For one of my classes, we were given our third homework assignment yesterday! I think this assignment is more challenging and compared to the last two assignments this one is longer, but with shorter due date.
As we were walking out of the class, the girl who sits next to me asked, if I had a study partner! As I was saying no, I felt that I didn't like where this was going! She then asked, if I wanted to get together with her to work on the homework? I so wanted to say no, but I felt that it would be rude, and so I said sure! I really wanted to tell her that I have been taking my time doing my other assignments, and that I am slow and I might waste her time! But then I thought I should convince myself to give a study partner thing a try at least once, maybe she too takes her time, and we could learn from each other. I thought it could be just like a group project at work. I thought working on the same project with my coworkers were fun at times. Anyhow, I was not completely sold on the idea of partnership, but we decided on the time and the place and said goodbye.
We were to meet at 10 am this morning in a coffee place nearby. I went to the library at 8 am, as my per usual. Studied my notes and started to work on the first problem. Before I knew it, it was 5 minutes to 10. So I hurried out and run to get here on time, all the while thinking I am going to damage my computer if I don't slow down! I arrived right at 10 sharp, got an expensive, not particularly wanted cup of coffee, found a table in the corner, sit, and continued my work on the first problem. 20 minutes later my homework partner showed up! No apologies for being late!
I started telling her that I had been working on problem 1 and I think I got it. As I tried to explain to her, she cut me off to complain that the lectures/materials are getting more and more abstract and that she has a hard time following them. I did not agree with her, so I just listened, thinking that true that we were talking more on the abstract side, but the professor throws in an applicability examples here and there, and is making it real enough I guess. And yes, the materials are not easy to follow, but then this is graduate school, plus learning new stuff is never easy, it requires spending time reading, studying, and doing lots of thinking, until you get it. As it was said in one of my favorite episodes of Mad Men few weeks ago: Don: You keep banging your head against the wall… then it happens. Peggy: and, then it's done. Don: Yes, Ma'am. Need I say more! lol.
Anyhow, I cut her complains, explained what the first problem is asking, as far as I understood, and then I explained how I have proceeded to answer the question. As I was explaining, she was making faces at me, while not making eye contact, kind of weird I thought! I lost my train of thoughts a couple of times and had to pause to remember what I was saying! She probably thought that I had senior moments!
Anyhow, she said that she thought "we" were on the right track! I am not kidding she said we! Anyhow she copied what I had written, and so we proceeded to problem 2, which by the way was related to problem 1, and since I had read my notes a bit, I had some idea what the question was asking. Again, my study partner started complaining that this stuff is too abstract, and why do we need it to be this abstract. I guess I have lucked out this time, since I am familiar with the application example that the professor mentioned yesterday in class, so maybe that is why it is easier for me to follow the materials. And so I started explaining to her the application, in details. She continued to make faces again and no eye contact as I was explaining; it was very distracting!
Anyhow, we discussed the problem some more, while she continued to complain here and there, and I think "we" finally got it. We wrote it down, well more like I wrote and she copied from me, and then she said that she had a lunch date. It was little after 11:30. She left promptly.
So we worked for about one hour, I am not sure if she understood anything or not, but she copied two of the problems!
I never thought that I was going to say this, but I think it is "being young" behavior! I was told to wait couple of years after my bachelor's degree before considering graduate school, to become mature for the graduate school, to understand what I want, and what I need to learn. OK, so I got my years and decades mixed up, and waited couple of decades to come back to school! But I think it is a great advice. I think I am mature for school now! I appreciate the learning process. I don't think my study partner appreciates where she is. She told me that she graduated in May. She said her main goal is to get a master's degree so she can find a job! I don't think she realizes that working requires knowledge, and that she has to acquire this knowledge here and now. I don't think she knows how grueling the hiring managers could be during the interview, they don't go easy on the candidates, and they want to make sure that they are getting people who know their stuff. I don't think she knows that degree doesn't guarantee getting a job! But I wasn't going to get into the dissuasions of this sort! Am I being too judgmental?
OK, enough of judging the poor young kid who likes to have fun! I so should trust my instinct and speak my mind next time! I didn't want to do my homework with a partner and I should have said so. I wasted couple of hours. I wasted money on a not so great coffee. I have to get out of here and go back to the library to continue my usual routine, but I just wanted to get this off my chest, right now!
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