Should I forget about grad school?

[Pipsqueakalchemist]

So I’m a 3rd year mechatronics engineering student, I wanted to get into grad school for engineering or maybe even physics. But after this semester I don’t know if I can actually get in or if I’m even smart enough to.

I purposely split my 3rd year up and I’m only taking 3 courses this semester and I’m doing average on every test I take. I keep saying I’ll make up for it next test and then study super hard and then still do average at best for the next test. Like I haven’t hit a 80 on a test at all this semester.

There’s legit nothing more I could do, I do all the homework, I do practice exams, I go to office hours, I teach my friends. There’s nothing more I can do at this point. Should I just give up on grad?

Honestly I was thinking of retaking some courses boost my gpa but honestly if grad isn’t for me then I could just save myself money and just flunk the remaining classes in my degree and just do enough to pass. Like I have 2 exams remaining and I’m debating if I should even bother studying for them since I already basically passed so I might just give myself a early summer break and just enjoy myself.

So basically should I even bother trying to get good grades for grad and potentially retake courses or just forget grad and just adopt the “C’s get degrees” mentality

 

[jedishrfu]

You are a third-year student, courses for the third year are a level above the introductory courses you took as a freshman and sophomore now you are expected to perform at a higher level.

This happened to me in my junior year and I just toughed it out while working on the side. I felt that even without the side work I would still struggle in these courses. It took me a while to realize that the course material was new, not introductory, and would by definition be much tougher, unlike Calculus and Differential Equations which I had studied during summer break.

If you want to go to grad school then keep studying, do the best you can and then apply to the schools you like. Don't defeat yourself using your grades. It's the student who pushes through the difficulties with passable grades and keeps going that makes a good grad student.

 

[sysprog]

Wow, I really like what @jedishrfu said $-$
then this before that from you, @Pipsqueakalchemist:

I could just save myself money and just flunk the remaining classes in my degree and just do enough to pass.​

​

$-$ seems to me like you must mean fail in the remaining classes that are specific to your major, and still do well enough to gain your degree $-$ that seems to me like you haven't talked your plan over with your faculty advisor $-$ wherefore, I suggest that you please do that $-$ maybe a pep talk or some wise counsel is in order.

 

[CrysPhys]

Honestly I was thinking of retaking some courses boost my gpa but honestly if grad isn’t for me then I could just save myself money and just flunk the remaining classes in my degree and just do enough to pass. Like I have 2 exams remaining and I’m debating if I should even bother studying for them since I already basically passed so I might just give myself a early summer break and just enjoy myself. So basically should I even bother trying to get good grades for grad and potentially retake courses or just forget grad and just adopt the “C’s get degrees” mentality

So, from your perspective, exerting the best effort you can, and earning the best grades you can, have value only for getting into grad school? What is your Plan B should you decide not to go to grad school (or should you apply and not get accepted into grad school)? Will you apply for a job that calls for a bachelor's degree in engineering? In which case, do you think that your undergrad performance will not matter, as long as you barely slip by with the minimum to earn a degree? Or do you plan to give up on engineering altogether, and get a job for which your degree has no value? Or are you financially independent? Or ...?

 

[Pipsqueakalchemist]

Wow, I really like what @jedishrfu said $-$
then this before that from you, @Pipsqueakalchemist:

I could just save myself money and just flunk the remaining classes in my degree and just do enough to pass.​

​

$-$ seems to me like you must mean fail in the remaining classes that are specific to your major, and still do well enough to gain your degree $-$ that seems to me like you haven't talked your plan over with your faculty advisor $-$ wherefore, I suggest that you please do that $-$ maybe a pep talk or some wise counsel is in order.

Well I don’t know if I can even into grad anymore so I don’t know if I should spend money in retaking them. My grades aren’t terrible but their not great. And after this semester despite only taking 3 classes, I don’t think I have a shot at getting into grad anymore.

 

[Vanadium 50]

@jedishrfu is right, upper division classes are usually tougher than introductory classes. By the same token, graduate classses are tougher still. Furthermore, you will likely have other responsibilities: TA. RA, etc.

Second, in your previous thread, you complained "there’s 1 million equations". If you are trying to get througfh advanced classes by memorizing equations, I can tell you now this won't work.

Third, you should be talking to your professosr. They can tell you how problematic your deficiencies are for grad school.

Fourth, the most important thing for grad school is that you want to be there. If you aren't sure if you want physics or engineering - very, very different programs - it does not bode well and raises a bunch of red flags.

Fifth, your previous thread is filled with drama. Drama is not your friend in grad school. It will be a huge obstacle.

Finally, in your previous thread you were arguing that none of the difficulties were your fault. Fair enough. But consider this - if you bear no responsibility for them, how do you plan on improving them?

 

[Pipsqueakalchemist]

@jedishrfu is right, upper division classes are usually tougher than introductory classes. By the same token, graduate classses are tougher still. Furthermore, you will likely have other responsibilities: TA. RA, etc.

Second, in your previous thread, you complained "there’s 1 million equations". If you are trying to get througfh advanced classes by memorizing equations, I can tell you now this won't work.

