<p>Hey guys, I need some guidance. I'll start with some cliffs and background as to not bore you guys..</p>
<p>Cliffs (backstory):</p>
<p>-good student in high school and also received a scholarship (but didn't go to that school; too far)
-started uni in fall 2008
-took 6 classes (failed to realize the load), dropped 1 with a WD on transcript and ended up failing one (after going through it; physics and got a D in drafting..)
-really underestimated uni life
-next semester took 4 classes including calc 2 and linear algebra.. failed both
-probation and almost kicked out; school gave another chance (gpa at the time was 2.06..)
-took electives that satisfied my program and raised gap
-retook calc 2 and linear. passed linear but got D in calc 2 (my house had a fire so I had to move like 3-4 times (i know it sounds like an excuse..))
-retook it again and tried my best and got a B (gap at 2.5)</p>
<p>uni policy: pre-req courses must be a C- or higher. D is accepted with CGPA of 2.4 or higher</p>
<p>Continued with engineering and gpa dropped a bit in the past year (2011). </p>
<p>Now present situation is I took Calc 3 and diff. equations in Summer 2011. Just got the grades now and I got a D in calc 3 and C- in diff. equations. </p>
<p>My question is should I continue with just a D in calc 3 (because of the policy?). I'm really scared. I always think that engineering isn't right for me. I really tried in calc 3 and my friends who did worse than me on the midterms ended up with a B-. So it may have been something on the final. I'm at a standstill. I don't know if I should retake it or if I should switch majors.. Its a pre-req to only 2 classes in my 3rd year. By that time if my GPA is raised above 2.4 (hopefully), I should be good right? Right now I'm at 2.38 so yeah...</p>
<p>My longtime goal is to do MBA/Law and I know my GPA sucks but I'm really trying to get it up... any advice is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>I’ve always wanted to do engineering 'cause my dads a chief engineer and so are a lot of my cousins and uncles. But keeping that aside, I’ve always wanted to do it…</p>
<p>That’s a horrible reason to go into engineering.</p>
<p>Doesn’t seem like you want it enough either.</p>
<p>My 2 cents, not knowing you; quit. Find something that interests you enough so that it doesn’t feel like you are working your ass off to get good grades. Your talents are elsewhere, and will serve you better if you can find where they can be exploited.</p>
<p>Well I’ve always wanted to do it because past all the math and stuff, I find it interesting. I wrote a report on Nanotubes in one of my classes and that really interested me… </p>
<p>Also, even if I do switch majors, I’m not really sure what I would go into…</p>
<p>Being blunt…you will not get into worthwhile school for Business or Law with an academic record like that. You also have to pretty much attend a top school for Law to get a job.
I would see an academic advisor and talk to them. I strongly doubt you will get accepted into any graduate school. You really need to talk to someone that can help you with your current academic plans, and post college plans.</p>
<p>My question is why would you take Calc 2 and Linear Alg at the same time and Calc 3 and diff eq at the same time? that’s a recipe for disaster and overload. </p>
<p>I was in the same situation this summer and I came to realize that if I want to do engineering later, I could. You could probably do the same. Its not worth having a gpa you dont want your undergrad career. You need at least a 3.0 for grad school (i believe, not 100% sure). Also too, you could finish your degree and work for a few years to get experience and then go to grad school.</p>
<p>But at this point, i say just do something else for now and go back to it later</p>
<p>OP: You need to look past graduation. It is possible that you may be able to continue and keep your GPA high enough to graduate even with a D in Calc 3, but even if you do, will you be able to go further in school or get a professional job? I don’t think so - not too many 2.4 gpa engineers are getting jobs these days.</p>
<p>While you may find engineering interesting, something else is lacking - discipline, effort, ability… something. Perhaps you just are not interested enough. Perhaps you can figure out what that is and turn it around (I did!), but you are at a crucial point now where it needs to happen or you need to get out.</p>
<p>Incidentally, how many credits are you shy of graduating in engineering?</p>
<p>I am not sure what alternatives you could pursue, but I would not recommend burning tuition until you have figured it out. Take a semester or a year off, get your head in the game and decide what you are going to do with your life, and then tear into it. Until then you are wasting both your money and your credentials, and that is NOT worth it.</p>
<p>@marcdvl: does it really matter that much about my academic record? What if my GPA is good by the time I apply for grad school?</p>
<p>@Magneto: Yeah I was thinking of taking a couple semesters off but I’m already behind in my program and don’t want to be anymore…</p>
<p>@cosmisfish: Well I AM planning to raise my GPA. Right now my gpa is low I know but I still have majority of 2nd year classes left (as well as 3rd and 4th). Does that help in any chance? I still have plenty of classes left and is it possible to raise my GPA up? Would that help me? I have plenty of classes left to graduate. I still have roughly 25+ courses left to do (pretty much half of 2nd year and all of 3rd and 4th). </p>
<p>I’m not even sure what I could do… I was going to try and get into Business but internal transfers to the business school in my uni requires 9 classes to be completed (with a GPA of 3.0 or above) and THEN the business program starts.</p>
<p>Any other advice is much appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>OP: Raising your GPA always help, and many employers and schools will overlook a weak first year if you show substantial improvement. That having been said, what do you think a reasonable final GPA would be for you? Not to be harsh, but I find it unlikely, based on your past performance particularly in key math classes, that you would get a 4.0 from here on out. Can you be a B+ student from now on?</p>
<p>Not to be harsh on this, but your ship is sinking and I am unconvinced that you are able to save it. You need to sit down and figure out what went wrong and how you are going to fix it decisively, and then you need to actually pull it off, and that is a tall order. You are struggling with math classes and do not appear to have identified a solution other than retaking failed classes - obviously not a help to your GPA, and very problematic when so many of your ongoing courseload will be mathematically intensive. If you cannot plan on raising your GPA to at least 3.0 by graduation, based on your current standing, I would say to get out of school rather than torpedo yourself further.</p>
