The Athenaeum

Tag: school

  • The Lecturer

    The Lecturer

     

    You collected our eyelashes in jars
    Hoarding our stolen wishes for yourself
    Starving like birds, mouths opened wide were ours
    You fed us your doctrine, first book then shelf

    Until we had swallowed a library.
    My throat rough with paper cuts, stinging lips
    I itch to run but do the contrary
    Waiting patiently in this sinking ship.

    Our mouths stuffed with scrolls, ink bleeding down chins
    Our hands wrenched hard behind our backs, stapled tight
    Bound and gagged, atoning for future sins
    Heads bowed as you pass judgment to indict.

    You are our lighthouse, so steadfast and true
    Blinding us, so all we can see is you.

  • You Don’t Deserve an A

    You Don’t Deserve an A

    YOU DON’T DESERVE AN A  

    Everyone knows that person. The one who is a model student. Perfect grades, endless volunteer experience, etc. etc. They’re a student of model behaviour, at least, until an injustice has been delivered to them in the form of a B+. (Heaven forbid, amiriteladies?)  

    If someone you know is upset that they didn’t get an A, it’s most likely for one of two reasons:
    1. They’re disappointed in themselves because they know they can produce better work than what they handed in.
    2. They were expecting an A, and somewhere deep inside, they think they should have gotten one because of who they are, not because of what they did.  

    I am positive that #1 is something that every one of us can relate to. We’ve all handed in half-assed assignments and been disappointed in ourselves. The key is that the disappointment lies in ourselves and our own actions, not the grade itself. For some people, it’s the other way around. They’re more concerned about the grade than they are with the quality of their work, as if the grade is a tangible thing that they just deserve , and they fail to see that the grade is a direct consequence of their own actions.  

    My question is this: why do these people think they deserve an A?
    – Because they’re smart?
    – Because they work hard and finish their assignments on time?
    – Because they’ve always gotten A’s and who is this jackass professor to tell them otherwise?  

    I hate to tell you this, but “that jackass” has a doctorate. You don’t have a doctorate. They know more than you do.
    They’ve studied more than you have.
    As much as you might hate it, they have the power.  

    And they get to decide if your work is deserving of an A, according to their standards. So get over yourself.  

    I emphasize “your work,” because there’s a certain crowd that might fly in and start shouting “grades don’t define you!”
    They’re right. Grades don’t define you. Grades are just numbers and letters. They have no impact whatsoever on anyone’s personal value, but they are definitely indicative of the quality of a person’s academic work. When a student receives a bad grade on an assignment, it’s not a personal attack. The professor is not saying that “because this student wrote this sub-par assignment, they’re a bad person and should be treated as such.” They’re just saying that the assignment was not amazing and that there’s ample room for improvement.  

    It’s important to maintain the separation between grades and personal worth, because the truth of the matter is that not everyone is cut out to be a scholar. Every person on this earth has different talents and capabilities, and not everyone is good at studying, or reading, or researching, or writing, and this is good! It’s how it should be! If everyone was a scholar, the world would have fallen into chaos a long time ago and we’d probably be dead. Not everybody has the natural ability to put together excellent assignments. That’s normal. What isn’t normal is to have a handful of students waltzing out of high school and into University expecting to receive A’s the entire time, and not having this expectation entirely crushed within the first few weeks.  

    Now, this might seem shocking, but sometimes your work don’t deserve an A.
    Assuming you’re the kind of person who has the academic capabilities necessary to score A’s, it still requires a certain amount of time and effort to achieve that level of quality. It doesn’t matter who you are, if you cut corners, your assignment is going to be bad. It doesn’t matter whether or not your half-assed work is ‘better’ than somebody else’s work, it’s not your best, and that’s bad workmanship. If you submit an assignment you rushed and manage to score an A, does that not cheapen the entire institution? If you know in your heart that you didn’t do your best but you scored well anyway, how can you even sleep at night? How can a system that rewards a student for a poor performance encourage anyone else to strive for excellence?  

