This week, I interviewed a friend about an easy A that he is currently taking, POLI 210.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Intro Laboratory Module in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology - EBIO 213
Most people wouldn't consider a lab course when looking at easy classes. However, Intro Laboratory Module in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EBIO 213) is a very easy and laid back course. You have to attend a four hour lab every week, but most labs actually end in about two to three hours, so the course isn’t too time consuming. The only other assignment is a series of short answer questions due on Owl-Space the day after the labs.
The labs usually consist of going outside to test out hypotheses about various topics. The first lab is about observing squirrel behavior. Literally all you have to do is go outside and watch squirrels for a couple of hours. The second lab is about requires students to get dirty looking for isopods in the dirt. Other labs include counting organisms found in leaf litter, observing two fire ant colonies interact with one another, and taking a trip to Brazos Bend State Park to observe the local flora and fauna and to collect specimens for further analysis. All the labs are straightforward, and do not require too much effort. People without a background in science should still be able to understand all of it. The labs can be fun if you are interested in nature. Also, the professor is clearly passionate about the subject and the work, and you can learn a lot from him.
In the past couple of years, the course has undergone a few major revisions aimed at improving it. The course is still constantly changing, so I cannot guarantee that any of what I write about will still be true if you decide to take this course sometime in the future. People who were unfortunate enough to take it last semester had to write papers on each lab every week, but after far too many complaints, the workload has been dramatically reduced. The Esther statistics for Fall 2010 will not be representative of how the class currently is. Statistics from Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 should be more reflective of the true nature of this course.
The main downside is that time commitment involved. It is only a one credit hour class, but you have to spend probably three to five hours a week either in lab or doing the work. This class isn’t an easy A because you don’t have to do anything; it is an easy A because the amount of thought and effort required for the work is very low, and getting an A is guaranteed for the people that want it.
The labs usually consist of going outside to test out hypotheses about various topics. The first lab is about observing squirrel behavior. Literally all you have to do is go outside and watch squirrels for a couple of hours. The second lab is about requires students to get dirty looking for isopods in the dirt. Other labs include counting organisms found in leaf litter, observing two fire ant colonies interact with one another, and taking a trip to Brazos Bend State Park to observe the local flora and fauna and to collect specimens for further analysis. All the labs are straightforward, and do not require too much effort. People without a background in science should still be able to understand all of it. The labs can be fun if you are interested in nature. Also, the professor is clearly passionate about the subject and the work, and you can learn a lot from him.
In the past couple of years, the course has undergone a few major revisions aimed at improving it. The course is still constantly changing, so I cannot guarantee that any of what I write about will still be true if you decide to take this course sometime in the future. People who were unfortunate enough to take it last semester had to write papers on each lab every week, but after far too many complaints, the workload has been dramatically reduced. The Esther statistics for Fall 2010 will not be representative of how the class currently is. Statistics from Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 should be more reflective of the true nature of this course.
The main downside is that time commitment involved. It is only a one credit hour class, but you have to spend probably three to five hours a week either in lab or doing the work. This class isn’t an easy A because you don’t have to do anything; it is an easy A because the amount of thought and effort required for the work is very low, and getting an A is guaranteed for the people that want it.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Introduction to the Study of Religion - RELI 101
This week, I had a discussion about Introduction to the Study of Religion (RELI 101) with a friend, Adi Sirkes. I have actually had four people tell me that I had to add this to my blog, so I'm fairly confident that this class would be good for everybody.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Exploration of the Solar System - ASTR 202
Although I am currently taking Exploration of the Solar System (ASTR 202), I can already safely say that this is one of the easiest classes at Rice. This class requires almost no work at all. There are weekly problem sets, two tests, a project, and a paper. The best part is that attendance is not a part of the final grade, and is definitely not required to get a good grade on assignments or tests.
