Struggling with Chemical Engineering (UCSB)

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>introduction: I am a sophomore chemical engineering student at UCSB.</p>

<p>In the freshmen year, I got a combination of B(s) and C(s).</p>

<p>I went to summer session and wanted A(s) so I tried very hard. I got all A(s) for CHEM 109A (organic chemistry), MATH 4A and MATH 4B.</p>

<p>I thought I found the right mix to success, so in this quarter, I try even harder.</p>

<p>I spend all my free time either studying, doing homework, or getting help from tutors.</p>

<p>All that said, I am doing poorly on my midterms and I am not sure I will pass all my classes (despite doing all my homework.</p>

<p>I feel like I don't have time to study for exams so I am doing poorly. Here's my weeks so far including the upcoming week:</p>

<p>Week 1: nothing
Week 2: quiz (O’ Chem lab)
Week 3: 2 midterms (Physics and O’Chem) + quiz (O’ Chem lab)
Week 4: quizzes (O’Chem and O’ Chem lab)
Week 5: midterm (O’ Chem lab) + quiz (O’ Chem lab)
Week 6: midterm (O’ chem) + quizzes (O’Chem and O’ Chem lab)
Week 7: midterm (Chemical engineering) + quizzes (O’Chem and O’ Chem lab)
Week 8: midterm (O’ Chem lab) + quizzes (O’Chem and O’ Chem lab)</p>

<p>Literally, there seems to not be enough time to study for everything and do homework.</p>

<p>I am only taking 13 units, yet it feels so overwhelming.</p>

<p>CH E 10 - INTRO TO CHEM ENGR : 3 units
CHEM 6AL - ORGANIC CHEM LAB : 4 units (this is actually class + lab, so it's like having another class)
CHEM 109B - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY : 3 units
PHYS 3 - BASIC PHYSICS : 3 units</p>

<p>I am not sure if I am doing something wrong or I am just not engineering material.</p>

<p>Feel free to ask more questions.</p>

<p>I know this post isn't well throughout, but I am so busy that I don't have time to write out clear, throughout post.</p>

2

<p>I don’t know if this will be any help, but I found that taking too many similar courses in a semester brought down my average over the summer. I mixed it up a little this semester by trading two of this fall’s courses for two of next fall’s courses and I am not as confused as I was.<br>
Don’t base your ‘engineering material-ness’ on how you feel during one semester.</p>

3

<p>It’s only going to get worse, but I agree with Mines, spend more time in the curriculum before you decide if you can do it. Not having any time is part of an engineering education and teaches you time management. Every engineering student has felt like there aren’t enough hours in the week, more than once. ChemE is worth it but there’s a reason engineers have higher starting salaries. If it were easy everyone would do it.</p>

4

<p>@Strand2Mines </p>

<p>I did mix it up. I switched Math 6A with CHEM 6AL.</p>

<p>Math 6A is 4 units and CHEM 6AL is also a units. Maybe that isn’t the brightest idea?</p>

<p>And make no mistake, CHEM 6AL is NOT just lab, it’s literally like another Organic Chemistry class + lab.</p>

<p>There’s lecture twice a week (Monday and Wednesday) for one hour each day + 4 hours in the laboratory (on Thursday for me). (and also weekly quiz on Wednesday)</p>

<p>There’s also weekly quizzes on Wednesday.</p>

<p>The problem is that since my lab is on Thursday, I don’t know too well what’s on the quiz.</p>

<p>To make matters worse, my lab (on Thursday) is on the same time as one the office hour for CH E 10. </p>

<p>The office hours of CHEM E 10 is on Tuesday and Thursday (which I cannot attend) so I have to do CH E 10 early despite it being due on Friday.</p>

<p>My Physics 3 class have homework due on Wednesday and Friday.</p>

<p>The timing is possibly the worst and I also don’t appreciate having a midterm almost every single week since week 3.</p>

<p>I am very short on time DESPITE not procrastinating at all.</p>

<p>I have included my schedule for reference:
CLASS NAME
LECTURE TIME
SECTION TIME/LAB TIME</p>

<p>CH E 10 - INTRO TO CHEM ENGR
M W F 1:00 PM-1:50 PM
F 2:00 PM-2:50 PM </p>

<p>CHEM 6AL - ORGANIC CHEM LAB
M W 5:00 PM-5:50 PM
R 1:00 PM-4:50 PM</p>

<p>CHEM 109B - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
12:00 PM-12:50 PM</p>

<p>PHYS 3 - BASIC PHYSICS
M W F 10:00 AM-10:50 AM</p>

5

<p>@fosterj7 </p>

<p>What to do when there’s simply isn’t enough time?</p>

<p>I go to the Physics study room for Physics help, that’s pretty much all the help I get.</p>

<p>There’s CLAS (tutoring) classes for CHEM 109B and PHYS 3, but I cannot attend those because EACH is two hours per week, and I already don’t have enough time.</p>

<p>The other problem is that I am getting overwhelm with having midterms (almost) every single weeks since week three.</p>