    The short answer is that it doesn’t.  

    At this point, it’s probably good to take a moment and ask yourself, “Why did I come here? Did I come here to get empty validation in the form of a letter grade that has no impact on my value as a person? Or did I come here to actually learn some things about subjects I love, and improve myself in the process?”  

    If you did happen to pay thousands of dollars for empty validation, I’m not quite sure what to say to you other than ‘Good Luck.’ and I hope you find whatever you’re looking for.  

    However, if you’ve decided that you want to improve yourself as a student during your time here, the question you should be asking is not, “What the hell is wrong with my professor? Why didn’t I get an A?” but instead, “What is wrong with me? What could I have done differently that would have elevated my piece of work to a quality deserving of an A?”  

    I should add that sometimes, even if you work hard – you go to office hours, you ask questions on how to improve, you study harder for your exams, whatever. It doesn’t matter the circumstance. Sometimes you’ve genuinely done your best and you still don’t earn an A. This is frustrating and it feels unfair. I am not discrediting those emotions. Instead, I am going to suggest that when things like this happen it can be a defining moment. Are you going to throw a fit, or are you going to acknowledge that while you did work hard, your best isn’t good enough yet, and find ways to try harder next time? It’s not fair, but the reality is that often, our best isn’t enough. However, If you’re continually striving to improve, eventually you’re going to get there. Even if you don’t manage to get to an A-level, you’re going to finish the year a better student than you started it, and it’s going to be so much more fulfilling.  

    A note to the A-Students: Don’t become complacent. Just because you’re getting A’s doesn’t mean there’s not room for you to improve. Don’t limit yourself by complaining that your half-assed work didn’t get you an A.  

    All of this is to say: You don’t deserve an A, but you can certainly earn one. Work hard this term, friends.  

    Emily Ellis is a third year History student and Distractions Editor of The Athenaeum

  • The Importance of a Field Course

    The Importance of a Field Course

    In my mind, I am the type of biology major who knows they are going to medical school. I am the type of biology major who has this deep, profound interest in microbiology rather than macrobiology. I am the type of biology major who is inclined to focus upon the complex and intricate world of tiny things as opposed to the way that multicellular organisms relate to one another. I am the type to pride oneself in the ability to distinguish between the convoluted biological processes of cellular communication as compared to the somewhat indeterminate science of how organisms relate to one another. Or so, I thought.

    Try as I might to ignore it, we exist in the world as it is, living, breathing, and decomposing. Though we cannot exist without our microscopic determinants – the large field is where we gain our credibility and therefore our existence. One tends to forget this, as we are focused in the academic pursuit of science and knowledge. As budding scientists, we have a tendency to focus more on smaller and smaller particles. However, science exists at all stages of complexity, whether it be the smallest stages of life, or the large, multicellular organisms that constitute the study of biology as we know it today. While it is important to understand our origins, we exist in a larger ecological picture, and we affect said environment as we move through our world each and every day.

    I was first drawn toward the Bon Portage field course at the persuasion of a close friend.  As BIOL 3013 counted as a full three hour a week class, an additional fall credit, and as it was apart of the biology core as a biodiversity course, what more could I ask for? All that was required of me was two weeks sacrifice of my summer, and the course enrollment fee.  What I drew from the course was more than I had bargained for.

    Bon Portage renewed my passion in biology, the passion that had me signing up to dedicate 100+ hours to the course load. When you are removed from the real world experience, one tends to forget the real world applications of a biologist’s actions  When thinking from a purely scientific approach, it is easy to remove yourself from the natural world. However when immersed in the field, one can visibly see the interactions between our objective understandings and the living, breathing ecological world. The Bon Portage field course reminded me of the reasons why I fell in love with the scientific study of life in the first place.

