please advise... college problem (academic and social) long post

[skim milk]

Originally posted by: calpha


Anyway....struggling in school is not the end of the world. Ask yourself what it is you really want, and be honest. Don't be scared if that answer is to leave. On the same hand, if you think you can struggle through this hard time, and press on, do that. I myself couldn't bring myself to study.....which was my key sign to leave.

Remember it's not only the destination, it's the journey. It doesn't always have to follow a straight path is what I learned.
calpha

looking back since fall 2002, I feel that my maturity level wasn't quite up there either. I also graduated high school as a 17 year old... start college as a 17 year old, basically, i was supposed to be a year behind all the freshmans (supposed to be a senior in high school) .... i know struggling in school isnt the end of the world


My answer to your question is that I don't want to leave here. I KNOW I can do good. I mean, calc is a easy course, but my desire wasn't there. I'm taking all these things for granted right now, free tuition, free housing, etc...., basically, up until now even throughout high school, everything was like a handout. Hopefully, I'll learn.
I know for sure that I am not ready to give up... I can do so much better... i KNOW that... and that is ticking me off.


excellent post btw calpha. I really appreciate you taking time to write that. thanks

 

[skim milk]

Originally posted by: SoloKid
where are u currently studying?

It would really be hard to know what is going on since we are not in your shoes and not living your life. But take a semester of some general classes and concentrate on those classes and think about what you need to do about your situation.

mechanical/aerospace engineering


not mechanical anymore,,, i realized how much i hate physics.


and plus, i think it's a little late to take general classes... im going into my third semester this fall

 

[yoda291]

I always tell kids in High School who look forward to comsci and engineering...that if they intend on not thinking about suicide at some point in their life...make sure they really enjoy the subject. Else, you just become gradually more cynical and bitter.

Here's my advice for you. Decide on a major. Sounds like you might like Chem Engineering to me...but whatev.

Second, go talk to whoever runs your scholarship/scholar's program. Put in an appeal ASAP, saying you bit off more than you could chew. There is a chance that they'll change the money you're receiving from a scholarship(3.0 -3.5 GPA) to a university grant (2.0 GPA) ... and just put you on extended probation for the scholar program. The reason they may do this is because the amount of financial aid you receive is influenced by scholarship moneys as well.

Third, speak to your professor in whatever you are having issues in. Go to office hours religiously and at least make it LOOK like you're not half a$$ing your way through. You'll stand out more, learn more...and professors will DEFINITELY go easier on you for calc simply because they know it's a requirement, but also see so few students actually putting in the effort required of them.

Finally, get off your a$$ and do stuff. you might think your schedule is tough and your assignments are long...but they're really not. Once you learn how to manage your time and learn to focus...they become trivial. I look back on the assignments and projects I had in ComSci that took weeks, and realize that, if I stopped stressing them and blowing them up in my head...I could have done EVERY SINGLE ONE of them in a day or two.

 

[calpha]

looking back since fall 2002, I feel that my maturity level wasn't quite up there either. I also graduated high school as a 17 year old... start college as a 17 year old, basically, i was supposed to be a year behind all the freshmans (supposed to be a senior in high school) .... i know struggling in school isnt the end of the world


My answer to your question is that I don't want to leave here. I KNOW I can do good. I mean, calc is a easy course, but my desire wasn't there. I'm taking all these things for granted right now, free tuition, free housing, etc...., basically, up until now even throughout high school, everything was like a handout. Hopefully, I'll learn.
I know for sure that I am not ready to give up... I can do so much better... i KNOW that... and that is ticking me off.


excellent post btw calpha. I really appreciate you taking time to write that. thanks

If you know you don't want to leave, then plain and simple. Get off your rump, and do EVERYTHING you can to succeed. Don't give up, and don't quit. Don't worry with what your next week is going to be, worry about today. You've got a huge oppurtunity with the scholarship, and now is the time to put 110% of your effort into it and get some good results.

Btw. Get off this damn board and go to bed, or do some work

As for me, God couldn't have commanded me to do well, it just wasn't in my desire. Good luck with finding a new seed of motivation, and getting the results you know you can achieve.

