C in Intro Physics, But Still Wants to Continue With More Physics classes

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<p>I am a first-year student at a top 40 liberal arts college in New England. During my first semester, I finished with a "only" a 3.0 GPA and a C in Calculus-based Physics (Mechanics and Heat). Despite my sub-par performance in Physics, I still like Physics and would like to continue to take classes. However, my advisor has warned that if I really want to improve my GPA, which I really need to, I should refrain from taking any more Physics courses at the moment.</p>

<p>I agree with him as well-in order to improve my GPA and have a more decent GPA coming into my sophomore year, I need to carefully choose classes that I know that I can excel in for the Spring semester. That being said though I still like Physics and I don't want one bad grade in a difficult class to deter me from ever taking Physics again. Right now, I am registered to take a non-math Introduction to Energy class as Pass/Fail for the Spring semester.</p>

<p>I am just wondering what should I do? Should I retake the Physics course at community college over the summer or retake the Physics course during the Fall semester of my sophomore year (the class is only offered during the Fall semester)? Should I take the next level of Physics at community college over the summer? What are my options?</p>

<p>I am not entirely sure how well I can do in Physics whether it is a retake or a next level class-I worked the hardest I could-got myself a free upperclassmen tutor, met with my professor, did my homework, etc., but still ended up with a C.</p>

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<p>“I am not entirely sure how well I can do in Physics whether it is a retake or a next level class”</p>

<p>This is where to start - by being sure. Ultimately, there is no denying that Intro Mechanics tends to be easier to grasp than what’s to come (Waves, EM, SR, GR, Quantum, etc. etc.) because it’s simply more intuitive. </p>

<p>Maybe posting a syllabus would help and detailing how you found Physics difficult? Were the tests not like the homework? And if they were, what could account for the discrepancy between performance on homework and tests. Time? Group work?</p>

<p>In general, I’d suggest honing your physical intuition and problem-solving skills. Here’s something general so try to see what works best:</p>

<p>1) If you’re to tackle E&M next, learn Multivariable Calculus. If you have a rough idea of Single-Variable Calculus and are short on time, it would not hurt to simply focus on this (lots of old ideas revisited). </p>

<p>2) Practice! Practice! Practice! I’m not sure which text you used in Mechanics, but if you want a head start on E&M, I’d suggest Purcell and/or Griffith’s. I’d also have a copy of the generic unspecialized texts out there like Serway and read chapters in the Feynman lecture on a class you’ve taken. (I’ve listed four books but you just find what works i.e. one is fine)</p>

<p>3) Talk to Friends about Physics! Whether it’s problem-solving skills (either a rigorous general approach or approximations) or about physical intuition (notice all the cool analogies and symmetries~). </p>

<p>4) Re-visiting Mechanics may not be worth it (debatable) but understanding your performance in it is.</p>

<p>5) Finally, write essays about Physics. Really, when you see a problem, use full sentences to describe your approach, explaining the efficiency and subtleties involved. End with a check on whether your final answer makes physical sense and give the problem a physical meaning (i.e: Holy ****! I can’t move two boxes stacked on top of each other without friction)</p>

<p>As far as the options you listed, I’d suggest having your hand at the CC course while simultaneously working on your uni’s text (which will be harder, I presume) and your self-identified weaknesses. These essays will replace the math one often uses to explain and work through physics problems.</p>

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<p>Thank you for the response, sb4582.</p>

<p>My main problems in Physics could be attributed to these:

  1. The homework assigned was nothing like the quizzes. Our homework was not a part of our grade and was never collected, but they were told that they would help us on our quizzes, but many students, including me, did not find them very helpful. The problems on the quizzes were much harder and required much more analysis than on the homework. This was extremely difficult for me to adjust to, because the science classes at my high school were very verbatim-the teacher would give us practice problems to do for homework and in class and those same problems would be on the exams. </p>

<p>2) I had trouble following my professor during the lectures. He liked to derive formulas and explaining how physicists developed them, instead of say, doing hand-on demonstrations or showing us practice problems. In high school, I never experienced such a teaching style in science and really struggled to adapt to it. </p>

