Will college get easier?

[xjh3]

I just finished my last exam for this semester. Let's just say they didn't go as I'd hoped. I am in Mechanical Engineering and often wonder if this may not have been the best choice for me. I go to class religously, I do my homework, I study for exams and go see my professors when I have questions. But I still suck. High school was a breeze for me other than math, even in physics I had a 93. When I talk to upperlcassmen friends of mine who are in the same field, they say freshman year was a breeze for them. WTF?

Just hoping someone out there has a 'been there, done that, it gets better' kind of story, especially with engineering.

Harrison

 

[bigdaddyjlove]

If math is a weak point, you may not want to be in engineering. Alternatively, it may just be that the core classes you are taking now are not holding your interest, or that you haven't adjusted to how much more work college is than high school. It took me a year to realize that college is a full time job, at least to do well, high school is a great place for a nap.

 

[rock rash]

I was in the same boat. I am about to finish my second year in mech/biomed engineering. First year was tough for me mainly because I was used to not having to try to hard and not use to a large campus. This year, it has been easy but it has become more managable. I thought about switching out a number of times and am glad that I stayed in. Luckily, after this I will be taking ME specific classes instead of Gen Ed physics and Calc classes. It will become more interesting for me and I think that will help my GPA

 

[GSequoia]

It's not uncommon for first year in college to be a shocker. Especially if you were the big man (academically) in a small region in high school.

Just push through it and crack them books and you'll likely be fine. If you just can't get it down I'd consider changing up yoru focus.

Oh yeah, and quitting for awhile with intentions of coming back is never a very good idea. I decided to take a year off after high school so I could go to work (poverty ) and havne't been back to school since

 

[WVUwheeler]

I know my roomate this year was a mechanical engineering major and it only got harder as the year got further on. He was good at math and still had problem with cal 3 and engineering classes in the 2nd semsester. So I don't think things are gonna get any easier for you but good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[jdogg4]

yes and no. at first it sucked for me because you have to take such a wide variaty of classes and you have to learn different stuff all over the map. Then later on your pretty much just dealing with the field your in but it needs just as much attention if not more.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

Oh yeah, and quitting for awhile with intentions of coming back is never a very good idea. I decided to take a year off after high school so I could go to work (poverty ) and havne't been back to school since

....and on the other hand, i took a few years off during college, and did go back and finish :wave:

 

[GSequoia]

....and on the other hand, i took a few years off during college, and did go back and finish :wave:

Yeah but we all know you're a weirdo...

:wave:

 

[MrShaft696]

I went to school for architecture and design, and I would say if you can make it through the first year you are in pretty good shape. If you dont like what you are doing that is another problem. I would say at least 25% of the people I started the program with were not there at the end when we graduated.

 

[kendrick]

The junior year of mechanical engineering is the worst. After that year you are provided with essentially all of the engineering text book knowledge you are going to get. Senior year is more about application of concepts. If your finding freshman year to be unmanagable, honestly it might not be your thing. A lot of people dropped out along the way.

Just my 2 cents. I'm really glad I stuck with it. I graduated from MSOE a year ago. It's not a bad field to be in right now. I just wish I would have gone when I was 18 instead of 26.

 

[xjh3]

I think I probably will stick with it. My actual engineering classes like SolidWorks are As and Bs, but chem and calc are killing me. I'm really hoping like someone said that once I am in more classes that are more concentrated in my field, that it may become easier. Plus, all the engineering professors have a pretty generous grading curves here, while math and science proffessors have non-existent grading curves.

 

[XJensen]

It is always best to take a lighter load of classes your first quarter to adj. to the "shock" of college. I was a computer science major but all my friends were ME, they always bitched about how hard their classes were. Most of the math they did was physics driven and I laughed when they had to learn basic linear algebra and cried.

Just remember D's get degrees, read your class handbook...

 

[Colin W.]

I'm finishing up my 4th year at U of I in ME, and no, the classes do not get any easier. The grading, however, does get easier. Your first two years in engineering they try to weed out people who shouldn't be there. After that there is a remarkable shift to retain you and graduate you.

They told us at orientation 2 out of every 3 people would either be dropped from ME, or transfer out of it. You just have to know that you're the 1 who stays in.

 

[XJensen]

but chem and calc are killing me.

You and 99% of anyone else that took that stuff

 

[RTicUL8]

Listen up kid. :lecture:

I'm 38 years old.
I dropped out of college as a traditional student when I was 19 and have regretted it for the last 19 years.
I got married, had kids, tried out multiple jobs, and always regretted not finishing.

For the last 7 years, I have been slooooowly finishing my 4-year degree.
I will be done with my 128 credit hours in August.

I have talked to countless adult students who wish they had completed their degree earlier in life.

You think it's tough as a kid??!!! BAH!

Try it while working full time and supporting a family at the same time!

===

Lay off the booze
Lay off the girls
Lay of the laying around
And hit the books like the hounds of hell are at your feet!

Go see your counselor and tell them that you're having a problem.
Ask for suggestions on effective study methods.
Consider them as a goldmine for ways to help yourself.

Go for it.....NOW!

 

[rocklandxjer]

what level calc are you in?

im going into Aero, so i know im going to have to take chem. [uke:]
but ive already taken calc I in high school, and passed, and hoping to pass the exam for calc II [though ill probably still take it as i am quite sure there will be things i dont know in that section]

 

[goodburbon]

I had to take all of my maths multiple times, when I hit cal 2 I easily understood the concepts put forth, but suddenly all of the "scraping by" I did in pre-calc did me in, as I spent 4 hours on a problem one night, only to have the professor solve the problem in 30 seconds the next day by saying " this is that, identeties tell us this is this, multiply the whole thing by 1 (which he called( 1-COSx/1-COSx)) and the answer is 0" It was then that I realized that I couldn't be an engineer.

You have to push the math hard, I mean really hard, every night to succeed. I couldn't do it because I took too much time off, with several years between pre-calc and calc, I had forgotten what everything was.

Chem just depends on the prof. when I dropped mid semester the last time I dropped out, i had an A in Chem. When I came back I got a different professor and barely made a C. I was one of 5 people to pass that class and it started out with 100 students.

when scheduling check http://www.ratemyprofessor.com/index.jsp to get the best prof!

 

[Ramsey]

Your just stupid then, give up already and quit wasting your money. Things are harder for some, be sure that you enjoy what you are doing or you will have a hard time excelling at it.

 

[Rod Knee]

Having taught college geology labs, I can say that students' math skills are not what they should be coming out of high school. I had to teach students what to me was 8th grade math to get them through. The point is, don't get down on yourself for having difficulty with the math, you quite likely were inadequately prepared for college. But you may need and benefit from some remedial courses.

Try to look at chem and math problems as puzzles. Solving puzzles must be your pastime. If you can't solve a puzzle get help...the harder you worked on it the more easily it will be explained to you. As someone else said forget the parties and girls for awhile. Be a nerd.

 

[BRIANHO13]

you are having problems with the weedout classes, that is why they are there....to make sure you want to be.