Students of today vs Old School

This semester I am auditing a Corporate Finance course at the Harvard School of Economics. It has been very interesting but it has been a while since I was a student.

I guess that you could say I'm a part of the  'Old School' group now since the last time I studied was in 2003 (gosh 10 years ago!)  when I did my BSc. Honours in Mathematics at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in JHB. Prior to that for 3 years I did a BSc. with two majors - Computer Science and Mathematics. Prior to that I had done 1st year BCom - I had switched over from a BCom to a BSc. because even though I did well, I wanted to do something with computers (computers were the 'in' thing that time). Strangely, I ended up doing my honours in Mathematics.

Me and Maths

When I was in Matric, I said that I wouldn't do Maths again. I had attended a public school in Winchester Hills. In Matric, to our horror we discovered that our Maths teacher in Standard 8 and 9 had taught us standard grade Algebra and lower grade Geometry & Trigonometry! That's why we were all getting 90-100%! So in a panic, we were given extra Maths lessons in the afternoons. There were about 200 Matriculants and only 12 of us were doing higher grade Maths! So to add to the stressful Matric year (in addition to my drama, public speaking and netball commitments and duties as Headgirl), I now, along with the other 11 students, had to cram 3 years of higher grade Maths into one year. I landed up getting a C for Maths - 65% - I was just happy that I had passed so that I could go to university. So now you can understand why I said that I didn't want to do Maths again.  So from a tough experience in Matric, I eventually even did my Honours in Mathematics and just missed an A with 73%. There is another long story behind this (as 2003 was an extremely difficult  year for me as my mom got very ill and was in ICU for 19 days) but you get the sense of really how well I did against all odds :) I did better than most other people who had gone to fancy private schools. Looking back, I am proud of myself.

Students today

So after 10 years, it has been nice to be in a lecture room again with students - although all the students are so young! Fortunately, I don't think I stick out at all with my jeans and t-shirts :) Some female students even have more make-up than me! Today, students bring iPads and laptops to class - no more pen and paper :) They add notes on the lecturer's slides directly on their laptops. You often see a student take a photo of the slide with their iPad. I often watch students during lectures, some are checking emails or even on Facebook.

All lecture slides and readings are available on the class iSite. Notices, assigments and timetables are all on the iSite. For this course, notes are handed out, which is nice so that you can make notes on the physical slides.

There are 'Sections' which are optional. These are sessions where smaller groups of students can ask/discuss things. There are Teaching Fellows/Assistants (called 'TA's or TF's) who run these Sections.

For some courses, they even load up the lecture videos.

The lecturer uses Powerpoint presentations to present - no more writing on chalk boards although they are there in case a lecturer wants to use it.

Like in the old days, it is class etiquette to put your cellphone on silent. There is often a small punishment if your phone goes off - like buying cake for everyone.

I sometimes see students with a video recorder or use their cellphone to record the lecture.

Online learning is becoming more popular.

Old School

Back in the day, the lecturers wrote on the blackboard and we copied down notes during lectures. There were projectors with transparencies - remember those? Students brought notebooks and pens to take notes. We seemed to write a lot.

There were 'Tuts' which were short for tutorials. During Tuts we worked on homework assignments.

That time email had just come out so email wasn't popular.

There were physical notice boards - no class website. You had to always check the noticeboards for assignment/exam results, notices, etc.

Nothing was electronic so everything was printed and handed out.

Students today vs Old School

It is really awesome being a student today, technology has helped a lot! so there is more time to learn :)

A trip to Harvard Business School (HBS)

Athol and I attended a presentation by C. Cristensen at the Harvard Business School.

HBS is well known in the business world so I  was excited to attend a lecture there (especially since I am a strategist and we use the Harvard Business Review and Porter's Five Forces). The lecture was at 6pm and there were a lot of eager, engaging students - something rare in SA :)

The campus is really nice - beautiful brick buildings with lots of open spaces with benches. We went to the Aldrich Hall room 108.

 

The lecture rooms are very nice with wall wood panels, nice seats and desks. The students use name tags so that lecturers know their names. The campus is much nicer than HKS and the Harvard Yard.

There was even a South African flag! can you spot it?

Cristensen is a well known HBS Professor and has written several books, he spoke about the Capitalism Dilemma of the growth in efficiency innovations and not enough growth in 'disruptive innovations' resulting in increasing unemployment in the US. Simply put, man is being replaced by cheaper, more efficient machines :)

 

It was a good discussion, a tough problem with no clear solution yet, but at least this problem is being discussed by intellectuals - a step in the right direction.

A fun trip!

Officially Spring! Survived the Boston Winter

Today is officially Spring!

So we survived the cold Boston Winter.

Today's weather is 1C (-6C with wind chill) with snow on the ground from yesterday's Winter Storm Uzzo which left about 6 inches of inches on the ground. This is still way colder than any Joburg Winter but hopefully the worst is over and we can forward to warmer days :) So Happy Spring Day everyone!

According to the weather forecast, we still might see some flurries this week, so shouldn't pack away your Winter clothes just yet!

