Hard time with school, need guidence.

[Galgenstrick]

I am just finishing up my sophomore year in a Junior College and am getting ready to transfer to a UC. The last few math courses have been very difficult for me. I am usually an A student but am starting to lose motivation because of the difficulty. My Physics courses are very easy, but I am certain it is because I have a very easy going professor. My first physics class was Classical Mechanics, which was completely brutal, and I really had to beg for my A. The next few, Electricity and Magnetism, Optics, and Modern physics were all with the easy going professor, and I had no problems.

To get to my question. I am torn between which subject to major in. Does math get much harder or easier during your Junior and Senior years? And what about physics, from what I have heard physics gets extremely hard towards the end. I know I am not going to get straight A's, that doesn't matter to me too much as long as I am trying, however lower grades are discouraging, and I want to have a good experience for my last 2 years. I would like some opinions! Thanks.

 

[G01]

What math courses are you taking now? What grades do you think you are going to get?

You're a physics major?

By easy going do you mean: Grades easily but assigns hard problems? Or do you mean: easy problems that you don't think match with what your new University will expect you to do?

 

[Galgenstrick]

What math courses are you taking now? What grades do you think you are going to get?

You're a physics major?

By easy going do you mean: Grades easily but assigns hard problems? Or do you mean: easy problems that you don't think match with what your new University will expect you to do?

The math course I am taking now is multi variable calculus. (double, triple integrals, line integrals, surface integrals, Stokes theorem and divergence theorem etc.) Right now I need to get an A on the final to get an A on the class. I have been getting mid B's on the mid term exams, and have been working hard to try to get the A, but I am not sure if I will make it.

I am a Physics major now, but it is undeclared since I have not transferred yet. I am just meeting all the requirements now. I can transfer as a math or physics major once I am finished.

My physics teacher is easy going because of the following: The homework assignments are very difficult, most of the problems are too hard for me to either start or finish without help. His tests are extremely easy, he bases his tests off his notes from the lectures, and the test problems are almost identical to the notes, making the exams very predictable. I am worried I am not getting the experience I need to tackle the upper division courses, especially if the test questions are more like the ones I am struggling with.EDIT: By the way, I am looking to apply to the following schools:

UC Los Angeles
UC Berkely
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
UC Davis

 

[Phyisab****]

Either major will be very difficult and take a lot of work. Personally, completing my physics degree was not fun most of the time. I thought it might break me at least once. I'm glad I fought my way through it now though. If you want an easier major, try communications.

 

[Galgenstrick]

Either major will be very difficult and take a lot of work. Personally, completing my physics degree was not fun most of the time. I thought it might break me at least once. I'm glad I fought my way through it now though. If you want an easier major, try communications.

How were the upper division classes compared to the lower in terms of difficultly? Did you study at a University?

 

[G01]

Honestly that sounds like the way most of my physics courses were set up: Much harder homework assignments that were confusing and took forever, with exams that were easier and tested the main concepts from lecture.

I don't think you have enough evidence to actually say your bad at either math or physics and should major in the other one. You situation and struggles seem normal to me, at least in this first limited glance. You won't really know where you fit until you get to your university.

What subject do you enjoy more? This is what you should ask yourself when deciding on a major? When thinking about math, consider the proof portions of your courses, since this is what most upper level math will be like. Have you enjoyed the proofs you've come across? Do you like doing proofs?

As for physics, think about the problems that involve deriving equations from first principles, not numerical problems, as work in upper level physics will focus more on finding relationships and trends based on first principles (like Newton's Laws or Maxwell's Equations) or experimental data and less on engineering type problems. Do you enjoy problems like these?

 

[Phyisab****]

The problems are harder, but I didn't need to put in any more time. Hopefully your ability and the difficulty increase at a similar rate. I did all four years at a university. You might experience a step up in difficulty from a junior college.

 

[Galgenstrick]

@Phyisab****

Do you agree with G01 on this?

Honestly that sounds like the way most of my physics courses were set up: Much harder homework assignments that were confusing and took forever, with exams that were easier and tested the main concepts from lecture.

 

[someperson05]

School is hard. I understand the difficulty can be discouraging but you either have to face it or move on. Also, if I may be even more cliche, life is hard.

