Comparing mitosis and meiosis worksheet | | Mitosis and Meiosis, it divides the world!

Tutoring agenda:
My IB Score: 43/45 Higher level: mathematics AA 7, Economics 7, English LAL 6 Standard level: Chemistry 7, French 7, psychology 7
Year Graduated: MAY 2023
Subjects taught: Economics, mathematics AA/AI and English LAL at HL/SL. Chemistry and psychology at SL, TOK (A with essay 10/10) and IA preparation
SPECIAL SUMMER SESSIONS: This time I am also offering summer sessions for IA preparations, TOK writing, Exam preparation and basic content revision. This is a bundle for regular classes which will be cost-effective compared to single sessions.
Price: negotiable
Time Zone: GMT+2 but I'm really flexible with time.
Contact Information: Reddit PM or comment below!
About Me: I am currently pursuing a double bachelors honours in economics and mathematics at a T10 university
About My Sessions: Our sessions are going to be focused mainly on learning any content at all that is difficult for you to approach at first glance and together we will come up with strategies for approaching them in the exams and I will share all of the tips in my arsenal for the subjects and tell you exactly how much of the content is to be learned and what is not required. We will do past papers together and questions from various sites like revision village, my own worksheets, etc. I will also give access to my resources such as Real-world examples for economics, cheat sheets for Math, diagrams and notes for psychology and more for chemistry as well. I will also give access to resources I have compiled for a tutoring project I took a few months ago. You will get your time and money’s worth!!
Note for parents***: We can have an introductory call to discuss more in detail (for free)

As I am preparing on getting my students ready for finals next week, I'm looking at how far I've gotten in the curriculum.
High school In Chemistry we got through chapter 14 out of 22, for Biology we got through 13 out of 25, Physical Science we got through 13 out of the 16 chapters.
Middle School 7th grade we got through 13 out of 21 chapters In 6th grade we got through 10 out of 14 chapters
The school I teach at wants us to get through the entire curriculum, or as close as we can to it. With the science, it seems almost impossible unless I leave no time for review days before tests, and we cover so much material in a day. In addition, we have a modified block scheduled so I see each class 3 times a week, one short 45 min period and two long 90 min periods.
For example the Biology book lumps mitosis and meiosis in one lesson, and immediately moves on to mendels genetics in the next lesson and gene expression in the next all in the same chapter. Going by the recommended schedule by the book, I should start the chapter and have the test within 5 lessons (Which would be three classes, with no review time)
Is this the normal pace now? I know when I was in biology in high school, we spend several days on just mitosis before even talking about mitosis.
I have found the students are no retaining the information, even on the slightly slower pace I have been going, and with review days spent reviewing the concepts.

Going into my 5th year of teaching next year and I will be teaching French Immersion French at the secondary level for the first time. My colleagues who have taught the courses before me are generous with sharing their knowledge and resources, but they have been teaching for so long that they are able to work in broad strokes and improvise. I have access to: a binder full of piecemeal worksheets, DELF workbook and abridged/simplified versions of novels. Any advice on where else I could turn to for resources or how you structure your class? I feel a bit overwhelmed with not knowing where to start, how to make everything flow together and having to balance the 4 strands. The curriculum seems vague compared to other courses I have taught, where specific expectations are very specific. Even a general idea of how you lay out your course might help give me some direction for my planning. Thank you!

The War Scroll, also known as the "War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness," is a unique text within the Dead Sea Scrolls that portrays an apocalyptic battle between the forces of good (Sons of Light) and evil (Sons of Darkness). This scroll provides insight into both historical and symbolic elements.
Historical Accuracy:
The War Scroll, while containing detailed military tactics and an epic narrative of the ultimate confrontation, doesn't explicitly reference any specific historical event or timeframe. Some scholars believe it could be a product of the community's anticipation of a future messianic conflict or a reflection of their own community's struggles against opposing forces during their time. Interpreting the historical accuracy of the scroll often involves exploring the context of the Qumran community and the turbulent times in which they lived.
Symbolism and Esoteric Wisdom:
The War Scroll goes beyond a mere description of a physical battle. It portrays a cosmic conflict between the forces of light and darkness, reflecting not just a literal warfare but also a symbolic and spiritual struggle. The text emphasizes righteousness, divine intervention, and the victory of good over evil.
Within the study guide, activities and exercises could involve dissecting the symbolic elements present in the War Scroll, exploring the deeper meanings behind the battle tactics and the metaphysical implications of the conflict. Understanding the symbolism could involve group discussions, comparative analysis with other ancient texts with similar themes, and exploring the impact of this symbolic representation on the community's beliefs and practices.
Here are a few activities and exercises to explore the symbolism and historical context of the War Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls:

Symbolism Analysis:

Provide excerpts from the War Scroll and encourage participants to identify and discuss the symbolic meanings behind elements like the "Sons of Light" and the "Sons of Darkness," various weapons, and the strategies outlined for battle. Group discussions or written reflections can help participants explore the deeper layers of meaning.

Comparative Analysis:

Compare the War Scroll's themes with similar apocalyptic or eschatological texts from different cultures or religions, such as apocalyptic passages in the Book of Revelation in the Christian Bible or apocalyptic texts from other ancient traditions. Create worksheets or discussion prompts to highlight similarities and differences in themes, symbols, and beliefs about cosmic battles.

Historical Context Exploration:

Present historical information about the era when the Dead Sea Scrolls were written. Discuss the political, social, and religious climate of that time, including the turmoil in the region, to understand how these factors might have influenced the composition of the War Scroll. Encourage participants to consider the possible motivations behind the text's creation.

Creative Interpretation:

Encourage creative expression by asking participants to create artwork, poems, or short stories inspired by the themes and imagery found in the War Scroll. This exercise allows individuals to engage more deeply with the symbolic elements and interpret them in their own unique ways.

Role-playing or Debates:
Organize a role-playing activity where participants take on the roles of "Sons of Light" and "Sons of Darkness," debating their ideologies, motivations, and strategies for the ultimate battle. This exercise helps in understanding differing perspectives and interpreting the conflicts presented in the scroll.

Interpretative variations regarding the river's crossing in different ancient texts reflect the unique religious, philosophical, and cultural perspectives embedded within these narratives. These differences in interpretation offer insights into diverse worldviews and varying theological frameworks present in ancient texts:

Mesopotamian Context:

In Mesopotamian mythology and literature, the Euphrates River often held symbolic significance as a boundary between the known civilized world and the wild, unknown realms. The crossing of the Euphrates could symbolize journeys into unexplored territories or transitions between order and chaos. This perspective reflects a worldview rooted in the physical and geographical division of lands.

Biblical Context:

In biblical texts, such as those in the Book of Revelation or Old Testament prophecies, the crossing of the Euphrates carries eschatological significance. It may represent a divine intervention or a decisive moment in God's plan, marking the commencement of apocalyptic events. This interpretation aligns with the biblical narrative of divine judgment and the unfolding of God's ultimate purpose in history.

Gnostic or Apocryphal Context:

Gnostic or apocryphal texts often interpret the river's crossing as a symbolic liberation or awakening. It might signify the release of spiritual forces or the ascent to higher consciousness, reflecting a philosophical perspective emphasizing spiritual enlightenment and liberation from material constraints.

Greco-Roman Interpretation:

In Greco-Roman literature, crossings of rivers were often associated with mythological journeys or transitions between realms. The crossing of the Euphrates might symbolize a transition from mundane existence to a realm of mystery or spiritual significance, reflecting a cultural perspective rooted in mythology and cosmology.

These varied interpretations highlight the richness and diversity of religious, philosophical, and cultural frameworks present in ancient texts. The river's crossing serves as a flexible symbol that adapts to different narratives, conveying themes of transition, judgment, liberation, or cosmic transformation based on the unique perspectives of each tradition.
Exploring these interpretative variations allows participants to appreciate the complexity of symbolism within ancient texts and provides insights into how different cultures and belief systems interpreted common motifs like the river Euphrates. It showcases the intricate interplay between religious, philosophical, and cultural elements shaping the symbolism and theological implications embedded in these narratives.
The river Euphrates, a prominent geographic feature in ancient texts, embodies universal themes that transcend specific cultural contexts. Identifying these universal themes helps reveal shared human concepts of transition, boundaries, and transformative events across diverse ancient traditions:

Threshold and Transition:

The Euphrates often symbolizes a boundary between known and unknown territories. Its crossing represents a transition from one state to another, signifying a pivotal moment of change or passage. This theme of crossing a threshold echoes the human experience of transitions in life, moving from familiar to unfamiliar realms.

Boundary and Separation:

As a geographical boundary, the Euphrates signifies separation between distinct territories or civilizations. This concept of demarcation resonates with universal human experiences of setting boundaries, delineating spaces, or marking divisions between different aspects of life.

Transformative Events:

Crossing the Euphrates is often associated with cosmic or transformative events in ancient texts. This universal theme reflects the human fascination with the concept of epochal change, cosmic upheavals, or moments of divine intervention that reshape the course of history.

Symbol of Power and Control:

The river might represent a symbol of power, control, or geopolitical significance. Crossing it could signify shifts in dominance, challenges to established authority, or the assertion of influence. This theme resonates with human narratives of power struggles and shifts in societal dynamics.

Metaphor for Spiritual Journeys:

Across cultures, rivers are often used metaphorically to represent spiritual journeys or quests. The crossing of the Euphrates might symbolize the pursuit of enlightenment, the passage to higher realms of understanding, or the quest for spiritual transformation.

These universal themes associated with the river Euphrates highlight fundamental aspects of the human experience—transitions, boundaries, transformative events, power dynamics, and spiritual journeys. The river's symbolism in ancient texts speaks to shared human aspirations, struggles, and beliefs that transcend cultural boundaries and resonate across different epochs and civilizations.
By identifying and discussing these universal themes, participants gain a deeper appreciation for the profound symbolism embedded in ancient texts and recognize the timeless relevance of concepts such as transition, boundaries, and transformative events in shaping human narratives and aspirations.

Historical Context:

What historical events or societal conditions might have influenced the composition of the War Scroll?
How does the historical context of the Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery contribute to our understanding of this text's significance?

Symbolism and Esoteric Wisdom:

How does the War Scroll use symbolism to convey spiritual or cosmic themes?
What esoteric wisdom or deeper spiritual insights can be derived from the portrayal of cosmic conflict and divine intervention within the text?

Comparative Analysis:

Compare the themes and symbolism of the War Scroll with other apocalyptic texts from different cultures (e.g., Book of Revelation, The Book of Daniel). What common motifs or differences in interpretation do you observe?

Parallelism in Biblical Texts:

Explore connections between the War Scroll and other biblical texts. How does the language, imagery, or themes in the War Scroll intersect with passages from the Hebrew Bible or New Testament?

Community Beliefs and Practices:

How might the apocalyptic expectations depicted in the War Scroll have influenced the beliefs and practices of the community that produced it?
Discuss the impact of such intense anticipation of cosmic conflict on communal life and religious rituals within the community.

Cultural Significance of Cosmic Battles:

Across various ancient cultures, why do you think depictions of cosmic battles and eschatological events were significant? What might these narratives represent in a broader cultural context?

Interpretive Variations and Unique Perspectives:

Explore the diverse interpretations of specific passages or symbols within the War Scroll. How do different scholars or traditions interpret these elements, and what underlying factors might influence their interpretations?

Personal Reflection and Modern Relevance:

Reflect on how the themes of cosmic conflict, righteousness, and spiritual warfare in the War Scroll might resonate in contemporary society or personal belief systems.

Theological and Philosophical Implications:

Discuss the theological and philosophical implications of a cosmic battle between forces of light and darkness. How does this theme intersect with broader philosophical inquiries or theological doctrines?

Literary and Symbolic Analysis:

- Analyze the narrative structure and symbolic elements present in specific passages of the War Scroll. How do these elements contribute to the text's overarching themes and meanings?

These study questions aim to provoke critical thinking, promote in-depth exploration of themes, encourage comparative analysis, and stimulate discussions on the multifaceted nature of the War Scroll's content and its significance within ancient and contemporary contexts.

Archaeological and Linguistic Analysis:

- How does the physical condition of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the War Scroll, impact our understanding of their preservation and historical context? - Discuss the linguistic peculiarities or unique textual features found within the War Scroll and their implications for translation and interpretation.

Apocalyptic Expectations and Messianic Concepts:

- Explore the portrayal of messianic figures or anticipated saviors within the War Scroll. How do these concepts align with or diverge from contemporary expectations of a messianic figure in other ancient texts or religious traditions?

Impact of Apocalyptic Literature:

- Analyze the enduring influence of apocalyptic literature, such as the War Scroll, on subsequent religious, literary, or cultural traditions. How have these texts shaped later beliefs or inspired artistic and literary works?

Ethical and Moral Frameworks:

- Discuss the ethical or moral implications of the cosmic conflict depicted in the War Scroll. How do the themes of righteousness and wickedness contribute to the text's underlying moral framework?

Role of Prophecy and Revelation:

- Explore the role of prophecy and revelation within the War Scroll. How do the prophetic elements contribute to the text's portrayal of future events and cosmic justice?

Experiential and Ritualistic Elements:

- Investigate potential ritualistic or experiential dimensions associated with the teachings or beliefs conveyed in the War Scroll. How might the community have engaged with these teachings in their religious practices or communal activities?

Literary Genre and Interpretation:

- Discuss the classification of the War Scroll within the broader genre of apocalyptic literature. How does its classification influence our understanding and interpretation of its themes and symbolic elements?

Relevance in Modern Scholarship:

- Reflect on the ongoing scholarly debates or discoveries related to the War Scroll. How have modern interpretations evolved, and what implications do these new perspectives have on our understanding of the text?

Intersection of Faith and Scholarship:

- Consider the interplay between faith-based interpretations and scholarly analyses of the War Scroll. How might religious convictions or theological frameworks influence academic research and vice versa?

Future Research and Interpretative Avenues:

- Propose potential avenues for future research or areas of exploration concerning the War Scroll. What unanswered questions or unexplored aspects merit further investigation?

