The Sleepless Engineer vs. the Hypocritical Professors

[Nicarus]

Take the title of the thread for what it is. Seems the professors I got for this semester are either major hypocrits or just plain insane out the ass (save for my Fine Arts professor, she's pretty good about things).

These professors of mine for the longest time have said to take some time away from working or whatever in order to relieve stress. Then they all just pile up homework/project research to basically kill any free time I had. In fact, just today I found myself meeting with my Senior Design advisor only to have him pile me up with work; he even said he'd be watching me like a hawk while I'm doing it to make sure I was working. I swear I didn't even get back to my apartment (which has suddenly become heaven) until 9 pm, and I was there since basically 9 am! And I still had work to do for my other classes.

What I figured is the case is that these professors do not take into consideration what other classes you have in a semester. They'd only care if you were in multiple classes with that same professor. I especially noticed this when my S.D. advisor said straight to my face "I don't care about the other classes you're in, that is YOUR problem." I get that, but he has NO idea what these other classes are doing. One class has me doing 25 engineering problems in two days, and another has me trying to make mathematical code for two entirely different programs which are only available up at the campus! I swear these professors think we have cloning machines at our disposal.

To sum up this rant, I'll leave you with a few phrases I think these professors are telling people:

"Potentially decent weekend to unwind? NOPE! Design perpetual energy!"
"Getting a chance to see your folks? NOPE! Build a motorcycle with these twigs. Sorry, budget's been bad."
"Working on a class assignment to get enough time to work on another? NOPE! Do my class only, and I don't care if you fail the other classes. Just means I get to see you again."

Freakin' c!@#$ is what they are, and it took me four years to realize that.

 

[FilipJPhry]

Heh, I hear ya. I gotta do this 20 page report on freaking birds and how they sound like. Why can't I just look them up on the internet and show them the difference between chirping when a predator's around and chirping when calling a mate?

 

[Valagetti]

You should at least be grateful of having the oppotuinity of a high level of education.
And yes I am too a university student.
Though in saying that, my lecturers are all pretty awesome.

 

[Erana]

Spoiler

Perhaps see if your field of study has a meme like the art students' owl?

Yeah...

That's a really unpleasant situation to be in. Honestly, I think a lot of professors like that are under the impression that the "Serious" students will put their priority on their class first and become majors in that field of study. Because why would your engineer professor care about your grade in painting 211?

I find that, yes, there's a certain amount of busy work you need to to to become competent at something, but that only goes so far in my book. Just make it clear to the professor that you're a good student and they'll more likely give you a break when you get seriously ill from exhaustion!

 

[DanDeFool]

What I learned from College is that you don't necessarily have to do every assignment, or every assignment well, in order to succeed. Certainly, if you absolutely MUST have a 4.0 for some reason, then you should try to do everything, but if not, and you're just crazy swamped, figure out what assignments are less critical, and put those on the backburner.

Got a class where Homework only counts for 10% of your final grade, but the homework assignments take 2 hours to complete? You can blow most of em off, unless your prof. institutes some kind of penalty for missed assignments.

Got a class where homework is worth 35% of your final grade, but you get a homework assignment every class period? Do about half of them well, and half-ass the other half. If you get a 75% average on homework, you'll only lose about 9% off your final grade. If you're shooting for a straight B, that's an acceptable loss.

Besides, as an engineer, potential employers look a lot more at your practical experience in summer internships and student projects than at your GPA (unless you want to work at a national research lab, and even then they can make exceptions). Getting a part-time job with one of your professors as an undergraduate research/teaching assistant is also a good way to earn points with potential employers, and make some money for books, bills, and beer at the same time.

Or, if you have enough scratch to see you through a six-year plan, just take 12-15 credit hours per semester instead of 16-18 (which is the average course load for the four-year plan). It'll take longer, but you'll also learn more because you won't be spread so thin over such a large amount of material. It'll also give you more time to get those internships.

Also, remember, textbooks are meant to be referenced not read.

 

[Rabid Toilet]

I'm also in an engineering college, and it does seem a bit ridiculous at times. One of my introductory engineering courses is asking us to solve one of the major engineering problems of our age (wait what?).