The first lecture I attended was spent learning basic “physics.” He called it physics, but I don’t think anyone at Rice can in good conscience call it physics. He actually spent a good ten minutes explaining the distance formula. No, not the real distance formula, but the formula distance equals velocity multiplied by time (d=vt). He then gave us two examples in order to make sure we understood it. “If a train is traveling at one hundred miles per hour for three hours, how far has it traveled?” This lecture was fairly representative of all the lectures that I have thus far attended.
The weekly problem sets require about an hour of work at most. I usually do the problem sets while sitting in class pretending to listen to the professor. Most people get perfect or close to perfect scores on the problem sets. The professor even gives the occasional extra credit opportunity on problem sets, allowing people to earn back any points they may have missed, plus more. I have well over a 100 average on my problem sets, and I spent no more than half an hour on any one of them.
We’ve have only had one test so far. Seven people, out of eighteen in the class, scored higher than 100 on the test. The test was really a joke. The professor gave us a review sheet of thirty questions that we would need to know for the test. Then, he allowed us to make a one-sided, hand-written “cheat” sheet that we could use for the test. All I needed to do to study for the test was summarize some of the questions on my cheat sheet, and then add a few formulas from his lecture slides. The test consisted of true/false questions, multiple choice questions, a few mathematical calculations, and ten points of extra credit. Don’t be discouraged from taking this course if you are not good at math. The course syllabus emphasizes the fact that you do not need any calculus knowledge for the class, but a more accurate description would have been “only high school algebra knowledge required.”
The project for this year is to create a playlist of twelve astronomy related songs, and describe how they are related to astronomy. The professor plays songs from previous year’s projects before every class, and from those examples it seems any song would work as long as a dubious connection to astronomy can be made up.
The final assignment seems like the only real assignment in the class. We have to write a 900 word paper about our views on either life on Mars or global warming. However, the professor emphasized that he would not be grading us on our viewpoints or on how well we wrote the paper, but rather on how we can support our views with basic science. This paper will probably require a bit of work, but the grading seems like it will be no worse than any other assignment that I have done so far.
The first lecture I attended was spent learning basic “physics.” He called it physics, but I don’t think anyone at Rice can in good conscience call it physics. He actually spent a good ten minutes explaining the distance formula. No, not the real distance formula, but the formula distance equals velocity multiplied by time (d=vt). He then gave us two examples in order to make sure we understood it. “If a train is traveling at one hundred miles per hour for three hours, how far has it traveled?” This lecture was fairly representative of all the lectures that I have thus far attended.
The weekly problem sets require about an hour of work at most. I usually do the problem sets while sitting in class pretending to listen to the professor. Most people get perfect or close to perfect scores on the problem sets. The professor even gives the occasional extra credit opportunity on problem sets, allowing people to earn back any points they may have missed, plus more. I have well over a 100 average on my problem sets, and I spent no more than half an hour on any one of them.
We’ve have only had one test so far. Seven people, out of eighteen in the class, scored higher than 100 on the test. The test was really a joke. The professor gave us a review sheet of thirty questions that we would need to know for the test. Then, he allowed us to make a one-sided, hand-written “cheat” sheet that we could use for the test. All I needed to do to study for the test was summarize some of the questions on my cheat sheet, and then add a few formulas from his lecture slides. The test consisted of true/false questions, multiple choice questions, a few mathematical calculations, and ten points of extra credit. Don’t be discouraged from taking this course if you are not good at math. The course syllabus emphasizes the fact that you do not need any calculus knowledge for the class, but a more accurate description would have been “only high school algebra knowledge required.”
The project for this year is to create a playlist of twelve astronomy related songs, and describe how they are related to astronomy. The professor plays songs from previous year’s projects before every class, and from those examples it seems any song would work as long as a dubious connection to astronomy can be made up.
The final assignment seems like the only real assignment in the class. We have to write a 900 word paper about our views on either life on Mars or global warming. However, the professor emphasized that he would not be grading us on our viewpoints or on how well we wrote the paper, but rather on how we can support our views with basic science. This paper will probably require a bit of work, but the grading seems like it will be no worse than any other assignment that I have done so far.