The composition of the War Scroll, along with other Dead Sea Scrolls, was likely influenced by several historical events and societal conditions prevalent during the time of its writing, which is estimated to be between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE:

Hellenistic Rule and Cultural Influence:

The region where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found was under Hellenistic influence due to the conquests of Alexander the Great and the subsequent control by the Seleucid Empire. This era saw a clash between Hellenistic culture and Jewish traditions, leading to cultural tensions and a desire to preserve religious and cultural heritage.

Political Turmoil and Resistance Movements:

The Jewish people experienced political unrest, particularly during the Maccabean Revolt against Seleucid rule. This period was characterized by resistance movements, attempts to preserve Jewish identity, and fervent anticipation of a messianic figure to deliver them from foreign oppression.

Religious Sects and Spiritual Expectations:

Various religious sects existed within Judaism, each with its own interpretations and expectations of messianic redemption, purity laws, and theological doctrines. The community associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls, often believed to be the Essenes, likely had distinctive theological beliefs and a strong apocalyptic worldview.

Anticipation of Cosmic Redemption:

There was a widespread belief in the imminent arrival of a messianic figure or a divine intervention that would bring about cosmic redemption, ushering in an era of righteousness and divine rule. This anticipation of apocalyptic events and a cosmic battle between forces of light and darkness is reflected in the War Scroll's themes.

Regarding the historical context of the Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery, its significance lies in multiple facets:

Preservation of Ancient Texts:

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the War Scroll, provided an invaluable collection of ancient manuscripts that significantly expanded our understanding of ancient Jewish texts, religious beliefs, and the diversity of Jewish thought during the Second Temple period.

Insights into Jewish Sectarianism:

The scrolls shed light on the diversity of beliefs and practices among Jewish sects during that time. Understanding the beliefs and expectations of the community associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls helps contextualize the theological and apocalyptic themes present in the War Scroll.

Confirmation of Scriptural Accuracy:

The Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery contributed to confirming the accuracy and preservation of certain biblical texts, highlighting the continuity of textual transmission across centuries and supporting the authenticity of biblical manuscripts.

Impact on Biblical Studies and Scholarship:

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls revolutionized biblical studies, providing scholars with invaluable primary sources for studying ancient Judaism, the development of biblical texts, and the context in which these texts were composed.

The historical context of political upheaval, religious expectations, and the preservation of texts within the Dead Sea Scrolls contributes significantly to understanding the milieu in which the War Scroll was written. It provides a backdrop against which the themes of cosmic conflict, eschatological anticipation, and religious fervor within the War Scroll can be comprehended.

Hello!
So there is this one exam question: “If you were an genetic engineer, how would you induce meiosis in mitotic cell?” Since this is only a bachelor exam, I think the answer would be to just list the difference between mitosis and meiosis, like how the meiotic cohesin subunit is Rec8 and not Scc1. Or that the homologous chromosome should pair during anaphase 1.
I am still a bit lost, because I don’t really understand the molecular mechanisms behind this. What would your answer be?

Hi everyone, current 2T7 ECE here. I thought I would make a quick post on a guide to first year engineering, listing out all the stuff I wish I knew before coming to university. The first semester portion is applicable to all engineering disciplines, the second semester portion would be more useful to ECEs, T1, Indie and Mechs.
First Semester Courses:
MAT186: This was by far the hardest course for me and the entire cohort (C average). Even though I knew all the concepts of the course beforehand (through AP Calc BC and A-levels) this was my worst course. The reason for this was because the course focuses on testing theory (your understanding of the nitty gritty) rather than on computation. My advice for this course would be to make sure you work on written hw with friends (impossible to do alone), and do every single tutorial worksheet (exam questions are exactly like tutorial worksheets). Sean Upall was the course coordinator, and even thought I didnt like his lectures, I think it prepares you the most for the final exam.
MAT188: This was my favourite course even though it probably took up most of my time. This course was completely new to me, which is why I took a lot more time understanding the Pre class essentials. There is a lot of "theory" in this course, which will take a while to learn, so spend a good amount of time understanding and learning the PCEs. One reccomendation to make this process of learning faster is to watch 3blue1browns essence of linear algebra series. Watch the video corresponding to the upcoming weeks concepts before reading the PCEs. Written HW was hard (not as hard as calculus) so do it with friends, the gateway exams are a bit of a joke since you can retake them, and if you practice them enough you realize theres a pattern in the answers. Midterms and Final exams actually test at an appropriate level, so as long you have a strong grasp of the concepts you will be fine. If professor Cameillia is teaching the course go for her lectures, she is by far the best (she is also the course coordinator).
CIV100: This was a very interesting course, it needs a lot of practice of past papers. Literally you'll need to grill through past papers in order to succeed in this course. The final exam is such that there are 5 questions and you have 30 mins per question. Each quesition is quite hard which makes the exam very time pressured, so again PRACTICE. The quizzes in this course are dependant on your lecturer, some profs give easy quizzes whilst others give hard ones, this is out of your control. In my opinion the best lecturer was Professor Merjan, she was probably the best lecturer I've had in my time here at UOFT. The only problem is that she teaches the course in a different timeline than other profs, so you probably cant change lecturers cuz quiz material is different between different profs.
APS110: As an ECE I still dont know why I had to take this course. Overall, it was taught quite well. Scott Ramsay is the best lecturer for this course, although basically everything he says is already in the textbook (which is why I did not attend lectures). The Textbook is more than enough for this course. The Final exam for our batch was quite difficult compared to past year exams, but I think I did well because I practiced quite a few past papers.
APS111: Contraty to public opinion, I thought this was one of the most fun and useful courses in first semester. I had quite a sh*t team, but managed. Make sure you look at the rubrics for each assignment before you start writing. Also the way this course works is that you have to submit individual and group assignments which are essentially these long documents. Because they are doucments, they are marked in a qualitative way as there is no right answer per se. Make sure you bombard the person who is correcting the assignment with questions so that you nail exactly what they are looking for.
Second semester courses
MAT187: This is calculus two and it was much better than Calc one. Professor Camelia was the course coordinator, so just like MAT188 the exams were all at an appropriate level. Written HWs again requires help from friends. I mainly studies for this course using the PCEs, and practiced the tutorial worksheets. Some of my friends used the textbook, but I dont think its really required. The best prof for this course is any lecture seciton containing Camelia.
MIE100: For some reason, our year was probably the first year in a long time where the exams for this course were not insanely difficult. They were all at an appropriate level, apparently because they wanted to increase the number of people going into mech eng 💀💀. I found professor Sinclair to be quite good, a lot of people liked Howard Ho as well (trust in Howard Ho). The Wiley plus questions are useful to do to keep up with concepts, but the difficulty of the questions in wiley was way harder than the exam questions, so I wouldnt say its a must to do them ethically.
APS105: Great course. If you have a background in coding, this course will be a breeze at least up until reading week, you'll have to spend more time on it after that. The course is such that 30% of your grade is from labs, so make sure you do them well. the other 70 percent is from exams, which are at an appropriate level once again. Just make sure that you do a lot of past papers as practice. Professor Emara is by far the best, and is amazing if you are new to programming. If you have experience, reading the textbook (Snefru) is more than enough to understand the content.
ECE110: In our batch, while I didnt find the exams difficult, the batch's average after the second midterm was about 51%. After the final exam, they curved the course up quite a bit, I think the average is now a B, also an easy final exam helped out. The first half of this course is more theoretical (electrostatics and electromagnetism) and the second half is circuit analysis. Make sure you do all the Wiley Plus questions for this course, as sometimes they ask the same questions in exams. All the lecturers for this course are pretty bad, but Professor Mojahedis notes are legendary (in my opinion), other people didnt like them because it explained the concepts using proofs. Other profs notes would just state the formula.
APS112: Continuation of APS111. My team was much better this time. Same advice for this course, as APS111. Also make sure you're on top of things because it goes by much quicker in this course as there are way more assignments. Nothing really much to say to be honest, the midterm was a bit screwed up because there are multiple right answers and you have to choose the best one.
Overall for grades, dont worry too much. As long as you get around an 80 for exams and get all the free marks for assignments you'll be on track for at least an 80+ in the course. Remember that university isnt just about studies though, try and indulge into extracurriculars and be social.
Extracurriculars:
Design teams: UOFT has a plehora of design teams for you to choose from. Some design teams are better than others, but the only way that you will actually get deep into the design teams is if you put in the work. Beg leads for tasks, and do them to demonstrate interest. You can also demonstrate interest by doing really menial tasks as well. The point is you need to make sure the leads know you are willing to do tasks, and have showcased that you are worth giving the tasks to. Overtime, depending on the design team you may have to make a choice between grades and the team, thats up to you. Grades dont matter much unless you want to do a masters degree.
Clubs: For these try getting a lead position, a lot of them offer positions in the summer so make sure you follow them on instagram (e.g. engineers without borders, IEEE, etc). Again, you get what you put in to the club.
Intramurals: I loved playing intramurals at UOFT. However, the team that you play for depends on the people you know. For e.g. the SKULE team isnt great for soccer, and if you want to join a better team then you need to know someone on that team. So try networking lol.
Social life:
This was something that I personally struggled with at least initially at UOFT. I gave way too much time to studies, which really isnt worth it. UOFT is way easier than people make it out to be (I'm not being arrogant, and I'm not someone who's gifted in intellegence). As long as you manage your time, you will be fine. Anyway in first year most people would go to frats, and I would reccomend trying it out at least once. Go in the first weeks of school as thats the easiest time, and will also allow you to make new friends. Make sure to know a lot of people, at least at the surface level at the start, as that will make things easier for you in the long run and will also help you find the people you like to hang out with.
Summer after first year:
In my opinion do research if you want work experience, then step up to an internship next summer. If you want to relax thats a good option as well, just try doing some courses and build up some skills for sure.

Ok so I used ChatGPT to write this macro for me, which is only working for like 30%. I would really appreciate some help on how to improve this code or if anyone can suggest some better way to do this: Goal is to compare two files and copy the common data to a tab already provided in the second file. So I have 2 files- 1. Configuration _file 2. macro
The first file have multiple tabs which gets updated by some other team, these tabs are details of different states and it specifies when a certain fee is charged over claim. There are 4 type of main fees: 1. Title fee 2. Registration fee 3. Plates fee 4. Additional fee Under these there are sub fees which gets applicable and non applicable depending on the state this is indicated by columns populated to the left of these fees. And always these fees are ended by a bold line after which irrelevant data is provided.
I am only concerned with applicable fees, even if in either of columns applicable is mentioned, it is relevant and the rest is not a concern.
Now coming on to the next file, here 2 static tabs are provided:

Links
CCC_tool

In the second tab of this file Column A to I entails detail about a particular claim and column E specifies states, after column I to column AI are different types of fees and these are or same format as in file 1. I want only relevant columns to get copied in other state tabs of this file(which I will create every time).
The code provided below only copies Column A to Column I and all of the column headers are getting copied with no data under it.
I would really appreciate if anyone can solve this issue
Below is code:

Sub FilterAndCopyRelevantData() Dim wsConfig As Workbook Dim wsCCC As Worksheet Dim wsState As Worksheet Dim wsConfigState As Worksheet Dim ws As Worksheet Dim lastRow As Long Dim feeStartRow As Long Dim state As Variant Dim feeName As Variant Dim headerCol As Long Dim i As Long, j As Long, k As Long Dim configFilePath As String Dim stateList As Collection Dim colNum As Long Dim feeDict As Object Dim key As Variant Dim relevantFees As Collection ' Get the folder path where the macro workbook is stored configFilePath = ThisWorkbook.Path & "\Configuration_file.xlsm" ' Open the Configuration file On Error Resume Next Set wsConfig = Workbooks.Open(configFilePath) If wsConfig Is Nothing Then MsgBox "Configuration file could not be found or opened. Please check the file path.", vbCritical Exit Sub End If On Error GoTo 0 ' Set the CCC_tool worksheet Set wsCCC = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("CCC_tool") ' Create a collection of state names from the existing sheets (excluding "Link" and "CCC_tool") Set stateList = New Collection For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets If ws.Name <> "Link" And ws.Name <> "CCC_tool" Then stateList.Add ws.Name End If Next ws ' Loop through each state tab For Each state In stateList ' Set the state worksheet Set wsState = ThisWorkbook.Sheets(state) ' Clear existing data in the state tab wsState.Cells.Clear ' Copy column headers from CCC_tool to the state tab wsCCC.Rows(1).Copy Destination:=wsState.Rows(1) ' Copy columns A to I for the specific state With wsCCC lastRow = .Cells(.Rows.Count, "A").End(xlUp).Row k = 2 For i = 2 To lastRow If .Cells(i, 5).Value = state Then ' Copy columns A to I For j = 1 To 9 wsState.Cells(k, j).Value = .Cells(i, j).Value Next j k = k + 1 End If Next i End With ' Create a collection to store relevant fee columns Set relevantFees = New Collection ' Find the relevant fee names from the Configuration file On Error Resume Next Set wsConfigState = wsConfig.Sheets(state) On Error GoTo 0 If Not wsConfigState Is Nothing Then feeStartRow = 13 ' Loop through until the bold line indicating the end of relevant fee rows and ignore empty cells j = feeStartRow Do While wsConfigState.Cells(j, 1).Font.Bold = False And wsConfigState.Cells(j, 1).Value <> "" feeName = wsConfigState.Cells(j, 1).Value ' Check if any of the condition columns have "All" If Application.WorksheetFunction.CountIf(wsConfigState.Range(wsConfigState.Cells(j, 3), wsConfigState.Cells(j, 9)), "All") > 0 Then ' Add the fee name to the collection relevantFees.Add feeName End If ' Move to the next fee row j = j + 1 Loop ' Copy the relevant fee columns to the state tab For Each feeName In relevantFees headerCol = Application.Match(feeName, wsCCC.Rows(1), 0) If Not IsError(headerCol) Then ' Copy the header to the state tab colNum = wsState.Cells(1, wsState.Columns.Count).End(xlToLeft).Column + 1 wsState.Cells(1, colNum).Value = wsCCC.Cells(1, headerCol).Value ' Copy the data to the state tab k = 2 For i = 2 To lastRow If wsCCC.Cells(i, 5).Value = state Then wsState.Cells(k, colNum).Value = wsCCC.Cells(i, headerCol).Value k = k + 1 End If Next i End If Next feeName End If Next state ' Close the Configuration file wsConfig.Close SaveChanges:=False MsgBox "Data copied to state tabs successfully." End Sub

