I need some advice from fellow students. I’m still taking lower division engineering classes at a California Community College. I have earned A’s in all my math and Engineering classes so far, but I have to ask a lot of questions and always attend office hours. I earned an A in Statics, but I worked my butt off for that grade. I worry when that when I transfer to a four-year university I won’t be able to get good grades. Can a student who is smart,but not brilliant make A’s and B’s in an ABET accredited program? The school I hope to attend is small, but well regarded. All classes are taught by professors.
Yes. Keep doing what you are doing.
“A’s in all my math and Engineering classes so far”
This is very encouraging. Asking questions may be more of a sign that you are paying attention and thinking rather than anything else. I would not give up at this point.
I know some students who struggled in high school and did very well in university. Years of paying attention plus the ability to focus on the classes that you care about most can help you get ahead over time.
“Can a student who is smart,but not brilliant make A’s and B’s?” - Yes. Perhaps you even have a better shot at it than some of the brilliant kids. (Sometimes they have sailed through high school on brainpower without having learned your diligent work habits.)
Definitely, sounds like you have established a strong work ethic and you aren’t afraid to ask questions. Very much on the right track!
Thank you CC for all the kind words.
In general, 4 year institutions are tougher, but you sound like you’ve laid a good foundation. Go to all of your classes. Use your professor’s office hours IF YOU NEED THEM. Some people feel they study better at night, but that’s likely a justification of a procrastination bias they are unaware of. There’s significant evidence suggesting we retain more and are more efficient digesting material during the day. To that end, arrange a daily schedule for yourself to utilize your time between classes to do problem sets and to study. There’s also reasonable evidence suggesting we don’t deeply concentrate longer than about 50 minutes. Take intentional breaks after studying 30 to 50 minutes. Get a drink, go to the bathroom, whatever, spending 5 minutes or so “off the clock” the repeat. Lastly, eliminate the classic distractions. Put your phone in airplane mode and stay off the internet on your computer. This not only eliminates unfocused behaviors, it removes the never ending anticipation that there might be something new. You will be free to concentrate knowing when the alarm goes off you can do whatever you want. Good luck!
Thanks so much for the good advice eyemgh.