Is most of the learning in college done in the junior and senior years?

Question

Right now I'm just taking preliminary classes required for general education before I start taking business classes (my major is finance) and my classes are very easy. I want to know what I'll be learning at the upper levels but sometimes it's hard to teach myself concepts if I don't have any outside help. I try my best to understand what I need to know before I go into a class but sometimes I can't understand without a teacher. (Is this normal?) In a way, I don't feel very smart not knowing much about what I will learn in my upcoming classes (since I'm not in them yet) and I feel like I should know everything already. How can I have more realistic expectations for myself?

Answer 1

You are very normal. Everyone learns different concepts at different times. Dont worry about what is to come. Make sure you truly know and understand what is being taught now, because all eduation builds upon itself. You need to know now what is being taught in order to learn what is to come. If you know it already, thats great, but you're safe waiting for your professors to teach you what comes next. It will all build upon what came before.

Answer 2

I don't think your thoughts are unusual these days. I'm a professor, and it seems to me that many of my students almost resent being presented with anything they don't already know. Part of the problem seems to be that young people are brought up to believe that they are wonderful from the beginning, as if there is nothing more they should need to learn. You seem to feel this, but understand that it is not realistic.

I think you need to remind yourself of the reason for college; the idea is that between the time you start and the time you leave, you are supposed to go through dramatic changes. That can't happen if you feel like there is nothing that needs changing. Know that learning necessarily starts with a lot of uncertainty - all the things you have learned in your life, from walking and talking to reading and calculus, started with your not knowing how to do them. You had to acknowledge that and be willing to learn before you were able to make the needed changes. It is always uncomfortable, but think of that discomfort as mental growing pains.

Answer 3

They traditionally appear at Sophmore and Junior yr. Colleges as a rule do not care approximately Freshman yr and a few do not even ask on your grades in that yr. In Senior yr they would possibly not see your grades whilst you follow, however they're going to see what categories you're taking. So it is a well inspiration to retain taking difficult categories. At the top of Senior yr they ask you to ship to your last grades and in case you get under a B in any of the categories, they're going to generally unaccept you to their institution.