Intro:
Ever since the trailer for SotE dropped and we got our first look at Messmer, coupled with the info that Miyazaki has provided in interviews since then, people have theorised that Messmer is the child of Marika ( confirmed ) and Radagon. At first I couldn’t really see this being the case even with the supporting evidence, such as Messmer aligning pretty well aesthetically with the smouldering butterfly, completing the trio alongside Miquella’s nascent butterfly and Malenia’s Aeonian butterfly, as well as the initial letter M in his name suiting the twins’ naming convention along with the obvious red hair.
The reason was simple; if Messmer exists in the Land of Shadow as an already well-established historical figure who seems to have been wiped from the histories of the Lands Between then how could he exist as a sibling to Malenia and Miquella who were born well after the establishment of the Golden Order? Everything about Messmer visually as well as what little we know about his character seems to suggest a strong connection to the twin prodigies, or at the very least Radagon, yet his very place in the word of Elden Ring seems to contradict the idea of him being born any later than Marika’s campaign to become God of the Lands Between. In other words, Messmer’s very existence which seems to only be acknowledged within the confines of the Land of Shadow suggests that he was likely born there and has either been bound to or willingly decided to preside over the Land of Shadow (or possibly even been assigned the Land of Shadow as his domain by Marika herself). There may very well be something concrete I’m overlooking that could explain this discrepancy, if so please let me know.
So how do we reconcile this contradiction? Basically what I’ll be positing is that Messmer is the result of Marika’s first foray into the world of asexual reproduction, the same process that would eventually result in the births of the Twin Prodigies, Miquella and Malenia.
Radagon
One of the biggest mysteries in Elden Ring ever since it’s release has been Radagon. Whether it be his origins, powers or emphasised significance in the Lands Between despite very little information regarding his past, Radagon has been shrouded in mystery. What little info we are given regarding his character only serves to complicate things further, as his statue in the Royal Capital reveals that Radagon is Marika. We know that he was once a champion of the Erdtree Faithful and waged two wars on Liurnia on Marika’s behalf, and that soon after he would fall in love with and marry the Carian Queen Renalla, bringing an end to the conflict and establishing peace between the Carians/Academy of Raya Lucaria and the forces of the Erdtree. As some point after Godfrey’s exile from the Lands Between Marika would call upon Radagon to essentially abandon all his duties/responsibilities in Liurnia and return to the Capital to serve as King Consort and Second Elden Lord. Radagon, being the (in Marika’s own words) “leal hound of the Golden Order” he is, does this without question, but not before leaving an an amber egg behind as his parting gift for Queen Renalla. We don’t have too much to go on from this point on aside from minor interactions/tidbits of info regarding the relationship Radagon seems to have had with his children, as well as the fact that he seems to have been the most ardent supporter of the Golden Order. His story would ultimately culminate in the shattering of the Elden Ring with his role being that of a doomed servant, slaving away in an attempt to repair the Elden Ring despite the futility of it, minding the Elden Ring until the arrival of the next Lord.
I believe that Radagon’s story begins much earlier than initially expected. It was commonly assumed that Radagon was active, at the very least, as a loyal supporter of Marika as far back as Marika’s genocidal campaign against the Giants, but I believe his story begins much earlier than that. I believe that prior to even marching on the Mountaintop of the Giants Marika may have come into some kind of contact with the Fell God, or at the very least an avatar of some kind for the Fell God’s power, and that this encounter left Marika marked with some kind of curse and that this curse would manifest physically. It was this vestige of the Fell God’s influence that had forced Marika to resort to most unusual means of expelling the influence of an Outer God; to simply carve out the piece of her that has been ‘tainted’, so to speak. In order to do this she would need to take full advantage of her power to give life by physically expelling/carving out the part of her that has been cursed by the Fell God and, rather than letting even a piece of her being be taken by death, sprouting that piece of herself into a unique life form in itself. A life form whose sole purpose is to serves as the vessel for a curse. This being would eventually go on to serve Marika and even become her most loyal follower, a natural development given that they are literally a part of her. This part of Marika would eventually go on to become a well established figure among the Erdtree Faithful despite their mysterious beginnings, the only clue to which being his burning red hair; a constant reminder that he was born of a Fell God’s curse.
Messmer
This is where things get a little complicated as we don’t have sufficient enough info to properly speculate imo on the circumstances surrounding the Land of Shadow, but I’ll try anyways. I believe that at the time of making contact with the Fell God, Marika had still been residing in what is now the Land of Shadow. I believe that, prior to marrying Godfrey and securing his might in support of her genocide on the Giants, Marika had already given birth to a child. A child who was marked with the same curse as his father, a burning mane of red hair. As to why Marika would decide to have this child, it could any number of reasons (early attempt at birthing an Empyrean to succeed her, deciding to have a child in case Hoarah Loux wasn’t chill like that and deeming Radagon the only one worthy of being father to the Queen’s son for whatever reason, etc.) but I don’t think it’s too far of a stretch given Marika’s heavy association with the power of giving birth/life, both literal and symbolic. I believe this child to be none other than Messmer.
Seen as this part of history is very murky it’s unclear just how long Marika had stayed in the Land of Shadow. For the sake of speculation I’m going to assume it was long enough for Messmer to have grown into an individual in his own right, perhaps even standing out as a truly faithful servant of the Erdtree just like his father, and a Demigod who might one day be worthy of Empyrean in the eyes of Marika. As Marika’s ambitions eventually led to her union with Hoarah Loux/Godfrey and the establishment of a Royal Line, it was becoming increasingly clear to her that Messmer could not be allowed to exist in a world where his lineage would undermine the claim of her child(ren) with her now-husband and King Consort Godfrey. Marika’s solution was rather blunt yet undoubtedly cruel; if Messmer couldn’t exist in Marika’s New Age then he simply wouldn’t. Prior to embarking on her final campaign, Marika would grant Messmer dominion over the region that is now called the Land of Shadow and would bestow upon him the task of punishing those who are without Grace.
This is where I am yet to decide whether I think Messmer is carrying out Marika’s wishes loyally, completely oblivious to the fact that his mother has virtually erased him from the hearts and minds of all inhabitants of the Lands Between, or if he is aware of the fact that Marika abandoned him in the Land of Shadow and holds some degree of resentment toward her for it but still deciding to ultimately be Lord of the Land of Shadow.
Just a few more things regarding Messmer specifically: - He seems to have heavy association with/control over flames in general, whether this comes down to a connection with Dragons or the Flame of Ruin is anyone’s guess. I personally believe it to be both given that he has the red hair synonymous with Giants in the world of Elden Ring, as well as seemingly draconic features such as his eye and the dragon-like wings on his helmet and all over his snakes (also his drip which many people have compared to the Drake Knight set). - Messmer’s snakes seem to indicate some connection Messmer may have with the Serpent that has only ever been described as an ancient enemy of the Erdtree. If this is the case then not only would it give us an idea of why Messmer might hold some kind of animosity toward Marika/the Erdtree but it would also parallel the biblical serpent (who is Lucifer in disguise) in the Garden of Paradise who leads Adam and Eve to stray from obeying God and eating the forbidden fruit. In this case Messmer would be Elden Ring’s Lucifer; he who was once the most faithful, now the very icon of blasphemy. At this current point in time we can only speculate on his motives, though I suspect he may have been punished and ‘veiled’ beneath the Erdtree/in its shadow (his own ‘hell’ that he claims rulership over) as punishment for embracing things that Marika sought to eventually cull (after the Giants had been slaughtered maybe) despite himself being not only her son but an enforcer of the Golden Order. - Then there’s the case of the butterflies. I still believe there’s a chance that Melina could be matched with the smouldering butterfly though I can’t ignore the glaring possibility that this could very well be Messmer’s butterfly; not only for the visual similarities but also because of the fact that Messmer seems to have a unique relationship with flames, with an NPC even commenting on his flame in particular in the trailer for SotE. There’s also the fact that, despite being present almost anywhere in the Lands Between that has fire, the smouldering butterfly seems to bare connection to and might even come from the Mountaintops of the Giants, further tying Messmer to the Giants/Fell God. Butterflies are also symbols of metamorphosis, transformation and rebirth, and each sibling born of Marika and Radagon seems to experience a “hatching from the cocoon” represented by their butterfly; Malenia Aeonian butterfly representing her blossoming into the Goddess of Rot, Miquella’s butterfly representing his premature removal from his cocoon, and perhaps Messmer’s butterfly represents being born of the Fell God of Flame or maybe it’s just meant to visually represent him. It is possible that Messmer also shares the theme of rebirth through his father Radagon who had gifted the Rune of Rebirth to Renalla, indicating that Radagon was the very least interested enough in rebirth that he decided to extract the rune that was rebirth manifest. I personally think Messmer’s butterfly (if it is indeed his) could symbolise any hope of Messmer’s ‘second life’ in the Lands Between going up in flames as a result of Marika’s actions and subsequent reign.
That’s about all I have for now, feel free to point out anything I may have missed in-game that could reduce my entire theory to smithereens.
TLDR: Marika at some point during her time in the Land of Shadow encountered the Fell God and was marked with a curse. She expelled this curse through what is essentially mitosis in a way, splitting herself in two and having her other half (Radagon) carry the curse (red hair). She then proceeds to have her first child (Messmer) with Radagon before marrying Hoarah Loux/Godfrey and abandoning Messmer in Australia and making sure he never sees the light of day.

Alright, so I'll keep the context to a minimum for the sake of brevity:

I have a client who wishes to use a close-to-free system to broadcast a dashboard that presents the status of some assets (let's say, machinery). He's avoiding recurring fees at all costs (ex: dashboarding or broadcasting solutions that charge by screen/month).
The information on their status is manually entered using a form. It's the only way to do it; it can't be automated.
Excel pulls the information from the form and arranges it visually.
I need to broadcast the Excel sheet continuously, but most importantly it needs to be accurate in real-time (i.e. present the most up-to-date data from the forms).

Where we're at: It works like a charm using an old computer, Excel online on Chrome browser (casting the tab), an auto-clicker in Chrome to keep Excel awake, a Chromecast and a TV.
Now, I'm trying to substitute a Raspberry Pi 4 wired through HDMI for this setup to lighten it and make everything fit onto the TV itself. Firefox is too resource-intensive, so I'm using Chromium to access Excel online. The Excel worksheet won't stay awake and will stop showing data updates after a couple of hours max.
Tests I've conducted:

Using a wired mouse to prevent the clicking device from sleeping
Testing 4 different auto-clickers
Trying to find every setting that prevents refreshing (Rpi sleeping setting, browser caching, etc.)

Avenues of troubleshooting:

Does the wifi timeout?
Does the display refresh times out?
Is there any way that Excel online could react differently with Chromium browser compared to Chrome?

Any suggestions as to what could be causing the refresh and what I could do about it would be awesome.
Worst case, I'll roll back to the computer setup. But I'd love to be able to use the Pi.
Thanks!!!

Since the June DSAT is coming up I thought I'd make a post on tips and resources I used to help me study for the May 4th sat. This post goes into decent depth so read it all carefully and remember what worked for me might not work for you.
If you're like me and procrastinated studying until now then this post is definitely for you. All my prep for the May 4th test was done in like 14 days and I expect a score of 1540 or above.
My scores for the college board practice tests:
Practice Test 1: 1220
Practice Test 2: 1190
Practice Test 3: 1530
Practice Test 4: 1360
Practice Test 5: 1460
Practice Test 6: 1530
PRACTICE TESTS EXPERIENCE: Practice Test 1 and 2 were done without desmos since I didn't even know I could use it, so I basically wasted those two. I did test 2 after doing khan academy, test 3 was done using desmos and I did it after I grinded through like 80% of khan academy. Practice Test 4 truly humbled me and I realized how unprepared I really was which was when I started watching more youtube videos. I took the practice test 5 only 2 days after test 4 and my score increased like crazy which made me confident again.
NOTE: PRACTICE TEST 4, 5, AND 6 ARE THE CLOSEST IN DIFFICULTY TO THE REAL DEAL, TEST 1, 2 AND 3 ARE VERY EASY COMPARED TO THE REAL THING.
BASICS FOR BEGINNERS: If you have not studied yet at all you should start with basic concepts on Khan academy, grind through the lessons and videos, do the practice questions in the foundation section and medium section. Also learn how to use desmos, I used desmos for things I didn't even know was possible. Learning how to use desmos got rid of easy constant questions, inequalities, system of equations. Make sure to watch the 3 part desmos videos I talked about below in the youtubers section, it truly helped me a lot.
YOUTUBE: Youtube was one of the key reasons my score increased, I watched videos on the dsat constantly, while I ate food, even on my breaks I just watched videos running through the practice test I had already taken over and over again. I went over each practice test and the mistakes I made probably like 3 - 4 times throughout the 15 days.
QUESTION BANK: After I finished every practice test provided by the college board, ONLY THEN did I go to the college board question bank. This is because a good amount of the questions off of the practice tests are in this bank so without knowing it your brain could memorize how to do it and recognize it when doing the practice test which would inflate your marks. I probably went through hundreds of questions from the question bank (English and math) within the last 3 days before the may 4th test.
EXTRA TIPS: Sleep and exercise are also very important and something that I think isn't talked about enough, this applies more to people who are in my boat and are studying last minute and want a really high score. I slept crazy every night and it really helped me retain more information. Exercise is an amazing break even a walk works, anytime I hit a wall during my study periods I'd just go to the gym for 45 minutes to and hour and I would always come back refreshed ready to study again.
Youtubers I used:
Not promoting these guys in any way but they're just the only youtubers I used and I think other people here would probably find them useful.
Here are all the youtubers I used, Scalar Learning, Settele Tutoring, Tutorllini Test Prep, Strategic Test Prep, Method Learning.
Scalar Learning: He has some decent videos teaching basic concepts and his shorts have some good practice questions that he goes through.
Settele Tutoring: Settele was the one I watched the most, he went through every single question (in separate videos) on every single practice test given by the college board, I also watched some of his free concept learning videos on english, I think he explains a lot of the stuff pretty well. He’s amazing at english and helping you learn english, he made something called a “dumb summary” which I actually used a lot on my may 4th sat, it’s essentially a method where you can summarize a massive paragraph in like 30-40 seconds easily.
Tutorllini Test Prep: Has some good concept videos and also goes through all the math questions on all the practice tests really well, sometimes giving like 2-3 different methods you can use to solve a single question. He also goes through some of his own worksheets that he’s made and some of them are pretty good practice.
Strategic Test Prep: She gives some good test day tips and tips and shortcuts in general for the SAT, her explanations on the practice tests are also pretty decent.
Method Learning: Method Learning is what I’d say really boosted my score in the very beginning stages of my studying. This is only because of his 3 part desmos videos, I didn’t watch any of his other videos but that 3 part seriously was a game changer. The desmos tips he gives are amazing. An example is if a question gives you a linear or quadratic equation and then a constant in it, you can plug that exact equation into desmos and move the slider around to find what the constant is, this takes no more than 30 seconds.
Formulas I memorized for the DSAT:
You will have to memorize some formulas for the DSAT and some will make your life easier.
Sum of interior angles in a polygon: 180(n-2)
Area of a sector: πr^2 ⋅ θ/360
Arc Length: 2πr ⋅ θ/360
Mass/Volume/Density: m = v(d)
X cord. of vertex: -b/2a
Sum of solutions: -b/a
Product of solutions: c/a
If anyone needs any tips or anything just let me know I'll try my best to respond.
Whatever score you want is possible if you're willing to put in the work and time.

