Worried about College Classes

  • Thread starter Thread starter iamcatholic100
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I

iamcatholic100

Guest
As a biomedical engineering major, I have come across a lot of difficult and time consuming classes. And even though I did pretty well in most of them, I am a little nervous about this semester. The thing is, I got accepted as an intern and will be working around 5 to 10 hours a week. I have to put in 150 hours of internship hours in order to complete an Engineering class, which deals with internship experience. Now, my academic advisor says that if I do not complete those hours this semester, he will write an incomplete for this class, but said that I can take it again during the next semester, and finish what ever hours I have left. The thing that I am worried about is that some of the material if some of my classes is very difficult, and some problems literally take hours to solve. I fear that with all this work time I have to do, I will fall behind in some of my classes in terms of completing homework. During my second semester in college, I started off with three D’s in three of my classes because of the difficulty in the material, and I do not want to experience that again. Any thoughts or suggestions?
 
Maybe the internship will help you understand the material better?😃

You mentioned three D’s in your second semester, which semester are you in now? Third? I ask because if you have a typical 8 semester degree, the courses are only going to get harder from here. You should seek immediate academic aid.

On the other hand, I did not do well in my third semester of my general math degree, and still graduated on time with a decent GPA. I now find other subjects (applied math) more interesting though.

I think you need to seek the help of a teacher or tutor (to help you with the material)
and a career/major counsellor. Sorry to say this, but you may need to hear it. You have a tough degree and it’s not for everybody. Don’t forget that what you study now is what you have to work with to find a job later. Don’t study something that will stress you out to the breaking point, because the career is not likely to be much better. A career counsellor can work with you to identify the right choice for your desires AND your skills (God works with both).

That said, pray about what you should do and if you really want it, go for it!
 
Maybe the internship will help you understand the material better?
Click to expand...
You mentioned three D’s in your second semester, which semester are you in now? Third? I ask because if you have a typical 8 semester degree, the courses are only going to get harder from here. You should seek immediate academic aid.
Click to expand...
On the other hand, I did not do well in my third semester of my general math degree, and still graduated on time with a decent GPA. I now find other subjects (applied math) more interesting though.
Click to expand...
I think you need to seek the help of a teacher or tutor (to help you with the material)
and a career/major counsellor. Sorry to say this, but you may need to hear it. You have a tough degree and it’s not for everybody. Don’t forget that what you study now is what you have to work with to find a job later. Don’t study something that will stress you out to the breaking point, because the career is not likely to be much better. A career counsellor can work with you to identify the right choice for your desires AND your skills (God works with both).
Click to expand...
That said, pray about what you should do and if you really want it
Click to expand...
I am a senior and am currently in my seventh semester at college. So ya, I am currently at the point where I am taking difficult classes:bigyikes:. I will, however, seek academic help as well as counseling as often as I can. Also, I’ve actually had to take three math classes for my major, two of which were calculus classes, and I ended up getting a C+ and a C in those classes (thank God I’ve passed them, though). Speaking of which, I really think God has put me in the right place, even though it can be difficult at times. Thanks you for the encouragement :).
 
So after the three "D"s in the second semester have you done better? Any more "D"s? Is your GPA above, say, a 2.5? If so I wouldn’t worry so much about grades.

Is there anything else you can free up during this semester to make room for the internship, like work study or another job? Since you are so close to graduation it might be a good idea.

Other than that, I would start out by visiting the tutor or teacher right from the beginning to make sure there is no falling behind.
 
I havent gotten any c’s or d’s since my third semester. I mostly got b’s and a’s since then.
 
iamcatholic100 said:
I havent gotten any c’s or d’s since my third semester. I mostly got b’s and a’s since then.
Click to expand...
That’s wonderful! I would simply ask your teachers if they can offer any help on things you don’t understand clearly, and if it all gets to be too much, you can finish the class next semester (It’s not preferable, but it’s much better than flunking out!).
 
iamcatholic100 said:
I havent gotten any c’s or d’s since my third semester. I mostly got b’s and a’s since then.
Click to expand...
Then I’d say you figured out whatever it was that was holding you back from the good grades the semester you got the D’s. While it is a good idea to recognize that you might be short on time this semester and make plans to deal with that, it looks like you know what you are doing.

