[sean.bonner]

Ever take a course and now matter how hard you try, you just don't get it?
I'm getting the lowest marks ever in my life and I am so pissed off right now. The other day, I was teaching my friends the shit for the midterm, and they double me in their marks.
I understand now why people pay other people to do their accounting.
FACKKKKKKKKKKKKK

[second_sight_kyle]

Ever take a course and now matter how hard you try, you just don't get it?
I'm getting the lowest marks ever in my life and I am so pissed off right now. The other day, I was teaching my friends the shit for the midterm, and they double me in their marks.
I understand now why people pay other people to do their accounting.
FACKKKKKKKKKKKKK

This probably isn't your case, but are you actually spending lots of time in trying to understand it? This semester I have to take a computer programming course for my neuroscience major (yeah, figure that one out)...and at first I was hopeless, but convinced myself to work really hard at it. And now, I get it.

[sean.bonner]

I put at least 2 hours in a day I'd say, some days more than others. I knew it in and out though. I'm not used to bombing tests. Oh well, I just needed to vent a bit.

[grimes]

I've got a good accounting story for you...A couple years back I had a midterm in the second half of 3rd year Financial the morning after my birthday. Somehow managed to get out of bed and stumble to school, luckily the hangover hadn't set in too badly yet (probably cause I was still a little bit drunk). Obviously I hadn't studied much and knew virtually nothing about the specific topics being covered, but I remembered my prof always saying that you could answer every question in accounting by going back to the basic principles and then thinking logically through each question and applying those principles. So I figured "what the hell, I'm f*cked anyway, I'll give it a shot." So I did that for every question, handed the thing in and went back home to puke and pass out. And what do you know, when we got our marks back a few days later, I did better than everyone I knew on it. Suffice it to say, I didn't really study much for accounting ever again.

Now I'm not suggesting you give up studying, and what worked for me probably wouldn't work for a lot of people...but the fact is the reason I did better than my friends from then on was that they put too much emphasis on memorizing the mechanics of how to solve each type of question, whereas I didn't worry at all about the mechanics and just reasoned my way through everything by applying the basic principles. Probably somewhere in the middle is the ideal for most people...it's just a matter of finding what works for you.

[chancellor]

all my accounting profs during school said that, when in doubt, go back to the basic principles.

[john cage]

If you really get pissed, mention something about Blue Smoke and Mirrors to your prof.

Also remember this sage advice from one of my finance profs:

Accountants are not your friends. If you want a friend, buy a dog.

[day_for_night]

is it managerial or financial accting?

[Audra]

I was doing terrible in accounting and then my prof. told me to just do it, dont try to understand why you do what you do, but just do it.

Got 98% on the final exam.

So my words of wisdom to you are "dont try and understand why you do what you do, just memorize the formula's and you will do just fine"

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[tigerthelion]

So Sean, do you feel any better? So far you've received opinions from opposite ends of the spectrum on how to succeed.

[Zenith]

Sean, I'm right with you there, mate!

Back in my youth, I did GCSE I.T. I did pretty well, (I got a B I think) and I (with some rather active encouragement rom my Dad) decided to do A Level Computer Science. A load of my mates where doing it as well, and I thought it'd be useful. However, when it started it was nothing like I expected! The GCSE had been more learning things like MS Office, and the theory behind databases, macros and the like, but the A Level was more about computer hardware and programing with languages like C. It didn't help that we had two different tutors with two things in common - 1: Absolute obsession with computers, and 2: A complete inability to teach or explain anything to other human beings. Anyway, I tried and tried at this course, and it just wasn't sinking in. Eventually, the time for the year 12 exams rolled around. I spent a couple of days round my mates house leading up to it, and he explained it all to me in really basic terms and I began to understand. I was so chuffed that I was starting to get the hang of it, and I revised really hard for the exam. I gave it my best shot but when I got my results back, and got a U I realised that I really was wasting my time. What made it worse (and this is something that my friend who helped me remembers clear as day) was that when one of the tutors was giving me my test paper back, he had a look of triumph and satisfaction on his face over the fact I'd failed, as if he'd got one up on me. Idiot!

Anyway, I dropped it at the end of year 12, and did an AS Level in Media Studies in year 13 and got a B (which I was really happy with!).

Anyway, I don't really know what the point of that little tale was, or how it helps you, Sean - but I hope that you can sort it out. I agree that maybe some 'Parrot Style' learning is in order for now. I reckon you'll start to see how it all works after a while, and you'll be laughing!

[Hard Canadian]

a few years back i was in business marketing in college and sure enough there was an accounting course in there. i hated it with a passion and failed the first time around. second time around i gave it just a little more effort and it was a breeze, well most of it anyways. i ended up dropping out of college because i hated everything to do with marketing and in the end it wokred out well for me. i ended up getting into the electrical trade and i enjoy it. i actually start trade school this coming monday, im so nervous, i was never a good student. we'll see what happens though.

[sean.bonner]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! (And its a financial accounting course).
After talking to my prof and also the parents (who were surprisingly understanding) I feel better about the course/situation. Worst comes to worst, I get a D and upgrade my mark in the spring at UNBSJ after I go back home.

Right now were doing Straight-Line Amortization Sell-Offs with Situational Adjustments, and it seems to be the best part of the course so far (for me at least). Although this course won't help my GPA, others will, and it will even out.

Somethings just aren't my cup of tea, and others are. I just have to keep on keepin' on.