Since the June DSAT is coming up I thought I'd make a post on tips and resources I used to help me study for the May 4th sat. This post goes into decent depth so read it all carefully and remember what worked for me might not work for you.
If you're like me and procrastinated studying until now then this post is definitely for you. All my prep for the May 4th test was done in like 15 days and I expect a score of 1540 or above.
My scores for the college board practice tests:
Practice Test 1: 1220
Practice Test 2: 1190
Practice Test 3: 1530
Practice Test 4: 1360
Practice Test 5: 1460
Practice Test 6: 1530
PRACTICE TESTS EXPERIENCE: Practice Test 1 and 2 were done without desmos since I didn't even know I could use it, so I basically wasted those two. I did test 2 after doing khan academy, test 3 was done using desmos and I did it after I grinded through like 80% of khan academy. Practice Test 4 truly humbled me and I realized how unprepared I really was which was when I started watching more youtube videos. I took the practice test 5 only 2 days after test 4 and my score increased like crazy which made me confident again.
NOTE: PRACTICE TEST 4, 5, AND 6 ARE THE CLOSEST IN DIFFICULTY TO THE REAL DEAL, TEST 1, 2 AND 3 ARE VERY EASY COMPARED TO THE REAL THING.
BASICS FOR BEGINNERS: If you have not studied yet at all you should start with basic concepts on Khan academy, grind through the lessons and videos, do the practice questions in the foundation section and medium section. Also learn how to use desmos, I used desmos for things I didn't even know was possible. Learning how to use desmos got rid of easy constant questions, inequalities, system of equations. Make sure to watch the 3 part desmos videos I talked about below in the youtubers section, it truly helped me a lot.
YOUTUBE: Youtube was one of the key reasons my score increased, I watched videos on the dsat constantly, while I ate food, even on my breaks I just watched videos running through the practice test I had already taken over and over again. I went over each practice test and the mistakes I made probably like 3 - 4 times throughout the 15 days.
QUESTION BANK: After I finished every practice test provided by the college board, ONLY THEN did I go to the college board question bank. This is because a good amount of the questions off of the practice tests are in this bank so without knowing it your brain could memorize how to do it and recognize it when doing the practice test which would inflate your marks. I probably went through hundreds of questions from the question bank (English and math) within the last 3 days before the may 4th test.
EXTRA TIPS: Sleep and exercise are also very important and something that I think isn't talked about enough, this applies more to people who are in my boat and are studying last minute and want a really high score. I slept crazy every night and it really helped me retain more information. Exercise is an amazing break even a walk works, anytime I hit a wall during my study periods I'd just go to the gym for 45 minutes to and hour and I would always come back refreshed ready to study again.
Youtubers I used:
Not promoting these guys in any way but they're just the only youtubers I used and I think other people here would probably find them useful.
Here are all the youtubers I used, Scalar Learning, Settele Tutoring, Tutorllini Test Prep, Strategic Test Prep, Method Learning.
Scalar Learning: He has some decent videos teaching basic concepts and his shorts have some good practice questions that he goes through.
Settele Tutoring: Settele was the one I watched the most, he went through every single question (in separate videos) on every single practice test given by the college board, I also watched some of his free concept learning videos on english, I think he explains a lot of the stuff pretty well. He’s amazing at english and helping you learn english, he made something called a “dumb summary” which I actually used a lot on my may 4th sat, it’s essentially a method where you can summarize a massive paragraph in like 30-40 seconds easily.
Tutorllini Test Prep: Has some good concept videos and also goes through all the math questions on all the practice tests really well, sometimes giving like 2-3 different methods you can use to solve a single question. He also goes through some of his own worksheets that he’s made and some of them are pretty good practice.
Strategic Test Prep: She gives some good test day tips and tips and shortcuts in general for the SAT, her explanations on the practice tests are also pretty decent.
Method Learning: Method Learning is what I’d say really boosted my score in the very beginning stages of my studying. This is only because of his 3 part desmos videos, I didn’t watch any of his other videos but that 3 part seriously was a game changer. The desmos tips he gives are amazing. An example is if a question gives you a linear or quadratic equation and then a constant in it, you can plug that exact equation into desmos and move the slider around to find what the constant is, this takes no more than 30 seconds.
Formulas I memorized for the DSAT:
You will have to memorize some formulas for the DSAT and some will make your life easier.
Sum of interior angles in a polygon: 180(n-2)
Area of a sector: πr^2 ⋅ θ/360
Arc Length: 2πr ⋅ θ/360
Mass/Volume/Density: m = v(d)
X cord. of vertex: -b/2a
Sum of solutions: -b/a
Product of solutions: c/a
If anyone needs any tips or anything just let me know I'll try my best to respond.
Whatever score you want is possible if you're willing to put in the work and time.

Hi everyone, I wanted to know if my dislike of the genetics section of a Bio 1A equivalent, would carry on to MCB 140 if I took that course? I found the genetics section covered in Bio 1A to be too boring because it didn't feel that challenging and it focused too much on material that I had already known by reading a lot of biology books for fun. I already knew about mitosis and meiosis, mendel and his pea experiments, I already knew about homozygous and heterozygous, and a lot of the other stuff. The only thing that was really new to me in the genetics section were the enzymes involved in DNA transcription such as Ligase, Helicase, Topoisomerase, etc. I'd like to learn more about genetics but I want it to be new material that's actually interesting. I'd like to believe MCB 140 is gonna be exciting but I wanted to ask first before taking it to see if it's just Bio 1A genetics but a semester's version of it or something more exciting. I'm also interested in computational biology if that helps and this summer I'm either going to do a compbio internship in genetics or medical data analysis. I can't wait to hear back!
TLDR: dislike genetics section of Bio 1A equivalent. It was mostly stuff I already knew. Want to see if MCB 140 will be more exciting or just Bio 1A genetics but longer. Interested in compbio as well.

