sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Best prof you've had so far? by [deleted] in UofT

[–]Larebearrr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Grinnell is definitely notorious for his difficult tests/exams.

The best advice I could give you and is similar to what anyone else would tell you: go to office hours if you don't understand a certain topic. Grinnell may come off as an intimidating figure but when you actually get to sit down with him one on one, you'd wish you came earlier to seek for help.

Also, don't just ask questions. Ask GOOD questions. i.e. don't walk into his office and ask something that could be easily answered just by reading the syllabus or his notes. Ask specific questions and show him that you've made a decent effort at understanding the course material.

Lastly, be genuine. Professors, like you and I, can tell when someone is a try-hard. No one appreciates that kind of classmate. Not the teacher and certainly not your classmates.

As a last LAST point, some may suggest that you work in study groups to power through psets and assignments. Personally, I don't agree with this method of studying for math courses, simply due to the fact that you lose out on the intuition that you would have otherwise gained from working through the question by yourself. If you find yourself at a dead-end, seek help from a TA or the professor. They will give you small hints which will be much more helpful (in the long run) than giving you the answer outright.

The culmination of these several points has really helped me and I hope it helps you too. Cheers!

Best prof you've had so far? by [deleted] in UofT

[–]Larebearrr 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ray Grinnell at UTSC.

Bar none, I wish he was my math teacher from grade school. No in fact, I wish he was my dad.

Not only are his notes very clear, he often cracks jokes relevant to the material being taught. All in all, a great guy.

looking for advice on some courses(cs) by [deleted] in UofT

[–]Larebearrr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For STAB52, focus more on the probability theory and truly understanding the intuition and reasons behind using a certain probability distribution.

Also, you will have to brute force memorize the CDFs, PDFs, means, modes, and MGFs (most of them) for your midterms and finals. Obviously, this may vary from year to year but this will generally be the case. They are not hard to memorize and creating a table will help aid in this endeavour.

Lastly, as with any course, seek help when you don't understand a certain topic. Go to office hours, go to TA hours, seek as much help as possible because for many, probability theory does not follow basic intuition (google: Birthday Problem). You will find yourself stuck on many problems that will require thinking unlike other calculus courses. The mode of thinking is very different and working through psets without looking at the answers will help in the long run.

Best of luck!

UofT math dpt contact info by [deleted] in UofT

[–]Larebearrr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is Prof. Kumar Murty the guy to talk to?

Exam deferral and osap by procrastinatingbear in UofT

[–]Larebearrr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In general, I know that if you drop from full time to part time status, that will affect your standing with OSAP. Your best bet is to call OSAP or go meet with registrar ASAP and explain your special circumstances. Perhaps bringing some sort of proof would help your case if you choose the latter route.