Friday, February 18, 2011
How to Find an Easy A
This week, I am going to give you advice on how to find easy classes of your own. Each person will have a different idea of what makes a class easy. Some people prefer classes with no homework, while others prefer classes that don’t require attendance or have in class quizzes. Finding an easy class can sometimes be time consuming, but it will pay off later on when you don’t have to do any work for the class.
- Look at classes from every department. Don’t limit yourself to areas that you feel comfortable with. I would never have thought to take a class about religion, but RELI 101 could possibly be one of the easiest classes at Rice. I have also had many people tell me that they would have never thought to take a BIOE class, but missing out on bionanotechnology would be a shame.
- Look at 100 level distribution classes. Many low level distribution classes tend to be geared for people not in that major and are much easier than would be expected of people in that major. 200 level classes sometimes work too, but those can be a bigger risk.
- On a similar note, avoid classes that are required for the corresponding major. For instance, ASTR 202 is a ridiculously easy class because it is not required for the astronomy degree. In many classes like this, the professors literally have no expectations of their students. In classes that are required for the major, you have to compete with students that actually know what they are talking about.
- Ask your friends for recommendations. Firsthand experience is always valuable. Numbers that you find on ESTHER mean a lot less than the stories your friends tell you about how insanely easy a class is.
- However, you should still read ESTHER reviews. Your friend may think a class is really easy because he is actually good at it. That doesn’t mean it’s actually the class for you. However, if the majority of people on ESTHER think it’s really easy, than it’s probably a safe bet. You can also learn a lot about the workload of the class from those comments.
- Register for a lot of classes, even if you don’t plan on taking them all. If you find 3-4 classes that could possibly be good, just go ahead and sign up for them. You’re allowed to drop classes well into the semester, so there’s no harm in doing so. This allows you to see the syllabus, and to get an idea of what the professor is like. Just drop the harder ones, or the boring ones later on.
- Read this blog. It’s awesome. No explanation necessary. Also, click on the ads. (Yes, I have no shame.)
Friday, February 11, 2011
Introduction to Sociology - SOCI 101
Introduction to Sociology (SOCI 101) is a great class to take if you are in need of a DII course. I took the course with Dr. Rachel Kimbro, the best professor to take this course with. The subject matter was interesting and the workload never put me under any pressure. However, I have heard that the course is harder when taught by other professors, so make sure you take note of that if you decide to take the class.
The workload for the class was much lighter than average for a class at Rice. We had daily readings, but those were always easy, and the textbook was straightforward. The assignments consisted of three tests, two short papers, and a few easy in class assignments. There was no final exam.
The tests were simple, consisting of short essay responses given online through OWL-Space. As long as you knew the material you would do well. Everyone I knew in sociology got A's on the first test, with most people getting 100's on it. The standards on the test were pretty low, and if you don’t know an answer, you can make something up and get most of the points.
The papers were short five to eight page papers. The standards for the papers were just as low as for the tests. The guidelines for the first paper were spelled out step by step, and as long as they were followed, you would get a good grade.
The combination of Dr. Kimbro's interesting lectures and the lack of standards on assignments make this class a must take course. Almost everyone got A's in the class, and the ones that got B's probably got them through laziness rather than an inability to do the work well.
The workload for the class was much lighter than average for a class at Rice. We had daily readings, but those were always easy, and the textbook was straightforward. The assignments consisted of three tests, two short papers, and a few easy in class assignments. There was no final exam.
The tests were simple, consisting of short essay responses given online through OWL-Space. As long as you knew the material you would do well. Everyone I knew in sociology got A's on the first test, with most people getting 100's on it. The standards on the test were pretty low, and if you don’t know an answer, you can make something up and get most of the points.
The papers were short five to eight page papers. The standards for the papers were just as low as for the tests. The guidelines for the first paper were spelled out step by step, and as long as they were followed, you would get a good grade.
