College life

[MythrilMagician 6,963]

Well A levels=path to Uni so if it's okay I'd like to post about all of that stuff as I go along

Path to uni counts too. After all it's uni related

[IwasBornAsVentus 396]

Just got into the course of my dreams today, Animation in one of the best colleges in europe for art and design. Cant genuinely wait

Just got into the course of my dreams today, Animation in one of the best colleges in europe for art and design. Cant genuinely wait : D

That's really awesome

 

I will start my college/university course in late September. 

I will be studying 3D Animation & Visual Effects and I'm super excited. This will also be the first time that I move out and leave my hometown. Where the school is located is in the very down under, well kinda. I'm moving to New Zealand   and will study for 3 years. At the same time as I'm excited I am also really nervous, a reason for that is because this time around I really want to make great friends that I can have fun with and also trust. This time around at least I will follow my passion and by doing that I just might be lucky and find the right people.

 

I have always wanted to work with animation so this will probably be one fun course for sure.

[PieLuvah 317]

Uhhhhhhhh

Can I post about university in here since my country is weird? I'm sorry if this is off topic since I have no clue if what I'm posting is relevant. Feel free to delete it if it is.

 

In case you don't know how it works here I'll explain it

 

In Wales it's compulsory to attend school up until the end of your GCSES. General certificate of secondary education...

 

You start learning for GCSES at around 14, by the end of Y10 (10th grade USA) you're like 15. You sit some exams and assessments.

Y11 is the 2nd and final year. You sit nearly all your exams then. By the time you finish y11 you're 16.

 

Each subject is a GCSE. In state schools it's compulsory to do certain GCSES. For example, most have to do Welsh Baculerate and Religious Studies. Also, you have little choice in what GCSES you take depending on what school you go to.

 

I believe 10 or 9 GCSES is the minimum and people often drop GCSES like English Literature with their schools permission as well as their parents permission.

 

After you get your results you can either go back to school for 2 school years to do Advanced Levels or you can go to a college to do Advanced Levels and courses and other stuff. Some people leave education after 16 and pursue jobs.

 

So after you finish your 'education' after college or advanced levels, you can go to university or get a job or whatever.

 

I plan on going to University after I finish my own Advanced Levels. I just finished my GCSES in late June and I'm getting my results back on Thursday (God help me). I'll post my results here if that's okay with everyone-once I get them.

 

The final 2 years of school are known as 6th form. You gain much more freedom, have free periods and there's a big social element to it. More trips are organised, you're made to take part in fundraisers for the school and are given authority and responsibility over younger kids.

 

To gain entrance to University you've got to accumulate UCAS points which you gain from how well you've done in the A level exams. The higher the grade the more UCAS points. You can get them through other means too. The better the university the more UCAS needed to get into it. Some ask for specific/minimum grades you need in a certain area.

 

Oh and you pick 4 AS levels for your first year in 6th form, then at the end you look at how well you've done in the exams and drop one or if you're really good you can continue with all 4.

 

I'll be doing advanced levels in September, starting 6th form in 2 weeks from today.

 

I plan on going into Game Design, so I'm taking

Computer Science

Maths

Physics

Graphic Design

 

I plan on dropping Graphic Design.

 

Here's the GCSES I took if anyone cares (Each GCSE is done in units, so you don't just take a single exam for each) I took 20 exams this summer and throughout the 2 years I've done 29 exams in total.

 

 

Maths

English literature

English Language

Further/ Advanced maths.

Biology

History

Spanish

French

Physics

Religious Studies

 

I haven't received an overall grade for any of them yet. But I've received grades for individual units. I'll place them in a spoiler

 

 

Biology 1-A*

Physics 1- A*

Religious Studies paper 1 A*

History USA exam- A

English Literature Of Mice and Men Exam- A

 

That was y10

 

January Year 11

Physics B

Biology B

English Languge paper 1 C

English Languge paper 1 D

 

I resat these 4 papers this summer^^

 

 

 

 

wow that is a LOT to take in. I wish you luck on your journey nonetheless! 

