A friend recently forwarded the article talking about google's hiring process. It talked about how employees who didn't do well during the interview ended up doing better than employees who did well during the interview.
It's very interesting because our pharmacy school was thinking about using an diagnostic test to screen students and use it as a part of an admission process. Although I don't know how the result is yet, but I really disagree with the process. I just don't think you can evaluate a person based on a single test and used it as an important criteria. A person is much more than a number.
Maybe it is about time for us to define " what is an interview?"
At least for me, an interview is a chance for both sides to learn more about one another. It's not a one way process. It has to be two ways. How would a test be able to determine whether a person is compatible with the company? How would a test develop by outside company be used to determine whether a person should be employed at a different company? It is so irrelevant. A test does not tell you much about a person. If accurate, it might tell you whether a person belongs to the norm population in which the test was developed. that's all it can say. It doesn't tell you much about a person's personality or anything else. You have to see a person and believe in what you feel about a person before making any judgement.
I think a lot of companies are deviating from this process.
If you want a problem solver, gives them a problem. If you want a technical writer, let them write.
I went and interviewed at one of the schools in 2008. Writing is an important skill that everyone should learn and be good at. I understand this. Quite a few number of school require writing assessment during the interview process. It's understandable. However, the writing assessment has not caught up to date with what is happening in the real world! They assess our writing technique by making us write on paper. Guess what? This represented many problems! First: if your hand writing is bad, you are probably looked at as one of those who couldn't write straight. Second: if your hand writing is incomprehensible, the readers can't understand what you write. Third: it's so old-school. I understand we should learn how to write with pencil and pen, but writing essay with pencil and pen is unnecessary in this stage of age. The admission committee used hand written essays as a way to evaluate people. Then later told me that a large percentage of students could not write even with computer! Okie seriously... maybe they should ask student to write with pens and papers because it will be correlating well with the admission criteria. So my suggestion would be: evaluating writing skill with what you will be requiring students to do in school.
Same thing should happen when people are interviewed for jobs. Need to know what a person should know what to do, test them that! Don't be a robot and put a number in front of a person and identify a person or characterize a person by this number... we are human not robot!
I think trusting your instinct... and your feeling about the place maybe the best way to evaluate. Sometimes you just need that in order to determine whether it will be a good fit.
So I'm excited about my interview today at the DI department in the hospital. I have good feeling about people who work there. They are so friendly and understanding. ^-^ Hopefully I will be able to intern there next semester. :)
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
In memory
I was wondering...whether I should write this in English or should I write it in Vietnamese... Whichever flows better I guess.
A year has passed. To me, today is your memorial day. So much have changed Dad. My hair grows longer. (But I recently had it cut a little bit shorter by noone other than D. He's practicing his skill, so I volunteered to be an experimental subject). The cut wasn't perfect but at least he tried. And this is what you taught us all through your life. Although my hair grows longer, I don't get any taller except for when I wear high heels which hurt my ankles every time. Life is good here but very busy. I'm taking on different projects. As usual, I'm stretching myself probably more than I should have. But it's so usual that it's not uncommon to do so. Whether it is a bad idea, I don't know. I just think I become more workaholic with a long to-do list. Trying to put a strike through each of them is my every day task. I wonder what you would say if you were still here. Crazy little girl? Probably. That's what most people said. I'm used to it. Without the "busy-ness", things aren't excited as they would be. Maybe that's what I'm after... or maybe I'm just running from one thing to the other... trying to catch a glimpse of everything.
I'm in my second year now. I've tried to explore different facets that are available. Kind of narrowing it down bit by bit, but everything is up in the air at this point. I really love the idea of doing transplant. It's a fascinating field. It offers many things that I consider important: patient contact, pharmacotherapy, innovation, ability to work independently etc. However, I kept thinking about what I would be like to be working with patients whose chance of survival might not be great. and whether it will remind me of you and of how you couldn't get the benefit of the technological advance. There comes oncology. Having been going through what their families have gone through... it's easier for me to relate to them. You probably would have said the same. As much as I see a lot of opportunities in Am Care, there are still uncertainty about whether I should do it. The pace is good and you do help a lot of patients. In fact, most of your patients aren't critically ill, so you might not have to deal with the emotional aspect as much as when you are vested in your oncology patients. So... I don't know. I still need to explore and see what I want. You probably would have encouraged me to follow what I love most. Sometimes, things aren't as easy. But I'll try just as you would.
