<p>I was a pretty horrible student. I think it was because I didnt care about school. I don't know what it is with me. I wish I'd change. My gpa right now is a 2.56. I know, it's horrible. But I do have time to bring it up because I have 67/130 credits.</p>
<p>I've done well in all the calculus and physics classes in college so its not like im stupid. But I think it's just that when it comes to thermodynamics and statics, I freeze. I got D's in those classes and my father stopped paying for college for me. Im very lucky that he was able to pay for it. I decided then to join the air force but 10 months later, I still haven't gotten to the basic steps of applying because of some reasons so I decided to go back to school. My father is for it. He's the one that suggested me to go back because he didn't like that I was wasting my life away. I just turned 23. </p>
<p>Honestly, Im very scared to go back to school. Im transferring to the University of Oklahoma to study Petroleum Engineering. I like it. But the classes are brutal. How do you study thermodynamics and statics and dynamics, and all of those classes that you apply what you study with math problems and such. How do YOU do it? Just repeat the homework over and over again? Go to the professor's office hours? Study groups?</p>
<p>Honestly, im scared to death when it comes to talking to people in class for study groups. I have no friends in classes ever. I dont have the smallest balls to say, "hey do you want to study together?" Idk what it is with me? Do you do that? I saw so many people studying together and helping each other out, and im there trying to do everything by myself and had so many freaking questions. Honestly, I think its because Im bi, and with 95% of the class being guys, I get all clenched up. You know, imagine if you were in a class with all girls and theyre all "attractive". Wouldnt it be difficult for you to be like, "hey you wanna study together"? I think Im just making excuses for myself......totally off topic....</p>
<p>Anyway so, how do you study? </p>
<p>I go to class everyday, take notes, go to office hours, attempt the homework, go to office hours again if needed, talk to TAs, and talk to my professors. If I have trouble with homework, I figure out why and how to fix it. I invest serious time into studying/ doing homework/ school work in general. I have a 3.92/4.0.</p>
<p>I made friends and study buddies by meeting people in office hours, talking to people before class starts (I get to class ~15 min early), and through clubs/ mutual acquaintances. I’m a straight girl in engineering and really, I don’t care. I’m not in college to date (though I did somehow get a boyfriend), so who cares if they’re attractive? All my study buddies are guys and we’re strictly platonic brain buddies. </p>
<p>No excuses. Just do it.</p>
<p>I love study groups. I don’t see how sexual attraction or lack of should make much difference. Some of the people that have been in my physics and calculus study groups have been absolutely smoking hot girls. But we were there to study. I’ve had no qualms about asking them if they’re interested in meeting up with some other classmates for a study group. Most of them are all for it. If one person is struggling in the class, you can be essentially guaranteed that several other people are as well. </p>
<p>I realized that I don’t have to study extensively if I understand the homework as I go instead of looking it up on chegg. So I reccomend understanding the homework well as you turn it in. If that means going to office hours, reviewing your notes until it clicks, or going to a help room, then do it. I feel like learning as you go saves you a lot more stress. Then all I do is go over old exams and make sure I can complete them in the allotted time. I got a B in statics, C+ jn dynsmics and a C in hydraulics but I blame my insanely ridiculous professor because I couldn’t get a handle on his exam style but that’s a whole other story </p>
<p>Agreed. I’ve found that with physics (I’m a physics major, math minor), I don’t benefit much from working a million exercises. If I focus on solid conceptual understanding, and work through a handful of exercises that present more of a challenge and really make me think about the concepts (these are often purely symbolic problems with no numbers), I do better than working a ton of exercises. </p>
<p>I use my resources–check out the solution manuals and multiple references to build my understanding of the topics.
In high school (for science competitions) I would run the problem set spam approach (kind of effective) in which I would try every possible combination of problem and apply different solution techniques to test solving time efficiency as well as achieve a deeper understanding how the different techniques relate to different concepts/topics…</p>
<p>Mainly talking about how to solve circuit problems–in college trying to do every single problem type possible cuts into limited time, but I focus on the types that are most important and most likely to show up nowadays. I still put in the effort to not miss the key concepts ~</p>
<p>That’s just my metacognition, reflect on your own thought processes.</p>