Just hang in there!
 
HouseArrest said:
Then I’d say you figured out whatever it was that was holding you back from the good grades the semester you got the D’s. While it is a good idea to recognize that you might be short on time this semester and make plans to deal with that, it looks like you know what you are doing.

Just hang in there!
Click to expand...
I think there was a miscommunication here, and I apologize for that. During my second semester, I got three D’s in three of my classes during the mid term grading period. My *final *grades for those classes were all C+'s. Earlier on that semester, I realized that I wasn’t getting a lot of good grades. So, that was when I started seeking help. And I have been doing just that ever since, whenever I come across something that’s difficult to do or understand.
 
iamcatholic100 said:
I think there was a miscommunication here, and I apologize for that. During my second semester, I got three D’s in three of my classes during the mid term grading period. My *final *grades for those classes were all C+'s. Earlier on that semester, I realized that I wasn’t getting a lot of good grades. So, that was when I started seeking help. And I have been doing just that ever since, whenever I come across something that’s difficult to do or understand.
Click to expand...
Well then I think you will do just fine… really. You have it figured out. Enjoy your semester!

Good luck and congratulations on your upcoming graduation!
 
iamcatholic100 said:
As a biomedical engineering major, I have come across a lot of difficult and time consuming classes. And even though I did pretty well in most of them, I am a little nervous about this semester. The thing is, I got accepted as an intern and will be working around 5 to 10 hours a week. I have to put in 150 hours of internship hours in order to complete an Engineering class, which deals with internship experience. Now, my academic advisor says that if I do not complete those hours this semester, he will write an incomplete for this class, but said that I can take it again during the next semester, and finish what ever hours I have left. The thing that I am worried about is that some of the material if some of my classes is very difficult, and some problems literally take hours to solve. I fear that with all this work time I have to do, I will fall behind in some of my classes in terms of completing homework. During my second semester in college, I started off with three D’s in three of my classes because of the difficulty in the material, and I do not want to experience that again. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Click to expand...
Go back and talk to your academic advisor about your worries. You’re not the first to go through this, and your academic advisor is the most likely to be able to give you the best strategies for various scenarios you’re likely to go through. The other source of advice I’d get is anyone who’s been in an internship like yours–do they have any “wish I knew then what I know now” kind of advice for you? That can be invaluable!
 
Engineering is a tough course of study. I am a Biomedical Engineer, and know a few M.D.s that did their undergraduate in engineering and they told me that engineering was tougher for them than medical school.

The make or break is usually with Fluid Dynamics or Thermodynamics. If you have gotten through these yet, you should be able to grind your way through the rest. If it takes a semester longer because you have to drop this course, then so be it. It would be better to take a little longer to complete than to wash out because of a too heavy course load. Keep at it, the reward is worth it! Your friends that are not in engineering and out partying on the weekends will make 50% or less than you do upon graduation. As the saying goes “pay me now or pay me later”. Godspeed.
 
Father_of_10 said:
Engineering is a tough course of study. I am a Biomedical Engineer, and know a few M.D.s that did their undergraduate in engineering and they told me that engineering was tougher for them than medical school.

The make or break is usually with Fluid Dynamics or Thermodynamics. If you have gotten through these yet, you should be able to grind your way through the rest. If it takes a semester longer because you have to drop this course, then so be it. It would be better to take a little longer to complete than to wash out because of a too heavy course load. Keep at it, the reward is worth it! Your friends that are not in engineering and out partying on the weekends will make 50% or less than you do upon graduation. As the saying goes “pay me now or pay me later”. Godspeed.
Click to expand...
This is good advice. You’re almost there! Keep with it and get it done, even if you have to take an extra semester. That is not at all rare in the hard sciences.
 