The combination of Dr. Kimbro's interesting lectures and the lack of standards on assignments make this class a must take course. Almost everyone got A's in the class, and the ones that got B's probably got them through laziness rather than an inability to do the work well.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Bionanotechnology - BIOE 112
My first post will be about the hands-down easiest class that I have taken at Rice so far. Bionanotechnology (BIOE 112) is a joke. Not only is this class an easy A, it is an easy A+ for anyone that has ever taken a science class in high school or college. For as far back as I can look in Esther’s course evaluation database, 100% of people have received A’s in the course. I haven’t been able to find any class that even comes close to that, other than freshmen seminars.
Fifty percent of people say that the course load is lighter than average. That means fifty percent of people blatantly lied. That number should be at least 100%. The entire course consisted of only four assignments and two short quizzes. The quizzes were six questions long and were either multiple choice or short (one word) answers. There were “required” readings, but those proved to be entirely useless and unnecessary for both the quizzes and every other assignment in the class.
The four assignments were two oral presentations, one open-book test, and one newsletter article. The oral presentations took about an hour to prepare for, including research and creating the powerpoint, and are supposed to last at least eight minutes each. I don’t like public speaking, so my presentations were only five minutes and two minutes long, but I still got ten-of-ten and nine-of-ten points on those assignments respectively.
The test was open book and open note. Everyone received perfect or close to perfect scores on the test. The test has an optional extra credit essay with the prompt “Create a bionanotechnology long essay exam question and answer it.” Basically that meant you could write about literally anything and earn extra credit points for it.
The final assignment was to write an article describing the research of one professor at Rice. This was the one assignment all semester that required more than an hour of work. However, this assignment was also not really graded. Anyone that turned in anything that met the requirements was given a good grade.
Finally, anyone that wanted to further boost their grade had the opportunity to attend extra credit lectures. This really wasn’t required because it’s not possible to get higher than an A+ in a class. With these extra credit opportunities, it was pretty much impossible to get less than an A in the class.
The one downside to the class is that attendance is mandatory. The professor isn't the best lecturer, so it can get boring at times. Also, the class was taught at the BRC, which is a long walk, especially from the north colleges, making it even harder to get motivated to go to class.
I would recommend this class for everyone. It is a DIII class, but science majors who already have enough DIII credit should still take it. It is actually pretty interesting, and since Rice's Richard Smalley discovered the buckyball, learning about it will actually teach you a bit of Rice’s history.
Fifty percent of people say that the course load is lighter than average. That means fifty percent of people blatantly lied. That number should be at least 100%. The entire course consisted of only four assignments and two short quizzes. The quizzes were six questions long and were either multiple choice or short (one word) answers. There were “required” readings, but those proved to be entirely useless and unnecessary for both the quizzes and every other assignment in the class.
The four assignments were two oral presentations, one open-book test, and one newsletter article. The oral presentations took about an hour to prepare for, including research and creating the powerpoint, and are supposed to last at least eight minutes each. I don’t like public speaking, so my presentations were only five minutes and two minutes long, but I still got ten-of-ten and nine-of-ten points on those assignments respectively.
The test was open book and open note. Everyone received perfect or close to perfect scores on the test. The test has an optional extra credit essay with the prompt “Create a bionanotechnology long essay exam question and answer it.” Basically that meant you could write about literally anything and earn extra credit points for it.
The final assignment was to write an article describing the research of one professor at Rice. This was the one assignment all semester that required more than an hour of work. However, this assignment was also not really graded. Anyone that turned in anything that met the requirements was given a good grade.
Finally, anyone that wanted to further boost their grade had the opportunity to attend extra credit lectures. This really wasn’t required because it’s not possible to get higher than an A+ in a class. With these extra credit opportunities, it was pretty much impossible to get less than an A in the class.
The one downside to the class is that attendance is mandatory. The professor isn't the best lecturer, so it can get boring at times. Also, the class was taught at the BRC, which is a long walk, especially from the north colleges, making it even harder to get motivated to go to class.
I would recommend this class for everyone. It is a DIII class, but science majors who already have enough DIII credit should still take it. It is actually pretty interesting, and since Rice's Richard Smalley discovered the buckyball, learning about it will actually teach you a bit of Rice’s history.
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