And btw. Any calculus is hard. Those that say it isn't are called Engineers. Those that say it is are called successful engineers At the academy, one of my professors would mark any problem completely wrong if you just got the sign wrong. He worked with a defense contractor on a satellite, and one of the main designers made a sign error, and placed a component of the satellite in the wrong quadrant. Cost to company: $2 Million. Cost to Engineer: His job.

 

[cressida]

why are you hiding under a new nick btw?

 

[Imported]

Damn, sounds similar to my story so far for my first year, but I had a lower GPA first quarter, but I'm retaking calc this quarter to boost it up alot.

Basically, I was in computer engineering, and got a quick reality check that this wasn't right for me. I should have dropped my engineering courses, but I thought I could manage, damn was I wrong.. I'm changing into a major I enjoy much more (Criminology, going to either minor or double major into Sociology) then possibly go to law school. I went from never going to class first quarter, to going to every class and discussion my second quarter, actually studying, and doing my reading. Dorm life is very hard against good study habits (45 people or so out of the 65 in my dorm went on academic probation). Just do your reading, homework, studying, whatever it takes to get your GPA back on track. I head off to the local Starbucks or just go to the beach and study now instead of trying to do it in my dorms..

 

[AUMM]

my freshman year i was a comp sci major, i realllllllly sucked at this stuff and ended up getting an F in a 6 unit class!! (like you i shud have dropped it but didnt), my gpa was around a 1.8, after that i switched into engineering, not something i really really want to do, but seemed like it would be better for me than comp sci, now my gpa is around 3.2 overall, like 3.5 for engineering . just find something you're not too bad at and wont mind doing for a while, i ended up wasting a year but its ok, just get tutoring, that helped me a loooooot and i met a bunch of people taking the same classes as me who i could study with as well.

 

[skim milk]

Originally posted by: SoloKid
why are you hiding under a new nick btw?

i'm not, i just registered,,,, couple hours ago.

 

[GiLtY]

Looks like I'm going down a suicidal path....

I'm still a high school senior, next year I'll be taking honor classes plus Engineering calsses... I know there will be nights I get no sleep, and I'll get frustrated and depressed and wanted to just say fvck all this and I want to go home.. but you know what? I WILL hang in there, I love Engineering (computer Engineering), I am not a quitter type, and I don't believe you are either fritolays.

I don't really know what to say.. all the other guys' posts are really good (props to Calpha for the long post), and all I can say is, if you want to be successful in life/college, you have to have a strong determination. And in Engineering? I think you can kiss your social life goodbye (this is what I heard from other people who were Engineering).

 

[sniperbob]

Originally posted by: TommyVercetti

Originally posted by: fritolays
well now i think about it, maybe i don't think i want to do engineering. my dream in 10 years from now is to be involved in the medical field researching and things like that....getting paid the big bucks but isn't that even harder? pre-med? i would have to get into med school ...which means a really good GPA but i'm off to a bad start

Umm.. with that kind of an academic track record, I would suggest looking into something else.

How about MIS?

Even with a bad GPA right now, still doesn't exclude the possibility of you doing what you wanted. Don't just change to another major because you think that's where the big bucks are at.
If you don't like the major, you'll never be able to come out of it alive. If you want to work in the medical field, it doesn't mean you have to go to med school. A good friend of mine who graduated as a computer engineer end up observing brain surgery and help designing medical devices. So find the major you like, and work toward something you love, because down the road, it isn't about the money, it's about waking up everyday and loving what you are doing for a living.

 

[skim milk]

i just took a "career type" quiz online

this was the result i got

People with red Interests like hands-on / problem solving job responsibilities and professions that involve practical, technical, and objective activities. Red Interests include: building, implementing, organizing, producing, and delegating, which often lead to work in manufacturing, managing, directing, small business owning, and surgery.

People with blue styles prefer to perform their job responsibilities in a manner that is supportive and helpful to others with a minimum of confrontation. They prefer to work where they have time to think things through before acting. People with blue style tend to be insightful, reflective, selectively sociable, creative, thoughtful, emotional, imaginative, and sensitive. Usually they thrive in a cutting edge, informally paced, future-oriented environment. You will want to choose a work environment or career path in which your style is welcomed and produces results.

hmmm.... i guess most of it is true. What type of jobs would suit me best? just wondering.... i'll take it into consideration

 

[yoda291]

Considering you'd like to get into meds without going doctor on it...maybe pharmaceutical or CE.

