Pitfalls of academia.

by **Kit** » Tue Jan 26, 2010 3:32 am

Lofty wrote:Hah, I got 12% at university. Now I'm a qualified accountant. What made the difference? I can only tell you what helped me, but maybe it will help you too.

- Flexibility: Tutors need to know you have a specialised learning style and they need to be flexible to accomodate that. Mostly, being "flexible" is not too demanding - it usually just means leaving me alone to my own devices, appreciated that I might ask strange questions and that I may ignore what they are doing whilst working on something else. I have a very specialised learning style - if I do my own thing, I am fully capable. Outside those parameters I'm pretty useless.

I agree, unfortunately I just know my lecturer is going to see my adjustment requests as a challenge to be over come.

Nice post Lofty.

by **wallflower** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 5:57 am

I also did better in high school because of the structured environment. What helped me the most in high school was that the teachers would give us notes instead of having to make them ourselves. I've never been good at making notes, and when we had to in elementary/high school I could never figure out what was important and just ended up copying what was in the book almost word for word. Now when I highlight in a textbook I'll sometimes end up highlighting a whole page, which I know is pretty stupid. Some profs do give notes, but when they didn't I would end up writing down almost the whole lecture. This was in first year when I was able to concentrate, now I don't even try.

by **Steve234** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 9:49 pm

For an aspie, doesn't it seem like it's incredibly difficult to figure out the main idea when your brain focuses on unimportant detail all the time, is that what you mean about highlighting the whole page?

Do aspies tend to do well when they select classes of the same subject per semester in order to conform to the fact that they often have narrow interests? Like, for example, doing nothing but humanities courses for a semester, or nothing but math courses for a semester. Has anybody here with aspergers employed that strategy, or does it not make much of a difference?

by **wallflower** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 4:15 am

Steve234 wrote:For an aspie, doesn't it seem like it's incredibly difficult to figure out the main idea when your brain focuses on unimportant detail all the time, is that what you mean about highlighting the whole page?

I'm not sure if that's an Aspie thing or if it's just me. I was wondering if anyone else had this problem, that's why I mentioned it. I've heard Aspies have problems getting the big picture, but maybe I just suck at taking notes (I didn't want to just assume this was an AS problem)... Sorry, I know I should have been a bit clearer on this.

Steve234 wrote:Do aspies tend to do well when they select classes of the same subject per semester in order to conform to the fact that they often have narrow interests? Like, for example, doing nothing but humanities courses for a semester, or nothing but math courses for a semester. Has anybody here with aspergers employed that strategy, or does it not make much of a difference?

I don't think it would make much difference. I always did better in the subjects I found interesting no matter what else I was taking that semester. But that's just me. Depending on the program and how the courses are scheduled this may not be possible anyway. In my program at least, I know I would never have been able to organize this even if I wanted to, especially in the first two years.

by **Chucky** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 9:40 pm

Steve234 wrote:For an aspie, doesn't it seem like it's incredibly difficult to figure out the main idea when your brain focuses on unimportant detail all the time, is that what you mean about highlighting the whole page?

Do aspies tend to do well when they select classes of the same subject per semester in order to conform to the fact that they often have narrow interests? Like, for example, doing nothing but humanities courses for a semester, or nothing but math courses for a semester. Has anybody here with aspergers employed that strategy, or does it not make much of a difference?

As you move through an education system, the subject 'choice' becomes narrower anyway. Steve. In school for children, it will always be the case that we studying a broad range of subjects, as this is a good foundation of knowledge for us. As you move into college, you choose a course in which most subjects will be to your liking. If you get to the stage that i'm at (postgraduate), then everything you do is interesting.

You should look favourably on the subjects that are not instantly your first choice. You don't have to be an expert at them, but you can appreciate them for what they are.

Kevin

by **Steve234** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 4:48 pm

Do the various ways professors organize the course work drive you crazy. One professor might have a totally different syllabus than another, even though they are very similar classes. Also, some professors have no idea how to use technology and don't post anything at all on the online resource system that the university put into place in order for them to share syllabi and other lesson plans; they've been a teacher at this university a lot longer than i've been a student, so why can't they utilize this system.

Either that, or the way they organize and convey information in their lecture is just totally different from the way other professors organize and convey their information (or just plain unorganized to be honest).

With some professors, it feels like they aren't even teachers, with the the awful way they convey and organize information, or the way in which they are prepared for the course; it's like they haven't been doing this for a while and they haven't put into place basic organizational schemes.

I guess the real question is how can people survive and thrive in a career, or as a scholar, with such little preparation. I've seen this all throughout my life, it's like certain people are just in a certain state where they can do this, I don't understand it.

by **Chucky** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 8:49 pm

Steve234, there are many incompetent teachers out there. They do the minimal amount of teaching necessary and do not even have their own notes. Some just come into the room, read the book or write n the board, and then leave. The best student is the one that learns what the teacher wants to be learned, but learns more too. They take pride in their work and expand on the notes that they take in class.

Kevin

by **Steve234** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 9:16 pm

Yeah I understand, but doesn't all that stuff that I mentioned bother aspies more than neuro typicals; the lack of clear cut organization and all.

by **Chucky** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 9:38 pm

You're right - yes - I missed the point. As I look back, it has been a great nuisance to get inadequate notes. However, even if they are nicely presented and informative, it still does not feel right. i have to either rewrite them in my own way or else 'mark' them some how such that they become more personal.

by **Steve234** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 9:54 pm

Yes i'm looking for an aspie perspective. I'm not offically an aspie (not having been evaluated yet), but would just like to know if all the things that I mentioned drive an aspie a little crazier than the rest of the world.

Pitfalls of academia.

Re: Pitfalls of academia.

Re: Pitfalls of academia.

Re: Pitfalls of academia.

Re: Pitfalls of academia.

Re: Pitfalls of academia.

Re: Pitfalls of academia.

Re: Pitfalls of academia.

Re: Pitfalls of academia.

Re: Pitfalls of academia.

Re: Pitfalls of academia.

Who is online