<p>Also, the weekly homework for CH E 10 (due Friday weekly), weekly homework for PHYS 3 (due Wednesday and Friday), weekly quizzes for CHEM 6AL (Wednesday weekly), and CHEM 6 AL weekly quizzes (random day, but weekly) means that I am expected to caught up in all the classes every week.</p>

<p>At the same time, I am expected to study for a midterm every single week.</p>

6

<p>Hiya, Governorbob. I’m also a second-year chemical engineering major at UCSB with your same section time and I know that we have our term paper due tomorrow. You are not alone in your struggles. Almost everyone I know in our major is being overwhelmed by the weight of our classes, and this is coming from a person with three jobs.</p>

<p>Our material covers a lot of breadth and depth and so the desire to know everything about what we’re studying might be alluring (especially when propagated by the lofty goals of CC folk). However, this is just not possible to do within ten weeks time. Instead, you should focus on learning only the important concepts and focus your time in mastering most of the things your instructors continuously go over in class because those are most probably going to be on the tests. You also need to prioritize and budget your time to classes that most need your attention (like classes that have midterms the next day) and realize that you have to study for other classes after that.</p>

<p>And don’t worry; putting off studying for one topic because another topic is more urgent is not procrastinating, but a skill of life.</p>

7

<p>When there “simply isn’t enough time” it’s usually about your efficiency, not your smarts or willpower. Look up the blog “Study Hacks” by Cal Newport, read the about section to get an idea of his credibility, and then buy the book linked below. I’d link his blog too, but for some odd reason, this forum blocks links to a blog, no matter how relevant. Good luck!</p>

<p>[How</a> to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less: Cal Newport: 9780767922715: Amazon.com: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Straight--Student-Unconventional/dp/0767922719/ref=la_B001IGNR0U_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385398565&sr=1-2]How”>http://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Straight--Student-Unconventional/dp/0767922719/ref=la_B001IGNR0U_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385398565&sr=1-2)</p>

8

<p>@Koalass</p>

<p>My partner and I have to scram to do the term paper the last minute. We were both busy, unfortunately.</p>

<p>The problem that I have is that I am not caught up in all my classes at any point in time since I have a midterm every week and I have to devote the time to that subject.</p>

<p>That means that a lot of time, I show up to class, and the lecture makes no sense since I am behind. I would then catch up in that class, but fall behind in another.</p>

<p>The continuous catching up is very hard since the quarter system is so unforgiving.</p>

<p>@eyemgh</p>

<p>I am going to buy it. Yes, a greater efficiency would help so much!</p>

9

<p>Are these weekly “midterms” comprehensive? Or do they just cover the previous week’s information? Do these tests take up the entire period? I am trying to get a feel for what these tests are since they seem to be causing a lot of problems for you. It seems these frequent tests are meant to keep you from falling behind and to identify areas of weakness.</p>

10

<p>@VMT</p>

<p>Midterm = comprehensive: cover everything from the beginning of the quarter up until that point, but with emphasis on new material since the last midterm. (Takes the entire 50 minutes period)</p>

<p>Quiz = not comprehensive: cover everything since the last quiz (Takes 15 minutes).</p>

11

<p>A combination of B(s) and C(s) during freshman year seems to suggest that you may have bit off more than you can handle. It is not getting better but perhaps worse?</p>

<p>I think you know that you should be looking at some other majors now while you can still switch without loosing a lot of credits. </p>

<p>What were your strong subjects in HS? What made you choose engineering in the first place and where there some other majors that you had interest in?</p>

12

<p>Actually, I believe that my struggle in freshmen year was more to lack of study skill.</p>

<p>In high school I took a lot of AP classes (AP Physics B, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry) and got almost all A(s).</p>

<p>Basically, then I just do all the homework and don’t bother to study.</p>

<p>Just doing all the homework then gave me enough preparation to get B(s) on the tests and with the homework included, A(s) overall in the classes.</p>

<p>The first quarter of the freshmen year was worse than all other that year since I had to basically develop brand new study skills.</p>

<p>The reason I choose chemical engineering is that things like Physics, Math, and Chemistry comes naturally to me. While others try to memorize, I understand the fundamental of material (assuming that I have time to think about it, which I now don’t).</p>

<p>This Thanksgiving is the very first time this quarter I have to review Physics. And yes, the material absolutely make sense when I think about it. The problem is that I normally don’t have time to “think about it”.</p>

13

<p>My son is in a sophomore engineering program. He never seems to have enough time either. I think it is the nature of the major. (he is a diligent student)</p>

<p>Our friends’ son graduated from his engineering program last year. He took an extra year to finish, as did many of his friends. It is a demanding curriculum, no matter where you are. </p>

<p>I’m just telling you this so that you don’t feel like you are the only one having these problems. It’s probably pretty common. </p>

<p>Also, I don’t think that getting Bs and Cs freshman year means that you shouldn’t be in this major. I know people who got Ds and had to retake a few classes until they got Cs. They still graduated as engineers. </p>

<p>I think Koalass made some good points. If you hate engineering, I would consider switching, but I wouldn’t change majors for the reasons you’ve listed so far because those are common feelings.</p>