 

 

Well, I forgot to put up how I did recently

 

the last term for my 1st year in college I had a full load and all my classes started on 7:30 A.M, which was torture. anyways, last term I got:

 

Fundamentals of Accounting

Manage info. or Knowledge Management System

Basic Microeconomics

Speech Communication

Studies on the National Language 2

Mathematics of Investment

Total Quality Management; and

P.E 2 (damn P.E 2)

 

I can't believe we still have P.E in college and P.E 2 was all about dancing and I sucked at dancing. my grades this last term were good, the lowest grade that I got was in P.E

 

I just got back from enrollment at uni and I couldn't get a full load this time because 1 subject I was planning to get was full. this term I have:

 

Management Accounting

Advertising Brief

Bus. English & Correspondence

Human Resource Mgmt.

Administrative Office Mgmt.

Physical Science; and

P.E 3

 

I'm kinda frustrated that I didn't manage to get Philosophy 1. I was so excited for that too. I'll try to go talk to our college dean If I can somehow add 1 more subject to my load. 

 

Classes start this Thursday for me and dang it you can bet I still have the same schedule with classes that start on 7:30 a.m. only on MWF though. 8:45 a.m. for TThS but I get to go home early which I think makes it worth it

[Firaga 5,947]

I'm currently studying through Full Sail University's online program for a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Wriiting For Entertainment.

 

I only get, like, five or six breaks per year, and usually all of them only last about a week.

 

Pls send help.

[MythrilMagician 6,963]

I'm currently studying through Full Sail University's online program for a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Wriiting For Entertainment.

 

I only get, like, five or six breaks per year, and usually all of them only last about a week.

 

Pls send help.

Then there's me, studying like 30 hours a week and the only breaks being the intercession break during the semester, which lasts one week and the break inbetween the 1st and 2nd semester. There's also the Summer break, but I plan to study during that time so...

Be glad your study load isn't as large as mine.

[Firaga 5,947]

Then there's me, studying like 30 hours a week and the only breaks being the intercession break during the semester, which lasts one week and the break inbetween the 1st and 2nd semester. There's also the Summer break, but I plan to study during that time so...

Be glad your study load isn't as large as mine.

 

... I didn't realize this was a contest.

[MythrilMagician 6,963]

... I didn't realize this was a contest.

It wasn't

Just saying you should be glad that you aren't having it as hard as others

[Firaga 5,947]

It wasn't

Just saying you should be glad that you aren't having it as hard as others

 

But I don't wanna.

[The 13th Kenpachi 4,279]

Here's what I got in my GCSES

 

Physics A (1 from an A*)

Computer Science A

History A

English Literature A

Spanish A

French A

Religious Studies A*

Biology A

English Languge B

Maths A*

Further Maths A

 

I had full marks in both my physics exams. That was probably the highlight of my year

[Queen Tery 4,591]

So it would seem that my new University's professors are pretty strict. Or at least mine seem to be lol I have 4 lectures and 2 labs:

 

1. Logic (Lecture)

2. Principles of Accounting I (Lecture)

3. Computer Systems Architecture (Lecture and Lab)

4. Perspectives in Computer Science(Lecture)

5. Information Structures and Algorithms(Lab)

 

I feel all of my professors seem at least somewhat strict, except for my Logic professor. All my grade breakdowns seem to have about 75-80 percent of my final grade being completely based on exams, the rest on homework/attendance. I think Computer Systems Architecture will be my hardest class and that Information Structures and Algorithms may be my most enjoyable in terms of the coursework. I think Accounting will be my most boring class and Perspectives in Computer Science will be my easiest class.

[IwasBornAsVentus 396]

Getting closer to the move out day. My old room looks so different now that I have packed my stuff. I can't help but feel nervous about all of this.

[Ptolema 404]

I think your grades sound great considering it's college. Just try a little harder and make sure they don't go down Considering the kind of classes you're listing, do you think you'd enjoy being a teacher of some kind? 

 

I did consider it, but honestly I've never been that confident about dealing with people. Being a teacher would probably mean having even more fear of getting things wrong, especially if it's with children who might look upon one as a role model.

 

I spoke to one of those vocational counselors yesterday. We ended up looking at a bunch of pages, and honestly I think I'm interested in another campus now, one with specialty in graphics design and programming. I'll have to talk to Mom about it, since I'd have to move away to study there, but I'm considering it. I feel more excited about the prospect of trying that out than any classes I've taken so far.

