<p>I'm an engineering major. I truly f'ed up my first semester here and my GPA will most likely be under a 1.0. I did too many extracurriculuars and had terrible time management. I feel awful now since I failed a class and got a D in another. I'm a ChemE, but I might switch out even though I really want to do this. I know exactly what I did wrong this semester and will definitely retake the two classes and aim for a 4.0 next semester, but what is worrying me are two things: 1. how will this terrible semester be seen by MBA schools; if I'm applying to top 5 MBA schools with good cumulative GPA and good GMATs, would this semester greatly hurt my chances of getting in? 2. What GPA do oil companies look for?</p>
<p>I'm feeling really down right now since my entire break is basically on a bad note because of this. I'm losing confidence in myself to handle ChemE even though I really want to do this. Can people offer advice/similar stories and how they handled their situations?</p>
<p>Thanks very much in advance to all those who reply.</p>
<p>If it makes you feel any better, this is also my first semester here and I really messed up, too. I got a D in a class, as well, and plan on retaking it :’( I seriously got a wake-up call about how this isn’t going to be like high school and about how time management is the MOST important thing in college. I never expected I would get these kinds of grades. </p>
<p>As a fellow first-semester student, I also feel like I know where I went wrong; it was procrastination, cramming, doing homework the night before it’s due instead of the day it’s assigned, falling behind on webcasts, not going to office hours when I needed help, you name it. But with this wake-up call, I also feel I can do better. If you really enjoy the engineering you’re doing, then I say, try for one more semester. What’s the drop deadline? About two weeks, or a little more? I think it might be a good idea to go ahead and take your engineering classes. BUT promise yourself that, the very 1st week, if you feel you’re going down the same path, either you a. completely reverse your study habits and STUDY or b. just consider dropping the class in case you mess up your GPA further this spring semester. I think it might have been just one of those 1st semester college scares, hopefully. I have also promised to work harder and manage my time better. I hope some wiser/older CCers have some advice, too? Good luck with your studies next semester :)</p>
<p>Fellow first year here, ended up with a 2-something GPA as an engineering student in a major I don’t really want to major in. Can’t transfer to another major or L&S with my current GPA, so gotta do much better next semester haha Let’s do it!</p>
<p>Find what your weak spots are, and make methods to combat them. For example, i’m terrible at remembering definitions unless i consistently repeat them with flash cards, so that’s something i do now. (and it’s REALLY helpful.)</p>
<p>Time management was a big point you made. But also make sure you can find yourself in environments where you get lots of studying done. I notice that a lot of people also get distracted by their phones, so it might be a good idea to mute them completely and only check them periodically (unless you use it for something REALLY important like keeping track of your kid or something.) </p>
<p>Take good notes (google ‘dartmouth notes’) and do a review of your notes nightly. (it doesn’t take that long surprisingly) Also, it might be a good ideas to record lectures, and when you do so, time stamp (i.e. write the time down) certain part of the lectures when you day dream or see that you misunderstood something so that you don’t have to listen to the whole thing. Also, if you drive to campus (as i do) it might be a good idea to listen to recordings while you drive (which i was doing until my FM transmitter broke)</p>
<p>remember that in a lot of ways these classes are competitions. I once saw a student tell a professor that he was determined to get an A+ since he was applying to law school and what he needed to do to get it. The professor said that a person’s grade largely depended on the grades of others. So always take that into account and try to do your best when you do assignments because remember, it’s a competition.</p>
<p>Hope i’ve provided some good advice, best of luck!</p>
<p>I’m not sure if this only applies for just for comp sci or if it would apply other engineering majors as well… but I find that understand 3/4 basic concepts really well and the remaining 1/4 minimally is a good method for approaching the course.</p>
<p>In CS courses, the class average for exams is around 50-70%. Hence, if you know around 70% of the material extremely well, you are guaranteed to be above average. Most people study what they are weak at. Then the question is usually hard and people fail. Instead, I take the approach of solidifying what I’m good at, so I maximize the points I receive on those questions. With my cursory understanding of the other topics, I’ll get at least partial credit on the remaining 30%. This usually results in test scores in top 10-50%.(Never scored below median before)</p>
<p>I also messed up this semester and got a D in a class I needed to take for my major. I can’t retake it next semester because both sections of the class are full and with full waitlists. Is there a deadline for when you need to retake a class or can I retake anytime? =/</p>