I had my first semester of EE and I got a 3.0 while taking 4 courses. I am now taking 6 courses in this semester. The problem is that I go to all my classes already but I just don’t know who to perform well in college courses. I don’t know what I am doing. The courses this semester is harder and more. I don’t know if I can pull it off. If I want to graduate with a 3.6 GPA, how possible is it at this point?
3.6 is going to be tough, but engineers usually do fine at finding jobs even with much lower GPAs. Six is a lot of classes… do you have to take 6 to stay on track to graduate?
Regarding “not knowing what you are doing”, college courses require a lot of focus and organization to do well. You have to be systematic in tracking your work, keeping to a schedule, and making sure you understand it well. Make liberal use of your professor & TA office hours. Consider joining study groups or studying with friends to quiz each other on the material. Stay on top of your assignments and upcoming activities. Don’t party/go out until your work is done, period. If your college offers any support on study skills, check it out. Don’t skip over stuff during the semester and think you will just figure it out for the final – make sure you nail it when it is covered, because thinking you will figure it out later never works. Know that in the early semesters, you may be competing against students who have seen some of the coursework before and are taking the class for an easier good grade. That levels out after the first year or so.
You don’t know what you’re doing, you don’t understand the material or you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re putting in the “effort” but for some reason not getting the grades you want?
I don’t know how to effective do well in college. I am disappointed in myself.
Is there a counseling center that can give pointers on studying more effectively?
You are not alone. It’s amazing how many students have poor study habits. They devote lots of time, but somehow have little to show for it. There are all sorts of books and resources to help you, some are good, some aren’t worth the paper they were printed on. My favorite is by Cal Newport. It’s based on a survey he did on the study habits of Phi Beta Kappa inductees. It covers their (including his) common traits. The two biggest things are how to schedule study time and how to do deep work as opposed to unknowingly just going through the motions, what he calls pseudo-studying. He recommends things that many take for granted, don’t skip class, go to office hours (even if you understand the material), but also recommends things a little more unconventional like what readings to skip when you simply don’t have enough time (not usually applicable to STEM classes, but certainly your GE fillers). I can’t recommend it highly enough. Good luck.
http://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Straight-A-Student-Unconventional/dp/0767922719
At most Engineering schools 3.0 is a decent GPA for first semester. But explain more about 4 courses vs 6 courses in spring. Did you drop a fall semester class?
I took 4 courses so I could do really well and adjust to college. Well, I didn’t do well nor did I learn to adjust. I was also on the fence of switching to CS so I didn’t take too many courses and only those who would be counted for both engineering and CS. Now I’ve decided on engineering and I need to compensate my first semester by taking more classes.
The sad thing is that i did went out to buy the book during my semester. I read through all of it (excluding the reading.writing part) and I guess I m not good at absorbing in information.
These are the highlights of Newport’s book that I think are the most important.
- Get a calendar and put everything in it, classes, assignments, tests, papers, etc. schedule study time between classes, on campus, not in your room.
- Write your "to do" list on one side of a card you bring with you every day. It should include your classes, errands, meals, and SCHEDULED study time. On the other side put new stuff that comes your way that you'll need to add to your calendar, new assignments, test dates, etc.
- Go to class, ALWAYS.
- Go to office hours.
- When you study, put your phone in airplane mode, no FB, no email, no internet (write your questions for later), to texting. You won't be distracted, but what most overlook is that the anticipation alone is distracting.
- Set your timer for anywhere between 30 and 50 minutes and study with full concentration, no water breaks, no bathroom breaks, just go into full concentration mode.
- Then STOP. Set your timer for 5-10 minutes. Go to the bathroom, check FB if you must, etc.
- Repeat the cycle until your time slot is over or you're done if you're studying after classes are done for the day.
That’s it in a nutshell. Good luck.
Okay thanks for outlining all the key points for me. I will let you know how things go at the end.
Engineering classes are more interst ing
In junior and senior because you will understand it better
Do not worry about GPA tomuch
But try to learn and understand
Do not focus on passing Ans graduating
But understand the material
If too busy with lots of classes
Work is Easior than school
When I was in college what worked for me and mind you I was a C student in high school and virtually a straight A student in a liberal arts college was outlining all my readings or creating a journal of different types of problems and the rules in a very organized fashion. The information resonated better and where things didn’t make sense I either asked in class or met with the professor. I also rewrote all my class notes, expanded upon them and organized them so that there was no misunderstanding by me. Word was my best friend in college. My major was economics which required both advanced math and lots of graphing skills. It worked for me and I helped many classmates with my notes. My other recommendation is keep ahead of class don’t get behind. Make sure you understand as you go along.
Six classes is a lot for a grueling major like EE…
If it’s financially possible, and won’t cause any pre-req/requisite issues, I would look into lightening your load. Hypothetically speaking, even if you had perfect study habits, the amount of prep/study/homework time required for 6 classes won’t give you much free time at the end of the day needed to recuperate. That lack of free-time will wear on you as time goes on.
As for improving study habits, I think @eyemgh posted some good tips. However, I think the bigger issue here to tackle your class load as it doesn’t seem very sustainable to me.
If your school allows it, start with the 6 courses and then after a class or two decide which one to drop. At my STEM school we usually took 5 courses (3 credits each) at a time, and that was plenty.
Strong second to @justonedad’s suggestion of seeing if there’s a counseling center that can help you. Reading a book works for some people, but I know for me it’s much more helpful if I can have someone work with me initially. Universities know that not all high schools teach great study habits, and often have courses in time management and study habits. Ask for help! It’s much better to ask for help up front than let yourself sink deeper and deeper until you feel like you’re drowning. @eyemgh is dead on with the list. Do these things. But having a coach might make all the difference.