[Queen Tery 4,591]

I did consider it, but honestly I've never been that confident about dealing with people. Being a teacher would probably mean having even more fear of getting things wrong, especially if it's with children who might look upon one as a role model.

 

I spoke to one of those vocational counselors yesterday. We ended up looking at a bunch of pages, and honestly I think I'm interested in another campus now, one with specialty in graphics design and programming. I'll have to talk to Mom about it, since I'd have to move away to study there, but I'm considering it. I feel more excited about the prospect of trying that out than any classes I've taken so far.

 

Idk much about graphic design, but I'm going to school for Computer Science so I can at least tell you programming is incredibly interesting and fun! If you enjoy solving problems/puzzles then programming would be for you.

[The 13th Kenpachi 4,279]

Hey everyone! It's been a while. After a long weekend I've decided my career path. For a long time I thought it was best to choose game design as a course in uni, but after doing some research I've decided to do a computer science degree instead. Most of the courses over here are supposedly really bad and just not worth it, a computing degree is much more valuable. 

 

With that being said, I'm still having a slight dilemma. I'm currently studying

Maths

Physics

Computer Science

Graphic Design

at A level or AS as some say (College placement exams for USA)

 

This is until summer 2018. I don't have to do all 4 (3 minimum) and it's completely fine for me to drop 1 at the end of this school year. Is Physics really that important? I was considering just getting rid of it.

 

With that being said, I still want to go into game design. Do I need Physics?

[Queen Tery 4,591]

Hey everyone! It's been a while. After a long weekend I've decided my career path. For a long time I thought it was best to choose game design as a course in uni, but after doing some research I've decided to do a computer science degree instead. Most of the courses over here are supposedly really bad and just not worth it, a computing degree is much more valuable. 

 

With that being said, I'm still having a slight dilemma. I'm currently studying

Maths

Physics

Computer Science

Graphic Design

at A level or AS as some say (College placement exams for USA)

 

This is until summer 2018. I don't have to do all 4 (3 minimum) and it's completely fine for me to drop 1 at the end of this school year. Is Physics really that important? I was considering just getting rid of it.

 

With that being said, I still want to go into game design. Do I need Physics?

 

In terms of game design, I would say having at least a basic understanding of physics would be beneficial. Coding is based on logic, problem solving, and math. Math is the language of physics. You can do a lot of coding without having too much knowledge of physics or math, but if you want to optimize your code or do game design it is incredibly useful/necessary. Think about coding character animations. If you don't understand physics, writing that code is going to be a lot more challenging and may have issues that are difficult to fix as the game that your developing becomes more and more complex.

Edited December 4, 2016 by Queen Tery

[Cricket 1,180]

I'm in a NASA focused program involving Remote Sensing Systems/Devices and also satellites. I have A's and B's in my courses, and have struggled a bit due to health problems that have gone on almost a year, but trying to make the best of everything. Finals are next week for me and I may be enrolled in a course for spring to pilot unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and get my license to pilot them. Keeping my fingers crossed, haha. Good luck to everyone who has finals/exams coming up!

[The 13th Kenpachi 4,279]

In terms of game design, I would say having at least a basic understanding of physics would be beneficial. Coding is based on logic, problem solving, and math. Math is the language of physics. You can do a lot of coding without having too much knowledge of physics or math, but if you want to optimize your code or do game design it is incredibly useful/necessary. Think about coding character animations. If you don't understand physics, writing that code is going to be a lot more challenging and may have issues that are difficult to fix as the game that your developing becomes more and more complex.

Thanks for the response! I decided to keep physics last Sunday anyway . I'm going to go for a computer science degree rather than a degree in game design since it's quite broad and more helpful.

[Queen Tery 4,591]

Thanks for the response! I decided to keep physics last Sunday anyway . I'm going to go for a computer science degree rather than a degree in game design since it's quite broad and more helpful.