<p>I’ll be honest with you cosmicfish since you’re trying to help me. I barely ever went to class. Only went to hand in assignments and write quizzes/finals. Skipped a lot of classes because I thought I could do it everything just because I had the book. That was probably my biggest problem that I have to deal with. Going to lectures and stuff. </p>
<p>A reasonable final GPA would be preferably anything above 3.0. I’ll be on cloud nine if I can accomplish this. I know I won’t get 4.0 from here on out but realistically I’m hoping to get to 3.0 at least. If you any more advice, please let me know. It’s very appreciated and it gives me hope that I can still do better from here on out.</p>
You might as well have described me here. When I first entered school, I was severely lacking in discipline and motivation. I skipped a great many classes - one class I attended only 4 times (the first class and the three exams), another class I skipped for so long that when I finally DID attend I would up sitting through an unrelated lecture because the class had changed rooms a month before and I had never known! It took longer for my gpa to sink, but despite my assurance that each semester would be different my gpa finally fell to the point where they kicked me out. It took me 6 years to get back in. Above and beyond convincing them that I had changed, I actually had to change, and that was hard. </p>
<p>You say that your attendance is the problem, but let me assure you that it is not. The problem is that you are unable or unwilling to make academic success your number one priority. Attending class is not enough - you can attend class and still not learn anything. You need to devote yourself to doing everything needed to get those grades - attend class attentively, take notes, do homework, use office hours, and above all strive for a perfect score on every assignment, quiz, project, and exam.</p>
<p>After I returned for school I did well enough that I was selected to be an undergraduate TA. I got to see myself from the other side as students came in and commented on football games and parties while simultaneously complaining about how they had not had enough time or energy to do the homework. It wasn’t that they couldn’t do it, it is that they (like myself before) had simply chosen not to.</p>
<p>
Not a good enough answer. You need to know exactly what GPA you will need to maintain, you need to know that it is attainable, and then you need to aim PAST it. Based on your earlier numbers it seems that a 3.33 (B+) GPA from here on out would get you a roughly 3.00 GPA by graduation. You should be aiming for AT LEAST a 3.50 - If you do not think you can devote yourself and achieve that, you should get out now. If you DO continue, that should be your guide - if you are not getting a 3.5 GPA from here on out then you are just digging yourself in deeper.</p>
<p>
My advice is to not go any further in school until you are certain that you can and will maintain the grades I mentioned above. Perhaps you have reached that point already, perhaps you need some time off. Going forward without 100% dedication is only going to waste your money and make it that much harder to recover.</p>
<p>Well even when I didn’t go to class, I still took notes and did homework. Rarely ever attended office hours and stuff but I see what you mean. I’m not gonna lie though… 3.50 in engineering sounds like its impossible but I know people have done it and some still do it. Im definitely gonna give it a shot. Right now the Fall 2011 term is coming up and I can only take 2 engineering classes 'cause I’m behind and the third one is conflicting with my schedule. I may take an elective to help my GPA. Would that be a good thing?</p>
<p>Also, I was talking to a friend of mine and he told me that to help your application process, I should look into doing some side projects and how I use my spare time. What do you think about that?</p>
<p>I don’t personally know whether or not you can pull a 3.5, but I have not known several people who have done so, and some of them did not seem especially bright. As to your schedule, I would definitely try and fulfill actual degree requirements first (whether major courses, electives, or general requirements). I would not overload yourself, but if your load is especially light an easy-A course might help to raise the GPA.</p>
<p>As far as side projects go, it is often a good idea - professional enthusiasm is on the long list of things employers like to see, and being a strong member of a extra-curricular design group can help to show this. Make sure that it is something in which you have a real interest, and make sure your grades come first. You should also keep an eye towards internships or other work experience, but that might be hard to come by right now.</p>
<p>Wel see thats the thing. Even if I take 4-6 classes per semester (the required load for engineering), I’m not gonna lie… I’m doubting myself if I’ll be able to pull off a 3.3-3.5 every semester to be honest with you. And this is even if I study hard and stuff…</p>
<p>Maybe a business degree or something else might be the answer? I’m really confused and at a standstill completely. Do you know anything about a Finance degree?</p>
<p>^ Honestly, my dads a Chief Engineer on a merchant vessel so his discipline has to do with marine engineering and I’m in mechatronics. I highly doubt it would be possible for me…</p>
<p>Also, if I DO switch to Finance, is that a worthy degree? By any chance, if I don’t do MBA I just think an engineering degree is worth more than a Business (Finance) degree by itself.
How about Marketing or Accounting? I still don’t know if I should stay or transfer out…</p>
<p>This is increasingly sounding like the story of my life so far in undergrad, only my issue was the fact that I hated the pre reqs to everything (Damn O Chem and Thermo). I just got out of engineering this semester and though its tough, I’m sure I made the right decision. I can always go back into it later if I want, which I probably will when I can develop the “skin” needed to withstand the stupidity of the requirements. </p>
<p>Dont think of switching as a cop out. Lots of people just arent ready for the workload truly and and alot of people who continue on really have no idea what they’re in for when they get out. Accounting and Marketing require work but it is not as intense as the engineering work you’re used to so you’ll get that at least. A little peace of mind is always good in college. But whatever you do, MAKE SURE YOU GET A DEGREE! Even if you have to go to class kicking and screaming because its so hard/stupid.</p>