I've got my first round of tests tomorrow that go until 11 pm, with the next day's classes starting at 7 am, and I still have homework from every one of my classes that they want turned in around the same time.

It's definitely something you have to enjoy to not go insane, and it should be worth all the sleepless nights once you've got your degree.

 

[Nicarus]

I've got my first round of tests tomorrow that go until 11 pm, with the next day's classes starting at 7 am, and I still have homework from every one of my classes that they want turned in around the same time.

It's definitely something you have to enjoy to not go insane, and it should be worth all the sleepless nights once you've got your degree.

I know exactly how that feels. I swear one of my professors would scold me for trying to study for a test in a class that isn't his.

 

[Stall]

College? Hard work? Who ever would have thought it?! What nerve those professors have to actually make you work for your degree -_-

Seriously. College isn't supposed to be easy. Suck it up and take it like a man/woman/whatever.

 

[Arluza]

College? Hard work? Who ever would have thought it?! What nerve those professors have to actually make you work for your degree.

be careful, truth like that might get you a warning on This website.

 

[Grospoliner]

Engineers are expected to be professionals. That means doing the work you've obligated yourself to doing.

 

[Stall]

be careful, truth like that might get you a warning on This website.

Yes, you are right. I perhaps should tone down the snark or at least make it more obvious.

Free time isn't a guarantee as a college student

 

[AtheistConservative]

As a fellow engineering student I feel your pain but remember two things: the school flowchart and the maxim "C's get degrees". The school flowchart is: Cooperate, Graduate, Get The Fuck Out.
So while its a pain in the ass, just do want you need to do to get by, pass the class and ideally never have to see that particular prick again. Pass enough classes and POOF! You never have to see any of those wastes of engineers again.

 

[Zyst]

Take the title of the thread for what it is. Seems the professors I got for this semester are either major hypocrits or just plain insane out the ass (save for my Fine Arts professor, she's pretty good about things).

These professors of mine for the longest time have said to take some time away from working or whatever in order to relieve stress. Then they all just pile up homework/project research to basically kill any free time I had. In fact, just today I found myself meeting with my Senior Design advisor only to have him pile me up with work; he even said he'd be watching me like a hawk while I'm doing it to make sure I was working. I swear I didn't even get back to my apartment (which has suddenly become heaven) until 9 pm, and I was there since basically 9 am! And I still had work to do for my other classes.

What I figured is the case is that these professors do not take into consideration what other classes you have in a semester. They'd only care if you were in multiple classes with that same professor. I especially noticed this when my S.D. advisor said straight to my face "I don't care about the other classes you're in, that is YOUR problem." I get that, but he has NO idea what these other classes are doing. One class has me doing 25 engineering problems in two days, and another has me trying to make mathematical code for two entirely different programs which are only available up at the campus! I swear these professors think we have cloning machines at our disposal.

To sum up this rant, I'll leave you with a few phrases I think these professors are telling people:

"Potentially decent weekend to unwind? NOPE! Design perpetual energy!"
"Getting a chance to see your folks? NOPE! Build a motorcycle with these twigs. Sorry, budget's been bad."
"Working on a class assignment to get enough time to work on another? NOPE! Do my class only, and I don't care if you fail the other classes. Just means I get to see you again."

Freakin' c!@#$ is what they are, and it took me four years to realize that.

I'm in physics and mathematics, got 22 hours of classes a week! Good life right? NO.

I get to school at 8 am, every day, then I Work from 8am to 9pm on campus. After that? I work some more at home, hell, this forum is how I procrastinate, I can't even play games anymore.

At least your work is forced, if mine were it'd be so much easier to do than forcing yourself to do it because otherwise you'll fail.

 

[KeyMaster45]

I don't know how far you are into the program but it sounds like your professors are using the "break their spirit" tactic to weed out students so they have a progressively smaller and smaller class. They do this is most majors, though it's worse in some rather than others. The only advice I have is to tough it out, and if things get too bad I would advise just standing up to your professor. You are paying his salary after all, hell take it up with the dean of your college if you have to. If a professor is working you so hard that it's causing you to fail other courses then you have an issue that effects the whole campus and in most universities that kinda BS doesn't fly to well with the higher ups. Students failing classes is bad rep for schools as it indicates something has gone wrong in the process of teaching, if you're attending a public university then it also effects the amount of funding they receive.

