I wanted to post this so I can get an insight as to what I should do now…
To start off, I didn’t do so well last semester and this semester… Last semester ended with a 1.5, and this semester is about to end in a possible 1.8, and I just feel so bad right now. My major is Aerospace Engineering, and the reasons why I had such low GPAs was that I failed both Calculus I and Physics I last semester, and being that they are the most heavily weighted subjects that I took, my GPA took a huge fall despite my other classes getting at least C’s and B’s in. And then this semester, I found myself very flustered since I took both a digital circuits and MATLAB course along with my Calc and Phys retakes, so after Spring Break, I had no choice but to drop the circuits course and audit the MATLAB course, and focus purely on the other too. But even then, I still found it very troubling to study for these subjects. (I almost brokedown the night before my Calc final) I myself have to blame for not studying hard enough for these class, and now I’m feeling the cold hard reality of my actions. I never partied here since I arrived, and I have a very little social network in regards to friends (and unfortunately, most of my roommates don’t count in that number friends either…) I just…I don’t know what to do. I was already on Academic Warning this semester for not getting more than the 2.0 GPA requirement, and now it looks like I’ll be on Academic Probation next semester as well… It’s just… ugh…
I have been really pondering as to if I should still continue on this major… I really want to though, ever since I got out of high school (Which was a STEM academy), but my mind at times tells me it might not happen. I was looking into meteorology (I’ve had a huge interest in the weather since I can remember), but my parents said that if I choose to do weather, then they will not support me staying at this university, and telling me to move out and go to another college. Mainly they are saying this because we are already paying a lot for this place (44K per year).
I’m just in a really, really deep bog right now…
Is there anything I can possibly do at this point…?
Where are you? What year are you in? Do you have some sense regarding why you are having trouble?
Are you lacking the background for Calculus and Physics? Both, but particularly Calculus, is very dependent upon earlier courses (such as pre-calculus, of course). My experience with university physics is that it is very dependent upon calculus, but I have heard that there are also non-calculus college physics courses.
How did you do in earlier years (high school, or whatever)?
And honestly, it’s the way of how the subject is integrated… Like, I can tell what parts are what, but the problem, especially in Calculus, is how to put those parts together correctly.
Go talk with your academic advisor. He/she knows your university and the rigors of your program. You have to figure out why you couldn’t handle the work, and whether you can change that. He/she might be able to help you figure out whether this is a mis-match, or whether this is just a bump in the road so that a tweek here and there (like taking a particular course in the summer, or taking a reduced load one semester) will make a difference. One thing is, you certainly don’t want to go into a career that doesn’t match your skill sets and will be a life-long struggle for you.
If you and your advisor decide that this field is not a good match for you (even though you like it), there is absolutely no shame in recognizing this and changing majors. Years ago my college boyfriend had a melt-down the night before his organic chem exam and I told him he was in the wrong major because he was a genius with finance. He switched, and is now the CEO of a big company. So you see, he was not a failure, he was just in the wrong field.
About your parent’s comment about switching schools…if it were my child struggling, I would want him/her to take a short break and really think about what he/she wants and what his/her skill set is. I’d be hesitant to keep spending that much money if I didn’t think a lot of thought had gone into this process. You need to talk with your advisor and your parents about this too, because you might ask for a leave of absence rather than just leaving the school. Your parents could end up being OK with you changing your major and staying at that school if they felt that you were now going in the right direction for you and had a better chance of good grades.
Hope this helps. Sorry this has been such a difficult academic transition for you.
Am I reading this correctly? You got C’s in almost every math and physics course you took in high school? And are surprised when you’re getting lower grades in the harder college versions?
Not trying to be mean, I just don’t understand what would make you choose engineering in that case.
What is the reasoning behind your parents not wanting you to study meteorology? Is it based on expectations about salary or prestige? Also, do they know how your academic performance has been so far? Because if your parents are concerned about how much they’re paying, they should want you to study something that you enjoy and can succeed at. The alternative runs the risk of leading to suspension for poor performance or graduating with a low GPA, which will matter to some employers . The investment they put into you going to school only pays off if you succeed!
I agree with melvin123 that your first steps should be speaking with your academic advisor and your parents. If you get the OK from your parents, then switching to meteorology sounds like a promising next step. BUT if you do change your major, you should definitely meet regularly with your advisor to come up with a plan for studying that will help you manage your courseload.
Part of coming up with that plan will include you being honest with yourself about why you are struggling in these classes. Based on your high school grades, do you think it could be the case that you don’t have a strong enough foundation in certain subjects to understand the material? Do you have trouble asking for help as soon as you realize you need it? Do you not enjoy the subject matter?
Mostly yes, it because of salary. My parents want the best for me to have a good life, good job, and raise enough money to sustain myself or have a family. Because of that, they just don’t see Meteorology living up to those tasks.
At some level, to have a good life you need to do what you like to do, and what you do well.
Your high school grades in math don’t make it look as if mathematics is your strength. Engineering is a highly math-centered field, and is not for everyone. Physics is also quite high in math content.
There are a lot of other fields that don’t require much math, if any.
Without a strong foundation in math, engineering will be VERY difficult. At this point, it sounds like you would need to spend a lot of time to master the pre-calculus concepts before continuing. Unfortunately, most engineering schools will assume that you already have the strong math foundation.
I agree that talking to your advisor would be the first step. You might also consider seeing if you career center has aptitude testing to help you identify your strengths.
This is not the end of the world. However, you will have to consider if engineering is a realist goal. It is not for everyone. However that is true for any major.
It’s really important to be good at what you do, otherwise you will keep losing jobs, money will be a real issue, and life will be hard.
