Just finished up my first week of classes. Everything went pretty well, though it looks like my course load is going to include four of the hardest classes I’ve taken so far. Or at least it seems hard, it’s quite hard for me to judge because they are really taught very differently from classes at Bates. The teachers here often give out a printed copy of the lecture notes before class, or as one of my professors is doing, the entire semester’s worth of notes in the beginning. They also are basically only using the books as a reference, all the assignments and stuff are so far separate from the book.
In my Quantum physics class I was surprised to learn that we have a lab component, and to start the labs you need to pass an assignment showing you understand introductory statistics. I have never taken intro stats, so I’ve had to spend a few hours with the 20+ page stats crash-course booklet they gave me in order to make headway in the assignment. Great way to start off the semester.
If anyone happened to see the news piece about U of Auckland students being offered $5000NZ to perform a successful citizen’s arrest on Condoleeza Rice tomorrow when she visits the Prime Minister, it is actually a true story, in fact when I sat down for my first math lecture today this was on the desk in front of me:
Needless to say, the Kiwis are generally not in favor of the current US foreign policy, which has made me feel right at home.
This last week has also been the International House (my dorm) orientation week, for a $20 ticket you get access to a quiz night (Monday), scrabble night (Tuesday), poker (catching on?), bowling, and I think a movie night and a dodgeball tourney tonight and tomorrow. All of these events so far have had cash and snack prizes, and I’m happy to say that a friend and I took second in the scrabble tourney and won $15 dollars, so I guess in a way I’m a professional scrabble player? Maybe not… Anyway it’s been a fun week and I’ve met loads of different people from all over the place. If there is a cash prize for this dodgeball tourney I’ll probably have made a profit over the course of the week too…