Finals Week! Physics Gradschool Vlog
TLDRThe video script details the experiences of a graduate physics student at New Mexico State University during finals week. The student, who has recently acquired a piano, discusses their preparation for three final exams in quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and quantum field theory. Despite the stress, they remain confident, especially in quantum mechanics, and plan to review past homework for revision. The student also shares their grading responsibilities as a teaching assistant and the anticipation of upcoming courses, including the potential for a general relativity class. The narrative concludes with the student's reflections on their performance and grades, expressing a desire to achieve straight A's in the future.
Takeaways
- π The individual is a graduate physics student at New Mexico State University taking courses in quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and quantum field theory.
- πΉ They acquired a piano from a professor who was moving across the country and wanted the instrument to go to someone who would play it.
- π The student is thorough in their approach to homework, which aids in their exam preparation by reviewing past assignments.
- π They are confident in their quantum mechanics understanding and believe it to be one of their strengths.
- π The student plans their study sessions effectively, focusing on areas they need to improve and setting aside time for reviewing.
- π They emphasize the importance of understanding problem-solving procedures for each class and suggest reworking old homeworks as a study method.
- π For open-notes exams, the student creates a table of contents to quickly locate information in their notes.
- π€ They find that studying on a blackboard helps with making and correcting mistakes, which is beneficial for their learning process.
- π The student received an A in quantum mechanics and anticipates high grades in their other courses.
- π¨βπ« As a teaching assistant, they also have responsibilities for grading and providing extra credit opportunities for their students.
- π The individual is looking forward to future courses, including a potential general relativity class, and reflects on their experiences and achievements in their first year of grad school.
Q & A
What day of the week does the transcript start on?
-The transcript starts on a Sunday morning.
Why did Kelly receive a piano?
-Kelly received a piano from one of her professors who was moving across the country and wanted to ensure it went to someone who would play it.
What are the three courses the speaker is taking as a graduate physics student?
-The speaker is taking quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and quantum field theory.
What is the alternative to a final exam in the quantum field theory class?
-Instead of a final exam, the students had to give one of the lectures instead of the professors.
What is the speaker's strategy for studying for the quantum final?
-The speaker plans to review previous homework assignments, focusing on understanding the problem-solving procedures and derivations.
What topics does the speaker expect to be on the quantum final?
-The topics expected on the quantum final include different types of perturbation theories, scattering theory, Clebsch-Gordon coefficients, and the radial equation.
What advice does the speaker give for studying for a cumulative exam?
-The speaker advises reworking old homeworks to ensure the problem-solving procedure for the class is well understood and creating a table of contents for notes to quickly find concepts during an open-notes exam.
What is the speaker's approach to grading the final exams for the lab class they TA for?
-The speaker takes the exam themselves first to understand it fully and then grades the students' work, allowing for last-minute submissions and extra credit opportunities.
What is the speaker's final grade for quantum mechanics?
-The speaker received an A in quantum mechanics.
What is the cumulative GPA for the speaker's first year of grad school?
-The cumulative GPA for the speaker's first year of grad school is 3.716.
What is the speaker's goal for the next semester?
-The speaker's goal for the next semester is to aim for straight A's.
What does the speaker find particularly useful about studying in the physics department conference room?
-The speaker finds the large blackboard in the physics department conference room useful for doing work, as it allows for easy correction of mistakes without the need for paper.
Outlines
π Final Week Preparations and Piano Arrival
The speaker is a graduate physics student at New Mexico State University, discussing their preparations for the upcoming finals week. They have acquired a piano from a professor who was moving and is eager to start playing it. The student is taking three courses: quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and quantum field theory. They are not worried about the quantum mechanics final but plans to review previous homeworks to prepare for the other two finals. The speaker also mentions that they will be teaching a lecture for quantum field theory instead of taking a final exam. They provide a detailed account of their study plan, focusing on areas such as perturbation theory and scattering theory.
π Exam Strategies and Post-Exam Relief
The speaker reflects on their experience with the quantum mechanics final and outlines their strategy for studying for the statistical mechanics final. They emphasize the importance of understanding problem-solving procedures and reworking old homeworks. The student also discusses the benefits of having an open-notes and open-book exam and shares their method of creating a table of contents to navigate their notes efficiently. After the quantum mechanics exam, they express relief and discuss future courses, including the possibility of a general relativity course. They also mention grading responsibilities as a teaching assistant and the process of taking the exam themselves to understand the grading process.
π Completing Finals and Grading
The speaker talks about finishing their finals, including a challenging question on neutron stars. They express excitement about the end of the semester and the completion of grading for their teaching assistant role. They mention giving students an extra credit lab opportunity and their efforts to have all grades ready for students to make informed decisions about attending the lab. The speaker also discusses their personal grading process, including taking the lab exam themselves to understand the material better. They reflect on their performance in the first year of grad school and share their final grades, which include an A in quantum mechanics and anticipated high grades in the other courses.
π Academic Performance and Future Goals
The speaker reviews their academic transcript, highlighting their performance across different courses taken during their first year of grad school. They express a desire to achieve straight A's in the next semester, seeing it as a personal challenge and a significant achievement. The speaker also discusses their overall GPA and their satisfaction with their academic progress. They conclude the vlog by expressing their hope that viewers enjoyed the video and inviting feedback in the comments section.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Finals Week
π‘Graduate Physics Student
π‘Quantum Mechanics
π‘Statistical Mechanics
π‘Quantum Field Theory
π‘Perturbation Theory
π‘Clebsch-Gordon Coefficients
π‘Scattering Theory
π‘Academic Transcript
π‘Teaching Assistant (TA)
π‘General Relativity
Highlights
Acquiring a piano from a professor moving across the country, ensuring it goes to someone who will play it.
The narrator is a graduate physics student at New Mexico State University.
Taking three courses: quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and quantum field theory.
Giving a lecture instead of taking a final exam in quantum field theory.
Focusing on reviewing homework for quantum mechanics final, emphasizing thoroughness in homework preparation.
Discussing the importance of understanding perturbation theories and scattering theory for the final exams.
Mentioning the use of a table of contents for efficient studying during open-notes exams.
Experiencing the challenge of studying with a new piano in a small apartment.
The narrator's confidence in their quantum mechanics final and less concern about it compared to other subjects.
Grading the final exams and providing extra credit opportunities for students.
Discussing the differences between finals week in graduate school compared to undergraduate studies.
The narrator's strategy for tackling cumulative exams by reworking old homework problems.
Receiving an A in quantum mechanics and anticipation for the results of other courses.
The excitement for the possibility of taking a general relativity course in the next academic year.
Finishing grading and looking forward to the end of the first year of grad school.
The narrator's cumulative GPA after the first year of grad school and the goal for next semester.
Conducting a makeup lab on torque for a class and explaining the physics behind it.
Reflecting on the completed first year of grad school and looking forward to future academic challenges.
Transcripts
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