Here are some pics of my walk to the Cambridge Public Library yesterday:

The cars look like they have mohawks! :)

When I got home yesterday, I thought that I'd make some snowmen since our balcony was covered in snow and just because I could (not often that a South African has this opportunity to play in the snow!). Meet Harvey and the Janitor :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Last Stretch - 9 months done, 3 months to go

We've been in the US for 9 months now (9 out of our 12 months here in Boston) - I can't believe how fast time is flying by! I actually want it to slow down a bit, just so that we can enjoy our time here for a bit longer. It's been such an amazing adventure thus far and now we're heading into the last stretch - 3 months to go before we go back to South Africa. Our flight is booked and we are expected to land in Johannesburg on Sunday 16 June (Youth Day).

It is now Spring Break and Harvard is closed for a week. It is meant to officially be Spring on 20 March however there is still some snow forecast on Monday night. So Spring Day is forecast to have a max temperature of 5C and a min of -1C - this is more like a Johannesburg Winter at its worst! This does however mean that we have survived the evil Boston Winter and we can look forward to warmer days :) We've noticed that it is definately a bit warmer, the sun is setting later and all the runners and cyclists are back out on the roads. The Winter was extremely cold and it snowed a few times but luckily it wasn't too bad - yes we lived through Hurricane Sandy, Blizzard Nemo and temperatures of -22C (with wind chill) but it could have been worse. What made it easier too was the fact that we had excellent internal heating in our apartment and we didn't have to shovel any snow or have to walk/drive in blizzard conditions. Gosh I just realised that I haven't driven a car in 9 months! I hope that I remember how to drive when I get back :)

We look forward to our last 3 months here in Boston and will try enjoy every minute.

A big day to look forward to is Graduation Day (or Commencement Day as the Americans would call it!) on 30 May when Athol graduates from Harvard.

An African in America - new blog

I started a new blog a few weeks ago. It's called 'An African in America'.

http://anafricaninamerica.blogspot.com/

Living here over the last 9 months, I've observed some strange things - growing up in third-world country and now living in a first-world country - so I thought that I'd note my random, sometimes comical, naive observations.

Enjoy! 

Winter Storm Saturn & Noam Chomsky

On Thursday and Friday it snowed all along the East Coast - Winter Storm Saturn.

This should be the last snowstorm this Winter as it is officially Spring on 20 March. We also turn ahead our clocks by one hour tomorrow (daylight savings). So our time difference with South Africa will be back to 6 hours.

The snow is still a novelty to me, it is so magical to watch as the snow falls. We got about 10 inches of snow. Some schools were closed on Friday due to the snow. Luckily, the roads and pathways are cleared quickly after the storm so everthing can resume as per usual. It is very impressive. Here, the subway seems to operate and shops are open. In London the city halts when they get some snow.  Below are some pics of the men hard at work clearing the roads and walkways.

 

 

 

Last night, we braved the snow and went to a talk by well-known MIT Professor Noam Chomsky. Yes, it was a Friday night, and this is how we chose to spent it! we are such nerds :) He has been teaching for over 50 years and has written over 100 books, he is a legend in the academic world. He spoke about the Options for Palestinians and the Lessons learnt from Apartheid South Africa - he had some very interesting things to say! He spoke about how America controls the world as it has the biggest military. It was their sanctions against South Africa that ultimately brought down Apartheid.  

Our walk back home was fun, we had to walk through the Harvard Yard. We stopped to take some pictures and throw snowballs and I even did a 'snow angel' :) yes I'm a kid at heart - but how often do you get a chance to do it :) below are some pics.

The John Harvard Statue

 

 

 

My American Favourites

We've been here in the US 8.5 months now, so I thought that I'd make a list of some of my favourite things here in America.

Favourite USA city: Boston is our favourite city, it is a beautiful city, close to the ocean and the Charles River runs through it. It is a student city so the vibe is interesting, fun, dynamic, casual, inspirational and intellectual. People are friendly and there is SO much to do.

Favourite American Food: I love soups so I've really enjoyed the Clam Chowder. The seafood here in Boston is particularly good.

Favourite American Snack: Au Bon Pain's chocolate croissant (heated slightly in the microwave oven! MMmmm) and Hot Chocolate at Burdicks in Cambridge.

Favourite American Drink: Lemonade. It is not like Sprite or Lemonade back in South Africa. It is non-fizzy and sometimes even comes in pink :)

Favourite American Supermarket: Whole Foods. They have such a nice variety of fresh, organic foods. Their Key Lime Cheesecake is a winner!

Favourite American Season: Definately not winter although I've enjoyed the snow :) Summers are extremely hot and humid, and I haven't experienced Spring yet so I'd have to say Fall because it isn't too hot and it is quite pretty with all the leaves turning colours.

Favourite American Sport: Tough one. European football is my all time favourite sport to watch but we haven't watched any games while here in the US. We went to a baseball, basketball and American football game here in Boston. I really enjoyed the basketball and baseball. I don't fully get American football it is like rugby but not quite :)

Favourite American Past-time: Having a picnic by the Charles River and playing in the snow :)

Favourite American Trip: Our trip to the West Coast was awesome, went to Las Vegas, LA, Seattle and San Francisco and met up with family. Even though Athol was busy with assignments and got sick, we still have a blast.

Favourite American idea/innovation: Zipcar. White board paper and paint.

Favourite American Moments: Singing along with thousands of others at the Bruce Springsteen concert at Fenway Park. Watching the Red Sox and Boston Celtics. Just walking around Harvard with Athol :) Seeing Aung San Suu Kyi, Toni Morrison, CK Williams and Noam Chomsky.

Most Embarassing American Moment: Falling asleep during one of Obama's speeches on TV :)