 

[LS20]

firstly dude, CUT ALL DISTRACTIONS. this means stay the hell away from the computer.

-everyday after classes, go over to the library with your bookbag and crunch homework. dont even bring a walkman and dont wander to read the magazines.

-secondly, ALWAYS ALWAYS utilize office hours. see your TA and professor... it never hurts, and develop a relationship with them is always ALWAYS A PLUS. you never know what benefits you will get from it. you are paying for their services... get the most out of your money.

-if you still need help, use the tutoring instead of wasting time on anandtech

-if you are having difficulty with calculus, i suggest you drop it now, and take it at a local school over the summer. not only will it probably be easier, you should pass it having gone through it twice already.

-next semester, take something you have an interest in...regardless if it applies to your major or not. not only will it probably kick your gpa up, you might find something to fall back on when engineering goes wrong. [slavic culture? age of dinosaurs? genres, structures, and present trends in german cinema? etc]

-lastly, most schools always give a 3rd chance for special exceptions... if you fail/drop a class twice, you can still take it once more with approval of the dean. talk to him/her and be convincing that you really like engineering or [insert major here].


remember, more than half of college students end up changing their majors... myself included

so get CRUNCHING!

 

[SuperGroove]

my grades have gone downhill after freshman year.

Learn to overcome trivial desires. I would be a hypocrite to dispense this advice, as I'm always slacking off.

I want to give up school, and I try to comfort myself with the fact that if I quit, it's because I hate school. Really I'm just lazy, and unmotivated. Nothing comes out of laziness, but depression. I just picked up English as a second major. Hoepfully my life will be better. If not, i'll try my damndest to become a pilot like I've always wanted.

But nothing comes out of not trying.


Apply yourself, and stop feeling sorry for yourself(again, I'm a hypocrite for saying this)

work for youself, but also bear in mind that your parents are supporting you.

college is a crucial time only because you discover who you are. Some people are broken, and quit. Don't be one of those(hypocrite mode on).



OH, and don't listen to depressing music...EVER. Get some good friends, and make yourself HAPPY!

 

[AznMaverick]

sometimes you just have to push yourself to study, instead of making excuses like "i live in dorms" or "i have no social life". it is almost widely known (at least to me) that engineers, for the most part, will have practically no social life as compared to a business major. at least that's how it is over here. the key is just to get away from distractions, go study at a library or somewhere quiet, it helps a lot.

oh and someone mentioned comp sci is hard or something...comp sci over here is cake compared to EE.

anyways don't give up, keep trying, find your strengths weaknesses and continue to better yourself. if you fail, keep on trying, eventually you'll get it.

 

[AznMaverick]

Originally posted by: AznMaverick
sometimes you just have to push yourself to study, instead of making excuses like "i live in dorms" or "i have no social life". it is almost widely known (at least to me) that engineers, for the most part, will have practically no social life as compared to a business major. at least that's how it is over here. the key is just to get away from distractions, go study at a library or somewhere quiet, it helps a lot.

oh and someone mentioned comp sci is hard or something...comp sci over here is cake compared to EE.

anyways don't give up, keep trying, find your strengths weaknesses and continue to better yourself. if you fail, keep on trying, eventually you'll get it.

edit: oh and i just read LS20's post, what he said is right on the money.

 

[khlee]

its simple.. you're immature. I used to be like you in high school (except worse), but then i started to meet the right people and, with their help, make the right decisions and now I am consistently one of the top students of my classes at a competitive University. Associating yoruself with the right people is the most important thing.. seek a mentor, go to you're counselor, make friends with A students. Soon or later, you will absorb their habits through osmosis. if you dont believe me, ask yourself this question: what kind of people are my friends and how do they affect who i am?

 

[jarfykk]

I had to take a Calc class again once, was not overly hard the second time. Mainly try and focus on what you didnt understand the first time. Also, engingeering is a challenging major, not right for everyone (just look and drop rates). Perhaps something else excites you...take your general ed classes like your counselor said, see what you like (History is awesome I think), maybe switch to what you take a shining too.

