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Bell curve, helping others

thehockeykid

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bj89 Newbie

bj89

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My opinion is that if you with-hold help from others who genuinely need your help, then you are an annoying selfish keener... That being said, I believe some people shouldn't be helped (e.g. those who expect to copy assignments and have you do work for them, etc.)

 

Helping out a small group of friends won't significantly screw you in the curve (if there even is one)... It's not like you're going around making sure everyone's going to do well without first making sure you yourself are prepared for assignments/exams.

 

So, I say help your neighbour if you can spare the time. Start building those humanistic qualities early on!

 

Good luck m8

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cgardiner Newbie

cgardiner

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My opinion is that if you with-hold help from others who genuinely need your help, then you are an annoying selfish keener... That being said, I believe some people shouldn't be helped (e.g. those who expect to copy assignments and have you do work for them, etc.)

 

Helping out a small group of friends won't significantly screw you in the curve (if there even is one)... It's not like you're going around making sure everyone's going to do well without first making sure you yourself are prepared for assignments/exams.

 

So, I say help your neighbour if you can spare the time. Start building those humanistic qualities early on!

 

Good luck m8

 

I always wonder.. what if I chose not to help someone. He or she could have potentially gone on to cure cancer or diabetes in a separate timeline in which I had of helped them. Weird.

 

Moral of the story: help the ones who need help, but don't give away answers.

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LostLamb Apprentice

LostLamb

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There's help and there's spoonfeeding. And then...there's karma.

 

Keep the old adage in mind: do unto others as you'd like others to do unto you.

 

Don't worry about the curve. There will be enough people who won't work hard or care. ;) Even some of those you may help might not affect the curve.

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Vivid03 Newbie

Vivid03

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I needed lecture slides because my student account wasn't functioning properly when I asked another premed.. He refused and laughed it off... The next week he comes and asks me to help him with a lab report. I did it. Why? Not because I forgot what he did but because it helped me understand more when I reexplained. If you want to be a doctor you need to be willing to help. I'd rather not go to medical school if it was all about me. The reason I am going is to help others. If I can do that in school and make people's lives easier I'm down for it.

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pedobear Newbie

pedobear

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If you tell the adcom you don't like to help sometimes they will consider it a sign of strength. I mean a doc can't help everyone especially when they don't deserve it. Going out of your premedical path to be distracted by fools is looked down upon as sign of non-commitment. Being realistic is part of the interview process.

 

 

Just sayin

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cnb88 Newbie

cnb88

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Coming from a university where the majority of courses are ACTUALLY bell-cuved (except for language learning courses), I think I have a slightly different take on it

 

Yes, I really mean really actually bell curved- it actually says in the university calendar (that I went to), if you spend the time to search for it, the exact percentage of students in the class that should receive each grade. It's a lot of work for the profs if their average/distribution doesn't match the percentage closely to justify it and prove to the department that the marks should stand, so most profs just go with it and that's how most classes are marked. Sometimes this really helps you (ie Ochem- 55% on the final and end up with an A- because the class average was a 35%), and other times it rapes you in the ass (94% as a final grade in stats, but you only get a B+ because the average was so high:mad:. And no, I'm not even joking or exaggerating). It's also bad when the class size is small- ever had a class in which there were 12 people, and it was still curved? Tell me how you get a normal distribution from that:rolleyes:.

 

Anyways, enough about my rant about true bell curves, my point is, given my experience, I wouldn't necessarily proffer my help to anyone and everyone in a given class- because while I may understand it better, now so do they, and I know it sounds horrible, but that one mark can actually make a difference in your final grade when the prof is really strict about the grade distribution in a class (ie- if you are 0.1% off of a cut-off, too bad for you). However, if I have a friend in that class, and they are having difficulties with something, I will help them because I know that if I were having difficulties, they would help me too. Am I a terrible person because I wouldn't help everyone? Probably, but getting screwed over a few times has jaded me a little with that. So I guess my answer to whether or not I would help someone would depend on how well I knew them.

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pedobear Newbie

pedobear

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Coming from a university where the majority of courses are ACTUALLY bell-cuved (except for language learning courses), I think I have a slightly different take on it

 

Yes, I really mean really actually bell curved- it actually says in the university calendar (that I went to), if you spend the time to search for it, the exact percentage of students in the class that should receive each grade. It's a lot of work for the profs if their average/distribution doesn't match the percentage closely to justify it and prove to the department that the marks should stand, so most profs just go with it and that's how most classes are marked. Sometimes this really helps you (ie Ochem- 55% on the final and end up with an A- because the class average was a 35%), and other times it rapes you in the ass (94% as a final grade in stats, but you only get a B+ because the average was so high:mad:. And no, I'm not even joking or exaggerating). It's also bad when the class size is small- ever had a class in which there were 12 people, and it was still curved? Tell me how you get a normal distribution from that:rolleyes:.

 

Anyways, enough about my rant about true bell curves, my point is, given my experience, I wouldn't necessarily proffer my help to anyone and everyone in a given class- because while I may understand it better, now so do they, and I know it sounds horrible, but that one mark can actually make a difference in your final grade when the prof is really strict about the grade distribution in a class (ie- if you are 0.1% off of a cut-off, too bad for you). However, if I have a friend in that class, and they are having difficulties with something, I will help them because I know that if I were having difficulties, they would help me too. Am I a terrible person because I wouldn't help everyone? Probably, but getting screwed over a few times has jaded me a little with that. So I guess my answer to whether or not I would help someone would depend on how well I knew them.

 

I guess how well you would treat a patient depends on how well you know them too. A sound ethical strategy indeed.

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Stone Cold Newbie

Stone Cold

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I've cried a couple of times today, but I've just decided to celebrate his life, not mourn his death! I cried while i was listening to Dream Theater actually, this song "Home" reminded me of him for some reason!!

I've already listened to the pantera albums i own, plus some live performances on youtube!!

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