Can I Still Become a Physicist Despite Struggling with Math?

[YoungAndLazy]

I want to be a Physicist very badly. But after taking my first pre-calc exam in college and not doing well at all I do not know if I am cut out for Physics. It would really upset me if I could not do it. But my mom told me that I would not be able to make it. I even went home today to get a jump start on the next math chapter to hopefully do better. I really do not want to give up but everyone is against me. Any advice? I really want to stick this through.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

We believe in you! Do not give up! Use the haters opinions as motivation. Prove them wrong. Study your butt off! Ask all your questions on PF.

 

[YoungAndLazy]

We believe in you! Do not give up! Use the haters opinions as motivation. Prove them wrong. Study your butt off! Ask all your questions on PF.

Thanks, greg. I am going to really try for this.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Thanks, greg. I am going to really try for this.

You only live once. Go big and give it your all!

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Every successful person has a story of where people doubted them.

 

[YoungAndLazy]

Every successful person has a story of where people doubted them.

I really appreciate the advice. My only concern is that I do not have the brain power.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

My only concern is that I do not have the brain power.

Nonsense, if you have the desire and passion you can do it. People are good at what they enjoy.

 

[Dishsoap]

I'm a graduate student right now, but my freshman year I failed my first physics test and my first calculus test in the same week. And I'm talking <30% on both. I knew then that I had to work my tail off, and I ended up graduating with a 4.0. There are two kinds of responses to that kind of thing - one is to get down about it and switch majors because it's so hard. The other is to get back up and try again, which it sounds like you're doing. Good luck :)

 

[YoungAndLazy]

I am really surprised by how positive you guys are. Everyone says Physicists are the most arrogant people. Everyone I have encountered so far has been amazing. I will keep with it and I won't give up. Thanks guys

 

[symbolipoint]

This is the response which means that some people too easily stop trying:

I'm a graduate student right now, but my freshman year I failed my first physics test and my first calculus test in the same week. And I'm talking <30% on both. I knew then that I had to work my tail off, and I ended up graduating with a 4.0. There are two kinds of responses to that kind of thing - one is to get down about it and switch majors because it's so hard. The other is to get back up and try again, which it sounds like you're doing. Good luck :)

One often must continue trying, and sometimes repeat things to make sure to succeed. Lack of conditioning, lack of experience, sometimes just immaturity, lack of patience, lack of sustained effort; all and others might be reasons why people do not always do well in some classes.

I am really surprised by how positive you guys are. Everyone says Physicists are the most arrogant people. Everyone I have encountered so far has been amazing. I will keep with it and I won't give up. Thanks guys

A few, maybe arrogant yes. NOT most of them. Most are just very confident of themselves and are often very up-to-date about what they are teaching. You may also find you confuse impatience on their part with arrogance in the presence of poorly prepared students - hard to say - but from a student's point of view, a physics professor does not always know exactly what a students problem is. Physics professors are also seeing students from other major-fields having viewpoints of goals much different than that of physics enthusiasts. This can make a physics professor very uncomfortable after a while.

 

[Crush1986]

I struggled greatly in the early days of my college education. I even took a break of about six years! I'm getting my bachelors later this year. My final GPA will be around the 3.9 range for physics related courses. I'm not sure what the change was, the biggest thing might have been hating my very average job that was nothing like what I wanted to do. I was tutoring a lot of the people who were in school at my place of employment (math and physics). I realized how much I loved it more than doing anything else pretty much, so I went back. Anytime I got a bit down or discouraged I just remembered how horrible the alternative was, so I picked those books back up and did what I had to do!

Stick with it if it's what you want. If you live and breathe it you can do it.

 

[symbolipoint]

Crush1986
Along with the tutoring you did during your nonphysics-related jobs, did you also review the material to relearn it or learn it better?

 

[Crush1986]

Crush1986
Along with the tutoring you did during your nonphysics-related jobs, did you also review the material to relearn it or learn it better?

Only the times I was brought something I didn't remember. Then I'd just ask them to leave their book with me and I'd read it. I had a job where I just watched monitors all night for 12 hours, so I had a lot of time if that is what I was doing.

 

[ZapperZ]

I am really surprised by how positive you guys are. Everyone says Physicists are the most arrogant people. Everyone I have encountered so far has been amazing. I will keep with it and I won't give up. Thanks guys

Well that's because *I* haven't chimed in on this!

{ZapperZ cowered upon the death glare from @Greg Bernhardt }

Zz.