Good luck, only 3 (or4, or 5) years left.

 

[xirtam]

Originally posted by: yobarman
maybe you got a learning disability that keeps you from learning? seriously man 12 credits is nothing. Maybe you're not cut out for engineering? See one of those guidance counselors that schools always have.

1. Everybody's got a learning disability.
2. I used to think 12 credits was nothing too. It depends on the 12 credits.
3. Maybe he's not cut out for engineering. True.
4. I hope your guidance counselors are better than mine. Mine freely admitted to not having any desire to help students. He was there for his biweekly check. That was all. Was there anything more he could do for me? No? Guess I won't let the door smack me in the tail on the way out. Thank you sir. Yes, you have a nice day too.

Don't ask these guys, they're all drop outs.

Funny thing... he's right. But hey... there's life outside of college. More, I'm finding.

 

[DrPizza]

Maybe you just don't like the engineering courses as much? I went for 3 1/2 years in engineering because someone held out the carrot of "you'll make a lot of money." For 3 1/2 years, I just stared at that carrot and didn't pay attention to my interests. I nearly aced the math SAT's, I was the top science student in my school, and got 5's on my science AP exams. Perfect for engineering, except it took me 3 1/2 years to realize that although I was good at it, I DIDN'T LIKE ENGINEERING! During job recruiting, as I was being questioned, someone asked me why I was even going to school for engineering. Based on my grades in engineering vs. grades in other courses, he said it was obvious I hated engineering. My low grades were due to a lack of interest which I had never noticed. (Yet, somehow, I had a 4.0 in computer science... my minor). I quit school that semester (dumb move... should have stuck it out; additional degrees are less work than initial degrees). I went back later and pulled nearly 4.0's every single semester to go into a lower paying job (majored in mathematics and minored in education). The only thing I got out of the first 3 1/2 years was the ability to program (and very well), plus a LOT of physics and additional math courses. Oddly, once I was doing what I had wanted to do, the same amount of work seemed so much easier. (and so much not like work.)

If you are looking for a career based first on $$$, you are going to lead a very miserable life (well, at least on mon-fri... you'll have a lot of money to enjoy the weekends)
My advice: look at what you like to do... look at how you spend your time. Figure out what career has you doing that, and in what capacity you can make money. If you find a career related to what you enjoy doing, at an amount of pay that would allow you to live reasonably well, then you're on the road to success. I ended up being a math teacher (and, due to a need, a physics teacher as well.... At least I'm getting some use out of mechanics, electricity&magnetism, oscillations and waves, physical chemistry I, II, quantum mechanics, mechanics of materials, etc that I spent a fortune to take!)

BTW, to those who suggested tutors, etc. If you are really motivated to be an engineer, and you have the ability to be an engineer, calculus should ***NOT*** be a hard class. In fact, I'll go out on a limb to say that calculus was one of the easiest college level math classes I've ever taken. (and especially calculus II, but not quite so much as calculus III). If you can't handle calculus, I don't want you designing the bridge I have to drive over, or designing the equipment that might one day be used in a heart surgery for me!

 

[skim milk]

well i went and spoke with my advisor today.... she noticed that i changed majors three times within two semesters
then she asked me "if I really knew what I wanted to do"
I told her flat out, "No."

so she said i should take some gen ed classes to see what i really want to do .... and switch my major to undecided under the liberal arts and sciences instead of the engineering dept.

I'm gonna go switch my dept tomorrow,,, and also hand in my form to drop two classes.

At this moment in my life, i don't have a desire for engineering .... but at the same time, i don't know WHAT my desire is




im worried about losing my scholarship the most though.... hopefully, something will work out soon

 

[brtspears2]

Sounds like my first quarter in university work. Arg, how depressing. It was a matter of moving on from easy, gimme an A class to you gotta work for your grade classes. Once I learned how the system worked, easy street.

Don't worry, take gen ed, work towards something. I too failed a series of calc classes, took me 5 quarters to pass 3 quarters of 1st year calc classes. Didn't give up.

 

[human2k]

you're screwed.

 

[gopunk]

take courses you enjoy, so that you will want to learn in those classes