I took engineering physics class 5 credit for the summer and it is very intense . there is 3 exams and final . the average for first exam is 68 and my grade is 36 . next wednesday is last day dropping without penalty and on 30 june will be last day with penalty . Do you recommend me to give another shot and if i don’t do will i drop it with W.
i am concern because i already have 8 W already in my transcript. And now i have 68 in total grade and i need 70 to pass. i graduated long time ago so i don’t remember too much physics but i need this class to open more classes for the fall but i don’t think i can made it but if i fail maybe will hurt my gpa
You said you graduated a long time ago, is this for fun or are you in a graduate/certificate program? That’s an awful way lot of withdrawals should you lighten your courseload? You’re close to passing I would say study hard and try to pass.
Thanks, I mean i graduated from high school alone time ago like more than 10 years so i don’t remember very much physics. . I can’t lighten my course load less than 12 credit because i have to be full time student .If i take the same score or less in second exam i don’t think i will pass
@undertaker1 Is this physics for engineers and physical science majors? Or is it specifically an upper division Engineering only physics class? For example Physics 1A mechanics is a lower div physics class engineers take vs EE 2 which is physics for electrical engineers after physics 1a,b,c. If it’s a lower div physics class then it’s natural to struggle but if it’s upper div and you don’t remember much physics you might want to brush up on earlier physics. Think of the exams like a puzzle. A physics problem gives you a condition and a goal. Draw a picture and everything you know. Use base relationships and equations and go from there to solve. Don’t let the Calc trip you up it’s just another tool for you to use.
Yes 10s4life , this physics for engineering and science major but in another university, they take physics 1 and 2 which more easier than Engineering physics . The calc part didn’t confuse me because i finished calc 3 what confuse me is drawing and the word problem with concept. Actually this my third time take it. I took it before two times and i dropped it with W as i did homework and attend all lectures but the exams score are way below average . And i need to take this class so i can take thermodynamic and static for the Fall
Wait, did you mean to say you have 8 Ws or was that a typo?
boneh3ad I mean i have actually 9 W as withdraw from previous semester and for this course if i don’t drop it before wednesday and if i don’t do very well in second exam is very likely will be W
That many W grades is a big red flag already.
boneh3ad yes is red flag but i am not going to graduate school
Right, but your concerns here should run deeper than just whether to take another W. You’ve already dropped your physics class twice because you apparently couldn’t handle it, and now you are struggling a third time. Also, I don’t believe for a second that somehow your university’s version of physics is harder than at most other universities. Introductory, calculus-based physics is a pretty well-known quantity and is pretty standardized everywhere. You need to stop making excuses for your struggles and figure out how to fix them instead of just spinning your wheels.
You claim that you are perfectly comfortable with the math but struggle with word problems. Here’s the thing, though. The world is made up of word problems. If you can’t figure out how to translate a physical situation from it’s description into mathematical symbols, then you are still struggling with the math. You need to address that before you will start succeeding in these sorts of classes.
Boneh3ed .I think is harder in my university because the average is 68 less than 70 especially in the summer.i am struggling because i graduated from high school 10 years ago so i don’t remember any high school physics. where regular fresh man knows most of the concept from AB physics . And for second time when i asked the professor what should i do to improve my grade he said talk with advisor no chance that you can pass and even thought there are three more exams, so i had to drop it and this class goes very fast every 2 weeks there is and exams and new topic everyday
@undertaker1 I am wondering if you need to work on your English comprehension and writing. I notice from your written comments that English does not appear to be your first language. If your English comprehension is not fluent, then perhaps you are picking up a little bit less in each class which can make almost everything more difficult that it otherwise would be.
Also, if this is going to be your 9th W I am wondering whether you are in too difficult of a major or too difficult of a university.
Can you take this W, and then spend the rest of the summer in an intensive English language program?
DadTwoGirls English doesn’t matter that much because math and physics depend on problem solving. i have been in intensive English language program and community college along time ago . i think the university is more difficult and make the major worse. with me in class Chinese guy who can barley speak english and he is very good in physics . i am not majoring in English that’s why doesn’t matter that much. I have problem with physics in drawing and translate drawing to math that’s what’s confused me .
