University Drivng me Nuts O_O

[doomed_one]

Hey there I'm a 3rd year Engineering student... and university is driving me mad. It was all semidecent up to now.... and well starting with this year it is like I hit a brick wall. The pattern goes like this:

 

a)I study my but off in course xxx (physics, engineering, cs etc)

b) I tutor people in my classes to help them understand it as well as I do

c) I get massively psyched up the day before the exam, take it easy, light review. Feel very confident

d) Exam comes, open the pamphlet, jaw drops...

e) Unpleasent result

 

At first I thought I was dumb, and felt useless, I mean you study all this much inly to just sqeeze by the failing line.... but I see many good students struggling in my classes too (and of course the class geniuses are easing through it but they suck and I've come to the relaization that my professors are just pathetic.

 

I mean one prof will teach us stuff... only for us to realize... hey that circuit/diagram... that cant be right.... or hey that graph... thats not even remotely close... My Environmental Studies(its astupid engineering degree requirement) professor... grades pretty much without any rubric or consticeny. I busted my butt off on 2 papers, only to get measly 75%... while the guys who had their paper graded by the TA with more mistakes pull off 80+ ... and when I ask the prof to explain what is wrong... well she dabbles around and really gives me no good reason why a paper with only suggestions and no glaring errors loses 15%.

 

What is with these profs? I really wanted to win a research award (you need a high GPA for it)... but they are killing me this semester..... anyone else feel simlair frustrations?

 

I have reworked my study schedule over and over, I have tried tight very rigid schedules, I have tried loose and relaxed, I do problems beyond what is assigned, I make sure to pay attention in class, take notes... and still.... ](*,) My physics course this semester.. I am busting my BUTT LIKE CRAZY.... and I dont think Ill get more than a 60-70 O_O...... any words of inspiration?

 

Its just so depressing... I try to think positive... but when the world keeps beating you down... after a while its hard to be like "Yaa!!! study hard!" becuase you know the result will be "fail" no matter what you do....

`d1

[RayKay]

Hmm, honestly your marks are pretty good. Professional degrees (like engineering, law, medicine) are supposed to be a bit more rigorous. I would say it is likely they also curve too, so you are graded against the others in the class. In my law school apparently they grade hard....most of us come from A backgrounds and were top students in our undergrads and the C's that we see as the "top marks" HURT BAD!

 

My boyfriend is an engineer, and I know several others, and yeah, it engineering school IS hard. A lot of people don't get through it. That is the point, because it takes a special kind to get through it. They don't want to baby you through it as then you won't know it! And it can take a while to figure out what works for you, absolutely.

 

If you REALLY feel you are being graded unfairly, can you not ask for a review by another party or contest it?

I mean profs are not perfect either, and sometimes it is subjective and if it is a paper, all they know is the others they saw were better, some were worse, and so you got what you did in comparison.

[doomed_one]

Thanks, I know one of my 4th year Engineering friends said... do whatever it takes to get through

 

As for grades, the department seems rather uniterested and told us (yes there was more than one) to sort it out with the professor.... oh they got some very poor professor evaluations from our class... so perhaps karma will take place

 

Thanks for the response, curse the professional programs and their self-esteem destorying ways!

 

`d1

[friscodj]

Hey bro,

 

Let me preempt this by saying I could have written your post word-for-word about 7 years ago.

 

First off, the third year is the year man. Buckle in, suit up, put your head down, close your eyes, and get through that brick wall. It's like this for everyone, as you alluded to in your post.

 

Secondly, realize you guys are all in the same boat. I assume you attend a research university. Realize that professors' number one priority is resarch. It generates funding for the department, for the school, establishes contacts with companies which can in turn lead to jobs for graduates, funds graduate students which build the reputation of the graduate program, etc., etc., etc. Research is job one for those folks and teaching in many senses is a necessary nuisance dictated by the requirements of the department.

 

I urge you to (if you haven't done this already) establish study groups with a few good students in your classes. It sounds like you do this to an extent with your tutoring work. Also, if you have questions about problems, go to the professor's office hours. Make them earn their salaries! And this also gives you face time as well, which I've found to help during final grading, for letters of recommendation, summer research jobs, etc. Do it!