Yeah that's what I like about Computer Science too. If you think you'll like one portion of it and you end up not liking it, then there's so many other options with that degree I have finals this week and I'm just so ready for next semester to start so I can have a new set of fresh classes lol

[Exiblade7 1,917]

even though I'm on month-long break as of yesterday, when I get back to college in the new year, I'll keep this saying in mind: "Work hard now. complain later"

Edited December 11, 2016 by Zeldablade7

[MythrilMagician 6,963]

Damn, I forgot to keep up to date here

Anyway, I finished my second semester (last exam was on the 10th of November) and I got my results a few weeks ago. They are as follows:

Mathematics for Engineers 1: 73 [C]

Fundamentals of Mechanics: 67 [C]

Electrical Fundamentals: 66 [C]

 

With my first year over, so is the study of the fundamentals of engineering across the many possible majors. Next year, I start my focus on my major, which will be Robotics and Mechatronics. I've got a Summer course starting on the 4th of January. I'll be studying one subject, which will be Mechanics of Materials.

 

I'm in a NASA focused program involving Remote Sensing Systems/Devices and also satellites. I have A's and B's in my courses, and have struggled a bit due to health problems that have gone on almost a year, but trying to make the best of everything. Finals are next week for me and I may be enrolled in a course for spring to pilot unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and get my license to pilot them. Keeping my fingers crossed, haha. Good luck to everyone who has finals/exams coming up!

Holy crap, that's amazing. It's great to see that you've managed to do well despite your health problems. I hope you get well soon and keep up the good work!

[Queen Tery 4,591]

Hey everybody. I've been busy with school as I'm sure many of you are as well! This semester I have:

Data Structures and Files (So far an A-)

Data Structures and Files Lab (So far an A)

Discrete Math 2 and Statistics (So far an A)
Advanced Programming Concepts Lab (No grade yet)
Intro to Programming Lab (So far an A)
Principles of Finance (So far a B)

 

The grades are a bit weighted right now considering I'm only about a month into the semester so hopefully I can maintain/improve them over time

 

I love my classes so far, I'm incredibly interested in what I'm learning in Data Structures, Adv Programming, and Discrete Math right now! The Adv Programming lecture I actually already got credit for from my old community college so I didn't have to take it, but the professor is letting me sit on the lecture whenever I'm available so I can learn more anyway. The beauty of a college class without any of the commitment/responsibility/grades My least favorite class is Finance so far. My professor has an incredibly thick Chinese accent and I'm having a lot of trouble understanding her so I don't get much out of the lecture unfortunately  

 

How is everyone else's semster going?

[MythrilMagician 6,963]

My Summer semester is basically over. I've got an exam on the 10th and a revision lecture tomorrow. Studying 13 weeks worth of work in 5.5 weeks is crazy.

[The 13th Kenpachi 4,279]

Well uh. Well uh. I'm super behind on my Physics course so well uh basically well uh

 

My teacher was out all last week so I had a supply that ran through about 3 units (8 units in total for the one exam paper) in about 3 lessons. She was like Eminem in the sense that she was moving so fast I couldn't absorb most of it...

 

Then bam he comes back today, then he leaves because his collarbone is hurting and says he may take the week off again. The whole 8 units+revision for this paper+practical experiments+revision for the other exam paper specification we covered before Christmas should be all done by the beginning of April. It's February and we have 6 lessons a week.

 

Btw, my teacher isn't exactly very good. He's a great guy, but well he

Can't tell the difference between sine and cos

Forgets what the independent and dependent variables are all the time

Can't spell the word Samurai

Often loses his train of thought

 

Safe to say I've done my Bruce Wayne and just decided to start doing things myself. Hence I'm just going to teach myself the remainder of the course material since I'm screwed either way since

 

If he does come back properly I'll be stuck with someone who isn't very good at teaching

If he doesn't come back I may get the same supply lady who isn't very good at teaching

 

 

If I get an A in August I think I'll scream. Time to learn this stuff myself. Not to mention this exam paper is meant to be super difficult for UK A level standards. Pray for me

[MythrilMagician 6,963]

Got my results for Mechanics of Materials. Got an 87, which is the High Distinction grade (A)

[Exiblade7 1,917]

Things are better a bit tougher for me, but I think I can handle it. I've limited myself to an 1-2 hour playtime for video games. I've even created a timer for video games so I don't accidentally overdo it. I'll get slightly for time depending how much I study. 

Edited February 16, 2017 by Zeldablade7