<p>Next semester I begin Pre-calculus (Math 12), Chem 1A, and English 1B at the community college I go to. I'm a Chemical Engineering major.</p>
<p>I'm scared that I won't pass my classes no matter how hard I try, and that even if I do pass them I wont be smart enough in the real world; that all I've gained is 'classroom smarts'.</p>
<p>Relax. Precalculus is easy, it is like a repeat of Algebra 2 with Trig.
Chemistry 1A is going to be the hardest of those three courses. Read the book before attending lectures and ask for help often.
English. . . well. . . its english. </p>
<p>Look I never was a smart student. Really. People think I am but I just study a lot. I try to understand the concepts and do problems even before the professor discusses the topic in class. That is how I got As, otherwise I would I have suffered tremendously. I know myself, I know my limits; you are going to have to learn your limits. </p>
<p>My advice would be to study the material before it is discussed in class. Then when you attend the lecture you have an idea about what the teacher is talking about, and you will learn better. 
Just RELAX. Many people have already gone through the courses you have going to take. <em>Many</em>. If they can do it so can you. ;)</p>
<p>Smart people are the one’s who know exactly what they have to do to receive the grade they want. If that means studying an extra hour or two above and beyond what most others do, then that’s what they do. Very few people in my experience thus far have been able to just slack off and not study while also receiving the highest grades possible. As long as you stay on top of things, you will be perfectly fine.</p>
<p>Do you have any friends who are going to your school? If you do, find a way to study with them, but make it a rule to not just gossip.</p>
<p>You said you were going to community college. What is the average GPA of entering students? What is the average GPA of engineers? likely it will be a 3.0 entering and a 3.0 in college. What this means is that your grade in college will probably be your grades in high school. There are few exceptions.</p>
<p>■■■■■ post? Assuming no, he’s probably right. In engineering, about half don’t make it and that includes a lot of students from 4-year colleges. So community college students likely have >50% failure rate as they’re generally closer to the bottom of the totem pole.</p>
<p>If you begin to start struggling, switch out as soon as possible – advice one of my ECE professors gave in a freshman class. He was an undergraduate advisor for the ECE department and dealt with struggling students all the time. Too many people waste a year or more staying in the major, thinking that things will magically change. His experience showed him that they don’t.</p>
<p>“So community college students likely have >50% failure rate as they’re generally closer to the bottom of the totem pole.”</p>
<p>Is that prior to transferring, or after transferring?</p>
<p>@GShine_1989:</p>
<p>Your post is one of the biggest loads of garbage I’ve seen in recent months. “If you begin to start struggling, switch out as soon as possible”? No wonder the people he advises fail! The advise I’ve always received from my family, friends, and a few professors is that if I struggle then embrace that challenge; figure out what I’m doing wrong, what I’m doing right, and how to overcome that challenge; if I fail, learn from the mistakes, adapt, and approach it utilizing the information obtained. Every time I chose to give up on something hard and do something easy instead, I’ve become more depressed and unhappy.</p>
<p>The reason engineering may have a low retention rate is because engineering curricula accross many universities sucks. Of course, there are many other factors such as financial difficulties, family responsibilities, personal irresponsibility, etc.</p>
<p>Quite frankly, I’m sick and tired of so many science/engineering types promoting the myth that science/engineering is hard. It is not. People that think they are brilliant because they are able to manipulate some Hindi symbols around but forget the fact that the high quality of Mathematics and Science we use today is thanks to the hard work of thousands of people during the past 7,000 years. I find it sadly humorous that some primates think they are geniuses because their physiology is capable of routing more blood through the brain. </p>
<p>I would also like to see proof to back up your claim that community college students are lower in the totem pole and may have over 50% fail rate, because I will shortly link proof that disagrees with your statement.</p>
<p>It’s about time we became more honest with each other. The main reason anyone may fail academically (or at anything) is mostly due to lack of willpower and determination. Those that give up at the first sign of trouble are losers.</p>
<p>Engineering retention:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www4.uwm.edu/acad_aff/blackandgold/Data/Strategies%20for%20Improving%20Student%20Success%20and%20Satisfaction/Retention%20Presentation%202002%20-%20Engineering.pdf[/url]”>http://www4.uwm.edu/acad_aff/blackandgold/Data/Strategies%20for%20Improving%20Student%20Success%20and%20Satisfaction/Retention%20Presentation%202002%20-%20Engineering.pdf</a></p>
<p>[IEEE</a> Spectrum: Engineering schools that tie theory and practice together retain more students](<a href=“http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/semiconductors/devices/engineering_schools_that_tie_t]IEEE”>http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/semiconductors/devices/engineering_schools_that_tie_t)</p>
<p>Community College Success Rates:</p>
<p>[Methodology</a> and Implications of Statewide Success Rates of Community College Students.](<a href=“http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED345776&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED345776]Methodology”>http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED345776&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED345776)</p>
<p>[News:</a> Community Colleges and Graduation Rates - Inside Higher Ed](<a href=“http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/03/22/ccdata]News:”>http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/03/22/ccdata)</p>
