Hi everyone. I just finished my first year as an engineering major at Michigan and my GPA was a 2.34. Yes it is absolutely horrible. I went from a 3.8 GPA student in high school to this and I am extremely shocked.
First semester I took:
Differential Equations (calc 4) : C-
Organic Chemistry: C
Engineering 100 (mandatory engineering class with different sections and of course I ended up taking the hardest one): B
Organic Chemistry Lab: A-
Second Semester I took:
Multivariable Calculus (Calc 3): D+ (yes i know it is absolutely horrible)
Physics 140: B-
Psych 111: B- (guarantee I studied the wrong way for this because it’s supposed to be an easy class)
Engineering 101 (intro coding class): B-
I am out of state so money plays a big part and my parents do not want to pay that price for such a low GPA which is completely reasonable. However, I really really like Michigan and honestly the only thing I want is to be able to continue my education there. My parents are strongly considering moving me to a community college near home and then have me transfer to my local state school for the rest of my undergrad if I do not come with a solid plan of action as to how I am going to prevent this from ever happening in the future. I really need some advice and strategies that I could use to prove to them that I deserve another chance.
Currently my strategies include:
taking several practice tests for the class
doing textbook problems
going to office hours and getting help
I do admit that when I study, I do not study with the complete focus that I need to, but I need specific ways as to how I am going to change this. I do study hard and I know I am 100% capable of studying and doing well at Michigan. I really want to just take this as a blip in my college career, but after my first semester GPA, my parents gave me another chance, and I screwed up again second semester, which is why they are very reluctant to giving me a third chance. I really want to say third times a charm, but I need a plan as to how I will improve.
Appreciate any insight or help you guys could give me!
Thanks!!
Michigan is a large University so i suppose office hours and intimate time with professors is out of the question. You need to find study groups and make friends in your class, studying alone will be to your detriment at any university.
Make use of YouTube and other online resources
Is there a tutoring group on campus use that.
Buy a tutor if you can afford it.
Spread out STEM classes to one a semester
Maybe engineering isn’t for you. Maybe that is the reason you aren’t as focused as you want to be.
If you ABSOLUTELY feel as though you MAY have a learning disability/mood disorder that can be seen in other areas of your life, see at least two reputable psychiatrists/clinical therapists for a diagnosis.
Don’t beat yourself up too much, you is just a minor blip in life you’ll recover.
Be in constant contact with all your teachers. Find an advisor to regularly check in with.
The best way to do well on any test is to do PRACTICE PROBLEMS. Do them until you are literally exhausted and understand every single one.
Good luck! 
PS. I hear the engineering school gets easier as you go.
If you do this, you will be in school for roughly 30 years. I’ve had semesters with six STEM classes at once.
And office hours aren’t out of the question at bigger schools.
@bodangles You’re right. I forgot Engineering majors have a lot of STEM requirements for their degree. As you can tell I’m not too familiar(Pre-Law here). But she/he needs to take a lighter schedule until they find out what study habits work for them.
Gutair132 and bodangles couldn’t be more right. Office hours are not only accessible but absolutely essential.
For example, my son taking Linear Algebra (217), went to office hours almost every day (you don’t have to be limited to only your profs office hours) until he absolutely had it down and achieved a high grade. He does this with every challenging class.
Again - office hours are essential.
I am worried about your calculus grades. With a C- in differential equations, a D the following semester in multivariate calculus was highly likely. Also, a C- in differential equations makes me worry about how solid your algebra background is.
The thing about math: What you study today is very much based on what you studied last year, which was very much based on what you studied the year before. What you learn tomorrow is very much dependent upon what you learned today.
Also, a LOT of what you are going to learn as an engineering major in your remaining three years is going to depend upon algebra and calculus. If you want to study engineering, then algebra has to be about as difficult as brushing your teeth. Calculus should be about as difficult as driving to the corner store to buy a quart of milk (assuming that you can drive).
With a C- and a D+ in Calculus, as an engineering major you are in trouble.
I think that you need tutoring in these ASAP. Realistically IMHO you have four choices:
-
Come back to Michigan next year as an engineering major and fail.
-
Change majors (avoiding math, physics, engineering, and econometrics.
-
Restudy Calculus, and possibly pre-calculus over the summer. You might need both a community college course and a tutor. If you can get solid on these by September then you have a chance to continue at Michigan as an engineering major.
-
Transfer somewhere easier, and probably still re-take Calculus.
I am thinking that option 3 might be the best bet. There is of course a variant of option 3 where you take a semester or a year off from Michigan, and study algebra and pre-calculus and calculus at a community college before returning.
You did well enough except for the two math courses. Will you retake calc 3 at U mich next fall and will the better grade replace the old grade or be averaged in? Do you have time this summer to take a local CC class in math?
“You did well enough except for the two math courses.”
That is my opinion also.
