<p>My son is having a bit of a problem with calculus and physics and I just recieved his grades which are not good. He didn't have a problem with Calc or physics in high school and was an A student in a pretty tough private high school. I was wondering first if there is any additional material available that anyone may know about which can set him on the right path, and if he will have enough time to pull these grades up before the trimester is over. Also is the library a good information source or is it run by other students and outdated?</p>
<p>First of all he must go to tutoring...have him be sure and sign his name when he goes. Second, have him talk to his professor!!!!! He can ask for additonal work to buff up on. </p>
<p>As has been said this is a hard school with professors that can teach in a different style than he is use to. This is a time to ask his peers for HELP. Tell him to be humble and go for help!</p>
<p>From what he has been telling me he has done all of these thing including asking for extra credit work. He says he feels he understands the work but the tests are killing him.</p>
<p>I'll reiterate the tutoring piece. Have him make sure to get with folks that have had the professor that he has to get some perspective, because, from what I understand, tests rarely change from term/term, year/year.</p>
<p>Information from the Academy for those who have never seen it:
[quote]
Academic Advising
During Indoctrination, plebes receive an orientation to their responsibilities as college students, in addition to their responsibilities as members of the regiment of midshipmen. This orientation covers material under the general heading of “How to Study,” “Time Management” and the like. These topics are further covered in the first and second trimester during the Academic Hour, a period set aside each week for academic support activity.
There is a midshipman academic officer in each company who is specifically responsible to work with students who are experiencing academic difficulty and to apply the support systems described above to specific cases. The academic officers work closely with the assistant and associate deans. Each plebe is assigned a faculty advisor, who is available through appointment to discuss a broad range of academic problems with a student.
[/quote]
[quote]
Peachman ACE
Welcome to the Peachman Academic Center for Excellence (ACE). Our goal is to provide learning support for all Midshipmen at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy so that they may enhance their academic performance.
Some of the services available at the ACE are:
• Computer / printer access
• Educational software
• Course related videos
• Individual / group tutorials with professional and peer tutors
• Study skills workshops
• Plebe Advisors
• Dean's Academic Hour Schedule (first term only)
The ACE is located on the Second Deck of Wiley Hall .
The hours are from 0800 to 0100. </p>
<p>For more information, call Victoria Gigante, Director at 516-773-5908.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Mikersix, does your kid have any available study guides left over from high school classes? I recall sending two after a scream home for them & he signed up for tutoring pretty quickly. Had to have helped as he got by the classes. The Mid Academic Officer can advise on what he needs to do so I hope you can steer him into asking & soon. Good luck to your son. The physics & calc looked to be some serious stress for most so he’s probably not alone.</p>
<p>Mikersix...see my PM, but also be aware that in addition to the Academic officer your son has a 3C Midshipmen who is his "mentor" as it were. Have him contact his 3C for help and direction. A majority of the kids that fail do so because of poor time management skills.....hard to face but it is a fact of life at KP. If he's not given up extra activities such as, sports, clubs, etc., then he may want to do so until he gets back on track. </p>
<p>These kids come from being the top in high school (which 99% at KP were) and are shocked when they realize that this is no "ordinary" college and that the academics actually take A LOT more work then high school.</p>
<p>Almost all parents of Mids and Plebes at KP have gone through this!!!</p>
<p>Thank you all for the information. I will pass it along to him...with extreme prejudice. I am wondering why this many people are having this much trouble? I can understand a different type of teaching and learning and the like, but still if there is this much of a problem...</p>
<p>I would defer this question to one of the upperclass Mids that can most likely answer this with, hopefully, an honest answer :)</p>
<p>the physics and calculus are killers every year. typically you'll see at least 10% of the plebe class go home after 1st term because of them. tis sad, but tis the way of KP i suppose.
first thing he needs to do is go to the basement of Palmer and talk to Mrs. Victoria Ripley. she can save your life academically. i know she helped me out when i had issues with a professor my 3/C year. she will help him organize a solid plan of attack for how to fix things. however, ultimately it's up to your son to do the work.
i hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if he's doing all these things, then he won't be in trouble academically... not yet anyways. these classes are not exceptionally difficult, but they do demand a lot of effort and time. that's how it is. once he gets past them, the classes do get a lot harder, but he'll be better equipped to handle them. </p>
<p>these classes are (as most of us see it) designed to be difficult. kind of a weeding out process so to speak. we all have issues with it plebe year. those that push through make it, those that don't go home. time for the plebes to cowboy up and actually get help! that's the hardest part of it, especially for proud new plebes, is truly admitting they need help and asking for said help. he'll get it figured out.