It sounds like your grades are good but that you need to make a certain mental transition if you want to be happy for the rest of your schooling. Namely, be happy with the fact that you are learning and are being challenged. Grades will come, and grades don't mean a thing past a certain point. Challenge is something that we all face, for just about every moment of our lives. The secret is to look at it as a chance to grow, as a chance to appreciate and understand life more.

Honestly it sounds like you just want an easy college experience. Then I would argue that you are studying the wrong things.

If I may ask a question, why are you studying math and/or physics? It sounds like you really aren't doing it for the material, though I could be completely wrong.

 

[Phyisab****]

@Phyisab****

Do you agree with G01 on this?

For the most part, yes, with a few absolutely brutal exceptions.

 

[Galgenstrick]

School is hard. I understand the difficulty can be discouraging but you either have to face it or move on. Also, if I may be even more cliche, life is hard.

It sounds like your grades are good but that you need to make a certain mental transition if you want to be happy for the rest of your schooling. Namely, be happy with the fact that you are learning and are being challenged. Grades will come, and grades don't mean a thing past a certain point. Challenge is something that we all face, for just about every moment of our lives. The secret is to look at it as a chance to grow, as a chance to appreciate and understand life more.

Honestly it sounds like you just want an easy college experience. Then I would argue that you are studying the wrong things.

If I may ask a question, why are you studying math and/or physics? It sounds like you really aren't doing it for the material, though I could be completely wrong.

I started studying the sciences after switching my major twice. There are certain subjects in physics I don't care for at all; circuits and mechanics being the 2 major ones. When I switched my major, my German professor's husband got me an internship in the Optical coating business, shortly after they gave me a part time job. I have been there for 2 years now. That was a huge transition and I have loved every minute working there. The physics involved in this job is extremely interesting, I am very interested in quantum physics, and optics.

My main concern with majoring in physics is that I am unsure I am getting properly prepared. It seems too easy to get a good grade right now, and I am worried I am going to have a crude awakening once I transfer.

 

[someperson05]

It sounds like your interest is in physics. Then do physics. If it turns out you don't like math, then that will make the subject that much harder to learn. If you care about a class, and the material it is of course "easier".

You may have a rude awakening. The first semester may kick your ***, but then you can catch up and learn how to work with the larger workload. Rude awakenings happen. They keep us humble and can teach us what we are made of. (I have faced many, because I have the tendency to be quite the jack***. I hate when they happen, but they are also the best learning experiences in my honest opinion.)

Someone else can weigh in their opinion on this next suggestion, but perhaps you can e-mail the professors in the physics department there, ask them what they think about your preparation. They may be able to give you suggestions on where you may need to polish your skills or just general advice. Give a detailed account of what you've struggled in, your concerns etc.

 

[Galgenstrick]

Someone else can weigh in their opinion on this next suggestion, but perhaps you can e-mail the professors in the physics department there, ask them what they think about your preparation. They may be able to give you suggestions on where you may need to polish your skills or just general advice. Give a detailed account of what you've struggled in, your concerns etc.

Actually that is a great idea. Once I know which school I will be going to I will have to do this. Maybe I can find some old exams as well from "future" school, and see what is involved. Maybe going to UC Berkley isn't the best fit for me, even though it is the most prestigious of the group I listed. I also think that going for physics is a better rout, it seems more applicable. However I do have a lot of fun solving math problems once I understand the concepts, the concepts are just increasingly harder to grasp and it is frustrating me.

I think it would also be a good idea to choose a minor that doesn't frustrate me, my original idea was major in physics and minor in math. I think that would kill me. It would probably be better to do something like business. Do you guys have any good ideas for a minor that fits well with physics? Something that doesn't take too much of my time, and something interesting and rewarding?

 

[someperson05]

I don't know how much help I can be on suggesting minors. Though I would think it would depend on what you mean by "interesting and rewarding".

I would suspect having something Business as a minor would make you more marketable on the job market. (Computer Science would do that as well I think, but that is a time consuming endeavour in my experience.)

Really if you have any other random interest, you could pursue that as well. You will take a fair amount of math being a physics major and you may be closer to a math minor than you think at your future school. Worth checking.

I am not the best person to listen to on this though, so hold judgement until other, more experienced people weigh in.