I feel absolutely exhausted this week.
My work schedule combined with a study schedule that sees me studying for 3hrs before work in the morning, three hours after work and then 8hrs on all of my days off, is the lengths I am having to go to, just to keep up with understanding the new material that appears on every page of my Unit books for number theory and group theory.
I know that I should probably rejoice in the fact that I obtained a distinction for my first bit of course work for number theory. But I can't. You see, I worked out that each of those 95 marks, took me around 1/2hr of work per mark, to obtain. Thats over 40hrs of work for a piece of coursework that should take <10hrs.
The reasons are clear; this stuff is okay to grasp on first reading, but then to try and internalize and synthesize answers to novel questions, which may take a slightly different form to those examples given in the books, is a real challenge for such a complex area of knowledge.
The stuff on recursive functions is a nightmare and I have reached a chapter in the book that, for the first time in my mathematical career, I really don't understand.
There is some light at the end of the tunnel though. As with Pure Mathematics which I took last year, content that I found impossible to grasp and nearly had a meltdown over, at the begining of that course, was internalized and slickly applied in the exam, to gain full marks in that section. However, this course is much more difficult. I'm not sure that I will be so lucky this time around.
What doesn't help is that I am experiencing some 'mission creep' to coin a U.S military term. I am finding that I settle down to study a set amount of pages in a study session, and end up managing only half of that, because I have this obsession with doing all of the example questions set, so that I at least understand as many different applications of the preceding knowledge, as possible. My methods feel tangental, at the moment, and they desperately need to be refined.
It's not as mad as it sounds - I missed out on full marks in last years exam, because there was a particular section of two questions, that I struggled to fully complete, yet when I looked back at the unit books after the exam, there they were smiling back at me, in black and white. Had I attempted those two example questions, I would have been able to tackle the exam question, with confidence.
I appreciate what you are going through. However, I think you will have to let up on yourself in order to survive. It isn't very satisfying having to bypass things that you don't understand or not complete all the work that you would like to, but unless you accept that you can't do everything you may get to the point where you get really disheartened. Let the pressure out of the bottle and compromise a bit. Tell yourself you can always revisit what you missed out at a later date. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI'd agree yo uwill just drive yourself into the ground at that rate. Now unlike you two perfertionists I don't do all the exercises. OK my marks suffer for example I only got 74% for the 1st TMA. However I guess I'm only doing this for a hobby so I'm statisfied if I can get grade 2 even then just achieving that is stii hard work, But I reckon I don't put in more than about 8 hours per week
ReplyDeleteso it probably serves me right. But if I worked at the pace you do Daniel then
I would probably burn myself out.
It of course helps that I'm only doing 1 OU course this year but am also studying music via the ABRSM and intend to take piano lessons so there is no way that I'll be able to take on more than 1 OU course. I hope to get to grips with Computablity over the Christmas period lucky for me I'm single so no need to worry about Christmas.
Anyway don't burn yourself out mate it just isn't worth it.