This is probably a longer story than it really is, but I am just trying to give as much context as I can.
In grade 11, me (F16-17) and my ex-friend (F16-17) were best friends. For some context, we both became friends fairly early in high school. In my country high school is from grade 8-grade 12. I joined the high school in grade 8 from out of city, the high school is just closer to me than the one in my city, so I was a new kid. I made some friends in grade 8 as a new kid but those friendships did end in grade 9. Grade 9 is when my best friend, we'll call her Emily, transferred to the school. And we formed a friendship. Through grade 9 we had formed our own little friend group with 2 other girls, we'll name them Clara and Sabrina. It was the 4 of us through majority of high school. We would always text each other, always hang out after school, spend any break we had at school together and had as much fun as any girls in high school could have (minus the partying because my school is not a partying school).
Emily and I were the closet in the friend group, afterall we were pretty similar and come from similar backgrounds (We're both a type of asian). We both would be described as the smart kids. We both would end up getting high grades in all of our classes. In grade 9, when we met, she told the friend group her dream was to become a doctor like her parents were, so she studied extra hard in high school to keep her grades high. I, on the other hand, did not really have any specific dreams. I wanted to become a writer or even a lawyer (but was worried because I'm not the best speaker). Due to that, I never tried that hard at school. Like i care about grades, my parents cared a lot about me getting high grades, but I wasn't studying for anything. And with that I never really studied either, I would do my homework and pay attention in class and take pretty notes but I was not spending any real time after class to do work Which is something that Emily would do. She would spend hours and hours a day just studying. If she wasn't studying she would be doing some volunterring or some club stuff.
Fast forward to grade 11. Right from the beginning of the year something just felt odd about our relationship. She seemed distant. Which I chalked up to it being we were now considered seniors at our high school so she was starting to stress about universities already, but it was still whatever. My school worked in semesters, so for half of the year we would have 4 specific classes which would then switch to different classes in second semester. During first semester I didn't have any classes with any of my friends. I was just chilling in all of my classess and getting adopted into different group friends in those classes. I was always well-liked in high school, I was not a popular kid. But compared to all the smart kids in the school, I was deemed the nicest so because of that everyone would be nice to me and friendly (even though I know for some of them it was so they could get hw answers out of me, but they were still very nice to me).
During this time, my friends and I would make up plans to hang out. We always made it a point to hang out at least once a week outside of school. It was always after school, we would usually study, walk around or go to the mall. In our gc on insta we would always double check with one another on which days to do it. Clara, Sabrina and I would always talk in the gc and were always the ones initiating the plans. Emily was also in the gc but would rarely reply to anything. Any times we would make plans to hang out, Emily would either not reply (which would then lead us to asking her during lunch the next day if she was free, where she would barely talk) or she would just say no to all plans. The few times she would say yes, she would always cancel the day of. Which would be annoying, and Clara, Sabrina and I would talk amongst ourselves that we found it odd she would always cancel and never want to hang out outside of school, but we were like it's not that big of a deal. She could just be busy.
We then just ahead to my birthday. Now i have an early birthday and it falls around the time that we come back to school after the winter break. Now during the winter break, Clara, Sabrina and I formed a seperate gc as it would just be the three of us talking and making plans. We also always took so many pictures and felt bad about sending it into the gc with the four of us in it as we didnt want Emily to feel bad about not coming. So we figured it was better if we kept it seperate. But in the main gc, I just ask when is everyone free to do something small. I'm not really a birthday person. Since high school, all my birthdays include going to some cozy restauraunt with my 4 closest friends and just having a casual dinner. So I ask and everyone leaves their responses, including Emily. We decide on a day, it would be after school just a day or two after my actual birthday and we would be going to a restuarunt and an arcade nearby (I have strict parents so I really wasn't allowed to go out late or really go out anywhere far). The plan is made and everything is set. When the day comes for the dinnearcade, we all meet up by our lockers to go take the bus together.
The 3 of us are there waiting for Emily to come and she does just a few minutes late. That is when she tells us she can't come because she has a club meeting today, and she told us it was mandatory for us to attend. Now of course my friends and I tried to convince her to blow it off just this one time, but she was adamant about going. So, whatever. We say bye to her and start walking to the bus. While walking there we bump into a mutual friend, also waiting for the bus. She is also in the same club, so we confused why she was here. We do ask her, saying "hey isn't there something happening with the club today?" That is when she tells us there was just this small meeting recapping what had happened in last weeks meeting for the people who missed it. Meaning the meeting was not madatory at all, especially when Emily had cancelled our plans last week to go to this said meeting. Meaning she did sort of lie to get out of going to my birthday party. I of course was hurt by this. When she told us she had to go to the meeting, I didn't think much of it as I knew how much school mattered to her and how much doing this club stuff mattered. But she had the choice to come, and she decided to just blow me off. We went out and had fun and didn't bring the matter up with her. We figured it was just her caring a bit too much about school.
Anyways this whole cancelling plans last minute, ghosting the main gc thing happened more and more. It also got to the point where if I wanted to talk to her, whether that was through text or in real life I would always have to approach her first. As this carried on for a while, i of course was getting a bit annoyed about where this friendship was going.
We now get to Emily's birthday a month later. Now Emily decided to plan her birthday, very last minute. I am just pointing this out as i am not a person who can do spontaneous plans, one because i have this need to plan properly and two because I do have strict parents. So i can't just spring a plan on them the day of and expect to go. Which is something Emily knows. Anyways she makes the plan and i tell my mom about it to ask if i can go and she says yes. The day before, Emily then decides to change the plan entirely. We were going to go into downtown city (for context, it's roughly 2 hours transit from our neighborhood). I obviously had to ask permission as she wanted to stay out late which is not something my parents would like, so when Emily told us at lunch the change in plans, Clara, Sabrina I told her we had to double check if we can still go as we all have strict parents, but our extended friend group were all down to go.
After school, the four of us head into the bathroom, which is a toally normal thing for high school girls to do before we headed out. While there Emily then decides to start a fight with me about not going to her birthday, which hasn't happened yet. She starts yelling at me about how Im mad that she didn't go to my birthday and am not going to hers as revenge (I'll be honest, I kinda forgot she didn't go). And starts yelling at me about how I'm being a bad friend and frankly a b*tch. And when I say she is screaming at me, I mean there is the largest echo circling our bathroom as she yells at me. Now I'm just standing there, trying to reason with her. I'm just trying to explain to her that i didn't say i wasn't coming, i just needed to get permission to go, which is something that Clara and Sarbina said as well but Emily wasn't saying anything about them. She proceeded to just yell at me for a solid 5 minutes. Another girl did walk into the bathroom, saw Emily yelling and just left, which I feel bad about. I do not do well with someone yelling at me, so I just tell her that I'm leaving now and we can talk later. I practically run out of the bathroom and out of school. Clara runs up to me and says i can't go home feeling like this. I felt horrible, i felt like throwing up. So Clara makes it her job to cheer me up as Sabrina is trying to calm Emily down. Clara takes me to Mcdonalds, where we split a meal as that became a tradition of ours and she bought me ice-cream to make me feel better. We end up spending roughly and hour and half there before starting to walk back to our houses. I did feel a lot better and I was smiling. Clara didn't really say much about what happened as she knew it would upset me. She just said that Emily was being mean and left it at that. At some point during our walk, Emily calls Clara and starts screaming at Clara over the phone about choosing "my side". I only know it was Emily because I can hear her screaming through the phone and Clara is trying to be nice to her and say she was comforting her friend like a good one would do. Emily continues screaming and Clara just hangs up on her.
We don't talk about it. Now the next day, at school, is Emily's birthday. I feel so awkward. Because i'm still upset about what happened. When I see her, I'm not sure if I should wish her a happy birthday. I feel like I am owed an apology first. so i don't really say anything to her. and we don't really talk. Now we are in the same Chemistry honours class together and are lab partners. So we have to talk. I ask her, if we're going to talk about what happened. And she just says, no, it's my birthday. I just say really but she doesn't say anything after. So Im just like, fine, whatever. We spend the entire class in awkward silence, and I do not see her again the entire day. Even at lunch because she has a club meeting or something. Clara, Sabrina and I all agree that we don't want to talk about it. Clara got an apology text last night but she was still mad about being yelled at over the phone. Sabrina asked us if we wanted to know what her and Emily talked about yesterday but i said no. I was frankly too mad and knew if anything was said, I would be upset. Emily did not end up having a birthday party. and there is now an awkward silence between the 4 of us. it's like a horror movie, where the music is playing and you just know something bad is coming and you have to wait for it.
A few days later, I know i have to say something. I can feel that our friendship is hanging by a thread and I want my best friend back. So at lunch, while we're all sitting by our lockers I bring up the topic. I do not remember the conversation that took place. All I know was that Emily was practically screaming in my face, in front of all our friends (Clara, Sabrina and 5 of our other friends). Everyone is trying to get her to stop, but she keeps yelling at me. At some point I just start crying. Now this is the first time, that someone outside of my family, has ever made me cry. Its the first time I have ever cried at school too. The tears are flowing down my face as I just say "i'm sorry i cant do this" to the rest of our friends as i had off to the bathroom to calm down. Clara and one of our other friends rush off with me to try to calm me down and stop the tears. But they keep coming. I can't stop them and am now in the bathroom splashing my face with water and doing my best to wipe them all away. Clara, this other friend and i all have the same class next. So they have to literally drag me to class as I'm sort of paralyzed about whats happening. When we get to the classroom, everyone there, which was half of the class is looking at me and seeing my red, teared-up face. Our seats are at the very back corner of the classroom, on the very opposite side from the door. So i have to walk past the entire face as they all stare at me and wonder whats happening. the entire time im not really paying any attention. during little work periods in the class, my fellow classmates would walk up to me and ask if im okay. which i would say yes, i was even though i wasnt because what else could i say. I ended up powering through the rest of the day before going home and wonderign what to do.
In the secret gc, I text with Clara and Sabrina about what my next steps should be. They suggest we have an actual therapy session as a friend group to discuss if we even want to be friends at this point. I agree to this. I even start writing up my own speech I am going to tell Emily when i see her.
So I'm just going to jump ahead to whenever this happens. It's during lunch, outside on the grass field. I am calm, I know what to say and everything. I'm sitting there with Clara and Sabrina has to literally drag Emily out of school to come and talk. I kid you not. We have like an hour for lunch. It takes 20 minutes for Emily to finally show up. And she shows up like, "ugh what are we even doing here? im kinda busy" and just acts like there is nothing at all wrong. I start to calmly explain to her how ive been feeling the entire year. I do not remmeber the conversation. But what I remember talking about is how i feel like she's distant, she's always cancelling plans, im always the one texting her first, about how she gets mad at me for small little things, how she yells at me, etc. My whole speech was about how "i don't want to feel like sh*t for trying to continue this friendship". Because even after the first time she yelled at me, I just wanted an apology and we could move on and that didn't happen. And now Im just like I don't want to cry again and don't want my tears to come from someone who's supposed to be my best friend. She does argue her case in this. Her whole thing is how "i'm being clingy and annoying and controlling".
Now for her arguement, I think it should be known more about my persoanlity type. I am not the best people person. I have social anxiety and how that manifests in me is that i can't really talk to people that well. I don't know how to converse and get incredibly nervous to talk to anyone new. So when I do become friends with someone, I do latch on to them. I talk to them all the time, when i can, and they become my person. I think that is where the clingy party comes from. For the controlling/annoying thing, I can only chalk it up to me always texting her. Like i said, i would always have to be the one initating our conversations and plans. So our chats always look like 5 bubbles of text from me (because i am the person that types in multiple bubbles rather than one large text bubble) and her short responses. When it comes to plans, as I said i do not do spontaenous plans. I need to have them properly organized for both my parents sakes and my sake. I'm not someone who plans everything out minute by minute, I just need to know times and places. And if you are actually free.
Thankfully this time, Emily isn't yelling at me however she is talkimg a bit loudly. Now at this point we have spent 25ish minutes talking about this when she suddently gets up and says "i have to go otherwise i'll be late for my class and get in trouble". Which there is still 15 minutes before lunch ends. And her classroom is across the hallway from my next class with Clara. The walk from the grass field was literally 2 minutes. Our coversation wasn;t done. There was no convlusion and no real understanding on either part. So all of us get up as Emily starts speed walking and we all chase her. We're all telling her there is still so much time left, but she doesn't listen and still carries on. So then I say, "i don't want to be friends anymore if this is what it's going to be like". and she says "fine." and walks away. and that was the end of our friendship.
It was almost spring break and our friends were doing their best to navigate the situation. I think they believed we both needed time to cool down and we can all be friends again. However that didn;t happen. Emily and i agreed to be civil as we still had the same friend group but she never really hung out with us in the next couple days, or talked during lunch and that was it.
The two of us did not talk at all. The only times we did was in our Chemistry class, where she did the most un-civil thing ever. As I said we were lab partners. Anytime we had any lab, involing the microscope, I would always be the person doing the microscope work as Emily writes down the results of what I found. I would then get the numbers or obersations from her and add them to my worksheet as our teacher wanted us to work in partners but submit our own work. This one lab went off for too long and the bell rung. So as we are packing up quickly, I ask Emily for the numbers she wrote down. She said she's late for something and will send me the numbers later today. And I'm like fine. She never did. It was also a Friday so we went into the weekend and she never sent me anything. I did text her once on Saturday and another time on Sunday if she could send it. but she never replied and i just asked another classmate if they could send me their answers. If our teacher asked why did we as partners have different answers, I was going to tell him Emily wouldn't give them to me. He never did ask and that was the last time we really talked.
We then headed into spring break which ended up turning into the pandemic lockdown. Now I feel so bad when saying this, as i know this was a difficult time for so many people. But me as a 17-year-old high school studnet, loved the first few weeks of lockdown. I saw it as a mental health break as all the stuff that went down with Emily did in fact put me into a depression phase (I actually do have depression and i do end up in mini-phases where its really bad). The lockdown gave me time to breathe as it felt like i was holding my breath for so long and i could relax. Now in the fall, our school did a hybrid for our last year. Which was fine, it was weird but managable. Emily did not talk to me, Clara or Sabrina at all during our seniour year. We graduated and my friends and I had the best time we could under pandemic restrictions.
Current day, I (21) am now in university. Clara and Sabrina and I are as close as ever and have managed to keep our friendship alive and strong even 3-4 years outside of high school and while all attending different universities. We still hang out regularly (once every week or so) and text all the time. And would you believe it, Emily goes to my university. Remember, how I said she wanted to become a doctor. Yeah so her plan was to go to university in Toronto for some medicine thing. I don't really know. She didn't do that. Instead she stayed in our city and decided to do business instead. What am I doing, you ask? Also business. Now I know I can't claim a school, or a major or anything like that. But i can't lie, im a little annoyed that she decided to swtich her career path to the same as mine. Thankfully Ive only had one class with her and it was one of those big lecture halls so i didn't have to talk with her. Just seeing her tho reminds me of high school and i can feel my blood pressure rising and me sweating as all the nerves and stress come back.
Anyways Clara and Sabrina's birthdays are coming up. Their birthdays are within the same week so since high school, they've always just done one big combined party. The two of them are both really chill people, they are friends with everyone and anyone. So as their coming up with their birthday plans, they are thinking of their guest list and Emily is on it. Now, Clara and Sabrina did ask me beforehand if they could invite her. They do want to make sure I am comfortable. They both tell me that they don't really talk to her anymore, maybe once every 3 months or something. They also haven't hung out since high school. But for their 21st birthday they are thinking of inviting everyone from our high school friend group to have sort of a mini-reuinion. I am down for it, I do think i have moved on, in the sense that I know I do not want Emily in my life. I do tell them I will probably feel awkwad but I can manage for one night for their birthday.
As I'm telling my sister (F16) about Clara and Sabrina's party and who's coming, she asks me about Emily. She basically says if Clara and Sabrina are fine with inviting her, that means they have forgiven her for high school stuff, so am I not being a bit mean for holding on to my feelings? I am a person who believes there is no expirational date on any pain caused by a person. I should not have to "forgive and forget" a person, who has not asked for it and who caused me so much pain just because that is how the world has worked. But it go me thinking, am i being a bit rude?
So, two questions: AITA for what happened in high-school? (am i in the wrong for the friendship breakup) and AITA for not wanting to forgive her?
A FEW NOTES: (i'll add more when i think of it)
I have not spoken to Emily since grade 12. Not in person, not through people, not through text. We have had no contact with one another and i am fine with that. I do not want any relationship with her.
Clara and Sabrina are two of the sweetest people in my life. It does not hurt me at all they have the odd interaction with Emily at all. Afterall they do say its very minimal contact and the few times they have made plans with Emily included, they let me know well in advance, ask if its okay to invite her and all that. Each time I say its fine because I know Im in a good place to not feel bad.
I have never yelled at Emily. Nor have I ever spoken badly about her. With our mutual friends I might complain about the situation, but I never say anything bad about her. I should also say, Emily i don't think was well-liked. As I said the two of are good students, the smart kids, whatever else you want to say. However Emily is what would be described as a "teacher's pet" and does give off an arrogant vibe at times towards others. Some of my other friends/classmates would sometimes make comments about this to me, but i would always sort of downplay it. Like, oh that's not how she really is, she just cares a lot about school. A few times I would say the comments are harsh to some of the classmates. Her, on the other hand, has called me a controlling b*tch to several people. who have all told me about it. She did bad-mouth to quite a few people.
At some point in grade 11 (not really relevant to the main story, but might be part of the reason Emily's always made at me), but I was blamed for a rumour going around that Emily had a crush on this guy in our grade. Emily and I had to go to this one teacher's class for some notes or something. And in the class was this girl who I didn;t really like. So before we walk in I whisper to her, no one can hear, that "hey there's that girl i don't like". Emily then makes it so obvious that she is looking at this girl. And next to her is one of the popular boys in our class. Emily makes it so obvious that shes looking in his direction and does it a few times, that the rumour she likes this guy becomes a huge joke in our grade. She does not like this guy, never has liked this guy, but it is a joke that him and his friends carry on. This continues for the entire year, and Emily in our therapy session does mention this fact. She says its my fault that this joke has gone around. I don't see how.