Everybody is doing well and moving on. Or at least I hope they do. It seems that they do. So I guess you don't have to worry about this wherever you are...
It's raining outside heavily. It has been raining for the last 6 hours with more to come. But the rain will stop tomorrow morning so I don't have to wear my heavy boots to school like last year. I didn't think you knew the story but it was flooding and everybody was as wet as a rat. It was so last year now.. :)
I traveled a lot last summer. I wish I could tell you all about it and take you with me as I promised you last year. It was fun and allowed me to do the things that I had always wished to do. People asked if it was lonely... it was more of an exploration than anything. Something you would have approved anyway. Maybe I take this after you. So I blame you for it. :-) A fun summer I would say.
Whenever I look at your picture, I always see your gentle smile. I look at your picture almost everyday whenever I exercise. I guess it's encouraging me to not be lazy ^-^. Your smile was just so content that it's very comforting to look at. And I guess it was the most random picture ever. We were trying to look for a good picture for your funeral... but we couldn't find any printed one. I remembered posting a picture of you and Mom on the Flickr long time ago. Quickly found and printed it. Mom said... you were trying to blind us and only wanted this picture because after an exhausted search, we couldn't find anything in the room. However, they started to appear after the funeral... after everything was done. We found bunch and bunch of pictures.. but to be honest, none was as good as the picture we took a few years back. You were too thin in the new picture and...the happy face wasn't there. We wondered... were we just too tired that we couldn't find any... or was it the act of someone else... But I hope you were happy...
Things after things, a year has gone by just like a blink of the eye. I visisted your resting place the other day. It is still the same. Not much has changed. You have several new neighbors. I hope they treat you well :-). Even if they didn't, you would have treated them just as nice.
I'm not visiting Mom for Thanksgiving. I think they wanted me to... but I can't. So I think I will have a little bit of down time while I'm here.
I hope you're well wherever you are. I hope things are good and others treat you nicely because you really deserve it.
For me...I have to get back to writing...reading...and writing again as usual.
It's a note from me Dad. I wanted to update you on things... but kind of digress out of it. I wish you the best...in everything.
A year has passed. To me, today is your memorial day. So much have changed Dad. My hair grows longer. (But I recently had it cut a little bit shorter by noone other than D. He's practicing his skill, so I volunteered to be an experimental subject). The cut wasn't perfect but at least he tried. And this is what you taught us all through your life. Although my hair grows longer, I don't get any taller except for when I wear high heels which hurt my ankles every time. Life is good here but very busy. I'm taking on different projects. As usual, I'm stretching myself probably more than I should have. But it's so usual that it's not uncommon to do so. Whether it is a bad idea, I don't know. I just think I become more workaholic with a long to-do list. Trying to put a strike through each of them is my every day task. I wonder what you would say if you were still here. Crazy little girl? Probably. That's what most people said. I'm used to it. Without the "busy-ness", things aren't excited as they would be. Maybe that's what I'm after... or maybe I'm just running from one thing to the other... trying to catch a glimpse of everything.
I'm in my second year now. I've tried to explore different facets that are available. Kind of narrowing it down bit by bit, but everything is up in the air at this point. I really love the idea of doing transplant. It's a fascinating field. It offers many things that I consider important: patient contact, pharmacotherapy, innovation, ability to work independently etc. However, I kept thinking about what I would be like to be working with patients whose chance of survival might not be great. and whether it will remind me of you and of how you couldn't get the benefit of the technological advance. There comes oncology. Having been going through what their families have gone through... it's easier for me to relate to them. You probably would have said the same. As much as I see a lot of opportunities in Am Care, there are still uncertainty about whether I should do it. The pace is good and you do help a lot of patients. In fact, most of your patients aren't critically ill, so you might not have to deal with the emotional aspect as much as when you are vested in your oncology patients. So... I don't know. I still need to explore and see what I want. You probably would have encouraged me to follow what I love most. Sometimes, things aren't as easy. But I'll try just as you would.