    Bon Portage gave me hands on experience to view biological processes that I would have only had the privilege of learning the theory of in class. Before, the idea of waking up before the sun to tag birds trapped in towering nets among the forest’s understory would have unsettled me. I could not have pictured myself stomping through worn down mossy trails hunting mycorrhizal fungi fruiting bodies and actually enjoying myself.  Never would I have seen myself reaching into a dark, damp, mysterious burrow in search of a fluffy petrel chick and measuring its physical properties for population estimates. Bon Portage showed me how to be comfortable sleeping in the confines of arachnids despite my initial unrest. The island taught me how to live without taking a shower for fourteen days and still remain completely at-ease in a worn out baseball cap and a sweater that I had not changed for three days on end.

    I expected myself to finish the Bon Portage field course with an additional credit to my diploma and extra time on my fall course load agenda. Instead, the Bon Portage field course taught me how to remain immersed in the field as compared to comfortable in the realm of theory. For all Acadia Biology majors looking to extend their realm of understanding, I implore you to enroll. Bon Portage not only left me with a newfound understanding of my own environment, but with a renewed context of myself in relation to my environment.

  • Senioritis

    Students who arrive on their first day at Acadia, (or any university for that matter), are likely to experience euphoric feelings of excitement, to unnerving feelings of fear and uncertainty. However, most new students do not arrive at Acadia thinking about their fourth and final year at what is soon to be their favourite place on earth.

    On the contrary, students arrive back at Acadia after the holiday break for their eighth and final semester with the impending shadow of graduation upon them. The final semester is the last four months to spend everyday with life-long friends, and it is the last four months to experience the beautiful town of Wolfville for all that it has to offer, yet it is also one of the most stressful semesters a student will experience during their undergraduate. Students experience high levels of stress from difficult, higher-level courses, from applying to graduate schools, and from applying for employment. Ultimately, students are applying to live in the real world while at the same time, motivations are likely wearing thin. The stress-free lifestyle of living in a small town and attending a small school, with little obligation, is nearly over.

    Seems a little negative doesn’t it? The eighth and final semester of one’s undergraduate degree is also one of the greatest. It is the time to check off items on your bucket list from first year that you never accomplished, it is the time to revisit your first resident and resident assistants, and most importantly it is the time to share your last few moments with those who have made your experience unforgettable. While buying graduation rings, booking graduation photos, and purchasing graduation weekend tickets may seem sad, it is simply a time to reflect back on your experience as an undergraduate student.

    Nevertheless, here are a few ideas for you fourth year students to do during your remaining time at Acadia:

    1. Take in all the scenery the Valley has to offer: Walk to the Dykes, go hike Cape Split and maybe on your way, stop at the look-off.
    2. Visit the Wolfville Farmers Market for breakfast or dinner – do yourself a favour and pick up some fresh apple juice, you won’t regret it.
    3. Take a risk: Sing karaoke at The Axe or go sledding at U-hall.
    4. Get a picture with your friends on the Acadia sign (as appropriate or as inappropriate as you like).
    5. Enjoy a Wolfville pub crawl (why not stop for some Scottskins at Joe’s, Lib Pub Manziers, and Paddy’s Blueberry beer).

  • Feel the Power of the Wanderlust

    To underclassmen – as if you’ve been asking for one, I present you with a recommendation: if you came to Acadia with no real sense of purpose and are reaching the point of disillusionment with academia that makes you wonder how you could possibly suffer through an entire 4+ years here, you should start planning to study abroad in your third year. Think of it as the gap year your soul deserves, only you might write a couple of essays and take a few tests during it and spend slightly less money on alcohol than you would were you to just take the type of gap year where you drag a backpack between party hostels and seize the day all over the place.

    Seriously, though, start planning. Take advantage of your current position, in which going to a new place is feasible and relatively inexpensive. You’re a student. No one back home will give you shit about running off and adventuring for a bit.

    I just spent a year in Freiburg, Germany (mandatory for German majors) and have had very little time to catch my breath in the two months I’ve been back. I do not at all feel like someone who should be giving advice on the matter of going abroad. My experience was worthwhile – invigorating, exciting, romantic, all sorts of positive adjectives. At many times it was also incredibly confusing, isolating, and depressing, so if you are looking to eliminate those things from your life I would not look to Germany for help. A year-long quasi-holiday there will likely not cure your existential angst, as hard as it is to believe. Nor will going anywhere else, of course – the grass-is-greener argument should not be the reason that you leave Acadia. Life feels mostly the same in a lot of the places you are able to go.