“… and will the better grade replace the old grade or be averaged in?”
My concern was not about having a C and a D on the transcript. My concern was for having the background to take the next course. If the OP catches up on algebra and pre-calculus and calculus over the summer, then he can start getting better grades next year in other courses.
Dude…you’re doing fine. You’ve got to tighten up your study habits, and you have some great ideas of how to accomplish this. But you have to adjust your expectations, too. You’re not going to get all A’s at Umich…but you will get solid Bs with a few C’s scattered in there, and the occasional A- if you work your butt off. This is just part of going to Michigan. It’s TOUGHER than most schools.
Make a point to keep track of where the people who are criticizing your grades went to college. UMich Engineering is not “just another big state college”. The academic rigor is insane…and unless they have experienced this first hand, they won’t get it…so disregard comments from people who have never done the Calc tiers AT UMICH…cause the difference is night and day. My kiddo’s cousin is doing Engineering at Western Michigan University, and my kid is appalled by the comparative ease of the same STEM classes.
As long as you are completing the requirements for your program without too many extra tries…lighten up on yourself.
Guess what you call a UMich engineer student who graduates with a 2.34GPA?
You call him an Engineeer. Who got his education at the FIFTH BEST ENGINEERING PROGRAM IN THE NATION.
GPA means NOTHING at this point. Completing your program at a good school is what goes on your resume…not your GPA.
You can do this. Your parents need to give you another shot.
@jmtennis Engineering has basic foundation built on math. Please learn math before you proceed further into your chosen profession. Things are going to get worse in future.
Do you know the root cause of your bad grades in math ? Did you understand the course material ? Did you not put enough efforts ? Did your HS performance gave you a false sense of security and confidence ? Was it just the bell curve (grading) and competition in the class for grades ?
@MaryGJ “so disregard comments from people who have never done the Calc tiers AT UMICH…cause the difference is night and day”
I studied calculus at MIT, apparently not on the same level at UMICH.
DadTwoGirls, did you go to UMich, too? Are you an Engineer?
Did you take Calc 3 and 4 as a FRESHMAN while also slaying Organic Chem?
This guys is just inexperienced. He’s not incapable of doing well…he’s just away from home for the first time ever and up against more academic challenge and demand than he’s ever experienced in his life. It’s a learning curve, and it’s a LOT to get used to.
There is a HUGE difference between breezing your way through a hand full of highschool AP classes and trying to study STEM at UMich.
And if he tested into Calc 3 and 4 as a freshie…He’s NOT math challenged.
The problem is that many students getting C’s won’t graduate with that prestigious engineering degree, because they’ll have a poor foundation for future classes. Not sure what type of engineering OP is but this semester alone, in chemE, I’ve seen differential equations and calc 3 come back to combine with physics, chemistry, and biology. It doesn’t go away.
Side note: “slaying” Orgo? With a C?
@MaryGJ Did you study Engineering ? Engineering subject matter is same. May be grades are deflated at Univ Of Michigan.
Subject matter might be the same, but academic difficulty is very very different at different schools.
If OP had a C in control theory and a D+ in econometrics then I would be the first to say “don’t worry about it”.
The problem with C’s and D’s in calculus is that this is the basis for too much future work. Also, calculus largely is dependent upon being VERY good at algebra, which is also the basis for too much future work.
And no, I was not an engineering major at U Mich. I was a Math major at MIT. I am sorry that I didn’t get into a great university such as Michigan for engineering. However, MIT is not such a bad university for mathematics. MIT is not a particularly easy school for math either.
If OP wants to go ahead with an engineering degree he can ignore me and go ahead. But if you don’t understand the prerequisites, then future courses are going to get a lot more difficult.
DadTwoGirls…My comment wasn’t directed at you. I commented about different colleges having different rigor because my daughter and her cousin just compared their Calculus tiers by syllabus, and my daughter was astounded at the ease of her cousin’s curriculum. My daughter is premed at UMich, her cousin is a Chemical Engineering student at Western Mich U.
And no, I didn’t study engineering, and I certainly might have blind spots about the needed mastery to survive subsequent challenges.
But given that Calc at Michigan seems considerably more challenging than other local universities, I felt it important to mention that you’re not always comparing apples to apples when listening to the peanut gallery.
No offense meant. And yes, I realize MIT is insanely respected.
My D also found Calc 3 more difficult than Calc 4. You should have seeked help right after the first semester. Physics 240 will be another weeding class. My suggestion is to take it this summer at a community college and then transfer the credit. ENGR100 and 101 are relatively easier courses. You should make an appointment with the advisor at CoE. You need to keep your GPA above 2.0 to stay in CoE. CoE is slightly more competitive than LSA. Note that majority of the students at UMich had HS GPA above 3.8. Many students with GPA4.0 within HS also feel shocked in freshmen year though.