Our Rockstars Aren't Like Your Rockstars*

I love engineers, this is no news, but here is a story that made my night:

I went downstairs to the TV lounge to watch the season premier of Big Bang Theory last night. There were five of us there, we laughed, enjoyed the show, and at the end we all got into the elevator to head to our respective rooms. As we get in, I noticed only "10" was pushed on the elevator. Odd, I thought, 5 strangers watching a TV show out of a 22-story building, funny that we're all from the same floor.

Oh wait, 10th floor is the science and engineering floor, that explains it.

:-)

*If you don't get the title, here's a must-see ad by Intel. If you don't like it, please let me know so I can immediately remove you from contact.

Things to Note

People here smoke a lot.

Drivers here honk a lot.

Too many people wear too much perfume/cologne (they're probably the smokers).

Learning How to Fish

I had heard that classes in graduate school had a different dynamic than undergrad, but I wasn't aware how contrasting they would be. The most noticeable (and welcome) change is that classes aren't textbook-centric anymore, but are literature-centric. Two of the three classes I've attended so far (because we started on a Wednesday, haven't had Monday or Tuesday classes yet) have over 30% of the class grade based on in-class discussion and presentation of research articles. Also, by allowing us to bring in papers we find interesting, we can gear the curriculum towards our personal interests. The goal of classes isn't to lecture at you, but to teach you how to find and critique the most relevant, up-to-date literature so you can teach yourself. My professor this morning described it in the best way "we're not going to give you the fish, we're going to teach you how to fish."

Being treated like an adult at school makes me feel more like an adult. Having swapped out my jeans for khakis and my backpack for a Penn tote bag, I really feel like a graduate student. And I must say, it feels great.

:-)