<p>3) I do not think I studied hard enough for the exams. Like I said, in high school, my science classes were extremely easy and definitely were not designed to prepare me for a university science classes. I never had to study for more than two hours before a science exam in high school so finding time to study for Physics (and learning how to) was a major adjustment.</p>

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<p>It sounds like most of your problems were based on you being unprepared for a college physics course. Now that you’ve taken one and know what to expect, do you think you could do better? I think that’s the real question.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t necessarily assume that you can’t succeed in physics because you didn’t do well in your first course. I hated Mechanics, but I did really well in E&M. Sometimes, what makes more sense for one person, doesn’t make as much sense for another.</p>

<p>Are you taking physics just because you like the subject or because you’re majoring in something that requires physics? If you’re just doing it purely out of interest, try to see if they have physics classes for non-physics majors. That might be an easier introduction to some of the cool stuff in physics without having to slog through the calculus or the derivations. Also, if you don’t need the classes for your major, could you take them pass/fail so that they don’t hurt your GPA? I know you’re taking a non-math physics class as pass/fail, but could you also take the calculus-based physics class you want to take as pass/fail?</p>

<p>If you’re majoring in something that requires physics, it might be more important to figure out why you did poorly in your first class. If it’s because you were unprepared for this type of learning, I would recommend that you take the next course in the series and see if you can do better. That’s really the only way of knowing if you can do it or not. Just keep an eye on the drop deadline, so you can drop the class if you really think you won’t do well in it. Would your class allow you to retake a class you passed for credit? Whether you want to retake it or not is up to you, but I don’t know if I would necessarily recommend it unless you think it’ll really help you. A C really isn’t that bad, especially if this isn’t exactly your field.</p>

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<p>I would agree with the previous postings. This happens often in the Calculus sequence. One is better at Calc II than Calc I or better at Calc 3 than both of them. Me?..to this day, I loathe vectors and my major was Math.</p>

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<p>I must agree with baktrax in that where you faltered was not a good grasp on college physics expectations. Perhaps you have a better idea, no? In addition to baktrax’s well-thought out advice, I’ll just add this:</p>

<p>In general, I’ve found the respective difficulties of homework, quizzes and midterm/finals to vary depending on the class and professor. I myself prefer difficult homework (not graded) with solutions posted online, no quizzes and slightly harder tests. At any rate:</p>

<p>1) I sympathize with you on the discrepancy between homework and quizzes but after 2-3 quizzes, adjust. It seems like you put in the effort with OH and seeking help but if the quizzes are hard, find harder and similar problems to do. </p>

<p>2) In general, engineering classes are where you’re more likely to find practice problems. It is very common for science lectures to focus on derivation and theory, for good reason because it builds up conceptual understanding. Perhaps you’re more likely to find practice problems in discussion sections with TAs? If not, practice on your own or with a group. Whether you have a solutions manual or friend who can solve a problem, though, please spend some time grappling with a problem or else it does not help. </p>

<p>3) At least give yourself a week and ample resources to practice from (i.e. ask your professor/TA to hand-out previous practice exams/problems of comparable or more difficulty)</p>

<p>The general theme is you are in control of the resources and their difficulty levels you expose yourself to. Also, struggling is natural (even on an exam) but make sure you have the right tools and capabilities to solve problems (within a time constraint too since this is the education system).</p>

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<p>Thank you for all of the responses. I took Calculus-based Physics during my first semester, because I initially wanted to major in Computer Engineering, which requires three semesters of Physics. However, I have grown fond of Urban Studies and Architecture so I probably will instead take some Computer Science courses and major in Urban Studies instead. </p>

<p>Thank you for the advice. I am greatly disappointed about not being prepared to take college level Physics, but after reading your responses and reflecting on my studies, I realized that I have room for tons of improvement. I will most likely take the non math Energy course next semester and see how that goes before I go back to the Calculus-based Physics sequence.</p>