Design, Build & Ship; Privacy, Security & Automation.
Had a surprisingly lucky academic encounter today.
I’m taking MAT 343 (Applied Linear Algebra) this semester because it’s required for my CS degree. It’s essentially linear algebra with more of an applied/computational focus, particularly toward things like machine learning, and it has a lab component where we use Python/MATLAB to actually implement and work with the concepts.
The problem is that my 343 professor is basically speed-running lectures and textbook with some sort of expectation of us knowing concepts beforehand. A lot of the time it feels like definitions and concepts are thrown onto the screen one after another without much time to actually digest what each component means. I can keep up, but the teaching style just doesn’t work particularly well for me.
Meanwhile, I’ve been taking calculus with another professor for a long time, and I’m currently taking my final calculus course, Calc III, with him. I missed a quiz last Friday, so today I asked if I could make it up. He told me he had another class immediately afterward, MAT 342, and I could take the quiz there.
I went in intending to take my quiz and leave.
While doing the quiz, though, I started listening to his lecture in the background and suddenly realized:
Wait… this is basically the exact same linear algebra I’m learning in MAT 343.
MAT 342 and 343 have different focuses. 343 is the more computational/applied version with programming and labs, while 342 is aimed more toward math majors and doesn’t require the same programming component. But the underlying linear algebra concepts—and apparently even much of the homework—overlap heavily.
The funniest part is that his teaching style is the complete opposite of my 343 professor’s. He’s very old-school: he pulls out handwritten notes, starts from the fundamentals, explains what every component actually means, and moves slowly enough to make sure students understand before continuing.
Because he teaches more slowly, his class happens to be about one section behind my 343 class.
Which is basically perfect.
Whatever gets speedrun in 343, I encounter again a little later in 342, except this time it gets explained slowly from scratch. And since the 343 homework often isn’t due until a week or two after we initially learn the material, 342 basically lands at the perfect time to refresh everything before I actually need to do the homework.
So instead of leaving after my quiz, I stayed for the entire lecture. Afterward, I asked him if I could just keep showing up to his MAT 342 class whenever I’m free and use it as a reinforcement/tutorial for MAT 343.
He said yes.
It fits perfectly into my schedule. The material overlaps. Even the homework is basically the same. And it costs me absolutely nothing.
So somehow, missing one Calc III quiz accidentally gave me a free supplementary linear algebra class taught by a professor I already know, whose teaching style happens to work extremely well for me.
Apparently I missed a quiz and accidentally unlocked the MAT 343 support DLC for free. 😭 #life
I’m taking MAT 343 (Applied Linear Algebra) this semester because it’s required for my CS degree. It’s essentially linear algebra with more of an applied/computational focus, particularly toward things like machine learning, and it has a lab component where we use Python/MATLAB to actually implement and work with the concepts.
The problem is that my 343 professor is basically speed-running lectures and textbook with some sort of expectation of us knowing concepts beforehand. A lot of the time it feels like definitions and concepts are thrown onto the screen one after another without much time to actually digest what each component means. I can keep up, but the teaching style just doesn’t work particularly well for me.
Meanwhile, I’ve been taking calculus with another professor for a long time, and I’m currently taking my final calculus course, Calc III, with him. I missed a quiz last Friday, so today I asked if I could make it up. He told me he had another class immediately afterward, MAT 342, and I could take the quiz there.
I went in intending to take my quiz and leave.
While doing the quiz, though, I started listening to his lecture in the background and suddenly realized:
Wait… this is basically the exact same linear algebra I’m learning in MAT 343.
MAT 342 and 343 have different focuses. 343 is the more computational/applied version with programming and labs, while 342 is aimed more toward math majors and doesn’t require the same programming component. But the underlying linear algebra concepts—and apparently even much of the homework—overlap heavily.
The funniest part is that his teaching style is the complete opposite of my 343 professor’s. He’s very old-school: he pulls out handwritten notes, starts from the fundamentals, explains what every component actually means, and moves slowly enough to make sure students understand before continuing.
Because he teaches more slowly, his class happens to be about one section behind my 343 class.
Which is basically perfect.
Whatever gets speedrun in 343, I encounter again a little later in 342, except this time it gets explained slowly from scratch. And since the 343 homework often isn’t due until a week or two after we initially learn the material, 342 basically lands at the perfect time to refresh everything before I actually need to do the homework.
So instead of leaving after my quiz, I stayed for the entire lecture. Afterward, I asked him if I could just keep showing up to his MAT 342 class whenever I’m free and use it as a reinforcement/tutorial for MAT 343.
He said yes.
It fits perfectly into my schedule. The material overlaps. Even the homework is basically the same. And it costs me absolutely nothing.
So somehow, missing one Calc III quiz accidentally gave me a free supplementary linear algebra class taught by a professor I already know, whose teaching style happens to work extremely well for me.
Apparently I missed a quiz and accidentally unlocked the MAT 343 support DLC for free. 😭 #life
