Hello everyone! I’m a little confused and nervous at the moment. I’ve already started submitting applications to colleges and I (at the moment) am sure that I want to go into engineering, specifically Aerospace Engineering. BUT…one big problem. I’m taking physics and calculus right now, I get calculus but I don’t get physics. I’m not sure if it’s entirely my fault that I don’t get physics since I have asked various people from different classes with the same physics teacher and a majority say they don’t understand either. What I hear most is “he doesn’t know how to teach” or “I can’t understand him”. Anyways, aside from my physics teacher, I have asked for help from peers and the teacher.They have helped me sometimes get the concepts, but sometimes I have just “wing it”.
My biggest worry is the fact that I know physics is going to play a huge role in my future career, and I’m going to need to take a lot of it in college. What if when I enroll in my first physics class in college and I’m completely lost because I didn’t understand physics in high school?
PS: Taking AP Physics 1 and I started with a D in the class. My current grade is a low B.
There are inept teachers, not so many really, that don’t communicate the class content well. Unless, you have prior knowledge of content or the time and energy to fight through and learn, you will not learn class content as sell as you could or should. I would consider it really unlikely to do well and would not conclude without additional information that physics is beyond me academically. Instead I would retake the class with a,professor other students rated highly. I know retaking the classis expensive and time consuming but it is better for you to know if you need to change career plans. Further, I suggest reading books by Neil Degrasse Tyson to learn more about physics. These
Don’t worry too much about how you’ll do in college. First, focus on what you’re learning right now. Think about getting a review book; I recommend 5 Steps to a 5 over the others for this class. Maybe watch some Khan Academy videos, or read the textbook. Also, keep in mind that AP Physics 1 is supposed to be challenging. When they reworked the exam, they really made sure to test students on their conceptual understanding of the material, not just plugging in numbers.
I think you’ll be fine. You said you get calculus, so I’m assuming you have a good grasp on math, and physics is, at it’s core, just an application of math.
Low B…you’re ok. Remember learning is a journey not a grade. Look how much you have improved in just a few months! Physics is tough and it seems most find it challenging. Relax and keep focusing on the learning.
My vision is so obscured that I didn’t even consider retaking the class. Thank you for pointing that out, I’ll actually consider that if by the end of the year I don’t feel confident.
Yeah, trust me I know physics is tough, haha. I may have went from an D to a B, but it’s only because of his grading scheme. Everything is worth the same percentage of your grade, and I think you could get a 78% for a B- ? I have like an 80%.
“Learning is a journey”, I forgot that a while ago. Been pushing myself academically to the point that I sometimes feel like a “robot”
Sometimes I think Physics is the first really hard class students encounter in HS (although Chem can be baffling, I admit). A low B honestly isn’t a terrible grade – it certainly wouldn’t be considered bad at the college level. You aren’t going to get all As as an engineering major – that is something you need to get used to.