I think you will do just fine then. You seem to be getting through ok.

Still, as others have mentioned, it is better to have to go back one semester more than sacrifice a good GPA so don’t be afraid to drop the course if it is too much.🙂
 
They have you add in this additional work because that is how it is in the “real world”. Keep your chin up.
 
iamcatholic100 said:
As a biomedical engineering major, I have come across a lot of difficult and time consuming classes. And even though I did pretty well in most of them, I am a little nervous about this semester. The thing is, I got accepted as an intern and will be working around 5 to 10 hours a week. I have to put in 150 hours of internship hours in order to complete an Engineering class, which deals with internship experience. Now, my academic advisor says that if I do not complete those hours this semester, he will write an incomplete for this class, but said that I can take it again during the next semester, and finish what ever hours I have left. The thing that I am worried about is that some of the material if some of my classes is very difficult, and some problems literally take hours to solve. I fear that with all this work time I have to do, I will fall behind in some of my classes in terms of completing homework. During my second semester in college, I started off with three D’s in three of my classes because of the difficulty in the material, and I do not want to experience that again. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Click to expand...
I guess I don’t understand.

I thought many “interned” instead of taking classes for a semester and received 3-5 hours credit for the internship. The internship hours would be 30 to 40 hours a week paid while working as a engineer in training.

I know they are different fields of study but that is what I did for accounting and we hire students for Construction Science under the same conditions. My wife’s student teaching was handled the same way except she wasn’t paid for her internship.
 
This class that I have to take isn’t a class that you go to on campus 2 to 3 times a week. All you have to do is write a paper dealing with your internship experience. At my college, every engineering student has to take this class and complete 150 hours of internship service. If they can’t do it, then it will just delay their graduation, and my parents are very determined to make sure that I graduate on time.
 
I would like to one other thing to this old thread. In all honesty, sometimes the material of my classes is so hard, that I end up feeling a little helpless, since I have to depend on the help of professors and fellow students in order to get a good grade. I also can’t stand it when you have lab partners whom you ask for help, and they don’t answer back, leaving you basically by yourself with the assignment. And, sometimes the professors, such as my current Literature professor, talk too fast and sharp that I have a hard time keeping up him with his lecture while taking notes at the same time. These are the other things that cause me to worry about college a lot.
 
iamcatholic100 said:
I would like to one other thing to this old thread. In all honesty, sometimes the material of my classes is so hard, that I end up feeling a little helpless, since I have to depend on the help of professors and fellow students in order to get a good grade. I also can’t stand it when you have lab partners whom you ask for help, and they don’t answer back, leaving you basically by yourself with the assignment. And, sometimes the professors, such as my current Literature professor, talk too fast and sharp that I have a hard time keeping up him with his lecture while taking notes at the same time. These are the other things that cause me to worry about college a lot.
Click to expand...
Don’t feel one bit bad about asking professors for help. You paid for it! Besides, nobody in the working world is completely autonomous. I think you would be worse off coming out of college never having had to ask for help.

Keep plugging away!
 
Don’t feel one bit bad about asking professors for help. You paid for it! Besides, nobody in the working world is completely autonomous. I think you would be worse off coming out of college never having had to ask for help.
Click to expand...
Keep plugging away!
Click to expand...
That’s correct. I made the mistake during my thrid semster by not asking for help from my Calculus 2 professor.

Another mistake I often make from time to time is not paying attention to when certain assignments are due, and when they are due, it becomes a living nightmare for me. For instance, I’ve recently got a zero on an Engineering Value Design Assignment because I didn’t do it. I asked the professor about and she told me that the assignment was given to us online via Blackboard, a online system that gives you a lot of information regarding your college classes. I guess I forgot to read it over.
 
It’s good to keep those mistakes at a minimum. They happen to everybody, though, once in awhile. Just make sure you do the best you can on every assignment to soften the blow of such a mistake. Some people skate the edge and then the mistake ends up with tragic results, like flunking out.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top