So yeah, if your professor straight up told you he doesn't care if he's causing you to fail other courses then it's time to seek help from higher powers.

Of course this is all under the assumption you're not just inadvertently blowing it out of proportion. If it really is as bad as you say it is and one professor really is deliberately tailoring his class to sabotage yours and others performance in classes that aren't his, then you need to speak up to someone who holds power over him.

Yes, college is not supposed to be a walk in the park. I had a bastard of a time passing my math classes at the same time that I was enrolled in comp sci classes which required lots of out of class work. There was a period of about three semesters where if I wasn't in the lab writing code I was at home or with a tutor doing my damndest to pass my math classes. There was a semester where I had to drop one of my general ed courses so I could have more time to focus on passing the math and comp sci class. Shit can get real really fast, all you can do is be flexible and roll with the punches.

Once you weather the really tough BS though you get to a point where things become mildly enjoyable.

 

[Ice Car]

College? Hard work? Who ever would have thought it?! What nerve those professors have to actually make you work for your degree.

be careful, truth like that might get you a warning on This website.

You probably got that warning because you called him a troll, insinuating that he was posting something truly stupid, and that it couldn't have been unintentional.

So, I saw it as an indirect insult to the OP, and I'm assuming the mods did too.

 

[spartan231490]

Take the title of the thread for what it is. Seems the professors I got for this semester are either major hypocrits or just plain insane out the ass (save for my Fine Arts professor, she's pretty good about things).

These professors of mine for the longest time have said to take some time away from working or whatever in order to relieve stress. Then they all just pile up homework/project research to basically kill any free time I had. In fact, just today I found myself meeting with my Senior Design advisor only to have him pile me up with work; he even said he'd be watching me like a hawk while I'm doing it to make sure I was working. I swear I didn't even get back to my apartment (which has suddenly become heaven) until 9 pm, and I was there since basically 9 am! And I still had work to do for my other classes.

What I figured is the case is that these professors do not take into consideration what other classes you have in a semester. They'd only care if you were in multiple classes with that same professor. I especially noticed this when my S.D. advisor said straight to my face "I don't care about the other classes you're in, that is YOUR problem." I get that, but he has NO idea what these other classes are doing. One class has me doing 25 engineering problems in two days, and another has me trying to make mathematical code for two entirely different programs which are only available up at the campus! I swear these professors think we have cloning machines at our disposal.

To sum up this rant, I'll leave you with a few phrases I think these professors are telling people:

"Potentially decent weekend to unwind? NOPE! Design perpetual energy!"
"Getting a chance to see your folks? NOPE! Build a motorcycle with these twigs. Sorry, budget's been bad."
"Working on a class assignment to get enough time to work on another? NOPE! Do my class only, and I don't care if you fail the other classes. Just means I get to see you again."

Freakin' c!@#$ is what they are, and it took me four years to realize that.

Just add a job on top of it and you'll know what my semester is looking like. I'm not sure I would recognize my matress if it jumped on me from my 3rd story window. but, dem's the breaks. Sometimes you have to do shit you don't like, to get what you want.

 

[Aerodyamic]

What I learned from College is that you don't necessarily have to do every assignment, or every assignment well, in order to succeed. Certainly, if you absolutely MUST have a 4.0 for some reason, then you should try to do everything, but if not, and you're just crazy swamped, figure out what assignments are less critical, and put those on the backburner.

Got a class where Homework only counts for 10% of your final grade, but the homework assignments take 2 hours to complete? You can blow most of em off, unless your prof. institutes some kind of penalty for missed assignments.

Got a class where homework is worth 35% of your final grade, but you get a homework assignment every class period? Do about half of them well, and half-ass the other half. If you get a 75% average on homework, you'll only lose about 9% off your final grade. If you're shooting for a straight B, that's an acceptable loss.