It’s great that you are fascinated by aerospace engineering, but it sounds like your foundation in core courses (math, physics) is lacking. That’s not to say that you can’t catch up through intensive tutoring if the reason why your foundation is weak is because you previously had a bad teacher in those subjects or you didn’t really study in those subjects before you got turned onto aerospace engineering. But this is going to require A LOT of work. You need to seriously think if you are willing to put in all that work, and then how you can manage the time required to do all this. This is where your advisor can talk to you about taking fewer classes and what tutoring is available, etc. If your prior teachers were OK, though, and if you’ve always tried hard, then it seems like this just isn’t a good match for your skill set and you’d be better off moving onto something else. You need to honestly evaluate what happened and what you are willing to do going forward so you can make the best decisions for yourself.
Before you go all in on Meteorology, please look at the course sequence for that major. From talking to student in the field my impression is that it’s heavy math / physics.
Agree with others - look for majors and careers that play to your strengths. In the end you will enjoy them more. A fascination with something can always lead to a serious and rewarding hobby in that field (especially meteorology). But please try to get into a field that you enjoy and can be really good at. And don’t forget that stats about how many times people change jobs and career paths. You aren’t stuck just going in one direction. Life has many twists and turns in front of you. Embrace that!
Perhaps you could discuss switching to an Engineering Technology degree degree with an emphasis in Aeronautical Science. I suspect it would still be VERY challenging for you but it is far less math and science intensive than an Engineering degree.
I am sorry you are in such a tough spot. My father was an Aerospace Engineer and quite frankly, he made (adjust for time value inflation) about the same as I do as a CPA. I encourage you to talk to your advisor and see if you can get your parents on board with you changing majors. Good luck.
It might be best to take a break from college, work for a year, and figure out your actual strengths and explore career options.
Talking to people who have worked for a number of years in a field that interests you would let you see how they spend their days. Ask them how much math they use, what they like and dislike about their jobs. Actual workers vs. just reading about potential jobs online.
A job is more than just the work you do, it includes the setting and environment of other workers and customers. My D toured at my friend’s large office and immediately realized she did not want to be stuck in a cubicle. Will your job require you to interact with customers or sit at a computer for long hours? Would you prefer to work outdoors, or travel from place to place? All things to consider.
Definitely speak with your academic advisor as the above posters have stated. In addition, I would spend every waking moment at the tutorung center on your campus. If you are able to continue with this major you need to put in the time. Most universities offer a math center and all profs/departments can match you up with an upper level student who tutors. Explore every opportunity the school offers you for help.
Do you really know that you will be allowed to continue on academic probation at your school for a third semester? Often the plug is pulled after the second semester of not making academic progress. This is for the good of the student – otherwise you are spending lots of money but not making progress and potentially using up your limited semesters of financial aid.
I agree with others…the first thing I looked for was your explanation of why you did poorly.
it wasn’t slacking, it wasn’t boyfriend/girlfriend problems, wasn’t partying, wasn’t family issues…which are the usual culprits. Unfortunately like other said, it seems that you are going to a rigorous engineering school but were not sufficiently prepared or have the skills.
You either have to find another option, or really ramp up your studying;
GO TO CLASS, BUY THE BOOK, READ THE CHAPTERS, AND DO THE HOMEWORK!
Go to Professor’s office hours early in the semester and Ask this question: “I know this is a really difficult class-- what are some of the common mistakes students make and how can I avoid them?”
If you have problems with the homework, go to Prof’s office hours. If they have any “help sessions” or “study sessions” or “recitations” or any thing extra, go to them.
Form a study group with other kids in your dorm/class.
Don’t do the minimum…for STEM classes do extra problems. You can buy books that just have problems for calculus or physics or whatever. Watch videos on line about the topic you are studying.
Go to the writing center if you need help with papers/math center for math problems (if they have them)
If things still are not going well, get a tutor.
Read this book: How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less by Cal Newport. It helps you with things like time management and how to figure out what to write about for a paper, etc.
If you feel you need to withdraw from a class, talk to your advisor as to which one might be the best …you may do better when you have less classes to focus on. But some classes may be pre-reqs and will mess your sequence of classes up.
For tests that you didn’t do well on, can you evaluate what went wrong? Did you never read that topic? Did you not do the homework for it? Do you kind of remember it but forgot what to do? Then next time change the way you study…there may be a study skill center at your college.
How much time outside of class do you spend studying/doing homework? It is generally expected that for each hour in class, you spend 2-3 outside doing homework. Treat this like a full time job.
At first, don’t spend too much time other things rather than school work. (sports, partying, rushing fraternities/sororities, video gaming etc etc)
If you run into any social/health/family troubles (you are sick, your parents are sick, someone died, broke up with boy/girlfriend, suddenly depressed/anxiety etcetc) then immediately go to the counseling center and talk to them. Talk to the dean of students about coordinating your classes…e.g. sometimes you can take a medical withdrawal. Or you could withdraw from a particular class to free up tim for the others. Sometimes you can take an incomplete if you are doing well and mostly finished the semester and suddenly get pneumonia/in a car accident (happened to me)…you can heal and take the final first thing the next semester. But talk to your adviser about that too.
At the beginning of the semester, read the syllabus for each class. It tells you what you will be doing and when tests/HW/papers are due. Put all of that in your calendar. The professor may remind you of things, but it is all there for you to see so take initiative and look at it.
Make sure you understand how to use your online class system…Login to it, read what there is for your classes, know how to upload assignments (if that is what the prof wants).
If you get an assignment…make sure to read the instructions and do all the tasks on the assignment. Look at the rubric and make sure you have covered everything.
If you are not sure what to do, go EARLY to the professors office hours…not the day before the assignment is due.
You might think that this is all completely obvious, but I have read many stories on this and other websites where people did not do the above and then are asking for help on academic appeal letters.