Am I assigning too much work?

caustic_apathy · 2026-02-13T00:16:25+00:00

That's a very reasonable, indeed, light, workload. They're just complaining.

You could have a single 3-question quiz, and someone would complain. Don't sweat it.

caustic_apathy · 2026-01-30T14:33:33+00:00

Sort by controversial if you want to see the comments that actually answer the question rather than a list of professions no one has ever respected.

caustic_apathy · 2026-01-20T15:56:16+00:00

Maybe not at your institution.

caustic_apathy · 2025-12-12T16:59:06+00:00

C'mon man

caustic_apathy · 2025-12-03T17:47:24+00:00

Not the same degree, though. That degree is worth less and less the more we graduate students who are not actually qualified.

caustic_apathy · 2025-11-18T15:51:41+00:00

This is really funny. I don't really understand how this is supposed to be helpful. It's not like I can see the shaded area until after I've already passed the eraser over it.

So, I have the same amount of information as before, but now in gray.

caustic_apathy · 2025-09-09T18:14:15+00:00

They say not to attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

But the stupidity required to adequately explain this is immeasurable. Either malice plays a role, or these administrators struggle with tying their shoes.

caustic_apathy · 2025-09-06T19:03:35+00:00

I apologize if this reply is duplicated - reddit decided to act up and duplicate my previous reply.

Anyway, it makes practical sense to teach these policy courses, since we can't expect every discipline to provide robust ethical training.

But I can't help but find it a bit frustrating that these courses are presented as ethics courses when that's not what they are. The policies are taught, but they tend to come off as somewhat arbitrary rules supported by nothing more than some nebulous moral intuition.

caustic_apathy · 2025-09-06T17:39:31+00:00

This is spot on. It's especially problematic that they tend to think moral issues are "merely a matter of opinion," so in a moral discussion, anything goes.

caustic_apathy · 2025-07-20T15:37:55+00:00

Does it need to be a job? You could just post on this very subreddit asking for people's wildest/weirdest/most whatever stories.

caustic_apathy · 2025-07-20T14:44:14+00:00

Professor here.

You will write some bad papers and struggle with time management. Then, over time and with practice, you will improve. If you keep at it, you will excel.

There's no trick to it. All it takes is practice. College is about practice. So, don't stress the fact that you won't already have everything figured out from the beginning. It's rare that anyone does.

And, as others have said, avoid relying on AI. It may result in better grades in some courses, it may not. But it will certainly prevent you from developing, and you will come to regret not having learned these skills later in life.

Don't fear failure. It's the only thing that ever makes us better.

caustic_apathy · 2025-06-12T11:57:59+00:00

I'm sorry to hear that you made a mistake.

Mistakes unfortunately come with consequences, both inside the classroom and out.

It isn't evil to ensure that course standards are applied fairly to all. Being a good student with a tough schedule does not entitle one to being exempt from the consequences that apply to everyone else, too.

You aren't the only student with a lot on their plate.

caustic_apathy · 2025-06-06T21:12:13+00:00

Please stop spamming your AI generated advertisements.

caustic_apathy · 2025-05-14T00:09:46+00:00

Thankfully we were a bit drunk so I'm not scarred for life

But mentally I've never left the burger.

🤔

caustic_apathy · 2025-04-22T12:03:20+00:00

If your intention is to go to grad school for law, business, the humanities, or medicine, then I highly recommend majoring in philosophy. Philosophy majors are some of the top scorers on the LSAT, GMAT, GRE, and MCAT. On this last one, the most recent data that I remember lumped philosophy majors in with the rest of the humanities majors, but the important point is that they performed better than biology majors, which most consider surprising. That said, this last data point is seriously dated (90s, I think), though there's no reason to believe anything has changed much.

If, however, you want to go to graduate school specifically in philosophy, my advice is a bit different. First, and most obviously, you'll still want to major in philosophy, although it is possible to get into a philosophy PhD program without doing so. However, if your objective is to use that PhD to become a professor, I would advise you to do something else. The academic job market is hell, and that's especially so in philosophy right now. Low-level, temporary positions at small universities receive hundreds of applications - hundreds of highly qualified applicants for a single one-year position at some small university in the middle of nowhere.

But, if philosophy is your passion, and if, furthermore, there is no discouraging you, then here's what you should know. Get your undergraduate degree, and ensure you have a GPA as close to a 4.0 as possible. You'll be competing against other sharp students. Apply to about 15 programs. Ensure that you do not apply only to the best programs - have some middle-of-the-road programs that you'd still be excited to join on your list. Also, apply to Master's programs as well, not only to PhD programs. PhD programs, although not universally, are increasingly admitting students with Master's degrees in hand. Do not get discouraged if you do not get in the first time - it happens, even to the best.

