<p>I had been a pretty good student in high school but I absolutely bottomed out especially second semester of college. I ended up with a 2.3 GPA for the year and failed my first class ever (single variable calculus II) and just thought I was tired and stressed out for most of my 2nd semester.</p>
<p>Any hints on how I can go up from here and improve my study skills? I hope this is as bad as it ever gets.</p>
<p>what is your major?</p>
<p>Bad time management? Too much partying? Do you like your college? Your major? There is really so much to consider when determining WHY you did so poorly.</p>
<p>1st thing is to realize that its not the end of the world. You can come back from this. Same thing happened to me and now Im ok. You can come back from this</p>
<p>2nd thing is re-evaluate yourself and abilities as far as the course load that you should be be taking. 9 times out of 10 you probably overdid it with your classes which caused you to not do well (happens to the best of us)</p>
<p>3rd thing is to (if necessary) re-evaluate your major. Sometimes problems can be solved if you’re real with yourself what you can and cant vs. what you want/dont want to do. It could be just the math class is tripping you up and its just something you just need to get through and move on. Its always good to do some self reflection.</p>
<p>4th: talk to someone. Like a close friend or find someone who’s in the same predicament or has been in the same thing. Takes the sting off of being alone. Also good just to have that one person that you can beeotch (since CC is sooo profanity friendly) to. Good to get everything out in the open.</p>
<p>5th: Go back next fall, look at your course list in the eye (figuratively), and kick their arses! You can do it. Its not the end of the world</p>
<p>I also didn’t have the freshman year that I wanted, doing worse second semester like yourself. Just put the year behind you and cut your losses. Think of it as a sunk cost. You won’t get it back unless you retake any classes and even then, it may not be worthwhile to do so. </p>
<p>Learn from any mistakes you made. For me, it was poor study habits and a lack of motivation. You mentioned being tired and stressed out. Try to get > 6 hours of sleep every night, as it really makes a difference the next day. </p>
<p>I’ve also found that exercising in the morning can go a long way towards keeping both your body and mind sharp throughout the day. Start out w/ short runs or brisk walks and build from there. Later in the semester, you might just find yourself energized, on top of your work, and hopefully even in great shape.</p>
<p>There is a book called “what smart students know” written by one of the co-founders of the Princeton Review prep service that I suggest you get. What’s happened to you isn’t that uncommon – smart kids, especially those from a large public HS where the bar isn’t set too high, never really learned how to study because they were smart enough to do well without much effort. When you get to college, everyone that got admitted to your school is about as smart as you and the bar rises unexpectedly. The book I mentioned can explain what you need to do in order to succeed at the next level. Also see if your college has study skill workshops.</p>
<p>I am an engineering major. I was always good at math until I ran into this math class. I took AP Calculus AB in high school and got an A- and a 4 on the exam but I just had difficulty learning the material in Calculus II. I got a B in chemistry and physics but a D in Geology and a F in Calculus II.</p>
<p>I took 18 credits first semester and 17 credits second semester so I am taking what a normal civil engineering majors course load is. Perhaps time management was a problem, I don’t know how to use my time wisely and I often spend times I should be studying doing other stuff. I’m not a huge partier but I go out once in a while.</p>
<p>I slept an average of 8 hours a night (from around midnight on weekdays to 8 AM) but I did neglect exercising on the weekdays since I barely was motivated to do that after classes.</p>
<p>And thanks mikemac, I’ll definitely check out that book!</p>
<p>PS: by the way, I don’t go to UVA, that’s just my dream school haha, i wanted to keep the school i’m going to anonymous.</p>
<p>depends, what is the average GPA for an engineering major at your school? at some schools you’ll be in the top 50% with just a 3.0.</p>
<p>Firstly, freshman engineering GPAs tend to be low. No, not 2.3 low, but you’re not going to be the only one with a 2.3, and that’s probably not as far below average as you may think. The picture is also likely better than perrechn is painting too… Apparently at Purdue Engineering a 3.0 is top 20%. </p>
<p>Secondly, what did you do poorly on, what happened? Did you get all the homework wrong? Screw up on the finals? Screw up on all the tests? What part of your grade was the main contributor to the overall low grades? Figure it out, and fix it. If homework, work on it with a friend, always, even if you know the material. Whatever it is, figure it out, and figure out how to fix it.</p>
<p>Time management can prevent someone from getting a 4.0. But a 2.3 in freshman classes? I don’t think that’s solely a time management issue. Maybe the major doesn’t fit you.</p>
<p>I have no idea what the average engineering GPA at my school is. I don’t go to a top engineering school like Purdue but according to the us news undergraduate rankings, my school is ranked 76th so I guess a middle of the pack engineering school.</p>
<p>I got an A in my Introduction to Engineering class (the only A I got all year) and I still have a real interest in becoming an environmental engineer so I’m having a hard time believing that my major does not fit me.</p>