:)
if i can pass those classes, anyone can.</p>
<p>Physics and calculus...where service academy careers go to die...football players know this well...so do Government majors. That is all. :D</p>
<p>Thanks again I just emailed him about Mrs. Ripley. I just wish I knew what the hell he is doing. He hasn't emailed me back yet and I just hope he's doing his best. Thanks again</p>
<p>My Plebe said he was cleaning and getting ready for a Class B inspection in the morning. I know in the past they have cleaned 'til 1 - 2 am.</p>
<p>No time to manage at the moment.</p>
<p>Good Luck</p>
<p>If your grades were sub par would you still be granted leave ? My plebe did some blood donation thing. And was rewarded weekend leave, he didn't come home. So I can't ask him about his grades . I wont either. Not my business . But that doesn't mean I can't fish for some info.</p>
<p>He didn't come home because he didn't use the weekend leave he received by donating blood. The blood drive entitles you to a long weekend, but does not guarantee when that weekend will be. He can put in for the weekend when he chooses and hopes it is then approved. </p>
<p>As far as the plebe academic woes, yea, it's going to happen. I started off getting mostly low B's and C's my freshman year. Now I average B's and A's as an engineer. I think one of the biggest changes between that time is learning how to study. I'm not quite sure I know what it is I learned when I say I learned to study, but something is different. Additionally, once you become an upperclassmen it is much easier to study as you are not restricted so much in your daily tasks. </p>
<p>The tutors are ok to see, but because of the massive trouble kids have they do not really receive the one on one tutoring that is really beneficial. I would suggest that your plebe finds a smart upperclassmen who can tutor him or a fellow plebe who knows the material who can show your son/daughter in a one on one session. </p>
<p>Also, with regards to physics, calculus, or any math based course the best method I found to doing well in the class was to do the HW (some professors will not require you to turn it in, so it's very very easy to blow it off, trust me), but more importantly when you are studying for your test take any PONYs (if the teacher allows) and your homework problems and do them over. Do them over until you know the method and you don't need to look at your old assignments to figure out the problem. Then move on to similar problems in the book and do those. I was able to score B's and A's on Differential Equation I and II tests using this method just the night before.</p>
<p>One last thing, if your kid is sick expect the studying to go way down. I was sick for a long time freshman year and it caused my grades to suffer. I don't know if there is anyway really around this, just tell them to hang on and do what it takes to get through academically.</p>
<p>Thanks Again, I do have a question though, What is a PONY and what is ACE?</p>
<p>My d started at Colgate U as a pre-med major but changed because the pre-med material was taught at lightening speed and she and others weren't able to get the high grades needed for med school. After graduation she went into a post-bacc pre-med program at a local college where she did great in calc 1 & 2, physics 1,2, chem 1,2 and organic chem, her mcat and is now applying to med schools. The difference was that at the local college the professors moved more slowly, made sure everyone understood the material and gave homework which reinforced the day's lesson. If 30% of the plebe class is failing these subjects after getting high 600's on their math SATs, something is not adding up. Are they incapable of learning the material or is it something else. My point - why not examine this issue and see if there isn't a different way to go.</p>
<p>The mandate of spending a year at sea makes it necessary to cram 4 years worth of education into three years at the Academy. The pace of this academic program is relentless and it will not get easier. The short answer is no, there probably isn't a different way to go because of the time constraints.</p>
<p>Your point is well taken regarding the sea year. But if many students are repeating, isn't the program morphing into 5 years anyway. Now, there is something to be learned from failure to be sure and some students will reach down and pull it out. But the school spends a lot of effort getting these kids in, only to lose a significant portion of them to subject matter they are qualified academically to learn as shown by their SAT math scores.</p>
<p>PONY = Pass On to Next Year (old hw, test, quiz, etc.)</p>
<p>ACE = Academic Center for Excellence (I'd be weary of any info on the Academy website regarding the ACE, it seems outdated.)</p>
<p>One of my favorite quotes (and I probably read it on this forum. ) "Attending a Service Academy is like trying to take a sip of water from a fire hose." This school is hard. Regimental responsibilities only make a difficult academic program that much more challenging. That is what makes graduating from one of these schools such an accomplishment. The admission staff absolutely believes that each of these kids can succeed or they would not be there. It is up to them to "figure it out" and manage their time. Believe me, I understand your concern. But, I can assure you that it is possible to fail calculus and survive KP. There is nothing we as parents can do other than to hang on and pray. This is indeed a roller coaster ride. As for turning this into a 5 year program...Congress is barely funding it for a 4 year program Also, take note of davygravy3's comment. a PONY is a good thing and upperclassmen can be your lifeline</p>