Stupid System
Been really long time since i blogged and i’ve decided to do my posting over here instead of blogspot. The only thing i didn’t like about wordpress is that i can’t embed music directly. (Can i suggest you either click on the mediabox on the right to play the music or turn on your computer’s music before you continue reading. It’s a freaking long post.)
Anyways, school started this week. I really have to say, this semester is going to be my worst and so far i haven’t been getting things to fall in place, the way i prefer them to be.
I’ve got 6 modules for this semester and only 3 have uploaded materials. Did i missed out stating the fact that school has already started this week? No shit, the other 3 modules, which i will be having lectures on this coming Thursday and Friday, has absolutely nothing in the system we use to “beg” for materials.
Like what the fuck right? Did we not pay them enough?
And i have to stress that they like to upload materials along the way. The only rationale thought i can derive from this act is that they don’t want to bomb us with all the stuff at one go. But to me, i can only see it as they HAVE NOT EVEN PREPARE THE STUFF THEY WANTED TO TEACH OR GIVE US. They might have got the syllabus written out in black and white, on the topics or the COSTLY BOOKS PUBLISHED BY THE TEACHING STAFF OF THE DEPARTMENT which they will put it as COMPULSORY TEXTBOOK, but the powerpoint slides or the notes for us is prepared on the weekly basis. So much so that, supposed i have lecture for this particular module, say 10am in the morning, there’s a very high chance that the notes will be uploaded the night before if we are lucky, else some time like 7-9am the very fateful morning.
Seriously i have no idea why this kind of system can survive for so long, in such a “well-proclaimed” university. I have no idea how the rest of the universities work, which i doubt they are doing much better. That’s why last Sunday over a dinner with my peers, i proudly make the statement that “What’s the big deal to be studying in NUS?”.
Not that i can managed to get a place with my not-worth mentioning result from poly, but that once you’re in the university, you either frown upon the system but just keep quiet and have the thinking that “so many have did it, why do i have to complain”, or be like me, who has been constantly sharing all the negative craps.
And today something made me even more pissed off. The stupid tutorial balloting system.
It’s not so much about the system, but still the module bidding and tutorial balloting system themselves are really full of crap and SHOULD BE SCRAPED FOR EVERYONE’S SAKE.
What happened was that i took a module which turned out to have bad response, meaning the number of students taking it was less than projected; only 33. So during our first lecture on Monday, the lecturer told us that there will only be 2 tutorial classes instead of the 4 which was initially stated in the system, some place for students to check the detail of all the modules and the respective tutorial slots and timings pre-planned.
So he asked for a day we would preferred the 2 classes to be allocated for. Ended up, 1 crappy guy who for some shit reasons only managed to bid 3 modules at the moment, told the lecturer if there can be a slot on Tuesdays so that after he get 2 more modules for this semester, he can have a better chance of not having either lecture/tutorial clashes with other modules. The lecturer took that as an option and create a poll for us to vote on the 2 days we would like to have our tutorial. The choice were Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The timing were the same for the 3 days so that didn’t matter.
Here’s the shit. When i decided to bid for this “cold” module, the reason has to be the lecture has no clash with my other modules and the tutorial slots pre-planned fits my timetable well. Ok, i don’t blame the lecturer changing it to 2 slots from the initial 4 classes due to low intake, but the stupid crap is that the initial 4 classes were, 1 Wednesday slot and 3 Friday slots. Yet after the stupid guy comment, he put up the poll with Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
As a result, i have to base it on the fact that i need some idiots to vote for the same Friday slot so that i can get it. If i will to ballot Tuesday tutorial, it would mean that i have to travel to school for 3hours back and forth, just for 1 freaking tutorial. If i will to ballot Thursday tutorial, it means that my Thursday timetable is 10-6pm with no breaks in between. Not to mention on Thursdays i need to rush from Point A to Point Z in between all the super packed lessons i have.
So now, is it a problem of mine that i have to suck thumb and take things as it is, or can i just freaking scold the BLOODY stupid nonsensical system i’m studying in?
Just to update, the poll as of now, majority of the students voted for Tuesday and Thursday. I even emailed the lecturer trying to reason to him that what he is doing is super unfair and biased to those students who want to have a better timetable and end up making those who make effort to plan in advance suffer. I highlighted the fact that in the system, it clearly stated the 4 tutorial slots which is on either Wednesday or Friday. So there is no reason for him to change and end up the tutorials ARE NOT EVEN on the same 2 days with different timings. And even if he will to leave the tutorial classes on Wed and Fri, we cannot complain cause it was stated there in the first place before any one of us decided to bid for this CRAP module.
