Omission(s)

In my recent post, "On a Scale of 1 to Evil..." I chronicled many of my qualms with BYU's Math department. Nevertheless, there are a couple of very important stories that I neglected to include in that post. So, here they are...

The math classes that I took at BYU included Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, and Ordinary Differential Equations, in that order. I had been anxiously anticipating the day of my Differential Equations final since about the second week of linear algebra, when I decided that I was going to take as little math at BYU as possible since BYU math exemplified all things evil. On the day of the final, I walked in to 111 Talmage Building with about a B in the class up to that point (the class was epicurved, so you really didn't know until the end.) I took the final and figured that I did pretty poorly, but didn't really care because I was SO excited to be done. As I ran out of the Talmage Building, I held my hands over my head and yelled out loud, "Freedom! Sweet freedom! You are mine at last!" I ran out of the Talmage Building incredibly contented to be done. I was living at the Riviera Apartments at the time, and I got about there before I realized that I had made a tragic error. In my rush to exit the Talmage Building once and for all, I had left the glasses I was wearing at the time in 111. I made my way back with my head held in shame and said as I entered that room, "Blast, freedom eludes me once more." After I had claimed my glasses, I walked out the Talmage Building once and for all, and have not entered into it again.

A few days after that sweet, sweet event I got my score for the differential equations final. This class was at least partially administered through BYU Math's incredible stupid and mostly worthless "Moodle" website. (And you see that creativity of BYU mathematicians coming up with a website name; it sounds like a name you give to a manicured French Poodle.) So, a few days after the final, Brianna Durham, who is now Brianna West, btw, Crackbook chatted me to tell me that the scores were up for both the final exam and the class. I looked on the stupid Moodle website and found that I had a score of 98 on the final. I said to myself, "Wow, that's a great score, I must have done better than I thought!" ...Then I remembered that the differential equations final was out of 200 points. Suddenly I found myself hoping that I had merely passed the class. As I scrolled down, I found that I had made like a 72, or something like that in the class overall, which was good enough for a C+. To this day, a 49 is still the lowest test score I've ever had. So, BYU Math is responsible for both my lowest overall grade (Linear Algebra: C) and my lowest test score.

BYU Math has made a lasting impression on me (and on my transcripts) in probably the worst way possible. This department has been responsible for my lowest scores in all of my school work. I haven't done any regression analysis, but I believe that the difference between my average scores and my BYU Math scores is statistically significant. I believe that sometimes people and things are but in your way to try your faith and your patience. Both several of current home teachees and BYU Math fit into that category. If it was up to me, I'd disband BYU Math, fire all of the professors and department chairs on the grounds of apostasy and start over with people who are willing to follow Gospel principles... Maybe that's why it's not up to me. :)