I've recently completed my third year of computer engineering at UofT, and I wanted to share my thoughts on the courses I've taken. I hope this will be beneficial to incoming first, second, and third-year engineering students. My area of depth is 6 (Software) and my areas of breadth are 4 (Control) and 5 (Computer hardware/networks).
Difficulty: How hard it was to comprehend course material and/or complete practice problems accurately. Keep in mind that difficulty is subjective but I tried to eliminate personal bias and be as objective as possible.
Workload: The amount of work to complete outside of lectures (labs, assignments, homework, studying for tests/exams).
All engineers take the exact same courses in their first year first semester and similar ones in second semester. I took these courses in 2021 during covid so some information might be outdated.
First Year Semester 1:
APS100 Orientation to Engineering:
Difficulty: 1/10 Workload: 3/10 Course Average: N/A
There is no technical material in this course. All coursework consists of Ethics analysis, creating a schedule for time management, creating your resume, and discussion board participation. During tutorials, the TA typically asks behavioral questions to the class and covers slides pertaining to engineering principles, the learning environment, test readiness, and related topics.
APS110 Engineering Chemistry and Materials Science
Difficulty: 6/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: B
This course blends elements of chemistry, physics, and mathematics, requiring lots of formulas and memorization. The assignments and online quizzes were moderately difficult. Not sure if he’s still teaching but Scott Ramsay was a really good professor. Really enjoyed watching his video demonstrations.
APS111 Engineering Strategies and Practices I
Difficulty: 3/10 Workload: 6/10 (Variable) Course Average: B
Students are organized into groups of 5-6 and are assigned the task of developing a solution for a client, following the engineering design process. Success in this course heavily relies on your team. Throughout the semester, there are several milestones where you need to submit large reports with your team, making it crucial to have capable teammates. Many teams resorted to last-minute cramming the night before each milestone (not a good idea). Additionally, there are two peer reviews, so make sure you contribute to avoid being perceived as an unproductive member. In most cases, you don’t need to worry about this though. You’d likely all be good friends by that point (and give each other a perfect review).
CIV100 Mechanics
Difficulty: 9/10 Workload: 9/10 Course Average: C+
The consensus among most students in my year was that this was the toughest first year course. It's incredibly calculation heavy, with questions that may appear straightforward in theory but require multiple steps to solve. Even a minor error can screw up your entire calculation process. The assignments are extremely time-consuming, and the quizzes pose significant challenges. I suggest you work in a group for the assignments. Furthermore, both the final exam and midterm were exceptionally difficult.
MAT186 Calculus I
Difficulty: 4/10 Workload: 4/10 Course Average: B
If you’ve taken IB or AP this course will be a breeze. Even without that background, it's still relatively straightforward. Very little on integrals, mostly derivatives, rates of change, and graphs. PCEs and WebWorks were trivial, and the midterm and exam were easy.
MAT188 Linear Algebra
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: B-
The majority of the course revolves around relatively straightforward operations on matrices and vectors. However, it does introduce abstract concepts like higher-order dimensions, which may require some deeper thinking to fully grasp. Webwork assignments were slightly more challenging compared to MAT186's, and completing assignments took a while. Once again, you should work with a partner or as a group. Pay attention in the MATLAB practicals because you’ll be using MATLAB pretty often in future courses.
First Year Semester 2:
APS105 Computer Fundamentals
Difficulty: 6/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: B-
If you’ve taken programming in high school, you will likely find this course very easy (2/10 difficulty). The course covers simple programming syntax, along with basic sorting algorithms, without delving into more advanced concepts beyond linked lists and binary trees. I do know many people who struggled though. I think that this was one of the more enjoyable courses of first year. Edit: perhaps not as easy as I described. Make sure to get programming experience in the summer before first year if you don’t already have it.
APS112 Engineering Strategies and Practices II
Difficulty: 5/10 Workload: 7/10 (Variable) Course Average: B+
This course is essentially a continuation of APS111, but with the added component of being assigned an actual client with a real-world problem statement. Each group works with a unique client, and at the end of the term, you present your final report directly to them, along with your supervisors. As with APS111, the quality of your team plays a crucial role in your success. Another thing to note is that unlike APS111, there were multiple individual assignments to complete on top of your team reports.
ECE110 Electrical Fundamentals
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 6/10 Course Average: C+
Definitely one of the harder first year courses. This course marks your introduction to circuits. Topics covered include capacitors, Ampere's law, Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's laws, AC/DC circuits, magnetism, Thevenin and Norton equivalents, and more. The material is extensive and requires thorough understanding, as many future courses will build upon its concepts. Make sure that you understand the content well, given its foundational importance in subsequent courses.
ECE191 Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering
Difficulty: 0/10 Workload: 1/10 Course Average: N/A
Seminar course. You just need to show up to the lectures (one per week) and submit a 100-ish word report about what you learned.
MAT187 Calculus II
Difficulty: 6/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: C+
The workload in this course is comparable to Calc I, but the content is more challenging (obviously). It delves deeper into integrals and introduces concepts like ordinary differential equations and polar coordinates. But again, you’ll manage just fine if you did decently in Calc 1, and especially if you’ve taken AP math or IB HL math.
MIE100 Dynamics
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload 4/10 Course Average: C+
I personally found this to be the most challenging course in first year, but it seems that most people disagree with me. It shares similarities with CIV100, but you’re instead dealing with dynamic systems (moving) rather than static ones (not moving). Some concepts may prove difficult to grasp initially. However, if you focus on memorizing the relevant formulas and understanding when to apply them, you should be okay. Expect an emphasis on physics in this course.
Second year was the worst (for ECE) and a very big step up from first year. If you struggled in first year, you better lock in for second year.
Second Year Semester 1:
ECE201 ECE Seminar Course
Difficulty: 0/10 Workload: 0/10 Course Average: N/A
Another seminar course, except you just need to attend 7/10 lectures to pass. Most students just scan their Tcard at the entrance then leave right after. The lectures are pretty useless except the Magellan one where they show you how to choose courses for 3rd and 4th year.
ECE212 Circuit Analysis
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 8/10 Course Average: B+
This course provides a deeper exploration of circuits, extending beyond circuit solving to include frequency and sinusoidal analysis. Questions tend to be long so careless errors will cost you. Personally, I found the labs challenging, particularly because they required working with oscilloscopes at a higher level than I was used to, and I could not for the life of me figure out how to use that thing.
ECE241 Digital Systems
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 8/10 Course Average: B-
This hardware course focuses on the foundation of hardware. A lot of the content is at the fundamental level so it’s not too hard to comprehend. However, the main challenge lies in learning Verilog, a hardware description language. I hate Verilog. All the labs are done using Verilog, and frustratingly, the course provides no instruction on the language, nor are there many helpful resources available online. This lack of guidance made what should have been straightforward labs much more difficult. Thankfully if you are in CE, you’ll never need to take another course with Verilog again. The midterm was easy but the final was borderline impossible.
ECE244 Programming Fundamentals
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: B-
This course is the sequel to APS105, delving into more advanced concepts like pointers, constructors, polymorphism, and inheritance. Many of these topics may feel familiar if you have prior programming experience, particularly from high school. Consequently, if you're already proficient in programming, as many computer engineering students are, you should be able to navigate through this course well. The labs were generally manageable, although a couple of them were time-consuming.
MAT290 Advanced Engineering Mathematics
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload 8/10 Course Average: B
In this course, you’ll learn a lot of miscellaneous mathematical concepts that will be relevant in future courses. The goal is to establish a strong foundation to facilitate understanding in third and fourth-year courses. There is also a quiz every week. They were terrible from a time management standpoint, but as long as you spent 3-4 hours per week completing the assigned textbook questions, you should be alright since one (out of two) of the questions on the quiz is guaranteed to be an assigned textbook question (at least, that was the case when I took the course).
MAT291 Calculus III
Difficulty: 9/10 Workload 9/10 Course Average: B-
The entire workload comes from studying for those damn weekly quizzes, much like MAT290. Personally, I found it to be one of the most difficult courses I've ever taken. Think of calculus 2, but now everything is in three dimensions, encompassing concepts like surface integrals, flux integrals, and more. Additionally, the course introduces abstract topics that I still struggle to grasp. Balancing the demands of this course alongside everything else was an incredibly stressful experience.
Second Year Semester 2:
ECE216 Signals and Systems
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload:7/10 Course Average: C+
I think everyone hated this course. It was so poorly taught and the midterms felt haphazard and unpredictable. I relied on the power of BS to pass (worked surprisingly). Other than working with many graphs and MATLAB, I don’t remember much about this course because it was so uninteresting.
ECE221 Electric and Magnetic Fields
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: C+
This course serves as an introduction to fields, while also expanding on the principles covered in ECE110. Many concepts build upon intuitive ideas, such as the repulsion of identical charges and attraction of opposite charges, which can make seemingly complex topics less intimidating. There are also many procedures that you need to know to solve specific types of questions. The labs are generally straightforward. You just need to follow the steps on the lab worksheet and answer a few simple questions from the TA.
ECE231 Intro to Electronics
Difficulty: 9/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: C+
This course is basically circuit analysis but significantly harder. It combines everything you've learned about circuits thus far, introducing new topics on top of that foundation. There are so many new concepts to learn and the final pretty much tests you on all of them. I’ve encountered multiple scenarios where I saw two concepts that I thought were completely separate from each other being integrated into a single question on an exam. Also very calculation heavy. Despite my experience in this course, I must admit Khoman Fang was a great professor.
ECE243 Computer Organization
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 6/10 Course Average: B
This course is a direct continuation of ECE241, and surprisingly, I found it a lot more enjoyable than its prerequisite. The focus is on Assembly language programming, which I found to be way more understandable compared to Verilog. Assembly operates at a fundamental level, so you’re technically working with the most basic building blocks in programming. The labs often involved seemingly simple tasks like counting to 10 on a HEX display, but the nature of Assembly meant that achieving this could require hundreds of lines of code. I appreciated these labs as they provided a refreshing change from the usual programming tasks. Final and midterm exams were relatively easy.
ECE297 Software communication and design
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 9/10 (Variable) Course Average: B+
Despite the demanding workload, this course was one of my favorites. The main project involved collaborating in teams of three to develop a geographical information system (similar to Google Maps). Unlike other courses where teams are assigned, here you have the freedom to choose your own teammates. Starting off, your team is given only the OpenStreetMap database, and the APIs, granting you complete control over your project's design, functionality, and optimization. Performance enhancement and pathfinding algorithms were key components of the project. It's crucial for all team members to contribute effectively for success in this course; And trust me, this is not a one or two person project. To succeed in this course, all three members must be doing their share.
Third Year:
They say that third year is the easiest year for ECE, but that depends on what courses you choose. For me, it was only slightly easier than second year but still significantly harder than first year.
APS360 Fundamentals of Deep Learning
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload : 8/10 Course Average: B+
This course felt fundamentally very different compared to the other programming related courses. If you’re unfamiliar with deep learning, the content can be overwhelming but the inner workings behind AI are both fascinating and challenging to grasp. Fortunately, much of the coding in the course revolves around preparing data, setting up AI architectures, and training/testing models, rather than building an AI from scratch. While the labs are manageable, the final project can be very time consuming, particularly as training a single model can require hours or even days. Regarding this aspect, make sure you start early. Both the midterm and final exams were quite difficult.
ECE302 Probability and Applications
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 3/10 Course Average: B-
The first half of this course is very straightforward. Just an introduction to probability. The second half is where the difficulty quickly ramps up. Make sure you don’t underestimate the second half of the course. I made the mistake of assuming the material was easy after performing well on both midterms (midterms were very easy), leading me to neglect the final third of the course so I flunked the final. FYI, our marks were determined solely by the 2 midterms and the final.
ECE344 Operating Systems
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 10/10 Course Average: B
This course had the most difficult and demanding labs I’ve ever seen in my life. They are due every two weeks and some of them took most students more than 15 hours to complete. I’ve seen people staying up all night in the GB computer rooms to finish these labs. One positive aspect of the course if Jon Eyolfson is your professor, is that all lectures are both recorded and live-streamed, allowing attendance in person, online synchronously, or asynchronously. But if you have Ding Yuan, good luck. I heard he is not only bad at teaching, but also makes you program an operating system from scratch. The course content is quite interesting and the Midterm and final exams were fair.
ECE345 Algorithms and Data Structures
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: B+
If you're one of those programming geniuses who have been doing Leetcode since like 3 years old, you’d have likely already learned all course content before you’ve even started the course. You could probably write midterm and final exams without attending any lectures. However, if you're not as experienced, attending every lecture, taking detailed notes, and staying focused is crucial. Personally speaking, some algorithms were incredibly difficult for me to grasp, while others were simple. Assignments typically include both coding and long-answer components, which can be time-consuming, but you can work with a partner.
TEP444 Positive Psychology for Engineers
Difficulty: 1/10 Workload: 3/10 Course Average: A-
This course overall was very enjoyable and a nice refreshing experience from the other technical courses. You go on excursions to various locations with your group and write reports. It's an excellent opportunity to expand your social circle and make new friends. If you aim for an A- grade (80-85), you can breeze through with minimal effort. However, achieving a higher grade (A or A+) would require significantly more work (like 5 times more, no joke), which is not worth the extra effort in my opinion.
CSC343 Introduction to Databases
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 10/10 Course Average: Unreleased
The content of this course is actually pretty interesting and is taught well. But the assignments were excessively time consuming. There are only three in total, but each one demanded such a significant investment of time to the point where I contemplated dropping the course altogether. You do work with a partner (going solo isn’t even an option if you want to complete the assignments) but even so, be prepared to invest 15-30 hours per person, per assignment (they also mark hard). Despite the workload, I do recommend taking this course because knowing SQL can substantially benefit you in the future. Just start the assignments early. On a positive note, the midterm and final were relatively straightforward.
ECE311 Introduction to Control Systems
Difficulty: 10/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: C+
This course didn't come with a heavy workload, consisting only of three labs and two midterms. However, I found the content to be very challenging. It felt like they condensed and combined every concept from every engineering math and physics course into one. Topics ranged from circuits and dynamics to Laplace transforms, matrices, Bode plots, and more. It didn’t help that Prof Scardovi didn’t record any lectures, has messy handwriting, and uses a damn chalkboard instead of modern technology like other profs do. The midterms and final were somewhat lenient compared to the lectures, but this course still ended up being my lowest mark.
ECE361 Computer networks I
Difficulty: 8/10 Workload: 9/10 Course Average: B
This course requires a lot of memorization compared to other courses. You’ll have to understand calculation processes but also memorize a lot of general knowledge about networks. A problem with this course is that some concepts that show up in tests are not adequately explained in lectures. By far the best way to study is to do past exams. Professor Valaee often recycles questions, sometimes even directly copying past midterms and finals (like he did in my cohort). Unlike other courses, there is no big assignment/lab for this course, but it makes up for it with quantity. There’s a quiz every week, a wireshark lab every 2 weeks, a programming lab every 2 weeks, and a midterm. The programming labs are already difficult by themselves, but this cumulative workload felt very overwhelming.
ECE472 Engineering Economics and Entrepreneurship
Difficulty: 7/10 Workload: 5/10 Course Average: B+
This is straight up an economics course, no engineering at all. You’ll learn about investments, equity, financing, and related areas. There are 4 quizzes throughout the semester, with quiz 3 (quiz 3 specifically) being by far the hardest (average in the 50s). Since you're able to bring your textbook to the quizzes and exam, my biggest tip is to write past quiz and exam solutions in your textbook, as there's a limited pool of questions, and new questions often resemble some kind of variation of past ones.
ECE421 Introduction to Machine Learning
Difficulty: 9/10 Workload: 7/10 Course Average: unreleased
While the course content itself may be challenging, surprisingly, the midterm and final exams were pretty easy. There's a slight discorrelation between the lecture material and what appears on the exams, but relying on past exams for preparation should be enough. The course leans heavily on mathematical concepts, much more so than APS360. The assignments were difficult and tedious but I recommend you work with others to complete it.
With that, I've covered my thoughts and tips for all the engineering courses I've completed. Transitioning into your next year in engineering, particularly if you’re transitioning from high school, can feel daunting. However, remember that you're not alone in this experience – many of your peers are facing similar challenges. If you need any more advice or have questions, feel free to reach out to me via DMs!

During mitosis and meiosis, there are two types of chromosime packaging methods: Histone vs Protamine
Most cells condense their DNA with histone packaging during mitosis and meiosis, while only the sperm cells use protamine packaging to condense its chromosomes into even smaller coils. Since most culture cell lines are somatic cells, is it possible to make them condense their chromosomes with protamine packaging instead of histone packaging? Or is the sperm cell line the only way to get protamine-packaged chromosomes?

ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY IS THE WORST RING OF HELL I HAVE EVER GONE AND DOVE INTO, JESUS CHRIST COMPARED TO OTHER THINGS ANALYTICAL CHEM HAS BEEN BY FAR THE WORST THING I HAVE SEEN IN MY LIFE, STOICH CAN BURN IN HELL, REDOXES CAN BURN IN HELL, RADIOSOTOPES CAN BURN IN A DAMNED FIRE, RAHHHHHHH
I THOUGHT FAILING MATH WAS BAD BUT WOW WAS PASSING CHEMISTRY AN INCARNATION WORSE THAN HELL
BIOLOGY IN ALL ITS BLAZING URINARY GLORY WAS BETTER THAN THIS HEAPING GARBAGE THAT SHIT TOOK ME AN HOUR TO REMEMBER AND ANALYTICAL TAKES ME THRICE AS LONG TO FINISH A WORKSHEET REEEEE

The War Scroll, also known as the "War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness," is a unique text within the Dead Sea Scrolls that portrays an apocalyptic battle between the forces of good (Sons of Light) and evil (Sons of Darkness). This scroll provides insight into both historical and symbolic elements.
Historical Accuracy:
The War Scroll, while containing detailed military tactics and an epic narrative of the ultimate confrontation, doesn't explicitly reference any specific historical event or timeframe. Some scholars believe it could be a product of the community's anticipation of a future messianic conflict or a reflection of their own community's struggles against opposing forces during their time. Interpreting the historical accuracy of the scroll often involves exploring the context of the Qumran community and the turbulent times in which they lived.
Symbolism and Esoteric Wisdom:
The War Scroll goes beyond a mere description of a physical battle. It portrays a cosmic conflict between the forces of light and darkness, reflecting not just a literal warfare but also a symbolic and spiritual struggle. The text emphasizes righteousness, divine intervention, and the victory of good over evil.
Within the study guide, activities and exercises could involve dissecting the symbolic elements present in the War Scroll, exploring the deeper meanings behind the battle tactics and the metaphysical implications of the conflict. Understanding the symbolism could involve group discussions, comparative analysis with other ancient texts with similar themes, and exploring the impact of this symbolic representation on the community's beliefs and practices.
Here are a few activities and exercises to explore the symbolism and historical context of the War Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls:

Symbolism Analysis:

Provide excerpts from the War Scroll and encourage participants to identify and discuss the symbolic meanings behind elements like the "Sons of Light" and the "Sons of Darkness," various weapons, and the strategies outlined for battle. Group discussions or written reflections can help participants explore the deeper layers of meaning.

Comparative Analysis:

Compare the War Scroll's themes with similar apocalyptic or eschatological texts from different cultures or religions, such as apocalyptic passages in the Book of Revelation in the Christian Bible or apocalyptic texts from other ancient traditions. Create worksheets or discussion prompts to highlight similarities and differences in themes, symbols, and beliefs about cosmic battles.

Historical Context Exploration:

Present historical information about the era when the Dead Sea Scrolls were written. Discuss the political, social, and religious climate of that time, including the turmoil in the region, to understand how these factors might have influenced the composition of the War Scroll. Encourage participants to consider the possible motivations behind the text's creation.

Creative Interpretation:

Encourage creative expression by asking participants to create artwork, poems, or short stories inspired by the themes and imagery found in the War Scroll. This exercise allows individuals to engage more deeply with the symbolic elements and interpret them in their own unique ways.

Role-playing or Debates:
Organize a role-playing activity where participants take on the roles of "Sons of Light" and "Sons of Darkness," debating their ideologies, motivations, and strategies for the ultimate battle. This exercise helps in understanding differing perspectives and interpreting the conflicts presented in the scroll.

Interpretative variations regarding the river's crossing in different ancient texts reflect the unique religious, philosophical, and cultural perspectives embedded within these narratives. These differences in interpretation offer insights into diverse worldviews and varying theological frameworks present in ancient texts:

Mesopotamian Context:

In Mesopotamian mythology and literature, the Euphrates River often held symbolic significance as a boundary between the known civilized world and the wild, unknown realms. The crossing of the Euphrates could symbolize journeys into unexplored territories or transitions between order and chaos. This perspective reflects a worldview rooted in the physical and geographical division of lands.

Biblical Context:

In biblical texts, such as those in the Book of Revelation or Old Testament prophecies, the crossing of the Euphrates carries eschatological significance. It may represent a divine intervention or a decisive moment in God's plan, marking the commencement of apocalyptic events. This interpretation aligns with the biblical narrative of divine judgment and the unfolding of God's ultimate purpose in history.

Gnostic or Apocryphal Context:

Gnostic or apocryphal texts often interpret the river's crossing as a symbolic liberation or awakening. It might signify the release of spiritual forces or the ascent to higher consciousness, reflecting a philosophical perspective emphasizing spiritual enlightenment and liberation from material constraints.

Greco-Roman Interpretation:

In Greco-Roman literature, crossings of rivers were often associated with mythological journeys or transitions between realms. The crossing of the Euphrates might symbolize a transition from mundane existence to a realm of mystery or spiritual significance, reflecting a cultural perspective rooted in mythology and cosmology.

These varied interpretations highlight the richness and diversity of religious, philosophical, and cultural frameworks present in ancient texts. The river's crossing serves as a flexible symbol that adapts to different narratives, conveying themes of transition, judgment, liberation, or cosmic transformation based on the unique perspectives of each tradition.
Exploring these interpretative variations allows participants to appreciate the complexity of symbolism within ancient texts and provides insights into how different cultures and belief systems interpreted common motifs like the river Euphrates. It showcases the intricate interplay between religious, philosophical, and cultural elements shaping the symbolism and theological implications embedded in these narratives.
The river Euphrates, a prominent geographic feature in ancient texts, embodies universal themes that transcend specific cultural contexts. Identifying these universal themes helps reveal shared human concepts of transition, boundaries, and transformative events across diverse ancient traditions:

Threshold and Transition:

The Euphrates often symbolizes a boundary between known and unknown territories. Its crossing represents a transition from one state to another, signifying a pivotal moment of change or passage. This theme of crossing a threshold echoes the human experience of transitions in life, moving from familiar to unfamiliar realms.

Boundary and Separation:

As a geographical boundary, the Euphrates signifies separation between distinct territories or civilizations. This concept of demarcation resonates with universal human experiences of setting boundaries, delineating spaces, or marking divisions between different aspects of life.

Transformative Events:

Crossing the Euphrates is often associated with cosmic or transformative events in ancient texts. This universal theme reflects the human fascination with the concept of epochal change, cosmic upheavals, or moments of divine intervention that reshape the course of history.

Symbol of Power and Control:

The river might represent a symbol of power, control, or geopolitical significance. Crossing it could signify shifts in dominance, challenges to established authority, or the assertion of influence. This theme resonates with human narratives of power struggles and shifts in societal dynamics.

Metaphor for Spiritual Journeys:

Across cultures, rivers are often used metaphorically to represent spiritual journeys or quests. The crossing of the Euphrates might symbolize the pursuit of enlightenment, the passage to higher realms of understanding, or the quest for spiritual transformation.

These universal themes associated with the river Euphrates highlight fundamental aspects of the human experience—transitions, boundaries, transformative events, power dynamics, and spiritual journeys. The river's symbolism in ancient texts speaks to shared human aspirations, struggles, and beliefs that transcend cultural boundaries and resonate across different epochs and civilizations.
By identifying and discussing these universal themes, participants gain a deeper appreciation for the profound symbolism embedded in ancient texts and recognize the timeless relevance of concepts such as transition, boundaries, and transformative events in shaping human narratives and aspirations.

Historical Context:

What historical events or societal conditions might have influenced the composition of the War Scroll?
How does the historical context of the Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery contribute to our understanding of this text's significance?

Symbolism and Esoteric Wisdom:

How does the War Scroll use symbolism to convey spiritual or cosmic themes?
What esoteric wisdom or deeper spiritual insights can be derived from the portrayal of cosmic conflict and divine intervention within the text?

Comparative Analysis:

Compare the themes and symbolism of the War Scroll with other apocalyptic texts from different cultures (e.g., Book of Revelation, The Book of Daniel). What common motifs or differences in interpretation do you observe?

Parallelism in Biblical Texts:

Explore connections between the War Scroll and other biblical texts. How does the language, imagery, or themes in the War Scroll intersect with passages from the Hebrew Bible or New Testament?

Community Beliefs and Practices:

How might the apocalyptic expectations depicted in the War Scroll have influenced the beliefs and practices of the community that produced it?
Discuss the impact of such intense anticipation of cosmic conflict on communal life and religious rituals within the community.

Cultural Significance of Cosmic Battles:

Across various ancient cultures, why do you think depictions of cosmic battles and eschatological events were significant? What might these narratives represent in a broader cultural context?

Interpretive Variations and Unique Perspectives:

Explore the diverse interpretations of specific passages or symbols within the War Scroll. How do different scholars or traditions interpret these elements, and what underlying factors might influence their interpretations?

Personal Reflection and Modern Relevance:

Reflect on how the themes of cosmic conflict, righteousness, and spiritual warfare in the War Scroll might resonate in contemporary society or personal belief systems.

Theological and Philosophical Implications:

Discuss the theological and philosophical implications of a cosmic battle between forces of light and darkness. How does this theme intersect with broader philosophical inquiries or theological doctrines?

Literary and Symbolic Analysis:

- Analyze the narrative structure and symbolic elements present in specific passages of the War Scroll. How do these elements contribute to the text's overarching themes and meanings?

These study questions aim to provoke critical thinking, promote in-depth exploration of themes, encourage comparative analysis, and stimulate discussions on the multifaceted nature of the War Scroll's content and its significance within ancient and contemporary contexts.

Archaeological and Linguistic Analysis:

- How does the physical condition of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the War Scroll, impact our understanding of their preservation and historical context? - Discuss the linguistic peculiarities or unique textual features found within the War Scroll and their implications for translation and interpretation.

Apocalyptic Expectations and Messianic Concepts:

- Explore the portrayal of messianic figures or anticipated saviors within the War Scroll. How do these concepts align with or diverge from contemporary expectations of a messianic figure in other ancient texts or religious traditions?

Impact of Apocalyptic Literature:

- Analyze the enduring influence of apocalyptic literature, such as the War Scroll, on subsequent religious, literary, or cultural traditions. How have these texts shaped later beliefs or inspired artistic and literary works?

Ethical and Moral Frameworks:

- Discuss the ethical or moral implications of the cosmic conflict depicted in the War Scroll. How do the themes of righteousness and wickedness contribute to the text's underlying moral framework?

Role of Prophecy and Revelation:

- Explore the role of prophecy and revelation within the War Scroll. How do the prophetic elements contribute to the text's portrayal of future events and cosmic justice?

Experiential and Ritualistic Elements:

- Investigate potential ritualistic or experiential dimensions associated with the teachings or beliefs conveyed in the War Scroll. How might the community have engaged with these teachings in their religious practices or communal activities?

Literary Genre and Interpretation:

- Discuss the classification of the War Scroll within the broader genre of apocalyptic literature. How does its classification influence our understanding and interpretation of its themes and symbolic elements?

Relevance in Modern Scholarship:

- Reflect on the ongoing scholarly debates or discoveries related to the War Scroll. How have modern interpretations evolved, and what implications do these new perspectives have on our understanding of the text?

Intersection of Faith and Scholarship:

- Consider the interplay between faith-based interpretations and scholarly analyses of the War Scroll. How might religious convictions or theological frameworks influence academic research and vice versa?

Future Research and Interpretative Avenues:

- Propose potential avenues for future research or areas of exploration concerning the War Scroll. What unanswered questions or unexplored aspects merit further investigation?

The composition of the War Scroll, along with other Dead Sea Scrolls, was likely influenced by several historical events and societal conditions prevalent during the time of its writing, which is estimated to be between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE:

Hellenistic Rule and Cultural Influence:

The region where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found was under Hellenistic influence due to the conquests of Alexander the Great and the subsequent control by the Seleucid Empire. This era saw a clash between Hellenistic culture and Jewish traditions, leading to cultural tensions and a desire to preserve religious and cultural heritage.

Political Turmoil and Resistance Movements:

The Jewish people experienced political unrest, particularly during the Maccabean Revolt against Seleucid rule. This period was characterized by resistance movements, attempts to preserve Jewish identity, and fervent anticipation of a messianic figure to deliver them from foreign oppression.

Religious Sects and Spiritual Expectations:

Various religious sects existed within Judaism, each with its own interpretations and expectations of messianic redemption, purity laws, and theological doctrines. The community associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls, often believed to be the Essenes, likely had distinctive theological beliefs and a strong apocalyptic worldview.

Anticipation of Cosmic Redemption:

There was a widespread belief in the imminent arrival of a messianic figure or a divine intervention that would bring about cosmic redemption, ushering in an era of righteousness and divine rule. This anticipation of apocalyptic events and a cosmic battle between forces of light and darkness is reflected in the War Scroll's themes.

Regarding the historical context of the Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery, its significance lies in multiple facets:

Preservation of Ancient Texts:

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the War Scroll, provided an invaluable collection of ancient manuscripts that significantly expanded our understanding of ancient Jewish texts, religious beliefs, and the diversity of Jewish thought during the Second Temple period.

Insights into Jewish Sectarianism:

The scrolls shed light on the diversity of beliefs and practices among Jewish sects during that time. Understanding the beliefs and expectations of the community associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls helps contextualize the theological and apocalyptic themes present in the War Scroll.

Confirmation of Scriptural Accuracy:

The Dead Sea Scrolls' discovery contributed to confirming the accuracy and preservation of certain biblical texts, highlighting the continuity of textual transmission across centuries and supporting the authenticity of biblical manuscripts.

Impact on Biblical Studies and Scholarship:

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls revolutionized biblical studies, providing scholars with invaluable primary sources for studying ancient Judaism, the development of biblical texts, and the context in which these texts were composed.

The historical context of political upheaval, religious expectations, and the preservation of texts within the Dead Sea Scrolls contributes significantly to understanding the milieu in which the War Scroll was written. It provides a backdrop against which the themes of cosmic conflict, eschatological anticipation, and religious fervor within the War Scroll can be comprehended.