Everybody is doing well and moving on. Or at least I hope they do. It seems that they do. So I guess you don't have to worry about this wherever you are...
It's raining outside heavily. It has been raining for the last 6 hours with more to come. But the rain will stop tomorrow morning so I don't have to wear my heavy boots to school like last year. I didn't think you knew the story but it was flooding and everybody was as wet as a rat. It was so last year now.. :)
I traveled a lot last summer. I wish I could tell you all about it and take you with me as I promised you last year. It was fun and allowed me to do the things that I had always wished to do. People asked if it was lonely... it was more of an exploration than anything. Something you would have approved anyway. Maybe I take this after you. So I blame you for it. :-) A fun summer I would say.
Whenever I look at your picture, I always see your gentle smile. I look at your picture almost everyday whenever I exercise. I guess it's encouraging me to not be lazy ^-^. Your smile was just so content that it's very comforting to look at. And I guess it was the most random picture ever. We were trying to look for a good picture for your funeral... but we couldn't find any printed one. I remembered posting a picture of you and Mom on the Flickr long time ago. Quickly found and printed it. Mom said... you were trying to blind us and only wanted this picture because after an exhausted search, we couldn't find anything in the room. However, they started to appear after the funeral... after everything was done. We found bunch and bunch of pictures.. but to be honest, none was as good as the picture we took a few years back. You were too thin in the new picture and...the happy face wasn't there. We wondered... were we just too tired that we couldn't find any... or was it the act of someone else... But I hope you were happy...
Things after things, a year has gone by just like a blink of the eye. I visisted your resting place the other day. It is still the same. Not much has changed. You have several new neighbors. I hope they treat you well :-). Even if they didn't, you would have treated them just as nice.
I'm not visiting Mom for Thanksgiving. I think they wanted me to... but I can't. So I think I will have a little bit of down time while I'm here.
I hope you're well wherever you are. I hope things are good and others treat you nicely because you really deserve it.
For me...I have to get back to writing...reading...and writing again as usual.
It's a note from me Dad. I wanted to update you on things... but kind of digress out of it. I wish you the best...in everything.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
the end of fall break
Welcome back... to the rest of the semester..
Already I don't feel like going to school tomorrow. It must be bad. I have to constantly remind myself that it's only going to be like this for next a year and a half. After that, there will be no fall break, there will only be rotation which is probably not too bad ... but in anyway..
welcome back... fall break is over! We are in the final stretch of the semester. It's not too bad so far. I'm passing all my classes some are better than others. In any case, it's still fine.
Classes will pick up pretty soon. We will have one test a week starting next week until the end of the semester. Bracing for the storm that is yet to come.
P-school is not bad. It allows me to do things that I want to do. But I decided to drop out of the aging program. I like to do more extracurricular activity and this semester I can't do anything!!!! It's been pretty hectic with an extra 5 hrs a week devoted to two other classes. I'm crazy!!
In any case, welcome fall!!! It's pretty outside... but somehow.. it's just not the right place. It's good temporarily but for long term, something is still missing. Maybe I miss being close to the people that I know...
Already I don't feel like going to school tomorrow. It must be bad. I have to constantly remind myself that it's only going to be like this for next a year and a half. After that, there will be no fall break, there will only be rotation which is probably not too bad ... but in anyway..
welcome back... fall break is over! We are in the final stretch of the semester. It's not too bad so far. I'm passing all my classes some are better than others. In any case, it's still fine.
Classes will pick up pretty soon. We will have one test a week starting next week until the end of the semester. Bracing for the storm that is yet to come.
P-school is not bad. It allows me to do things that I want to do. But I decided to drop out of the aging program. I like to do more extracurricular activity and this semester I can't do anything!!!! It's been pretty hectic with an extra 5 hrs a week devoted to two other classes. I'm crazy!!
