to ask help from the teacher either.
The result is that I've never had to take notes once and I had the best average mark I've ever had in all my math class.
crackhead
2008-04-01, 22:14
Woodshop was the hardest class for me.
For a non "advanced" class I'd say physics. Class started with about 30 kids for the first semester, next semester there were about 10-15 in the class.
kenshiro_kid
2008-04-04, 01:18
Biology, only because I don't understand it. (Gr. 11 Level)
Yet I can do university Calculus (year 1).
But, the class that I knew what I was doing and struggled was advanced chemistry, gr. 12 U (AP for you American's I think..>_>)
Chem involved quantum shit, equilibrium and a bunch of stuff that I couldn't grasp.
(I take my math classes privately, not in school- that's why it's university level)
scuffmark
2008-04-04, 01:36
Physics III : quantum mechanics
The class was really cool, but the homework was a living hell. I took this class to talk to a girl(we never even went on a date). She failed it and I got a B
l33t-haX0r
2008-04-04, 06:47
When you guys say physics II or physics III are these university level courses?
scuffmark
2008-04-04, 08:32
When you guys say physics II or physics III are these university level courses?
yeah, they are.
Trousersnake
2008-04-07, 14:44
Epidemiology.
Chem was hard because I'd never done it before and didn't do the bridging course.
Noise Assessment is a bit tricky, I'm doing it at the moment
Demoiselle
2008-04-10, 05:42
Philosophical Logic.
Entheogenic
Logic? Really? I <3 logic. It's so formulaic and not philosophical at all.
Hardest class I've taken was philosophy of science due to the foreign non-english speaking professor who never showed up for class, and probably because philosophy of science is simply an oxymoron. Stupid. Chemistry was kinda hard too, I think. Wait, no no no. Hardest class I've ever taken was intro pyschology. The subject matter was so utterly boring, useless and irrelevant that I never went to class, didn't do the homework and barely read the questions on tests. Noone cares about Pavlov's dog, k? If you can't figure out that concept on your own you should just kill yourself right now. Stupid intro psych.
nightmare syndrome
2008-04-11, 17:25
I got a D in Trigonometry. Man, that class was a bitch.
-NS
harry_hardcore_hoedown
2008-04-12, 14:42
Woodshop was the hardest class for me.
Lol45
crazy hazy vermonter
2008-04-17, 05:02
Microeconomic Theory, Econ 290, hard as shit, so much fucking numbers. I am sticking to political science after that shit.
whocares123
2008-04-17, 07:55
Epidemiology.
Chem was hard because I'd never done it before and didn't do the bridging course.
Noise Assessment is a bit tricky, I'm doing it at the moment
what is your major?
cant b bothered
2008-04-20, 08:04
Prelim economics. It's only hard because it's distance ed and I procrastinate.
SkaterRaider
2008-04-22, 01:35
Electromagnetism. Not really the course, but the professor made it almost impossible to pass. Our average for our first exam was in the 30's range, and he didn't curve. I passed with a 70% even, and I can't tell you how happy I was.
advanced maths, in normal maths i always got 90+% in tests.... with ad maths i literally usually get 0...
AP Computer Science AB was harder than any of my courses right now and I took that as a senior in high school. The AP exam was like the LSAT's (due to the fact it is all logic/reasoning), except in Java code.
Giomanach
2008-05-08, 21:22
Abstract Mathematics and Number Theory.