Super Doctor of the Universe

After finding a book and reading it for a while, when Lang packed up his things, Link and Lang went out together, first walked around the school, acted as a guide, had a simple meal together in the school restaurant at noon, and then the two went to a place near the school to buy second-hand books.

The price of first-hand books is high, so many people will choose to buy second-hand books, and the school's second-hand bookstore also has a relatively complete range of textbooks for courses.

During this period of time, Link learned about Lang's basic situation through conversation.

His father is a well-known designer, and his mother also has her own business. They are definitely wealthy.

Lang has two older sisters. He is the youngest child in the family. Although the concept of favoring boys over girls in the United States has long faded, as the youngest son in the family, Lang still receives more care.

Lang's tuition is all borne by his family, and he also has a considerable living expense every month. He has no worries about food and clothing, and there is no pressure in life.

Although Lang did not get a full scholarship like Link, he was able to enter Caltech, and there was no problem with his brain. Although he was a little fat, he was also a top student in middle school.

The school curriculum plan was arranged when I discussed it with Peggy yesterday. In addition, in the list of sports elective courses at Caltech, two sports courses need to be selected during the semester and meet the requirements.

As for the sports courses, Link's first choice was baseball. After some consideration, he chose the three-kilometer long-distance run as the second item. This project does not require much practice for Link, and he can even take the test directly.

Speaking of which, Caltech has a limited campus area and not many students, so although there are many sports programs, even in the more popular sports such as football, basketball, and baseball, there are not many talented players.

The baseball team at Caltech is just an amateur playful team with extremely limited strength.

As the registration day passed, the fall semester officially began, and the courses that Link selected in this semester also officially began to be taught.

From this time on, Link also started his college life step by step.

Every morning, he got up at five o'clock to run and exercise, came back to take a shower, clean up, eat breakfast, and then prepare for class.

Caltech courses usually start at 8am and last until 5pm, with a two-hour lunch break in between. There are usually two classes in the morning and two classes in the afternoon, and each class lasts about 90 minutes.

The specific class times are arranged on the course selection table. If you choose a course, you just need to go to class on time according to the class schedule.

Caltech courses are usually small classes, and the number of students in a small class is usually less than 20. Of course, there are also large classes with no restrictions on the number of students.

Whether students choose small or large classes depends on their own arrangements. Anyway, they must get all the credits for the core courses required by the school in the first two academic years before they can enter the professional course learning stage.

In the first quarter, Link took a total of ten courses, with an average of four classes a day. It can be said that the courses are full. Most of the remaining time Link spent in the library with Peggy, and usually had to work until the early morning.

When the professor lectures, he does not read from the textbook at all, but implements the divergent thinking that is common in Western education and extends from the textbook.

To keep up with the professor's teaching rhythm, you need to do more than just study the textbook, but also need to prepare a lot outside of class.

In addition, the professor will also require students to complete several student papers during the course according to the course schedule. The score of the paper will directly affect the overall evaluation of the course.

Therefore, after the class actually starts, in addition to the textbook, Link also needs to study a lot of books related to the course according to the professor's requirements. Generally speaking, this aspect will take up a lot of extracurricular time.

Fortunately, Link's current intelligence of 15.7 points has greatly improved his learning efficiency. In addition, his physical fitness is far superior to that of ordinary people, and he needs less time to rest, so that Link can complete such a tight course schedule.

Peggy's learning efficiency is much higher than Link's, and she does not need to arrange combat training and gun training on weekends like Link, so she even has plenty of time.

Students at Caltech spend most of their time in the library and study room, except for classes, including Link's roommate Lang.

Of course, Link also knows how to combine work and rest. He plans to relax for half a day on both weekends, and he can also relax in the evening. On this Friday afternoon, Link met an acquaintance in class.

The course this afternoon was a large class, and the teaching format of this large class with dozens or hundreds of people is completely different from that of most small classes with only a dozen people.

One very important point is that professors who teach large classes are equipped with a dedicated teaching assistant.

The teaching assistants here are not full-time faculty members, but senior students. They are considered a work-study position and a feature of American universities.

As a private research university, professors at Caltech are experts in their respective fields. Teaching is only part of their work, and more importantly, they do their own research.

Teaching alone cannot teach Nobel Prizes, Pulz Medals, or Turing Awards!

Moreover, as an internationally renowned professor, being able to teach undergraduates in person is already worthy of the salary offered by the school, and the school cannot ask them to do more.

Therefore, teaching assistants are needed to help them with trivial matters outside of teaching.

Teaching assistants have a lot of chores, but their main responsibility is to correct the class papers assigned by the professor.

The acquaintance Link met in this class was Sophia, the teaching assistant of this course. When Link and Peggy walked into the classroom together, Sophia was on the podium, preparing for the professor who had not yet arrived.

Seeing Sophia's situation, Link guessed that she was probably a teaching assistant, and Sophia also noticed Link.

Realizing that the other party was a teaching assistant, Link was in a good mood. After all, teaching assistants hold the right to evaluate students' usual academic performance. Just now, with a brief eye contact, Link confirmed that she had a good impression of him.

Seeing that the class was about to start, the two did not speak, and Link and Peggy sat down in the first row.

When the time came, the professor in professional attire walked in in a hurry. After he stood on the podium, he started teaching without any greetings.

The professor's schedule was very tight. He came to class on time and was the first to leave after class. The preparation before class and the finishing work after class were all handed over to the teaching assistants. This is also the standard practice of professors of large classes.