I Hated Electromagnetics [Ethically Speaking]

摘要

Once upon a time a senior Electrical Engineering undergraduate student at the USAF Academy took his first course in electromagnetics. Like many electromagnetics students, he struggled to find meaning and value in the face of all the equations. The class grades were determined by three midterm tests and one final exam, as well as homework and quizzes. The average grade on the tests was about 35 out of a possible 100, so when this poor student was lucky to barely break 10 on the tests, he was failing. It turned out that this normally good student could not go home for a one-week Thanksgiving break that fall if he had an “F” at the midterm (the USAF Academy published midterm grades, and would not allow students to miss classes if the student had low grades or an “F” in a course). As a result, this student decided to drop the class. Since it was a required course that was only offered in the fall semester, his academic advisor said that the course could not be dropped if the student wanted to be an electrical engineer. A special girl and his family were 1500 miles away, and he already had plans for the week-long visit, so the sensible young student said, “What other majors are available at this point?” The advisor was shocked, and tried several logical, rational arguments for keeping the student in the electrical-engineering major. Finally, the advisor convinced the student to not drop the major, because the student would get to go home after all. The student begrudgingly trusted the advisor and, somehow, he magically got a “D” at the midterm and was allowed to go home for Thanksgiving vacation.