    Being away has given me a better sense of what I’m doing back at Acadia, though coming back is admittedly not easy. I’m finding it hard not to throw myself a pity party over my lack of self-discipline, feelings of social detachment, how I haven’t done academic work in the English language in over a year, and the price of beer. I feel doubly pathetic because I know everyone who’s ever been in my position has felt the same way and that we’re all just incredibly spoiled. Still, I now understand more about what I do and don’t love about Wolfville, and I find it to be extremely valuable perspective.

    I made the choice to go on exchange using the logic that doing challenging, intimidating things is always a good idea. Using this same logic, you can justify all sorts of fun stuff: taking public speaking courses if you’re bad at public speaking, trying to cut your own hair while drunk, etc. Depending on the degree of masochism you combine with this attitude, the outcome of your time abroad will differ greatly. Overall, it will likely be equally awesome and miserable. Such is life. There are no guarantees of anything, obviously, and that’s really why you should try to go.

    If you’re looking to avoid burn-out and you can afford to do so, go abroad! Pay Acadia your tuition fees and spend the rest of your money stimulating foreign economies, mostly in bars and on train tickets. Go see big fancy new sights that get your endorphins going and look good on Instagram. Go develop a taste for new things and wonder if you are at all entitled to your enjoyment of them. Go hit on people who you find infinitely attractive just because they are foreign. Go collect experiences, as we are all wont to do, and then come back and process them in private, because talking about them too much makes you sound pretentious.

    Cynicism is great! I bet you sure feel encouraged! But in all seriousness, you should get out there for a while. You’ll grow immensely during the time you spend away from Acadia. You’ll also grow immensely if you decide to stay at Acadia, but you won’t meet as many new people, see as many new things, become as comfortable with “foreignness,” or acquire the mental strength that is required to live away from home. It’s misguided to think that studying abroad will be a vacation (though realistically you’ll find every excuse to spoil yourself and you can totally get away with it), and it’s also wrong to think that you aren’t strong, intelligent, or brave enough to go. Once you get through your maudlin homecoming stage, it will all be worth it.

  • Managing Your Werkspace

    Managing Your Werkspace

    First year university can be a challenging time to start over in a new place. New places mean new areas to study and also new ways of cooperating with the environment that surrounds you. The following are a few tips that can help with studying in a new place.

    Part 1: Paper

    It’s important to come up with a good system for filing papers at the beginning of the semester. Having a clear space for paper to be stored will help with the tranquility of your room (especially if it’s hidden). Some students find that having lots of paper on their desk can be a stressful reminder of everything that they haven’t done. The residence rooms at Acadia, for the most part, have a limit amount of desk space (included the wardrobe and dresser). This space is meant to be used for everything from toiletries, extra food, books, hair and makeup items, plants, and other odd things. This means that table space must be cherished. Consider finding a place to store papers that is tucked away and not immediately noticeable. It will make a world of difference.

    Part 2: Electronic Documents

    Decide what sort of naming system you would like to apply to all of your work, and start using it right away. A consistent system will prove to be useful later on down the road.  The physical appearance of a paper free workspace can help to ease tension. It is always a good idea to make the Downloads folder of your laptop as neat as possible. This section will often become overcrowded with lots of PowerPoints and class notes provided by professors. It should also be noted that a lot of people use their computer or laptop screen for Post-It notes that give them a list of things to do. This could lead to the same feelings of clutter if not managed properly.