In any case, welcome fall!!! It's pretty outside... but somehow.. it's just not the right place. It's good temporarily but for long term, something is still missing. Maybe I miss being close to the people that I know...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
fall break so far
My fall break so far has been great. It's nice to be back with the family. It's nice to be fed and be treated like a little princess ^-^. Mom is always the best person to spoil me. The food was good and I managed to not succumb to my over-eating habit when it came to comfort food.
The weather has not been very pleasant. It was raining so hard today and yesterday while we drove home from the airport. Other than that, everything else is great.
I managed to get some work done. Well kind of. Very roughly draft the final group project. I sincerely don't want to spend so much time on this project anymore. I am more confused than ever about the direction about what we have to do. It's just not clear. As much as I really appreciate the effort that my professor put in, something just don't work. I am not giving up on this project, it's just not a high priority for me at this point because with more than 1000 point in this class, it's okie to miss a few.
I'm trying to work more on the final paper in my other class. From now until the end of the semester, things will just pile up one after another. So even though I'm on break, I'm still doing a lot of school work. I like it though. It made me feel that I'm starting to identify myself as a work-a-holic. I seriously always find work to do even though I'm piled up with tons of things.
I finally got to watch the Proposal. It's just a cute little story. Obviously, it's not realistic.. which movie is? However, I find it's cute and interesting to watch. I haven't watched many chick-flick lately. So it was a completely great fun, non-thinking type of movie. The setting was just beautiful and it made me want to travel again. I miss traveling so much. I miss going to places and seeing new things. Sometimes I feel guilty for wanting to travel... not sure why.. So my goal is to travel as much as I can until I can't anymore ^-^. Let's see if it works out.
Made of Honor is another movie that I got to watch during this small break. It was a fun, loving story as well. Not realistic in any sense but it was a fun movie to watch. I would have to say though I don't think it's as charming as the proposal. What made the Proposal so charming to me is the fact that the family was involved and how caring and wonderful they were. Made of Honor did not give me that feeling. The chemistry was there but something was lacking. But it's not a bad movie... it just wasn't very good. :)
It's so windy outside right now.... but I'm going to get some work done before going to bed tonight.
The weather has not been very pleasant. It was raining so hard today and yesterday while we drove home from the airport. Other than that, everything else is great.
I managed to get some work done. Well kind of. Very roughly draft the final group project. I sincerely don't want to spend so much time on this project anymore. I am more confused than ever about the direction about what we have to do. It's just not clear. As much as I really appreciate the effort that my professor put in, something just don't work. I am not giving up on this project, it's just not a high priority for me at this point because with more than 1000 point in this class, it's okie to miss a few.
I'm trying to work more on the final paper in my other class. From now until the end of the semester, things will just pile up one after another. So even though I'm on break, I'm still doing a lot of school work. I like it though. It made me feel that I'm starting to identify myself as a work-a-holic. I seriously always find work to do even though I'm piled up with tons of things.
I finally got to watch the Proposal. It's just a cute little story. Obviously, it's not realistic.. which movie is? However, I find it's cute and interesting to watch. I haven't watched many chick-flick lately. So it was a completely great fun, non-thinking type of movie. The setting was just beautiful and it made me want to travel again. I miss traveling so much. I miss going to places and seeing new things. Sometimes I feel guilty for wanting to travel... not sure why.. So my goal is to travel as much as I can until I can't anymore ^-^. Let's see if it works out.
Made of Honor is another movie that I got to watch during this small break. It was a fun, loving story as well. Not realistic in any sense but it was a fun movie to watch. I would have to say though I don't think it's as charming as the proposal. What made the Proposal so charming to me is the fact that the family was involved and how caring and wonderful they were. Made of Honor did not give me that feeling. The chemistry was there but something was lacking. But it's not a bad movie... it just wasn't very good. :)
It's so windy outside right now.... but I'm going to get some work done before going to bed tonight.
Friday, October 16, 2009
friday night talk...
It's late... but I need to document this before I forget... or at least before it slips away from me unnoticed.
Had a great dinner (well... the food is okie... not very spectacular but it's okie..it's the companion that counts). Great dinner followed with great talk. You never know who you are talking to until... obviously you start talking to them.
