[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally posted by john_jcb Most schools have so much to offer that only a few students take advantage of.

bingo. Ranks are fine for status symbols and for getting some high profile jobs a bit easier...but elbow grease and dedication to the field will inevitably get you to the end goal no matter what the school.

Dell, MS, Oracle. Dropouts...the lot of them

 

[daycart1]

I think the biggest difference among schools for undergraduates is probably the sort of classmates you'll have. This will have a bigger effect than the faculty or facilities. It is different in graduate school; then the faculty is all-important.

 

[Musicfan123]

Wherever you go, as long as you are happy, that's all that matters.

 

[Tuberoller]

I did'nt last long in college cause' you don't get grades for screwing and drinking but I would most certainly chose my school based on the number of horny girls enrolled. I can promise you that there were plenty of them at the University of Wisconsin-Madison back in the mid 80s

.

I really don't know what goes on a campus today but I was laying pipe like a union plumber back in the day,and that's what college is all about. Right? I don't know if college made me a better person or enlighten me in any way but it sure did grease the tracks of my enlistment into the MARINE CORPS.

 

[enak]

Here's our final year exams for high school, the one I sat for this year.

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au...cs_ext2_03.pdf

How does that rate compared to the american exams in terms of difficulty. I know the sylabuses are different.

 

[Music Fanatic]

Quote:

Originally posted by enak Here's our final year exams for high school, the one I sat for this year. http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au...cs_ext2_03.pdf How does that rate compared to the american exams in terms of difficulty. I know the sylabuses are different.

It roughly corresponds to what is called "Advanced Placement Mathematics" in the US -- which in turn attempts to provide what is taught in first year calculus in the US. (By the way, I was surprised that they gave a table of integrals at the back of the exam -- I'm used to tests where the students must memorize all integrals!)

Your General Math Exam corresponds with what will be on the new SAT in 2005 (the current SAT exam is on an even lower level than this.)

 

[enak]

Quote:

Originally posted by Music Fanatic It roughly corresponds to what is called "Advanced Placement Mathematics" in the US -- which in turn attempts to provide what is taught in first year calculus in the US. (By the way, I was surprised that they gave a table of integrals at the back of the exam -- I'm used to tests where the students must memorize all integrals!) Your General Math Exam corresponds with what will be on the new SAT in 2005 (the current SAT exam is on an even lower level than this.)

Dont worry about the standard integrals, no one uses them anyway

You're kidding about the general maths exam corresponding to the SAT right? That's stuff we do in year 10 (year 12 is final year of school)

Thanks for your input

Edit: I just read up on the AP exams, and you can get credit for college by completing the course! I wish we had that over here. Also there are a few AP courses which we don't have an equivalent ie. psychology. We have a single economics course which I think bounds both macro and microeconomics, we have language courses which I think may be equivalent to the language literature courses.

Are there any past AP exams on the internet to view?

 

[Music Fanatic]

Quote:

Originally posted by enak You're kidding about the general maths exam corresponding to the SAT right? That's stuff we do in year 10 (year 12 is final year of school)

Nope. Same here. But that's all that is tested on the SAT (in part because more advanced math classes are usually optional in the US).

 

[stuartr]

One thing to keep in mind is the diversity of education in the states. At the high school level, there is a huge difference between public schools (even between different places), magnate schools, religious schools, prep schools, and boarding schools. The same diversity applies to colleges and universities. Also, some people may be dumb at math (like me), so instead they take things like the AP's in history, science and English.

 

[enak]

In our system, you don't even have to do maths. The only compulsory subject is english.

For schooling there is also a large degree of educational difference, public schools, religious schools, private schools and selective schools. We don't have as many colleges but there is a clear distinction between the better universities, and their merits in particular areas.

 

[purk]

Quote:

Dont worry about the standard integrals, no one uses them anyway

You are wrong.... many things were designed based on integral, all economics, engineersing, physics, math, and many more use advance math (especially integral) to design, and predict many behavior. Yes, you won't be using integration at the shopping market; however, if you want to design a headphone or interconnect....you have to use the intergral for sure.

As for your exam, it is fairly difficult, but it is nothing in comparison to a Advance Calculus or Finite element analysis. If you ever get into engineering, you will know how effective is integration.



Purk

 

[enak]

Quote:

Originally posted by purk You are wrong.... many things were designed based on integral, all economics, engineersing, physics, math, and many more use advance math (especially integral) to design, and predict many behavior. Yes, you won't be using integration at the shopping market; however, if you want to design a headphone or interconnect....you have to use the intergral for sure. As for your exam, it is fairly difficult, but it is nothing in comparison to a Advance Calculus or Finite element analysis. If you ever get into engineering, you will know how effective is integration. Purk

Sorry, I think you picked it up in the wrong context, I ment the students doing the exam wouldn't need it as they would have already learnt it, well that's what my teacher says and yes I have learnt my integrals

. I understand engineering uses much more difficult maths than this high school level maths, is advanced calculas or finite element analysis in your high school curiculum?.

 

[Born2bwire]

The public high school I went to had Multivariable Calculus listed as a class. I got upto Calculus (we did Calc AB/BC equivalent) and decided to spend the rest of my time doing independent study into physics. Just to illustrate what's been said before, the education quality can differ from school to school. At my school you only had to take like two years of math but you had the option to get really advanced. Either way, you definitely make up for it in college if it's needed at all in your major. Personally I would love to see calculus as being part of the standard exams but remember that the SAT's are meant to be taken really your junior year and are a general gauge for college entry so calculus isn't of much use for a (Ugh) English major. Now there are more advanced SAT's, the SAT II's which some colleges require. Though I forget if the Math IIC does calculus or just goes up to pre-calc, been too long.

 

[stuartr]

Quote:

Originally posted by Born2bwire calculus isn't of much use for a (Ugh) English major.

Don't you mean an English major?

Personally, I think they need history on there...but this is coming from someone whose verbal score was 240 points higher than his math...talk about messing up the bell curve....

 

[DanG]

Quote:

Originally posted by Born2bwire Though I forget if the Math IIC does calculus or just goes up to pre-calc, been too long.

2C goes up through pre-calculus (though it's pretty elementary).

APs are meant to test calculus knowledge and are useful for math- and science-oriented applicants interested in studying math, the hard sciences, or engineering. Some places, though, like CalTech, still require independent exams after acceptance to determine placement. My younger brother, a sophomore at Caltech, had already done Calcs 1-3, diff. eqs, and linear and modern algebra (analysis too, I think) but ended up starting out in calc1. The approach there, though, was to study calculus through the real analysis approach -- proof of the properties of the calculus and not just monkey-ish memorization of rules for integration and differentiation.

The SATI is supposed to test basic reasoning and reading skills. This is why it was once rather closely correlated to IQ (and, some would say, the g-factor) but with the advent of test-prep. courses and books seems to have lost this value. The SAT2s test a person's application of those abilities far better, which is why they're beginning to be required for admission at many of the better schools now.