    Part 3: Space
    Some students find that it’s easier to study in a public place. Some find that it’s easier to study in their room. Take the first couple of weeks to try out new things and see what you like best. It may take a while to find the perfect workspace, but it is very much worth it. The following are a couple of environmental combinations to brainstorm and experiment with:

    • Public A – Public S (a public area where people surround you)
    • Public A – Private NS (a public area where no one can see you)
    • Private A – Private NS (a private area where no one can see you)

    Examples of good places to check out around campus:

    • The K.C. Irving Center
    • The Vaughn Memorial Library (check out the study rooms as well as the quiet room. As for help if you don’t know where those places are)
    • Clark Commons
    • Residence Lounges
    • The SUB (the main floor is great, as well as the Michener lounge)
    • Wheelock Dining Hall
  • Don’t Fly Your Way Through University

    Don’t Fly Your Way Through University

    There is a concerning sentiment held by many of Acadia’s students about the difficulty of courses they should take. Belief that you should take at least one so-called “bird course” per semester is common. A bird course is a class that is notoriously easy, often demonstrated by the high percentage of students that pass with an A or greater. These classes may or may not have a final exam or project, and generally have little-to-none in terms of assignments. The term is of Canadian origin, and it suggests that students who take these bird courses are capable of flying right through them (the actual origin of the word is unknown, from what I can tell. Some resources state that the term comes from the idiom “for the birds,” meaning trivial or worthless, yet others state that it comes from the antiquated opinion that women (sometimes called birds) were capable of taking the course because it was easy).

    Regardless of the perhaps sexist origin of the term, the idea seems to have stuck. In this article I hope to illuminate some of the reasons why you should take bird courses, and why you shouldn’t.

    1. Money: Acadia tuition for Nova Scotian student in the 2015-2016 academic year is $6430.00 CAD. For international students, this figure is more than doubled. If you consider the fact that most students (ignoring first year engineers) are required to take five courses a semester, then by simple mathematics the average student is paying over $600 for a single course over one semester (not to mention the additional cost of textbooks, online homework class keys, etc.). Now the crucial question is: do you consider the courses you are taking to be worth this much? Money is scarce among university students, and for good reason – they are spending most of it on getting an education. But for many, this step is nothing more than a practical necessity for future endeavours. If it means a higher GPA, then why bother with educational idealism?
    1. Intellectual Challenge: This is another important factor. Everyone is here to learn (I hope). Whether that learning enables you to continue doing research, or to proceed to graduate school, or go into the workforce – it doesn’t matter. The skills you acquire will not come from the courses that do not challenge you. They will come from the courses that push you to new limits. Only then will you discover new things about yourself. You will be forced to manage stress and maintain balance in the face of difficulty. However, how much is too much? When will you know if your academic saturation point has been reached – beyond which you begin to struggle and lose footing in a certain topic? These are hard questions to answer. Needless to say, I have yet to come up with an answer, and I’m over halfway finished my degree.
    1. Interest: Most people I talk to about the easy courses they take describe them as incredibly dull. If you don’t have interest in a topic, why would you devote your time to it? Take courses you are serious about, courses that pique your curiosity and expose you to new things. The more interest you have in a topic, the more effort you will put into understanding it. That being said, sometimes you enjoy a course so much you want to spend all your time studying it. Then taking an easier load grants you the most precious gift a university student can have: time. It allows you to prioritize, and work harder on the things that are important to you. Instead of spending your life behind a book, you can spend it with friends, volunteering, or at the gym. It gives you the pportunity for breathing space – keeping yourself healthy and sane so that you don’t burn out early.

    With these three ideas in mind, I think it is safe to say that there is a balance that needs to be struck in order to survive university in one piece while still coming out of it with a real education. I believe in the importance of pushing yourself to your limit. To do such and survive is a proud achievement for anyone. Yet this limit differs between students. With respect to marks: try and remember that a number on a page does not define you as an individual. Yes, it is (sometimes) important to employers, and yes, it is a large factor in selecting medical, law and graduate school applicants (sadly), but don’t let a drop in your GPA motivate you to stop pursuing the topic you love in hopes of restoring your mark to the number you had before. Instead, focus on enjoying your short time here at university, learning what you care about, and spending time with the people you love the most.

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