Programs Beginning physics degree 6 years after HS studies....tips?

[Newtons Blue Dog]

Hey guys so I'm enrolled to start a physics major this coming semester but have been out of school since 2009 (im 24 now) and haven't done much if any related math or physics study since. Had always been quite good at maths and physics in high school but worried that i will have forgotten a lot of what i have learned. Anyone else with similar experiences or studying again after a long break? Or just tips on what to expect from a physics major in general?

 

[Newtons Blue Dog]

And yes first post

 

[Crush1986]

I started being a physics major after not taking any math or physics courses for a solid 10 years. I occasionally helped people at my place of employment with their physics and math but I'd always be pretty rusty and I'd have to read the book before I could offer any help (I like you was a good math and physics student in HS).

Well, it's been 3 years since I started again and I just got my first answer for admission to a graduate school, I was accepted!

So, it is possible. You may feel really rusty or like you made a mistake at first. I remember my first class in Calculus II, the professor did an integral using Weirstrauss substitution. I was TOTALLY floored and felt so inadequate. I quickly learned that everyone else did too, after putting in some hard work I ended up earning a 4.0 at the community college, then going to a state college and earning a 3.83 there.

If you want it bad enough, you can have it Newtons Blue Dog. Just make sure you want it! Because it can be pretty hard at times!

 

[Dr. Courtney]

Completing an ALEKS pre-calc course would knock the rust off your math skills thoroughly. Self-taught approaches tend to be less thorough.

 

[Newtons Blue Dog]

Thanks for the advice guys, yeah was considering some of the online math and physics course.