I'm glad I was able to talk to her... because she taught me many things even in a "short 3 hours talk." She gave me such good advices that I feel so lucky to be able to meet people that are so wonderful.
So many times I have doubted my abilities to accomplish something only to accomplish later on. But then the satisfaction is sometimes short lived because I am then heading to another target. It's hard to stop when you are driven to strive harder and harder. Sometimes... it's hurtful to hurt yourself because you are being pushed so hard. In contrast, some people just kind of got it without trying much. Would you consider yourself not as good? I would have said yes... and probably would have thought that... I have to be like somebody that ..I might never be. Slowly though, I start discovering that ...maybe my brain is tricking me :-) . I don't have to be at the same mountain as other. I don't have to compare myself with others. Trust me... it's so easy to say than done. I don't have to say that..... I need to make a perfect score on this test...as long as I know what I know, it's much more important than getting a perfect score on the test. Slowly, I start to recognize that being happy with my own abilities is probably the best thing in life. Only when I find confidence in myself, things will start to make sense and fall into places. The ability to find peace in oneself is not an easy task because you have to start learning about your mistakes and accepting your mistakes. You have to look and reflect about what you do more than ever. And you have to face your inability, your fault, and your imperfection. It's hard to be happy when all you see is the imperfection. However, the ability to work on it and improve upon it is just as important. Slowly... yeah slowly I recognize...finding peace within myself in this competitive environment.
I'm totally blessed with all the opportunities that are presented. "Embraced"...
Had a great dinner (well... the food is okie... not very spectacular but it's okie..it's the companion that counts). Great dinner followed with great talk. You never know who you are talking to until... obviously you start talking to them.
I'm glad I was able to talk to her... because she taught me many things even in a "short 3 hours talk." She gave me such good advices that I feel so lucky to be able to meet people that are so wonderful.
So many times I have doubted my abilities to accomplish something only to accomplish later on. But then the satisfaction is sometimes short lived because I am then heading to another target. It's hard to stop when you are driven to strive harder and harder. Sometimes... it's hurtful to hurt yourself because you are being pushed so hard. In contrast, some people just kind of got it without trying much. Would you consider yourself not as good? I would have said yes... and probably would have thought that... I have to be like somebody that ..I might never be. Slowly though, I start discovering that ...maybe my brain is tricking me :-) . I don't have to be at the same mountain as other. I don't have to compare myself with others. Trust me... it's so easy to say than done. I don't have to say that..... I need to make a perfect score on this test...as long as I know what I know, it's much more important than getting a perfect score on the test. Slowly, I start to recognize that being happy with my own abilities is probably the best thing in life. Only when I find confidence in myself, things will start to make sense and fall into places. The ability to find peace in oneself is not an easy task because you have to start learning about your mistakes and accepting your mistakes. You have to look and reflect about what you do more than ever. And you have to face your inability, your fault, and your imperfection. It's hard to be happy when all you see is the imperfection. However, the ability to work on it and improve upon it is just as important. Slowly... yeah slowly I recognize...finding peace within myself in this competitive environment.
I'm totally blessed with all the opportunities that are presented. "Embraced"...
Thursday, October 15, 2009
test...test...test...
Decision decision.. I decide to stick with the class. it's almost half of the semester, there is really no point in dropping it even though there will be no consequence in dropping it...but we'll see how she grades the first note. :) As long as I don't have to work harder for the class, I don't mind sticking around even though I have to sacrifice quite a lot of the extracurricular activities this semester.. it's okie.
We had our drug lit test today... it went well. Even though as usual, the questions are not completely straight forward. Some are phrased so weird that... it's just strange to answer the question. Despite the fact that many people hate this class, I find statistics is extremely important and I have to say I like the class a lot. I can read paper now with a much better understanding than I used to. She tried hard to make the class interesting but it's not so easy to tell us Pharm Students taking statistics eagerly. I give her credits for trying....