Besides, as an engineer, potential employers look a lot more at your practical experience in summer internships and student projects than at your GPA (unless you want to work at a national research lab, and even then they can make exceptions). Getting a part-time job with one of your professors as an undergraduate research/teaching assistant is also a good way to earn points with potential employers, and make some money for books, bills, and beer at the same time.

Or, if you have enough scratch to see you through a six-year plan, just take 12-15 credit hours per semester instead of 16-18 (which is the average course load for the four-year plan). It'll take longer, but you'll also learn more because you won't be spread so thin over such a large amount of material. It'll also give you more time to get those internships.

Also, remember, textbooks are meant to be referenced not read.

Honestly, after watching a buddy go through M.Eng, I realized he was being literal about what his profs told him in his 1st year: Yes, you have to get a minimum of this many credits per semester, and yes, a good GPA is important, but if you pull a 4.0, most companies will assume you're going to burn out in the first 3 years in the workforce.

So, he did his full course-load for 4 years, making sure that he had a decent spread of lab and project classes, took an extra semester to get into a design lab that he really wanted, finished with a 3.8gpa, and ended up with an awesome job running the lab and doing re-creation for a forensic engineering firm. Meanwhile, a couple of his classmates with better grades struggled to get jobs immediately after graduation, because they had fewer design labs and less extra-curricular stuff on their C.V., which some companies took as a sign that they weren't really good at balancing their workload against stress-relief.

I don't know that it's necessarily true, but it seems reasonable.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Take the title of the thread for what it is. Seems the professors I got for this semester are either major hypocrits or just plain insane out the ass (save for my Fine Arts professor, she's pretty good about things).

These professors of mine for the longest time have said to take some time away from working or whatever in order to relieve stress. Then they all just pile up homework/project research to basically kill any free time I had. In fact, just today I found myself meeting with my Senior Design advisor only to have him pile me up with work; he even said he'd be watching me like a hawk while I'm doing it to make sure I was working. I swear I didn't even get back to my apartment (which has suddenly become heaven) until 9 pm, and I was there since basically 9 am! And I still had work to do for my other classes.

What I figured is the case is that these professors do not take into consideration what other classes you have in a semester. They'd only care if you were in multiple classes with that same professor. I especially noticed this when my S.D. advisor said straight to my face "I don't care about the other classes you're in, that is YOUR problem." I get that, but he has NO idea what these other classes are doing. One class has me doing 25 engineering problems in two days, and another has me trying to make mathematical code for two entirely different programs which are only available up at the campus! I swear these professors think we have cloning machines at our disposal.

To sum up this rant, I'll leave you with a few phrases I think these professors are telling people:

"Potentially decent weekend to unwind? NOPE! Design perpetual energy!"
"Getting a chance to see your folks? NOPE! Build a motorcycle with these twigs. Sorry, budget's been bad."
"Working on a class assignment to get enough time to work on another? NOPE! Do my class only, and I don't care if you fail the other classes. Just means I get to see you again."

Freakin' c!@#$ is what they are, and it took me four years to realize that.

couldn't fucking agree more. my teachers are all cackling cunts in the exact same manner, my brother was in the hospital one time (he got a major concussion) and so i was late to class from seeing him and the teacher pointed me out in front of the whole class saying "this is a student, that isn't prepared, take notice not to be late ever!", even though i had my friend turn in my homework for me (was able to give it to him before i went to the hospital, like a boss), but still it was entirely unnecessary and douchelike, and after that the teacher had a grudge against me (and that was 1 of the many teachers so far to pull stupid shit like that, even tho THEY THEMSELVES don't even show up to class sometimes and would just let the TA teach.)

teachers, engineering ones especially, are extremely hypocritical and douchelike to the extreme.

they say they are using the "weed out the bad one" strategy, which is a different bullshit topic on itself, but they continue to do it all 4-5 years you are in school, so it's better to do whatever you can to do it right and GTFO.

 

[Shadow flame master]

Is this what I'll go through trying to be an engineer? My God man, at least get some sleep so you don't become a caffine freak. Although you might need to be one if your future profession from the looks of it.