Post by pinkplasticdoll on Jul 24, 2013 23:54:23 GMT -5
As said by pp's it really depends on the school and classes. My 3000 level math class was a lot easier in comparison to my 2000 level chem class. I have limited choice of professors at my school so I pretty much have to power through any and all classes that are major required. I do a lot better in online classes and classes over the summer because I am focused on learning that material through and through.
I am a bio and chem major, and thought the 200s were the hardest. The 300s and 400s were my favorite because they weren't required, they were wanted I *wanted* to study. I might also be tainted in my view because o-chem was a 200 class and it sucked the life out of me.
It depends on the field. Physical chemistry (300-level) is the most challenging course for most chemistry majors. You hear that general chemistry (100-level) and organic chemistry (200-level) are difficult because they're full of students with poor study skills and/or little interest in chemistry.
My worst classes were 200 level physics, calculus 2, and a couple of 500 level graduate accounting courses (international tax through the law school, and multi-jurisdictional tax).
The classes all built on each other in my accounting program, so in 330 you needed to know what you should have learned in 230, 240, and 250. It wasn't ever hard, per se, but it was cumulative. Then again I was 18-23 when I did those programs and had minimal outside responsibilities, which honestly makes a huge difference.
One thing that really helped me was relational learning - basically this new thing is a lot like this old thing but different in these ways. Then I didn't have to memorize everything just how it was different. My straight volume and memorization based classes where the hardest.
Oh and pm me some time if you want the easy way to figure debited and credits. It's a half page of basic algebra and you will never have a problem with what is increased by a debit or decreased by a credit again.
This was my experience as well in accounting. Not necessarily more difficult, but if you didn't have a good grasp on debits and credits, you were going to struggle in Financial Reporting, because instead of thinking about the concepts, you would be still trying to figure our the journal entry (over simplifying here). Some of it does depend on the professor though as well. In my program, the tax classes were really time intensive. Lots and lots of memorization, while friends at other highly regarded programs in the area were taking open book tax classes, ours were closed, which goes back to the professor. My tax professor was a masochist who put himself through law school and an MBA program in 3 years, while working full time, though. Those that had open book tax classes all struggled when it came time to pass that section of the CPA, so it was worth it in the end.
Explorer - I will also be PMing you for that debit/credit worksheet. I am in consulting now, but have to think back to T accounts sometimes and I feel like an idiot when I have to fumble for that info in the back of my brain.
Thanks especially for the accountants who've responded. As far as the basics go, I feel like I've had them down pat for awhile - I've been working in accounting for 17 years, and as a staff accountant for 8. I work closely with the controller, and I do things that not even the accounting manager (my direct supervisor, she has fewer years in the field but has a degree) can do. I need/want this degree - for my own ego, but also for job security, the ability to change companies if I decide to, and most importantly so that I can be eligible for a promotion to manager. At the same time, I don't want to automatically assume that I can breeze through the rest of the program without a problem. This is just undergrad; I still have the CPA to worry about.