Went to dinner (like very early dinner if you consider eating at 4:30 is dinner) with my friend. It was a short dinner because I had to run to class but it was a good one. Ever since I move here, I made a few friends. I tended not to make many friends but the friends I made tend to last longer...I guess it's just a personality thing. I'm fortunate to have the friends that I have and I have no complain about it. :)
We had our drug lit test today... it went well. Even though as usual, the questions are not completely straight forward. Some are phrased so weird that... it's just strange to answer the question. Despite the fact that many people hate this class, I find statistics is extremely important and I have to say I like the class a lot. I can read paper now with a much better understanding than I used to. She tried hard to make the class interesting but it's not so easy to tell us Pharm Students taking statistics eagerly. I give her credits for trying....
Went to dinner (like very early dinner if you consider eating at 4:30 is dinner) with my friend. It was a short dinner because I had to run to class but it was a good one. Ever since I move here, I made a few friends. I tended not to make many friends but the friends I made tend to last longer...I guess it's just a personality thing. I'm fortunate to have the friends that I have and I have no complain about it. :)
Saturday, October 10, 2009
First NC wedding
I went to my first NC wedding today... interestingly enough, I don't know the groom and bride. But they are so pretty and happy together. I was invited because he was my best friend's relative. The groom's father was such a humble, funny, intellectual man. His speech cracked us up. Funny but still very deep. :)
I took 10 hours off from studying... yeah, that's a lot to drive for about 2 hours in order to get to the wedding. The ceremony was great. The food following the ceremony was good but the dinner was okie... I wish the food was a little bit warmer. It was kind of cold.
There are about 250 people. Everybody was so happy to be there. The atmosphere was warm and cozy even though the AC was full blast and I had to put on a sweater. Unexpectedly, I got a gift from M's relative. He bought it for his daughter without knowing her size... it was too small so he gave it to me. It was beautiful so I decided to wear it for the wedding instead of my dress haha. :D I always get free gifts. :) Will need to write him a thank you note.
It is the first wedding that I saw everybody in the room I mean 90% of the people stand up and dance with the music. I've never seen anything like this. Their dance floor was not big but everyone crammed in and it was such a lively evening.
Another interesting note...it's the first wedding where I saw ... such an interesting group of people from many different ethnic groups. It's just so nice to see... because I miss it dearly.
I talked to one of the guests... and at the same time realized that... all the pharmacists that taught at my school are all Caucasians! Many times I don't think, they understand or realize that.. some of us were raised very differently. We used a lot more natural products in the past. We tended not to use medicine. We believed in what we were told. Denying all of our beliefs right out in class... was a little bit harsh I think.
I was introduced to a lot of people. Had several interesting conversations before heading back home. The traffic was bad because they closed 3 lanes!!! Bottle neck effect..
It's getting late... I think I should hit the bed now
Another complain I have about some of our professors this year... definitely less understanding. I won't say any names... but yeah.. some people were just outright rude!
I took 10 hours off from studying... yeah, that's a lot to drive for about 2 hours in order to get to the wedding. The ceremony was great. The food following the ceremony was good but the dinner was okie... I wish the food was a little bit warmer. It was kind of cold.
There are about 250 people. Everybody was so happy to be there. The atmosphere was warm and cozy even though the AC was full blast and I had to put on a sweater. Unexpectedly, I got a gift from M's relative. He bought it for his daughter without knowing her size... it was too small so he gave it to me. It was beautiful so I decided to wear it for the wedding instead of my dress haha. :D I always get free gifts. :) Will need to write him a thank you note.
It is the first wedding that I saw everybody in the room I mean 90% of the people stand up and dance with the music. I've never seen anything like this. Their dance floor was not big but everyone crammed in and it was such a lively evening.
Another interesting note...it's the first wedding where I saw ... such an interesting group of people from many different ethnic groups. It's just so nice to see... because I miss it dearly.
I talked to one of the guests... and at the same time realized that... all the pharmacists that taught at my school are all Caucasians! Many times I don't think, they understand or realize that.. some of us were raised very differently. We used a lot more natural products in the past. We tended not to use medicine. We believed in what we were told. Denying all of our beliefs right out in class... was a little bit harsh I think.
I was introduced to a lot of people. Had several interesting conversations before heading back home. The traffic was bad because they closed 3 lanes!!! Bottle neck effect..