Third, you should be talking to your professosr. They can tell you how problematic your deficiencies are for grad school.

Fourth, the most important thing for grad school is that you want to be there. If you aren't sure if you want physics or engineering - very, very different programs - it does not bode well and raises a bunch of red flags.

Fifth, your previous thread is filled with drama. Drama is not your friend in grad school. It will be a huge obstacle.

Finally, in your previous thread you were arguing that none of the difficulties were your fault. Fair enough. But consider this - if you bear no responsibility for them, how do you plan on improving them?

Well no I’m not trying to memorize the equations since we get cheat sheet and test are open book. And to be honest I don’t find any of the material that hard and I usually feel prepared for test but I can’t seem to be able to even get a single 80 on any test or quizzes this semester. Like what more can I possibly do to prepare? I do all the homework, I go to office hours, I do practice exams, I teach my friends. There’s literally nothing more I can do. I’m just tired of studying and doing all this work just to bomb the test. I don’t know if I should waste more money trying to retake some classes. I’ll probably just bomb those too if I’m being honest since I can’t get good grades no matter how much I work. Thank god summer is here because that’s the only brightside

 

[MidgetDwarf]

Do you do the homework without looking at solutions? Maybe do homework + more problems?

 

[StatGuy2000]

To the OP:

I have a few questions for you:

1. You state that you don't find the material too hard, and that you study and do your homework. What are the kinds of questions where you do poorly on the test? What kinds of mistakes do you make? Do you understand why you are making these mistakes?

2. Have you spoken to your professor or TA about your performance on the quizzes or tests?

3. Can you understand the material in the homework without looking at the textbook? Or the solutions to the homework questions? Have you tried solving problems without looking at the material?

4. Have you tried timing yourself when answering your questions (to simulate the quiz or test-taking situation)? Remember, there is a difference in answering questions in 1 hour vs 3 hours.

 

[hutchphd]

Thank god summer is here because that’s the only brightside

I wish to ask the really fundamental question: Do you enjoy learning and knowing this stuff?
The grade you obtain is meant to be an indicator to you and others how well you are learning. Does it accurately indicate your level of knowledge? If it does not then you need to work on your testing/studying skills.
If instead the tests are true indicators of knowledge then you need to think long and hard about your motivation. You are presented with a banquet of ideas and the only thing you seem concerned about is the grade. As a Professor (now long ago) my least favorite question was, without a doubt,

"Is that going to be on the test?"​

​

If you really like what you are doing you will find a way to make it work. Otherwise beware of self-sabotage...

 

[Pipsqueakalchemist]

I me

Wow, I really like what @jedishrfu said $-$
then this before that from you, @Pipsqueakalchemist:

I could just save myself money and just flunk the remaining classes in my degree and just do enough to pass.​

​

$-$ seems to me like you must mean fail in the remaining classes that are specific to your major, and still do well enough to gain your degree $-$ that seems to me like you haven't talked your plan over with your faculty advisor $-$ wherefore, I suggest that you please do that $-$ maybe a pep talk or some wise counsel is in order.

I mean is grad even possible at this point? I just want to know if I should give up on it or not so I know if I should spend more money or not

 

[PeterDonis]

There’s legit nothing more I could do, I do all the homework, I do practice exams, I go to office hours, I teach my friends. There’s nothing more I can do at this point.

Yes, there is something more you can do. You can figure out why, with all of this preparation, you are still not doing well on exams. There is a huge disconnect somewhere and you seem to have made no effort to figure out what it is.

I just want to know if I should give up on it or not so I know if I should spend more money or not

Nobody else can answer this question for you. You have to answer it for yourself. I would think you would want to figure out the above problem before answering it for yourself, but that's up to you.

 

[Mark44]

I mean is grad even possible at this point?

Probably not, based on your posts in this and two previous threads.
Back in March of 2021, you said:

Well math I’m good in the sense that I get good marks and can learn the procedure and replicate it. But I’m bad in the sense of understanding what the hell I’m even doing.

This doesn't convince me that you have a solid understanding of math.

I’m just not a fan of feeling Like I’m stupid and honestly sometimes I’m kinda really lazy and the workload can get irritating.

The laziness could be a source of some of your difficulties.

Yeah I seen what you mean. This happens to me a lot when I see myself wanting to play video games rather than work, I start to question my passion for the field.

While it's OK and even beneficial to take a break periodically, if the amount of time spent playing video games exceeds the amount of time spent studying, that's a problem.

Gonna be completely honest, I’m not sure why but I really can’t seem to put in the effort in dynamics right now. Every time I try I just get frustrated and just go do something else like play video games or go on my phone. Ik terrible altitude but it just seem so much easier and almost comforting to just wallow in self misery and jus self pity.

Same comment as above.

In a thread this year about the vibrations class you're taking, you said

That was before, now it’s better since I do more work now, still struggle with time management but it’s much better. 3rd year has been a mess, every class has had a failing test average

How are things better now, when every class has a failing test average?

You've spent a fair amount of time complaining about how badly you're doing, and have received some excellent advice, none of which it seems you have acted on. It seems to me that you're more interested in venting your frustrations than in actually taking action to deal with your problems.

Thread closed.