This is irrelevant. Those are not uncommon average scores for first-year calculus-based physics courses.
This would be a much more persuasive argument had you not already failed to complete your college physics twice before this. The fact that you have taken the course twice recently and are still struggling on the third attempt implies that your gap since high-school is not a factor here anymore.
Again, the content of introductory calculus-based physics courses at universities is pretty standard. The difference in material from one university to the next is very small. In other words, the pace of the course is going to be similar everywhere and is not unique to your university. That is, in fact, one of the most most difficult aspects of college for many freshmen.
In fact it very much does matter. If all of your materials are in English and you are struggling with it, that will make it that much harder to do things like translating a word problem or real-world situation into mathematical formulae. Mathematics is universal, but the language describing the problem is not. I think @DadTwoGirls has a nice suggestion.
You need to stop making up excuses for why you are struggling, own up to your failings so far, and find a way to fix the way you are approaching it. If you don’t do this, you are not going to succeed. The university you attend is not magically harder than every other university. Physics is physics. Further, nearly every major university has professors of many ethnic backgrounds and native languages. We all have to deal with it and many of us manage just fine. The problem isn’t the university or the professor; it’s you.
Take some responsibility for yourself, find the problem, and fix it. Otherwise you probably need to find a new course of study.
Boneh3d my respond was for DadTwoGirls so you don’t need to respond for her because she asked me and I answered him. And if the unversity not a factor so why there is CT and SAT exams . And this physics is very similar to high school you can see the topics from high school almost the same as college fresh man . I am not making excuses . I am just saying the average is below 70 and should be above that
It doesn’t matter who was the target of your response; it matters what you said. And yes, you are making excuses. You are blaming anyone except yourself for your struggles. Maybe it is someone else’s fault if you struggle once. You’ve now struggled three times in the same class taught by different people. You are the problem. You won’t be able to fix it until you come to terms with that.
And no, the average should not necessarily be above that level. That is a pretty common average in a college physics class. Your university isn’t special.
Boneh3d Many of students who failed and get D in that class. I know someone personally who changed his major because of that class from first semester and he warning me about it but I don’t want change my major so I am sticking with it
I am not sure what point you are trying to make about ACT and SAT exams. Those exams are meant to test high school seniors’ preparedness for university study. They have absolutely nothing to do with what is contained in a typical course at a university. This has absolutely zero bearing on the class you are taking.
Of course it is. Calculus-based physics has been around since the 1600s when Newton and Leibniz formulated modern calculus to describe the physical world. The very basics like what you are learning really haven’t changed all that much over the centuries. The major difference between high school and college coverage of calculus-based physics is the depth and speed at which the material is covered.
You are.
It shouldn’t.
If ratemyprofessors.com (a site collecting the opinions a self-selected group of student respondents, which is obviously a biased sample) is your only source of support here, then you aren’t making a very strong case. The fact is that you have struggled three times with three different professors. At some point you just have to face the music.
I know someone personally who changed his major because of that class from first semester and he warning me about it but I don’t want change my major so I am sticking with it and what is wrong if i struggle . And this was normal especially i have been out side of school more than 15 years. and many student failed more than twice. you can see the link
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/1310761-failing-physics-for-the-4th-time.html
What school is this? I attend ucla and our averages for the engineering Calc based physics is 45% on a midterm. So averages doesn’t matter. Kinematics, work and energy, momentum and collisions are all pretty standard subjects. You may want to rethink engineering if you have trouble applying the math to word problems and interpreting situations. Seems like pure math is better for you. And in engineering good communication skills and writing is still important. Being able to do technical writing and communicate your ideas is essential. Also you said you will have 9 Ws. What are your other Ws besides the physics. Also nice drawing isn’t necesssry. A rough sketch of a FBD is good enough for most problems. I have almost illegible handwriting and can’t draw and did fine. You’re making an awful lot of excuses. If you’re that below the average other students must be doing ok.