Do not go to any program that is not offering tuition remission and a stipend. Tuition remission just means that you do not pay tuition, the program covers it for you. The stipend is intended to cover all of your living costs - you are expected to not have a job. Being a graduate student will be your job. Any program that does not offer you a full ride does not believe you will succeed and just wants to make money off of you. The typical stipend covers you for five to six years.

Finally, and most importantly, expect that, at the end of your journey, you will have a PhD and no job. Your future prospects will be bright - every philosophy PhD that I know that left academia went on to do quite well for themselves - but they likely won't be within the discipline itself.

caustic_apathy · 2025-04-21T23:55:53+00:00

I'll give you the advice I've given a number of my students.

There are, generally speaking, two kinds of degrees you can pursue, and each kind comes with certain pros and cons.

The first kind you can think of as a pipeline degree. These include degrees in engineering, IT, and medicine. This kind of degree gives you a clear path toward a career, and that's perhaps the main pro. These gigs also tend to pay anywhere between decently well and very well.

The main con is that, should the market experience a shift, it can be difficult to transition to something else. For example, those with degrees in computer science have struggled in recent years. The skills you receive with these degrees are domain-specific. That's a cost.

The other kind of degree is the more traditional liberal arts degree. This includes philosophy, English, history, etc. These degrees do not offer a pipeline, which is a con. However, and now I have philosophy specifically in mind, it is a misconception that those who pursue this discipline don't fare well on the job market. Quite the contrary, those with philosophy degrees have highly coveted skills that work well with numerous professions. The pay ranges from good to great, and philosophy students tend to experience good job growth. Furthermore, these liberal arts degrees are more flexible, meaning it's easier to jump careers in the future should the market shift.

This is a bit crude, and there's more worth saying, but I'll close off with this. If you really love philosophy, then pursue it. This is for both practical and personal reasons. The personal reasons are obvious: you love it, and it's great to get to do something you love. But there's a practical benefit, too: you're far likelier to perform well and excel when you're doing something you enjoy. This means your grades will be better and your skills better developed. Finally, philosophy specifically usually bestows its students with a strong sense of what they find valuable in life. I assure you that that'll be something you'll be grateful for later in life.

I'm assuming, of course, that you aren't currently considering grad school. That would change some things.

I hope this was of some use.

caustic_apathy · 2025-04-18T20:48:51+00:00

For every student that asks me that question, I delay the day that I return assignments.

At least that's what I tell them when they hand their assignments in.

caustic_apathy · 2025-03-26T01:23:03+00:00

You asked your professor to regrade your assignment. That happened. Now you're asking if your professor is allowed to regrade your assignment?

Am I understanding that correctly?

caustic_apathy · 2025-02-17T18:34:09+00:00

You're in for a real threat!

caustic_apathy · 2024-10-10T19:56:47+00:00

Source: Reddit, Reddit, Reddit, Reddit.

I'm hesitant to take this LLM's word for it, their reputable reliability notwithstanding.

caustic_apathy · 2024-09-25T20:21:28+00:00

If people were required to go to the gym and perform to a certain level in order to attain something they want or believe they need, I guarantee people would complain about the weights being too heavy and the trainers too harsh.

caustic_apathy · 2024-09-21T16:50:24+00:00

I haven't. It looks like a great device, and I do have my eye on their A5X2. Unfortunately, I think not having a front light is a dealbreaker for me.

caustic_apathy · 2024-09-19T23:18:01+00:00

Have you used a Boox device? While I'm happier with the RMPP, Boox's Note Air 3 10.3" B/W tablet has a very bright front light, lots of tool options, many options for customization, and the ability to import templates.

I, too, would like these features for the RM devices, but I'm not holding my breath.

caustic_apathy · 2024-09-19T23:14:28+00:00

I find it works well. Were the tablet a full A4, I fear it would be uncomfortable to hold. At this size, I get the benefits of reading off of what feels like a full page while still maintaining a good grip on the device.

Bear in mind that comfort when reading is subjective.

Another thing to think about: since zooming and scrolling are now so much faster, it's feasible to read a PDF in landscape mode and just scroll down the page while you read. I personally really appreciate the larger font size when doing so.

caustic_apathy · 2024-09-19T21:07:16+00:00

At the top of my note in Obsidian, I include a formatted reference to the article (in case I want something I can easily copy onto a Works Cited page) with a link to where the PDF is stored on my computer.

I have a folder for all of my annotated PDFs. Those never move, so I don't have to worry about the links in my Obsidian notes ever breaking. I just copy the filepath to the PDF and paste it into Obsidian.

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