U of T is known for its rigorous and difficult tests, and engineering is no exception. However, the students of a 2nd year ECE calculus course were not expecting what they received on a Blackboard announcement regarding their midterm details. Normally, such announcements would include chapters which will be covered on the test, along with some words of encouragement, which everyone knows don’t really help.
This professor, who requested to remain anonymous, took a different approach. Upon opening the announcement, the students were puzzled to see “get rekt” as the only tip. The students didn’t really know what to make of it, but assumed the test would be very difficult – and they guessed right, as one of the course’s TAs explains. “We want to be honest with our students”, said the TA. “Giving a test the students can finish? Psh, that’s totally a Ryerson or York thing.” He then supposedly finished off with a well-known Lord of the Rings quote (“YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”) before pretending to “drop the mic” and leaving the room.
Student reactions to the message were mixed; however, not everyone was disappointed in what they saw. “It’s quite a relief actually”, said Jake Samuels, a student in the class. “Normally the professors would just say: “this test is not too hard, you’ll do fine”, but now we know we’re not just fucked – we’re fucked. Now I can go to office hours, and instead of beating around the bush asking BS questions about the material which I still won’t understand, I can straight up ask the prof how much lube to bring. It’s that much more convenient!”
Such messages may be a controversial method of helping students prepare for midterms, but they could also usher in a new era of stress management, where all false hope that you will do well is eliminated, and you can go in with a clear mind, knowing you’re “getting rekt” anyways. The professor refused to provide any detailed commentary on the matter, and simply replied to our invitation email with the ironic response: “this too, shall pass”.
We still aren’t quite sure if he was being serious or sarcastic.