<p>My real problem was tests and how to study for them I guess. I did all the homework right mainly because I used the textbook to help me. There was a lot of material that just overwhelmed me and when it came to tests I found it hard to memorize/cram everything and that resulted in a poor test grade. It doesn’t help when tests are 60% of your grade and you get D’s/F’s on them. My homework was mostly A’s/B’s though but that’s just 10-20% of my grade.</p>
<p>I had a hard time in calc to during thisbyear. It wasn’t as bad as you but my grade in both calc 1 & 2 were a full point lower than my grades in any of my other classes. My problem was mostly inexperience in solving math problems though. I never took ap or honor math classes in hs and the applications were just way over my head. While this probably wasn’t your problem, it’s possible something specific is bringing your grade down in math. I really benefited from not taking math third quarter. It was bringing my other grades down and was causing a lot of stress. I recommend you do the same next semester. If you absolutely need credit for the class now, take it online during the summer. Otherwise, just put it off all together.</p>
<p>Retaking the failed class will get that 0 out of your average and give it a boost. One problem I see with young people is that they do not want to ask for help. If you do poorly on one test, go get help immediately. I think that every college in the country has some type of tutoring assistance center set up because someone at every college stuggles with something. And if yours doesn’t, go to the professor. Professors do not like kids to fail; it makes them look bad. </p>
<p>Smart kids think that it will get better for the next test; they will study harder; they will do more. Then, when they crash the second test, it’s too late. Does this sound familiar?</p>
<p>One of the best things that my D’s high school taught her was to ask for help. Often young people think that someone will think they are stupid if they don’t understand something and that is not the case. Have a good summer. Start fresh in the fall.</p>
<p>18 credits in engineering is a pretty tough courseload. It may be required to finish in four years but perhaps you could consider taking some courses in the summer so that you’re not under that much pressure during the regular school year. 4.5 years might be an option too.</p>
<p>At my son’s school (third-tier), about two-thirds of the kids didn’t make it through first-year physics (engineering physics). We don’t know how many of them passed on the first try but the number is probably lower than 33%. You have to have the aptitude, drive and time-management skills to get through tough engineering programs. My son had the strongest math background in his classes (there were hundreds of students in it). He also pre-studied his courses in his freshman year. That is he read the book and did many of the exercises before actually taking the course so that much of the material in the course wasn’t new to him so much less to learn.</p>
<p>Can you take Calculus 2 locally this summer? You might be able to absorb the material better if you can spend all of your time on it.</p>
<p>The problem with taking the calc some place else is that it may not replace the failed class. Some schools have policies that retakes have to be at the home school.</p>
<p>Verify that your school will accept course credits from another university.</p>
<p>I can only replace the grade in the class if I take it at my college. I will probably take it again over the summer so I can meet the prerequisites for my next semester engineering classes.</p>
<p>One thing that you did say is true is that I’m intimidated to ask for help. I never needed help in high school. I’m not a very social person so something as small as going to the professors office to ask for help makes me terrified that I’m still not going to understand and he’ll think I’m stupid. But I guess that’s something I will have to get over next year.</p>
<p>My son had that problem in his Freshman year. I suggested he go to the tutoring center many times but he didn’t. The course was in a large lecture hall so he didn’t have access to the professor. He got what he needed from the tutoring center and did fine. He liked the idea of the tutoring center so much that he got a job there and has been working there for two years. The students at the tutoring center are generally very bright and very good in their major areas and help each other out when needed.</p>
<p>Once a professor knows you want to succeed, he/she will be very willing to help you. This sounds obvious, but many students do not seek help, so the assumption is that the students doesn’t care. Often, again with bright kids, one little piece is missing. If someone explains it to you, it all falls into place. </p>
<p>Most professors have some kind of office hours or TAs that have office hours. Additionally, you might want to get a study group together. What one person doesn’t get, the next one might. Likewise, if you can explain something to someone else, it will help your understanding.</p>
<p>Exactly as MD Mom said. Go see your profs. I learned that the hard way in a class I was failing and I waited really late to do it. the prof actually sat down and GAVE me a private tutoring session and to make things even more bright, he not only passed me but with a C! (in exclamation since a D at my school is considered passing). definitely do that.</p>
<p>also, like I said earlier, realize the limits of your abilities and what you can/cant do as far as course load. There’s nothing at school that says you have to take 18 credits per semester if you’re an engineering major. Do what YOU feel comfortable with, even take classes out side of it that dont count to explore other academic interests (it even helps boost gpa)</p>