Disclaimer: This post is merely to provide knowledge, and not to instruct you to do anything. Your choice whether to choose the Science One program at UBC or not is completely up to you. I hope this helps in making an informed decision.
I just thought I would contribute to the existing public knowledge of the Science One program already on Reddit here: https://www.reddit.com/UBC/comments/ec95t4/for_anyone_interested_in_science_one/ My post assumes you already did basic research on the program and aims to contribute more knowledge that isn’t publicly available yet (here is the Science One website: https://scienceone.ubc.ca)
I am an alumni in the 2023-2024 cohort, but just a disclaimer that a few things will change in the program in the years to come (see below):
Just a few small updates to the previous Reddit post:

BIOL 140 is no longer a mandatory component of Science One so there will be no associated biology labs.
There are three STT’s, where you can find here for the updated schedules for your year: https://scienceone.ubc.ca/resources

Note about grades: While Science One is promoted as a program where the students care more about knowledge than grades, while this is very true in my personal experience, I still think that grades played a large impact on our mental health, confidence, and our overall enjoyability of the first year experience. The reason I am including grades here is to allow you to have reasonable expectations about your grades and know that if you want to go into a very competitive specialization in second year, Science One may not be the right program for you. Note that the grades published on UBC grades (https://ubcgrades.com) is not representative of the actual class average. There is a policy where if a student failed two or more subjects in Science One, the credit for Science One will be broken down into its individual course components and the student will not appear to have been in Science One (it doesn’t show Science One on their transcript, rather the rough course equivalents). This raises the apparent class average reported. In my year, 3 people were removed, which changed the class average from 75% to 77%.
Alright, with that out of the way, I will be filling in the gaps of public knowledge specifically with the workload of Science One. Below is a (hopefully) unbiased perspective on Science One. My personal opinion will be stated later in this post.
Biology
Note: both of our biology professors (Pam Kalas and George Haughn) are no longer teaching in the program, so this subject may look very different

Weekly 10 minute quizzes (quiz average 15% of biology grade), consisting normally of two to three written questions (be sure to learn to type very fast and think fast, especially since these quizzes are normally at 8:30am in the morning)
- However, we get one quiz drop per term where our lowest quiz mark is discarded
- Generally the quiz average is around 74%
Biology Midterm “superquiz” once a term (20% of biology grade, can replace quiz average if the mark is higher so can be worth up to 35%) which is around 55 minutes and consists of around 10 long written questions (however, this is very little time for the amount of thinking and typing necessary to succeed so learn to type fast!)
- Average was around 74% and 60% respectively for terms 1 and 2
Biology assignments for completion/participation (10%) around once every 1-2 weeks ~ somewhat simple compared to the complexity of the quizzes and midterm, takes around 15-20 minutes per assignment
Pre-readings per week around 2 hours, critical to understanding the class material
- Pre-readings are found in study guides provided to us or on public webpages, there is no textbook for biology
One tree project in term 1 where you are tasked with finding and identifying five different tree species around campus
2.5 hour final exam (50%), however, if you do better on your final exam than midterm average, it can replace the midterm average (so can be worth up to 85% of your grade)
- Consists of written answers with explanations (I found this final to always be very rushed, finishing writing my answers with around 1 minute to spare)
- Typically, since the final exams are so difficult, very few people will be able to get a higher mark on the final exam than the midterm
- Average was 65% in term 1, term 2 grades not available

Overall: 3-10 hours of work per week depending on your thinking speed and how busy that week’s schedule is
Class average over the year: 71%
Term 1 Units: Great Bear Rainforest, Metabolism, DNA, Gene Expression, Genetics
Term 2 Units: Genetics (Continued); Phylogenies, Speciation, Population and Community Dynamics; Macromolecular Self Assembly; Regulation of Gene Expression; Biological Energy Transformation
Biology Tutorials

Salmon project ~ year long project where we test the DNA of salmon through learning gel electrophoresis strategies
- Very minimal prep work, maximum 30 min per tutorial

Chemistry
Note: One professor is no longer teaching in Science One (John Sherman), but the other is staying (Guillaume Bussiere), so this may be different in your year

Around biweekly unit quizzes (40%), five per term, each quiz around 30 minutes, double sided with around 15-25 questions, with both multiple choice and written answer questions
- Around 74% averages
- One quiz drop per term
Assignments (10%) consisting of worksheets provided in class (takes around 30 minutes-1 hour per assignment) and questions submitted on a paid ($70 if I remember correctly) homework submission website called Achieve
2.5 hour final exam (50%) consisting of theory based questions, organic chemistry, multiple choice, and calculation
- 69% average in term 1, term 2 grades not available

Overall: 2-5 hours of work per week depending if there’s quizzes or assignments that week
Class average over the year: 75%
Term 1 Units: Chemical Bonding and Basics, Conformations, Stereochemistry, Thermodynamics, Electrochemistry
Term 2 Units: Kinetics, Quantum Chemistry, Intermolecular Forces (not really a whole unit, more like a supplementary lecture), Valence Bond Theory and Molecular Orbital Theory, Acid Base Chemistry, SN1 and SN2 Reactions
Chemistry Tutorials

some coding based tutorials for quantum chemistry, little to no prep work, but knowledge of python coding is needed (but you will learn in Science One), submission of a worksheet for marks
Organic chemistry worksheets, guided by the professors, but no submission necessary

Chemistry Labs (Chem 121, Chem 123 equivalents for term 1 and 2 respectively)

Biweekly 3 hour lab sessions, where we are performing experiments and recording notes in our EDF
Prep work: normally on our “off weeks”, we need to fill in our EDF and do the prep work (around 3-5 hours)
In term 2, we also need to submit lab reports for each lab session (takes around 1-2 hours to write)

Overall class average (I forgot): around 85%
Physics

Two long form assignments per term (20%, so 10% each assignment), each assignment generally consists of collecting data related to something learned in class, and analyzing it
- Data collecting and analysis can take around 2-6 hours spread over the week (generally how long it takes to complete the assignment)
- Around 80% averages
Biweekly quizzes (30%), total 5 per term, one hour long open book online quizzes, consisting of 12 multiple choice or calculation questions
- Around 75% averages
- one quiz drop per term
Prereadings assignments (4%) on WebWork (around once every two weeks, but very inconsistent schedule), consisting around 3-4 multiple choice/calculation based questions
- Most often, there is no prereading assignment, but there are around 6-7 sections of prereading assigned per week of lecture of online OpenStax textbooks
  - Personally, I did not do them, but still survived, as the prereadings can take up to 3 hours depending on your reading speed and intended depth of read
Homework assignments (6%) around once every two weeks consisting of 8-11 multiple choice and calculation based questions, requires a lot of knowledge of theory rather than plugging in numbers into equations
2.5 hour open book final (40%) consisting of both multiple choice (submitted on Canvas) and long written answer questions (paper copy, but submitted on Canvas)
- 60% average in term 1, term 2 grades not available

Overall: around 2-5 hours of work per week depending on if there’s quizzes, long assignments, or assignments
Class average over the year: 76%
Term 1 Units: Measuring and Modelling Motion, Motion and Conservation Laws, Thermodynamics, Rotational Motion, Special Relativity
Term 2 Units: Waves, Quantum Mechanics, Electrostatics, Circuits, Magnetism and Magnetic Fields, Stellar Nucleosynthesis
Physics Tutorials

Generally working on worksheets with the guidance of professors, very helpful for understanding the content better, but worksheets are not submitted

Physics Labs (Phys 119, Phys 129)

3 hour sessions per week, consisting of data collection and data analysis, learn plenty of Python and basic statistical tests (however, most labs in term 1 are very rushed, but in term 2 there is much more spare time)
Prep work in term 1 takes around 1-2 hours per lab, consisting of submitting a Jupyter notebook with code so we understand the code we need to use in the lab
Prep work in term 2 takes around 15 minutes - 2 hours, mostly doesn’t have as much prep work as term 1
- Rarely Jupyter lab notebooks for submission, most weeks we just preread what we are doing in the lab and that is sufficient

Class average (I forgot): around 85%
Mathematics

Midterms “tests” (25%) three per term, around 50 minutes, and consisting of 3-4 written questions (average is usually around 60%, but we have had two instances of failed average midterms resulting in scale [but don’t rely on a scale, it is very rare!]), however, we get one midterm drop per term, where it is not counted in our average
Assignments (16%) consisting of three long assignments with written answers that take around 2-4 hours to complete, and weekly two WebWork assignments that are around 6-12 questions, calculation and theory based
Weekly quizzes (9%), with one quiz drop per term
- 15 minute quizzes with 3 questions, generally a little rushed but doable
2.5 hour final (50%)
- Average 67% in term 1, term 2 grades not available
Pre-reading assignments not for marks, takes around 2 hours per week (personally I didn’t do any and I was ok)

Overall workload: around 3-6 hours per week depending if there’s assignments, and midterms that week
Class average over the year: 72%
Term 1 Focus: Derivatives and ODE’s
Term 2 Focus: Integration
Term 1 Project (partnered)

consists of a presentation and mind map of a topic that we research in depth using primary literature
Around biweekly meetings with our mentor, and mini check in assignments

Overall workload: around 1 hour per week, but can be up to 4 hours when preparing for the presentation
Class average: around 85%
Term 2 Project (partnered)

consists of a project designed personally by you and a partner to measure something and report on it in a 3000 word paper (90%) and a presentation to our peers (10%)
Weekly check ins with mentor, or round table discussion with updates

Overall workload: anywhere from 0-8 hours a week depending on the complexity of the project
Class average: 75%
Summary
With that in mind, I want to provide some pros and cons of Science One:
Pros

Unique connections to professors
Community with fellow students, and can form a very close knit group of people who are like-minded
Blended grade at the end of the school year, so if you do bad in one subject but good at the rest, you can “hide” the bad mark
Networking with professionals at guest speakers
Having all your classes in one classroom, to avoid rushing across campus between classes
Allows you to see how all science subjects interconnect
Provides a deeper knowledge of all topics, basically an honours version of first year Science
No stress about designing your own timetable
Research experience in term 2 project can help with research applications in the future
Study spaces for only Science One students, very helpful especially during finals season

Cons

grading is a little harsh (very harsh in biology in my opinion) and there is no scaling at the end of the school year, so you may not get into your desired major if it is very competitive to get into
You also are not prioritized for major selection compared to mainstream (ie if you get a 70% and a mainstream student gets a 71%, they will be prioritized)
Workload is very intense, sometimes it felt like there was no break for ourselves
Mental health and stress levels
Blended grade at the end of the school year, so if you do really good in one subject it may be hidden
Busy workload means less free time, so some relationships outside of Science One may dwindle
Very hard to take elective courses on top of Science One, because of the busy schedule and demanding workload (might make it harder to get into Computer Science because of its prerequisites)
Science One only offers 28 credits (6 for two terms of, biology, physics, math, and chem each, with 2 for two terms of chemistry labs and physics labs each), meaning that our term 1 and term 2 work do not provide us any credit
- Science One disqualifies students from taking SCIE 113 (a communication requirement), but does not give any credits for it

Personal Opinion
While I did enjoy Science One at the start of the school year because of the pros mentioned above, over the school year, I started taking an interest in a competitive major, which put a lot of stress on myself to achieve high marks. It almost felt like no matter how hard I tried and how well I thought I knew the topic, my mark was going to be low anyways because the way the content is tested. I feel like I shot myself in the foot when it comes to getting into my major as the application process is completely based on grades.
While I don’t know if I would have done better in mainstream (I probably wouldn’t have had as many friends, and therefore my mental health would be worse, and possibly it means that I don’t have as much motivation), I definitely think that I could have done better in mainstream if I had the same motivation I do now as their way of testing and marking may be a lot more lenient. However, I am almost certainly sure that if my cohort were placed into mainstream classes in first year, we would have achieved much higher grades than we did in Science One. However, I don’t know if being in Science One could have an effect on my performance in the years to come. I do acknowledge that over the year, I was able to develop really good study habits to manage the workload and also learned to prioritize my health, which will be beneficial in the future.
However, I have also noticed that there are some “hell weeks”, where we absolutely feel like dropping out. In both terms, after term 1 and 2 conferences, where we were away at camp for the weekend (we didn’t have the weekend to do schoolwork), there was a week where there were many overlapping assessments, such as math midterms, chemistry quizzes, math assignments, and chemistry assignments, etc. These are the assessments that ended up having class averages which were below expectations, which I feel wasn’t our fault at all.
In fact, we were burnt out, but because of our wonderful Student Council, we were able to have some assignments pushed back to alleviate some of our workload and reduce burnout. Special thanks to our chemistry professors, as they were always open to planning the chemistry quizzes on days that weren’t as bad for us, and even asked us which day we wanted the quizzes. I can tell they really care about our wellbeing and our performance.
In addition, even though Science One is marketed as being prestigious, most of the people I talk to don’t even know what Science One is, and the few who do know it, know it for its intensive nature and harsh marking scheme. There is no special treatment for Science One graduates that I know of except for the occasional “wow how did you survive?”.
Generally, I don’t regret doing Science One, but if I had the chance to restart first year, I would have chosen to go the mainstream route. I feel I would have been a lot less stressed and have gotten much better grades. However, I did meet so many motivated and amazing people this year, and have generally enjoyed some aspects such as camp. Unfortunately, because of my desired major, I have seen Science One as something that may have limited my options in the future.
Do I think Science One is for you?
These are my personal opinions and please don’t take this section as the final decider for you. Be sure to do more research!
To succeed in Science One, talent can only go so far. At some point you will be challenged academically, and you will doubt yourself. But what follow is what really determines if you are a good fit for Science One. If you want to give up and do something easier, go to mainstream. If you want to persevere and to learn more, Science One may be the right choice for you. If just you want the prestige of Science One, don’t do Science One, it is not as well known as their website may make it seem. If you want to go into Computer Science, Science One may not be for you since it has little connection to Computer Science and really lowers your mark.
If you really are hard set on a competitive major which requires high marks, consider mainstream, since it is very rare and very very difficult to do well in Science One. If you really love to learn more difficult concepts, have a tight community to be by your side, to have good connections to your professors, to get some research experience, AND grades aren’t a huge concern for you, Science One is for you.
Again, take my opinion with a grain of salt. You are ultimately the right person who can make the right choice for yourself. You know yourself the best. I hope this helped and I wish you all the very best in your studies, whether you decide to go Science One or not. Feel free to DM me or reply below if you have any further questions :)

As description states, our lender told us the loan worksheet or closing loan estimate would depend on a lot of variables specific to the home and offer etc..
He didnt necessarily say no but rather it would be best to review those terms when an offer is accepted.
Is that the normal process? We're only working with one lender at the moment and are trying to get another to compare. I just want to be sure this is a normal step and we're not being taken advantage of.
Any help and advice is greatly appreciated!!
Thank you! 😊