Dangerous trains of thought from Symbolic Hyperbolic Geometry Project work time.
"You know, this project's pretty long. It'd probably be good enough for the 5000-level version of this module. Actually, I should have done the advanced course - the exam, which is next Wednesday, between my Monday, and Thursday-Friday exams is the same and counts less towards the grade, so it would be less work. In fact... assuming I don't fail anything, touch wood, I'd only need 110 credits next year to graduate, and none of them, other than my dissertation. would have to be 5000-level. Since my dissertation's 40 credits, I could feasibly take 70 credits in semester 1 [especially if I chuck in history of maths], and either just do my dissertation in my second semester, or, you know, just do it in my spare time, in first semester, as you do, and laze about second semester.
Ok, that's it, I'm going to see Graeme Bell [Maths head of teaching] about switching modules on Monday. Oh, it's a holiday. Ok, let's try it on Tuesday then, 8 days before the exam. His face will be the best part.
OK, let's write a MAPLE code while we're at it, and update lj on it.
Ooh, wait, we can generate fractals with this! Wow, this can do a lot.
Wait... damn. Hmm. This might not work at all. Or it might work less well. Stupid hubris.
May still have the amount of work done to qualify for doing the Advanced version of this course still... "I wanted to know, was it as good we thought?", appropriate music.
Oh, wait, it does work. Well, the case I was considering as the threshold for it working isn't too bad, and I can probably deal with. I should probably turn this thing recording trains of thought off, before it stops being funny. Rather than try something Kauffmannesque and stupid. And generally unfunny. "
I genuinely am considering changing this course to a harder one, or at least asking about it. I mean, I've got a fair enough reason to do it, there's no way it can hurt to find out for sure that I can't, and it would, bizarrely, make my work easier to do a harder thing and get more from it. But I won't go for the brilliant, if horribly underhanded, idea of saying "But I was relying on this course to be advanced to be able to have enough credits for my degree!" [maybe chuck in 5000-level there].
It would be a nice idea to try that - I mean, practically, I wouldn't sit a different exam, different course, doa different project or anything, all that would happen is grading of the project would be more severe and count more. Which might help the dire exams situation at this stage - take the pressure off if nothing else*. The only possible reason that I couldn't or shouldn't do it is that it would be hard to get it officially changed at this short a notice. So it's never going to happen.
Anyone want a picture of the face of the member of staff I ask?
*Assuming this project isn't horrible and does Ok. I do hate project work, but I enjoy doing it, and I'll be working on it anyway ... and I'm probably not going to do that well in exams anyway.
EDIT: Yeah, so I'm utterly screwed on getting the project finished.
Ok, that's it, I'm going to see Graeme Bell [Maths head of teaching] about switching modules on Monday. Oh, it's a holiday. Ok, let's try it on Tuesday then, 8 days before the exam. His face will be the best part.
OK, let's write a MAPLE code while we're at it, and update lj on it.
Ooh, wait, we can generate fractals with this! Wow, this can do a lot.
Wait... damn. Hmm. This might not work at all. Or it might work less well. Stupid hubris.
May still have the amount of work done to qualify for doing the Advanced version of this course still... "I wanted to know, was it as good we thought?", appropriate music.
Oh, wait, it does work. Well, the case I was considering as the threshold for it working isn't too bad, and I can probably deal with. I should probably turn this thing recording trains of thought off, before it stops being funny. Rather than try something Kauffmannesque and stupid. And generally unfunny. "
I genuinely am considering changing this course to a harder one, or at least asking about it. I mean, I've got a fair enough reason to do it, there's no way it can hurt to find out for sure that I can't, and it would, bizarrely, make my work easier to do a harder thing and get more from it. But I won't go for the brilliant, if horribly underhanded, idea of saying "But I was relying on this course to be advanced to be able to have enough credits for my degree!" [maybe chuck in 5000-level there].
It would be a nice idea to try that - I mean, practically, I wouldn't sit a different exam, different course, doa different project or anything, all that would happen is grading of the project would be more severe and count more. Which might help the dire exams situation at this stage - take the pressure off if nothing else*. The only possible reason that I couldn't or shouldn't do it is that it would be hard to get it officially changed at this short a notice. So it's never going to happen.
Anyone want a picture of the face of the member of staff I ask?
*Assuming this project isn't horrible and does Ok. I do hate project work, but I enjoy doing it, and I'll be working on it anyway ... and I'm probably not going to do that well in exams anyway.
EDIT: Yeah, so I'm utterly screwed on getting the project finished.