<p>Enginox, what is the highest level of physics, engineering or mathematics class you’ve taken? I’m curious to know why you think science and engineering aren’t difficult.</p>
<p>I’m with hadsed. The fact is that science/engineering is one of the most difficult and rigorous degrees. This is fact. High level engineering and mathematics are some of the most challenging courses out there. Enginox, have you taken graduate level engineering or math courses? Either you have not and you have no idea how challenging they are or you have and you are just trying to sound special by saying how easy science and engineering are.</p>
<p>The retention rate in engineering isn’t one of the lowest among all degrees because the courses are too easy.</p>
<p>This topic is dead since the OP never read our replies, but I also take some issue with enginox’s logic</p>
<p>
First off, engineering is harder than most nonengineering courses. The workload is harder and you need a lot of creativity and inventiveness to simply answer many of the problems. Most of our work is repeating what others have proven in the past, however a lot of us have to design our own things, or spend time working with numbers just for fun. We aren’t just bsing our work.</p>
<p>In addition, if you believe in a linear theory of time, then you will know that everything has a cause. Lack of willpower is nothing to be ashamed of if the environment you grew up in leads to you having a lack of willpower. Most engineers are raised so that they try really hard, much harder than their arts counterparts who party all day.</p>
<p>Though you have to admit there is a degree people are capable of working given their environment. It’s unreasonable to assume someone will be 100% efficient in studying.</p>
<p>“Enginox’s logic” is an oxymoron. I’m not sure what that whole rant was about. Hindi symbols? 7,000 years? Physiology? This guy tries too hard to sound smart. I find it funny that he, a student at some NY community college, thinks he knows better than an engineering academic advisor at Illinois. I doubt he’s taken any difficult upper division courses so that would explain the naivete.</p>
<p>^I’m positive you are a genius. ;)</p>
<p>Let me expand on that: I certainly hope you maintain(ed) a 4.0 GPA and never struggle(d) in any STEM classes.</p>
<p>No, but I did maintain a 3.9+ and never struggled in any STEM classes. I’m sure I could’ve pulled a 4.0 at your community college, though.</p>
<p>Excellent. Thanks for proving engineering/science is not hard. ;)</p>
<p>Well I have to agree with Enginox. Science/Engineering topics arent really hard but there are other factors to consider if someone struggles with them. Why is it that no one takes into account that maybe the teachers are the problem, or the student isnt used to the environment in which its taught, or maybe the school isnt for them or something else? As someone who struggled with his first couple of years, I didnt find the classes difficult, just more of other factors that made the class difficult. I dont believe that science/engineering are meant to be hard, though I have heard horror stories about Chem E</p>
<p>
Oh? Topic being difficult means I have to be struggling? Community college education at work. Beautiful.</p>
<p>You talking about taking difficult courses is like a virgin trying to write a sex guide.</p>
<p>My post does suggest STEM majors are easy in absolute terms. I did not imply one may walk into a STEM class and pass the material without effort. That is my error and I own up to it.</p>
<p>Like you said, Magneto, there are other factors that affect learning. Sometimes, the difference between an A grade and a C grade may be as “little” as having an outstanding professor that explains the material clearly. In other situations it may be down to the amount of study time invested by the student.</p>
<p>Another thing to remember is that in order to take the advanced classes one needs to have a solid foundation in the basics. If one’s basics and fundamentals are solid, one does not need to worry about upper level classes.</p>
<p>@GShine_1989:</p>
<p>A topic being difficult means you have to invest more time studying said topic. But I’m sure your classes were insanely difficult and you only put minimal effort into them.</p>
<p>Pre-calculus (Math 12), Chem 1A, and English 1B</p>
<p>^ Not to be rude or anything. I just want you to think.</p>
<p>IF YOU CAN’T EVEN PASS THEM THEN HOW CAN YOU PASS WHEN COURSES ARE GETTING MORE DIFFICULT? SOME OF US HAVE 5, 6 COURSES AND THEY ARE ALL CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY SUBJECTS.</p>
<p>lol jkjk.
I just want you to think that nothing is difficult unless you don’t put in effort. Yes some of us may have bigger brain than others, but I think nearly everyone (except those IQ 130 or above) have to agree that they spend at least a few hours everyday doing homework and looking over their notes and textbooks.</p>
<p>Don’t be afraid. There is nothing to scare about
If you don’t do well in one class, then I urge you to find out why it happened. It could be a bad professor. It could be your procrastination. It could be any reason. But in the end, put more effort, and don’t live with the same bad habit again.</p>
<p>I can promise that in the future you will see a god-damn-mother-fking-stupid-silly-oh-my-god-mission-impossible-dumb-as<em>-b</em>tch problem which will take you forever to solve. LOL</p>
<p>I met a couple one. For the sake of this post, it was my mistake that I put 2 instead of 3 as I was doing the computing. LOLOLOL Another one would be taking the double integrals respect to y before x, which at the end I see a gamma function, and I don’t have any knowledge to solve it. It turned out that I should have just solve it respect to x first, which would only take me about 30 seconds to compute the double integrals.</p>
<p>
Oh good. Pointless internet battle #8856 can end then.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I accept your surrender. In the process we discovered a moron and that moron is not me. ;)</p>