tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post8412479025024410333..comments2023-10-15T04:23:50.187-04:00Comments on College Misery: Six skills to learn in collegeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-37262479925627493402015-07-15T13:02:10.986-04:002015-07-15T13:02:10.986-04:00That would work, since the main project in my clas...That would work, since the main project in my class is a literature review. Of course, getting across the idea of what "literature" means in this context is a whole 'nother struggle. Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-48255965657936250752015-07-13T19:45:56.180-04:002015-07-13T19:45:56.180-04:00I refer to the important reading that you have to ...I refer to the important reading that you have to do as a "literature search". It does several things for a physical scientist: get you hints on what doesn't work, shows you the limits of currently published work (which you need to know so you know what will be enough to get a paper), gives your back-of-the-enevelope noodling a sanity check, and prepares you to give credit where due.dmckeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18052641757203089416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-6339653032545700902015-07-13T17:25:51.272-04:002015-07-13T17:25:51.272-04:00That's pretty good, though #3 and #6 may be so...That's pretty good, though #3 and #6 may be somewhat at odds (and I wish #6 mentioned sleep as well as food and exercise). <br /><br />It also strikes me that #4 is really part of #s 1 and 2 (which are themselves related). <br /><br />We could probably have a good separate discussion about the extent to which we agree with this list, and/or how we'd modify it. Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-43947126467670332782015-07-13T17:22:26.288-04:002015-07-13T17:22:26.288-04:00This is one of those moments when I wish we had a ...This is one of those moments when I wish we had a "like" button, since I agree with most of what's been said above. <br /><br />One question (probably related to my own preoccupations more than your purposes, Frod), about #3: as a scientist, how do you feel about referring to reading secondary sources as "research"? One of the things I try to get across to my Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-63593099160254247092015-07-13T17:14:34.875-04:002015-07-13T17:14:34.875-04:00As a student of rhetoric (or a least someone who p...As a student of rhetoric (or a least someone who poses as such for employment purposes), I'm comfortable with the phrasing of #4. As generations of English majors who supported themselves by writing advertising (and their successors who now write "7 weird tricks" headlines) will tell you, writing doesn't always have to be good to appeal to an audience, but effectively reaching Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-54126925862233273522015-07-13T13:47:01.326-04:002015-07-13T13:47:01.326-04:00When I taught courses to other departments, I was ...When I taught courses to other departments, I was expected to be less rigorous and not so thorough with the material. The reason, I suppose, was that those students didn't need to have a detailed understanding of the concepts as well as maintaining high pass rates.<br /><br />When I was an undergrad and took my English and math courses, either the profs treated those courses as a joke Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-84851783810315104262015-07-13T12:28:58.049-04:002015-07-13T12:28:58.049-04:00Yes. Livestrong.com is also not an academic sourc...Yes. Livestrong.com is also not an academic source, or WedMD, or peta.org...Frennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17126693773120200776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-78077689869446254032015-07-13T10:39:24.226-04:002015-07-13T10:39:24.226-04:00"I think most people are pretty darn sure the..."I think most people are pretty darn sure they think critically, and see no reason to question that opinion of themselves. "<br /><br />there seems to be a direct inverse relationship between people claiming they are logical and think critically, and their ability to actually do so. Middle-Aged and Morosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046076243513948921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-74558614284380969062015-07-13T06:31:07.275-04:002015-07-13T06:31:07.275-04:00I like it, but I suspect that our old nemeses Dunn...I like it, but I suspect that our old nemeses Dunning and Kruger will kick in. Right off the bat with number one, I think most people are pretty darn sure they think critically, and see no reason to question that opinion of themselves. Ditto for most of the rest. The really hard part is to learn to be comfortable questioning yourself - asking yourself where you might be wrong, and then doing Rosencrantz Andor Guildensternhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05095512139776536635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-86471152208583179032015-07-13T04:04:55.794-04:002015-07-13T04:04:55.794-04:00Two readers sent in this list.Two readers sent in <a href="http://www.collegedegrees.com/blog/2012/03/30/6-essential-skills-every-student-should-learn-during-college/" rel="nofollow">this list.</a>College Miseryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01371354682300032653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-3008315497599891302015-07-13T01:01:11.747-04:002015-07-13T01:01:11.747-04:00The problem with (4) is that it is simply not true...The problem with (4) is that it is simply not true that nobody wants to read poor writing and bad ideas. If anything, the general public is probably more likely to read that than some serious academic study. Thanks to the Internet, the available pool of readers has become so large that eventually a number of interested readers will be found for anything. How would you rephrase (4)?Monicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08103879727877816655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-91123041452098131622015-07-12T23:41:18.737-04:002015-07-12T23:41:18.737-04:00(3) is an uphill battle for me. Our library subscr...(3) is an uphill battle for me. Our library subscribes to useful (and expensive) databases, and every semester I set up a training session for my students. Somehow it doesn't stick. BUSINESSBALLS.COM IS NOT AN ACADEMIC SOURCE, PEOPLE!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15711314415244801354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-4788652222365371252015-07-12T21:53:46.258-04:002015-07-12T21:53:46.258-04:00Nice. I've been telling my upper-division majo...Nice. I've been telling my upper-division majors that one big task for them at college is to become and expert user of their own brain: figure out what it needs—be that sleep, exercises, good nutrition, stimulation, or quiet solitude—and then to structure their lives so that they get it.dmckeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18052641757203089416noreply@blogger.com