And this is how he replied me:
I’ve already included a Friday slot for choosing in the poll. The Tuesday and Thursday choices are meant to provide additional choices for students other than Fridays and Wednesdays which some of you emailed me saying all the existing original slots do not work for them.
I’m afraid we will have to accommodate each other’s scheduling constraints in the time tables as we go along. Let’s see what are the responses in the poll for the rest of students. Thank you.
I don’t know if i’m trying too hard or what, but i just freaking hate the system whereby everyone is having a bad time planning what modules to take, what to do if we can’t get this module, is this module been offered, can we graduate in time. All these i think are not their concerns anyway. Cause no matter what and how hard you plan, you will realise all the stupid nonsense they have when you face difficulties.
Imagine you badly need this module to graduate and you explain to them that you have to take this module this semester so that you can graduate in time, they will just tell you, it’s 50-50, can’t promise you anything. Like what the heck right? Will increasing 1 slot for the module intake kill the whole department’s workload? What quota are they running on? This module can only teach 100 students because 101 students will make the lecturer teach more?
I don’t know why, but whenever i talk about university system, it makes my blood boils. I just wonder why i don’t have such stupid situation when i was in poly. Trust me, the environment, the system, the lecturers in poly are 1000 times better than university. Especially the fact that university stupid bell-curve system cares for all the stupid muggers, and neglects all the average Joes.
I just have so much to whine, it is whine? I think what i’m stating are just facts, or am i complaining? But do the hatred against drug dealers considered complains? I’m just trying to point out the crappy fact that some time in life, when there’s a system in place, no matter how crappy it is, after we been through it, and even when we have the chance to be in helm of the system, we wouldn’t really bother about it. Either we would have this stupid cocky thinking that, “aiya, i also been through it what”, or “wah lao, complain what, last time was even worse”. So no one will want to make things easier for the next generation, and it’s just like army system, until someone die from it, or something really bad happen, then the committee or the government will start looking at it.
I don’t know what to call this kind of human actions, maybe if we take it with a pinch of salt, we can call it learn from experience? You tell me.
By the way, have you notice the long queues at all the various Ticketing/Concession Booths at MRT stations or Interchanges? Why singaporeans are so freaking kiasu?
I don’t think your school is the only school that upload their notes at the last minute. There is no way you can study first without your notes is it? You guys have no textbooks or whatsoever? Or you think they are redundant?
I think it’s unfair for you to expect your lecturers to prepare everything nicely for you at the time you want at this level. Like how your teachers used to spoon feed you in your poly days (I hope not too)? So you expect your boss to feed you during your work in future as well?
As for that ‘cold’ module you took, I don’t think there is any wrong for that ‘crap student’ to want to have class slotted on Tuesday, you may think that he is selfish or whatever, AT LEAST I see that he/she know how to find the way through, making things better for himself/herself.
You? So what if you managed to bid all the modules you want beforehand and have them scheduled nicely the way you want it? That doesn’t mean nobody else can obstruct it. Besides ‘complaining’ the hell out of it is there something else better you can do?
So you don’t know how to make your stand just like that student right during the lecture? Instead of asking some idiots to vote Friday slot with you & email your lecturer only after everything? Hoping your lecturer to do something after seeing your mail? Trying to fight back only after a war has ended?
Yes we should learn to accomodate each other. But that doesn’t mean you need to suffer because of that.
If you don’t want to go all the way down to school just for that one lesson on Tuesday, you find some ways to win it! Or you just don’t dare to do it? Don’t whin if you are at the losing side then.
Don’t make me think that NUS students only know how to obey all instructionis given and not knowing how to save themselves from death.
Think about it.
The bidding system may be a pain in the ***, but so are your views on teaching. You should wake up to the fact that you are at University, where you have to do some of the studying yourself. You can’t expect to be spoonfed with Powerpoint slides in advance, and handouts, etc., all preferably to be posted online before the course starts. So, the lecturer has already given you a syllabus in black and white (what’s wrong with black and white? You want color? Or fancy clipart pics to be crossposted into Facebook? C’mon…), and he has specified the textbook (blame the cost on the publishers not on the lecturers). So, what more do you need to get started?! Also, a good lecturer will adjust the content of the course from week to week, in response to student concerns, so keeping the content fixed is actually a sign that the lecturer doesn’t care. My advice is: don’t underestimate your lecturers; they are doing more work than you are even beginning to be aware of. And as long as they are approachable in tutorials and by email (and, in your case, even bother to write long replies to emails with pretty silly demands) that’s all you can reasonably ask for.
Yawns. Boot licker rocks!