It's getting late... I think I should hit the bed now
Another complain I have about some of our professors this year... definitely less understanding. I won't say any names... but yeah.. some people were just outright rude!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
it's fall...and it's grading complaint...
Another week is almost over. Where did the last 24 hours go? :)
We are too busy to think about other things surrounding us. Sometimes it is what we want that acts as obstacle. I don't know how many times I've changed my mind in the last month about what I want to do. At least, I tried out a couple thing and decided that it might not be the one. Things come and go just like that.
Taking classes is not a hard job. It is what you want from the class makes the class harder. I always wonder... what happens when grade is not a factor in determining many things. I want to take the grade components out of school. Grades how matter you phrase them create competition. Competition leads to uncivil disputes. I might have been a pro-grade person in the past but it is long gone now.
It is so much more important to learn the material and know the material than being tested and given a letter grade. From my experience, grades do not speak much. There is no standardization between schools. There is no standardization between classes, between instructors. However can a person or a committee decide whom to accept and whom to deny? *I'm talking about professional and grad school grade, not undergrad grade*
I put much thoughts about it.... and I know schools will never change. They won't eliminate grades... at least not now because there is no way to measure students against one another. But then again...what does it say about the school? A school who has a high percentage of B-C students...do not produce enough competent pharmacists? Should it be even accredited then?
Professors even admit they want to distinguish A students from B students from C students. I questioned their purposes. What will the benefits be of distinguishing A from B from C? Will the A student be more successful? Will the C student be less successful and will have less chance of having a job or a residency? Then you have to define what success is. I wonder what happens when you ask an A student and a C student about what they think about their learning experience. Will they tell you the same or different story? Will an A student say he/she has learned a lot and will be able to apply the knowledge? Will the C student say that they had not learned much? So is it because of the student or the teaching?
Having an A doesn't guarantee success. Having a C doesn't guarantee failure. I believe in professional school, students should take their coursework seriously... but then again if the school is good and believes that their students once graduate will be able to accept the challenge the world bestow upon... why grade matters? I think one day it will happen...may be when the school is confident enough that they produce competent pharmacists...because I still don't understand how a person can interpret a low GPA from a pharmacy student...what this number really means?
According to the guideline C: average... learn enough material to pass. B : above average... C : excellent understanding of the materials. I question the mission of the school....there will always be a % of people who gets C...what will they say about.. producing competent practitioner...
I wonder if there is a system such as... everything is pass/fail... you won't make it easy to pass... the students need to demonstrate that he/she understands the material well enough to pass.
We should put the grade behind us and focus on training better practitioners who actually understand and know what they should do.
After all, the NAPLEX is pass/fail... and nobody would look at your grade before hiring you.
We are too busy to think about other things surrounding us. Sometimes it is what we want that acts as obstacle. I don't know how many times I've changed my mind in the last month about what I want to do. At least, I tried out a couple thing and decided that it might not be the one. Things come and go just like that.
Taking classes is not a hard job. It is what you want from the class makes the class harder. I always wonder... what happens when grade is not a factor in determining many things. I want to take the grade components out of school. Grades how matter you phrase them create competition. Competition leads to uncivil disputes. I might have been a pro-grade person in the past but it is long gone now.
It is so much more important to learn the material and know the material than being tested and given a letter grade. From my experience, grades do not speak much. There is no standardization between schools. There is no standardization between classes, between instructors. However can a person or a committee decide whom to accept and whom to deny? *I'm talking about professional and grad school grade, not undergrad grade*
I put much thoughts about it.... and I know schools will never change. They won't eliminate grades... at least not now because there is no way to measure students against one another. But then again...what does it say about the school? A school who has a high percentage of B-C students...do not produce enough competent pharmacists? Should it be even accredited then?
Professors even admit they want to distinguish A students from B students from C students. I questioned their purposes. What will the benefits be of distinguishing A from B from C? Will the A student be more successful? Will the C student be less successful and will have less chance of having a job or a residency? Then you have to define what success is. I wonder what happens when you ask an A student and a C student about what they think about their learning experience. Will they tell you the same or different story? Will an A student say he/she has learned a lot and will be able to apply the knowledge? Will the C student say that they had not learned much? So is it because of the student or the teaching?