 

Also, I suggest you not overload your schedule. I took 12 credits (4 classes) maximum per semester. Take the minimum to be consdiered full time and take some summer classes too because they are usually more relaxed in both curriculum and grading. Don't be afraid to drop a class to save your GPA, especially if you have a scholarship/award on the line. I'd rather sacrifice an extra semester to be around the hot women at the engineering building and a higher GPA vs. getting through the program sooner and having a lower GPA.

 

Realize as well you can study 24 hours a day 8 days a week and still fail. That is the nature of an engineering program. You are supposed to be tested, your limits pushed, and it sounds like you are there. Be sure to leave some time for yourself too, live some life while you are in school. Maybe not during the junior year but next year? Make sure you live it up some...

[CarnelianButterfly]

I busted my butt off on 2 papers, only to get measly 75%... while the guys who had their paper graded by the TA with more mistakes pull off 80+ ... and when I ask the prof to explain what is wrong... well she dabbles around and really gives me no good reason why a paper with only suggestions and no glaring errors loses 15%.

 

Maybe you need to get the basic math under your belt.... 100-15=85

 

I'm a grad student in Astro Engr, I can tell you undergrad was very hard. I worked my butt off for every grade I got. I found that working in a study group helped a lot. I also had to relearn how to study the farther I got into my program, light reviews and some sample problems were no longer helpful. I found I needed to derive everything for myself, take everything to the most basic and build on that. I just about went crazy my senior year, I was taking 3 graduate level courses and a major design class, I slept about 4-5 hours on a a good night. I know its sounds stupid, but look to your health, stress can feed itself. I changed my diet, more fruit and healthier foods and that made a difference, drink juice and milk, if you can avoid soda, sugar can make things worse.

[LostInMyThoughts]

D stands for diploma.

 

After you land your first job, your grades won't matter.

[Lily04]

Where do you go to school? If it's UofT or Waterloo engineering...I feel your pain. Those are the most difficult engineering schools/programs in the country....NO ONE gets an 80 unless you're a genius. My genius (ex)friend was getting that in 1st year but i'm not sure she still is... but she's the type that is a total nerd and studies 24/7. I am not friends with her anymore for the reason that she became way too competitive and I didn't think I could value our friendship anymore when I couldn't trust her and when she just saw friendship in utility terms. I'm not sure if engineering did that to her, or her crazy Asian parents, or both... but never lose sight of the most important things in your life, which are to me: health and family... and school comes after. Work on academics but don't do it to the point where you're considering suicide or anything....anything is surmountable (i say this because there is apparently a higher suicide ratio for engineering students lol...)

 

Take care... I'm sure you're doing fine. a 60-70% in engineering is actually very good, that's average... don't beat yourself up over it. You'll get a great job upon graduation even with a 3.0 gpa in engineering that's above average at those schools. hard to believe, but it is...

 

Lily

[allgood]

yeah just keep it up

im 4th year engineering and i got 2years to go

im those guys u see failing 1 out 3 subjects... out of 6 subjects this year i failed 2 third year i passed all 6.........yeah man ur doing good if ur still studying, for me its like a battle just sitting down studying.......man u got good marks so be happy.......engineering is hard.

[now_better]

undergrad engineering... good luck! i went to a fine institution in Los Angeles and did the engineering thing for 4.5 yrs. i remember being really lazy, really stressed out, study groups, but at the end of the road if you persevere, you make it out with a decent gpa and also a good job. don't give up. keep doing what you're doing because even though it sounds like you're getting kicked around, you'll find out 5-10 yrs down the road that you did the right things by working hard, in study groups (doesn't hurt to build your contact list + make lifelong friends), and that you kept on going even when sometimes it was easier to give up.

[kermit]

D stands for diploma.

 

After you land your first job, your grades won't matter.

 

What he said. Exactly.

[Lily04]

That is true for engineers because it's a very practical/professional degree. They just care that you are qualified and have your diploma, grades don't matter so much. For other majors, not so sure though...