I think you have made great points about the course. But I would like to say that the the course itself is more based on common sense and tricks than about anything else. I did not get the best out of this since I did not put in the efforts needed due to the flight tests and many 24 hour shifts I had to go through at work. But I really enjoyed the course and feel that this is a great method. Peng also put in efforts to make it interesting and challenging. Just my 2 cents.

That’s interesting that you found the sample final helped out a great deal. When I solved a few of the questions, I found it to be a lot like the actual final exam…some of the parts I got, and some I didn’t. Maybe the effort I put into the sample questions helped me out more than I thought.

As far as the partying goes, I see it both ways. If there were more meaningful deliverables, then maybe people wouldn’t party as much. But then again, maybe not. I can only speak for myself, but when I do my 2010 resolutions list for this program, partying less is going to be one of my top resolutions!

Regarding the keeping people awake during residency part, I don’t think computer in class would help much, since people were partying their brains out every night anyway.

I’ve always thought that American education system is much like this course itself: come prepared and you’ll learn; come empty handed and you’ll suffer. Unlike Chinese education system, where teachers guide you through everything. After all it came down to what Randy already said, obviously people gain more when they approach courses and the whole program with a proper mindset.

Personally I feel lost during the residency period as well, but I enjoyed the distance portion, the interesting cases and everything else. My complain about the course structure is that there was little meaningful deliverable due during the residency portion, thus people didn’t learn as much as they could have. The same goes for the Econ class as well.