<p>I am a current Electrical Engineering student at Purdue. Sometimes I get really discouraged because of the immense workload of my major and think I wasn't made for this. Professors have high expectations of you but grade hard. My grades have been mainly B's with a few C's...How can I improve my grades? I mean I do the HW and review the material a week before each test. What else should I be doing? I want to go to grad school in the future so I really need to improve my grades my last two years.</p>
<p>Good question Boomer. It sounds like you already work hard. In my opinion that is the most important thing. The hard workers will tend to do well. Have you seen your professors in office hours? Have you worked with other students? When I started getting A's in undergrad is when I focused on my studies from day one. I would do the homework right away so I can understand it. I would study ahead of the lectures so I understood them better. And I would try and see my professors and give them good questions but show how I've thought about it.</p>
<p>P.S. - Avoid DeCarlo, he sucks.</p>
<p>I started getting markedly better grades when I finally improved my study/work habits. Avoiding procrastination, working proactively, getting things done well ahead of time, reading chapters ahead of lectures. Pulling late-nighters just to stay ahead, instead of cramming for exams. All of this worked for me. What I did before that most definitely did not work for me.
But it seems this may not be your issue.</p>
<p>One thing I saw when I got to college is the way the other kids studied for exams in quantitative subjects. They didn't just read the book and go over homeworks, they did tons of additional problems for practice. In the back of the textbook they might give the answers to odd-number problems, etc. These kids worked a lot of these extra problems.</p>
<p>Another thing I would say is, come to know your limitations. There may be some things you're just relatively not that great in. If you keep taking courses in these areas despite this knowledge( like , for example I did), recognize that your GPA will likely be impacted. Similarly, you may find that you have particular facility in certain areas. If you go with what you are actually good at this will likely be rewarded.</p>
<p>those are two great replies</p>
<p>How to get A's?
Don't go to Harvey Mudd.</p>
<p>
[quote]
How to get A's?
Don't go to Harvey Mudd.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You remind me of Walter from the Big Lebowski. "... I did not watch my buddies die face down in the muck so that this ****ing strumpet..."</p>
<p>Way to bring Mudd into a discussion that has nothing to do with it.</p>
<p>I second the suggestion of doing lots of practice problems. I know my son and his engineering friends spend many, many hours on them. Another thing son does that may help is to be certain he understands the concepts thoroughly. He told me that he spent six hours recently just understanding the assignment before he even did the work. But he knows his stuff and is an "A" student. When necessary, he and his friends contact their professors for clarification. It is definitely stupid not to ask!</p>
<p>"Way to bring Mudd into a discussion that has nothing to do with it."
Wow. I didn't really think much about that. It was more directed to be humorous.</p>
<p>I'm sorry that I brought unnecessary attention to it.</p>
<p>All of the above are great suggestions. Although I normally don't do extra problems because I lack time. And I don't work with others because I never attempt to seek them( I should but I don't). One thing I have learned since I came to graduate school is don't learn just to get good grades. Learn because you WANT to learn. When you want to learn your going to go that extra step and really understand the material. You will think of questions that you cannot find in your notes. So go search for them in your textbook, internet, or library. Don't just memorize how to do the problem, find out the meaning of it. It took me 25 years to realize this, I wish I was like this earlier.</p>
<p>This might be another Case of bringing another college into a discussion where it doesn't belong, but I would definetly say that if you want straight A's don't go to Case Western Reserve University. It is RIDICULOUSLY tough and known as one of the schools with the hardest workload in the country, without a reputation of an MIT or Caltech. As a freshman here taking 20 credit hours, I have also found it impossible to get A's. I have mostly B's in C's in my classes, and I make a very good effort to do all my homework and study for tests/quizes. Is freshman year supposed to be the hardest in terms of engineering? I really want to get a job and go to grad school but I dont want my GPA to be so low that I end up flipping burgers at the Golden Arches for the rest of my life cause Case ****ed up my GPA.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the difference between a 3.0 to a 3.5 student might only be 5-10 hours more a week. A difference between a 3.5 and 3.9 student is probably an additional 15 hours a week (if it was possible at all).</p>
<p>That's why I set my goal at a 3.5...</p>
<p>I know that if I set my goal @ 3.5 I'll get a 3.0 or so, if I set my goal at 4.0 I'll get a 3.5 or so. So I set my goals for a 4.5 ;) (not that my school has > 4.0)</p>
<p>What's a reasonable GPA for applying to elite engineering grad schools like MIT, caltech, stanford, and Berkeley coming from an elite engineering undergraduate school?</p>
<p>3.5</p>
<p>10 char</p>
<p>What is a reasonable GPA for such applications coming from a state undergraduate engineering school (ie, non-elite)? Do grad schools favor their own undergrads?</p>
<p>Boomer, a few things based on my own experience:</p>
<p>1) Manage your time effectively, schedule your study time and avoid last minute cramming.
2) Find a good study buddy
3) Go to prof's office hours. A lot.
4) Don't hesitate to ask questions if you don't understand something during lecture. You and your classmates will appreciate it. For some reason people are afraid to ask questions.
5) Try to take at least some time off for yourself, even if it's just half of a Saturday</p>
<p>Great thread. I was wondering the same thing as Boomer. Thanks for all the great advice.</p>
<p>If you are feeling overwhelmed even after working your hardest and best, don't be afraid to drop a class if it's not required or absolutely necessary to take at that particular quarter/semester. If you are burning out, and you can afford to loosen up a little, doing so doesn't make you a quitter or anything, it makes you smarter and more mature.</p>
<p>Along the same lines as the post above, taking summer school to reduce your semester loads can really help.</p>
<p>thanks for all the advice everyone...I will do extra problems from the book and go to professor's office hours more often. I do try to work with a study group but that hasn't helped me so far. Also I plan to only take 14-15 credits from now so hopefully that will help as well.</p>