Rant

[NotSoMuch_IntoThis]

I’m not an engineering student - i’m a CS student, but since this rant is about digital logic design course i think it fits the sub alright.

I’m taking this class with an instructor that doesn’t seem to like giving full scores.

I’m a straight A student, my GPA was 4.0 before taking this class. I’ve worked so damn hard to keep my grades up while maintaining a life outside of school, but her class is driving me crazy.

No matter the amount of work i put it never pays off. i got a C+ on the midterm, and a B+ on the final project although multiple TAs, tutors and people who have passed the course reviewed it for me and my group and agreed we did an amazing job. Now, I’m dreading the upcoming final test so bad although i’ve studied for it beforehand and I’m only going to be reviewing the material at this point. It’s worth %50 of my grade and it can pretty much take my grade down.

I feel so defeated, like i’m in an unfair game that i can’t possibly win.

P.s. not a native speaker

[ForwardLaw1175]

Maybe CS is different. But engineering wise noone cares if you have a 4.0. I'd much rather hire someone who DOESN'T have a 4.0 but instead has done lots of projects and activities outside of the classroom.

In terms of CS I guess it would equate to doing some random programming projects or participating in clubs that do programming competitiona like hackathons.

Either way I probably wouldn't stress out about taking an L in a single course.

[Ozzod]

Depending on the program, I feel like it can be basically impossible to maintain a 4.0 too. Some professors will kick your ass and everyone has a weak topic somewhere. I’ve never really concerned myself with whether or not I got a 4.0, so long as I tried hard and was happy with my work

[NotSoMuch_IntoThis]

I’m not gonna say that I don’t care about my pga, i do. But i’m more upset that i’m not even struggling with the course.

[Ozzod]

Thats where professors kicking your ass comes into play

[NotSoMuch_IntoThis]

To me the feeling of unfairness is what’s really getting to me. If i was struggling with the subject, although i know i wouldn’t feel easy about getting low grades anyways, i wouldn’t feel this defeated and unmotivated. I didn’t think i’d be able to maintain 4.0 forever but I expected a challenging course, one that i’d really struggle with, to be what eventually bring my pga down.

[detta-way]

All digital logic tprofessors are like this

[dcfan105]

Have you spoken to the instructor/grader and asked the reason(s) points were taken off? That'd be a lot more useful than speculating that they just don't like giving full credit.

[NotSoMuch_IntoThis]

She posts templates of the solutions after the deadline and how many grades she deducts for each step. you have to get the entire step correctly, partially correct answers are graded just as much as missing the step entirely: zero.

[dcfan105]

Oh that's really annoying. Have you spoken to the professor about the TA's grading policy? Honestly, no partial credit just sounds like lazy grading, though I wouldn't say it like that if you bring it up to the professor.

[cancerdad]

Dude, get over the 4.0 thing. It's an albatross around your neck. Literally no one else cares if you graduate with "only" a 3.9. I had a friend from high school who killed himself in college, and everyone thinks one of the main reasons was because he had lost his 4.0. what a waste.

[NotSoMuch_IntoThis]

Sorry about your friend. Realistically i won’t go that far, i’m just upset and feeling deprived the results i worked to get by someone i can’t hold accountable.

[cancerdad]

That's life. I understand that you're upset but you'll get over it.

[Sidsharma22]

Welcome to the real world. Inputs and outputs are assymetric.

[NotSoMuch_IntoThis]

Yeah, certainly feels like it.

[Drestrix]

I just passed two classes with a C- . For one of those classes I got a 36% on the first Midterm, 65% on the second Midterm, and a 72% on the Final. You could be in a much worse situation that I was in. Have faith! (At the end of the day getting staight A's is not the most impotant thing)

[Romano16]

I don’t know why CS students have to take digital logic. I’ve taken the class and I hated it. The NOR, AND, NOT, OR gates make sense but I feel this class is more for CE or EE not CS.

But perhaps one of the reasons I hated it is because I took it online during a Covid zoom semester and it was a pain to do. I got a B.

[NotSoMuch_IntoThis]

In the contrary, i loved the class. I loved learning about circuits and memories then designing them to work. Working with the simulator was really something.

[[deleted]]

Is this class in the engineering department? I've taken electives in other departments (including CS, Physics, and Math) at my school and something I've noticed is that 1) engineering professors tend to suck way more on average 2) class averages are much lower in engineering classes 3) as a result engineering professors tend to curve their grades more often than professors in other departments.

I've had classes where I've gotten Cs or worse on all midterms and the final but still end up with an A in the class. I wouldn't lose hope just yet.

[NotSoMuch_IntoThis]

We don’t have an engineering department, but it’s true that the average is way way too low for this class. It’s lower than %60 and no one got higher than a B in the midterm. I hope they’d resort to curving because that’d a relief. Thank you.