WatchHisBeardGrow.com Blog

Rip Van Winkle Awakes

Sep 12, 2009

I have not written in FOREVER, but I wont say any more about that because it does not make for good content. Instead I want to talk about my first few weeks at Purdue.

Grad school started like 3 weeks ago and it has been in full swing since day one. Before classes even started, I had my first assignment. Before I tell you about that, I want to tell you about my classes.

So I am taking Interactive Computer Graphics, Computer Networks and Algorithms. All three courses are PhD qualifying courses and so I will most likely be taking three Quals this semester. I hope I pass them all. If I can, then I only need one more Qual(Programming Languages I hope). The PhD qualifying progress is quite intensive. Instead of going into detail, I will just point you to the degree description on the CS homepage.

Ok, so homework so far has been NO PIECE OF CAKE. The first assignment in networking was the implementation of an HTTP server in C/C++. In order to test the server, we wrote a multi-threaded load generating client and then a report on the results of our server. (some of the ugliest code I have ever written. I am not happy with the way it turned out.) The next assignment in Networking is the implementation of a reliable TCP layer to sit underneath our server. Other than the simplification of some parts of the TCP layer, the main difference between my TCP and the real underlying TCP is that my TCP will handle dropped packets. I am getting better with C and C++ with everything I do, so hopefully I will be happier with the end result of this project.

In Computer Graphics, my first assignment was to implement some 3D Vector and Matrix classes and show that they work using OpenGL graphics.

There is so much more that I could say about my upcoming projects (programming and written homeworks) but I will just leave it all at that for now.

I am beginning to feel overwhelmed. With the amount of work which is required here. Ball State was a walk in the park compared to everything I have to do. I am sure its because it is grad school, but the professors leave much more up to the students. So far I have not really been taught much of anything. They just tell us to go off and learn it for ourselves... Its kinda weird.

Wish me luck, this is not going to be easy...

Sep 13, 2009 - 6:35 am

The Good Doctor

"So far I have not really been taught much of anything. They just tell us to go off and learn it for ourselves"What if we did this more at BSU Would it have helped prepare you more, or just made you mad at your BSU experience

Sep 13, 2009 - 6:55 am

Andrew

Well there is certainly something to be said for both teaching methods- forcing your students to go out and search for answers - guiding students through the learning process. The former provides self satisfaction and teaches us how to take advantage of what resources we have. But the latter leaves me with fewer questions and a better understanding. Perhaps the most beneficial method would be a combination of the two. Perhaps the proposition of a question or challenge backed up by further instruction after a successful or unsuccessful search for answers.

So I guess, back to your original question, certainly a little more freedom (though I feel I had plenty) would not have hurt but I think I prefer the guided approach. I would rather know that I understand the material(being that is why I am in school) than have the self satisfaction of doing it all myself.