Is this normal?

Question

I just transferred from a community college to a the engineering department at a university this semester. I had a 3.8 GPA and my only bad grades were a C in history (lol....I'm terrible at history) and 2 B's in.........I don't remember....Anyway, I always saw myself as a succesful student. I was interested in the material, always attended class, always did the homework, got to know my teachers...But now I'm at the university, and although I'm still working hard, I'm doing terrible! For example, I've never made less than an 80 on a math test...but I'm almost sure I flunked the vector calc test I took last week...And I was doing really good in another engineering class but I suddenly made a C on the test (And I still can't tell if it was my mistakes or just the TA's grading). I can't drop any classes and I feel like there's no way out! I think I somehow got really stupid! Should I give up or do other people go through this?

It doesn't help that I'm totally discouraged because ironically I spend so much time studying that I never get to do any research or anything on the parts of the course that interest me. Also, I don't think people here give a damn about students at all. They're a paycheck.

Answer 1

I recently graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BSME degree. All I can tell you is stick it out because it's definatly worth all the work in the end.

I'm assuming you are a lot of the "weed out" class right now (Physics, Calculus, etc.). Those classes are meant to scare teh crap out of you so that only the people that really want to follow through with engineering actually make it any further.

You problem might also not be that you aren't working hard enough but what it actually is that you are studying and how you are going about it. One thing that worked for me was that I never really worried about how to solve each individual problem but instead tried to understand the concepts of what was trying to be taught. After you do a problem, don't study how you solved it but instead why you solved it and what the question was asking. So much is thrown at you that it's hard to grasp everything, so dont' try to know everything you are taught. Master what you can, and if there was 2-3 problems on the homework that you don't know what to do, don't worry about it. I know so many people that would spend hours on their homework assignments and not realize that out of the 20 problems they completed, more than half their time was spent on 1 or 2 problems (in my opinion time that could have been spent enjoying your limited time in college life).

If you understand the concept though, the homework and tests will seem A LOT easier.

Answer 2

We often call the community colleges 13th grade where I'm from. Lots of students who are enrolled at a university during the regular school year will take some of the typically tougher classes at the community colleges during the summer because they're almost always easier there and the grades transfer.

You just need to adapt to the university level classes. Engineering is a tough one to get through and almost all of my friends that went through had to retake a few classes and ended up seeking help from a tutoring program. Get a tutor or find a study group!

Answer 3

Been here done that...the fact of the matter is: Community College is much EASIER than a University class of the same number would be. I had a really hard time with the classes at first too when I transfered from a CC to a Uni for the same reason.

Looking back, I would never recommend going to a CC "because its cheaper" -they are designed specifically to get people out into the workforce within in two years. The teachers generally at most have an MA. The classes are easier because like I said -designed for two year programs only, not for transfer students. They offer the transfer program so they have a piece of that pie, but if you ask around..not many people who are there are thinking of going to school for four years. The level of education in the CC in my opinion is not nearly as good.

At a University - the Professors have gone to school for at least 7 years and are there specifically to do research in their area of study. The classes are what they have to do to get the funding. Your level of education is going to be greater and harder, because they format the syllabus in the upper division classes somewhat around the subjects they are interested in researching themselves.

Also, because you have taken all the "easy" 100 and 200 level classes in the first two years, you have no "easy" classes to buffer in with the harder 300 and 400 level classes - another unknown downfall of taking CC classes.

I went to CC for two years, transfered to a Uni for Biology - took two terms of that and hated it. So I transfered into the Art History dept...ended up with two degrees in Religious Studies and Art History. It took me over a year to get adjusted to the differences between the CC and the Uni, also because I was 25 when I started. I now owe $45K for my five years and two degrees, and I would gladly pay another $10K if I could go back and take the first two years at a Uni.

My suggestion: I don't know how many classes you are taking now, but slow it down next term. Take one less class if you need to..this will allow you to get your bearings and get back on track.
Try to balance your schedule a bit more. If you know that several of your classes are going to be super hard, try finding one that isn't going to be so study and brain intensive. Add on a minor in some random thing, like History, if you have to, that way you have some easier classes to take along with the hard ones and the credits to do it with. Just make it something completely opposite of what you do now, which is math, etc.
You have picked an exceptionally hard degree program in that it is very math and science intensive.
Talk to your TA about your test and see if they will meet you after class to help you. Most grad students help if they can.

Answer 4

You're not alone at all; this happens to a lot of students when they first get to university. Have you actually tried talking to your TAs and professors about your grades, or even higher-ups in the department if you have definite reason to believe their grading's been unfair? Unfortunately, there are a fair few in engineering who don't care about anything but their own research, but you may find more sympathetic ears than you think. If not, there should be tutoring resources available to you through academic advising. High dropout rates don't reflect well on the school, either, so it's in their interest for you to succeed.

Answer 5

Some students find the adjustment from one system to another very difficult; you are not alone. Don't give up, but don't try to adapt completely on your own. Talk to your professors, your advisor, and people in your school's Learning Center (whatever they call it at your school) to get some guidance. Many people just redouble their efforts, but if you are already working, doing more of the wrong things won't help you and you need help to figure out how to approach this work.

Answer 6

I went from a University to a community College, simply because the university has too many students. They deliberately try to fail as many as possible. You're right, we are just a paycheck. Comm. College is much easier. I don't think you got dummer. All you can do is keep trying and hang in there.

Answer 7

work in one clloege may be different from another. you probably need to get adjusted. chances are, you may not have failed that cal test(although cal is difficult). you just need to believe more in your ability to do well. you will be very surprised if you do.

good luck

Answer 8

i think that the reason this is happening is because maybe your mind doesn't want to only focus on your SCHOOL is there some thing you may want inside you? IS THERE A VOID YOU NEED TO FILL BEFORE CARRYING ON IN SCHOOLING? ARE YOU MAYBE MISSING OUT ON SOMETHING?
-luv
Randi (phsycic medium)

Answer 9

i started off in engineering but couldn't do the math, so changed to teaching. think about it.