Having an A doesn't guarantee success. Having a C doesn't guarantee failure. I believe in professional school, students should take their coursework seriously... but then again if the school is good and believes that their students once graduate will be able to accept the challenge the world bestow upon... why grade matters? I think one day it will happen...may be when the school is confident enough that they produce competent pharmacists...because I still don't understand how a person can interpret a low GPA from a pharmacy student...what this number really means?
According to the guideline C: average... learn enough material to pass. B : above average... C : excellent understanding of the materials. I question the mission of the school....there will always be a % of people who gets C...what will they say about.. producing competent practitioner...
I wonder if there is a system such as... everything is pass/fail... you won't make it easy to pass... the students need to demonstrate that he/she understands the material well enough to pass.
We should put the grade behind us and focus on training better practitioners who actually understand and know what they should do.
After all, the NAPLEX is pass/fail... and nobody would look at your grade before hiring you.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
fall is here
It's all new all over again...
Last year, I couldn't detect the fall weather in the air. This year, with a different perspective, I take a fresher look at my surrounding and realize it's so beautiful. Yes, a place that is beautiful and sheltered from the world's trouble.
It has been a few days already. People are struggling to keep up with life. First it was the typhoon that killed and displaced hundreds if not thousands of people. Then, the tsunami hit Samoa. The natural disaster continued with two big earthquakes in Indonesia. Thousands of people are suffering in the world. I wonder what I can do. Working with organization in school? Working with organization outside of school? Should I just start an organization of my own? I always think about it. It is not a bad idea. However, the fear of failure is looming ahead. Maybe once I get over this fear, things will fare better. When you work without fear of failure and with only the end in mind, the road is a lot clearer... and the confidence will surge high.
It has been a very long week with 2 tests and numerous things to do. I am always blessed with all the things I have in life. I don't think I can ask for more.
I keep my prayer for you. Hopefully things will fare better next year... no that's too far away... hopefully things will fare better as time goes on.
I have been thinking a lot about all the classes that I am taking this semester. Well, in all I'm taking quite a handful. However, I do enjoy them. Sometimes, coming to class can be a little difficult because you had a long day the previous day. Sometimes, all I had was a quick lunch break and a rush home for dinner only to come back to school for another 3 hours of instruction. I wonder why I have to put myself through it. Sometimes I thought about just maybe delay the certificate program. However, a small encounter with an elderly who experienced a stroke changed it all. It made things a lot easier because I know one day they might need me. Seeing them happy makes me happy.
Last year, I couldn't detect the fall weather in the air. This year, with a different perspective, I take a fresher look at my surrounding and realize it's so beautiful. Yes, a place that is beautiful and sheltered from the world's trouble.
It has been a few days already. People are struggling to keep up with life. First it was the typhoon that killed and displaced hundreds if not thousands of people. Then, the tsunami hit Samoa. The natural disaster continued with two big earthquakes in Indonesia. Thousands of people are suffering in the world. I wonder what I can do. Working with organization in school? Working with organization outside of school? Should I just start an organization of my own? I always think about it. It is not a bad idea. However, the fear of failure is looming ahead. Maybe once I get over this fear, things will fare better. When you work without fear of failure and with only the end in mind, the road is a lot clearer... and the confidence will surge high.
It has been a very long week with 2 tests and numerous things to do. I am always blessed with all the things I have in life. I don't think I can ask for more.
I keep my prayer for you. Hopefully things will fare better next year... no that's too far away... hopefully things will fare better as time goes on.
I have been thinking a lot about all the classes that I am taking this semester. Well, in all I'm taking quite a handful. However, I do enjoy them. Sometimes, coming to class can be a little difficult because you had a long day the previous day. Sometimes, all I had was a quick lunch break and a rush home for dinner only to come back to school for another 3 hours of instruction. I wonder why I have to put myself through it. Sometimes I thought about just maybe delay the certificate program. However, a small encounter with an elderly who experienced a stroke changed it all. It made things a lot easier because I know one day they might need me. Seeing them happy makes me happy.
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