Courses I think I won't get an A in Quantum Mechanics I

[TechieDork]

This is by far the hardest undergraduate class I have ever take.
The majority of class got less than 40% on the midterm. Unfortunately, I was sick during the exam hours too ,so it's hard for me to concentrate and think clearly
Thank god,the professor uses the norm-referenced grading and My score is not so good but it's not a falling score either. . The curve will definitely skewed right.
I'm going to do my undergraduate thesis on QM. I'm planning an intensive review on fundamental concepts ,Mathematical formulation and try solve tons of problems to solidify my understanding this November.

Should I stick with this beast?
I really want to know some inspiring stories from anyone that have been through this situation.

 

[TechieDork]

My most annoying habit is I don't know when to skip "the hard part" of the exam and do the easier next part so this often leave me with little time to get more score.

 

[Choppy]

Dropping a course because you're not getting a "A" is a bad habit to get into. It's one thing if you're missing some major prerequisite work, or you're encountering some other major obstacle in your life like an illness that's keeping you from focusing on the material. But if you're just encountering a tough course and/or a challenging professor - you're likely going to encounter that again as you advance in your career.

My most annoying habit is I don't know when to skip "the hard part" of the exam and do the easier next part so this often leave me with little time to get more score.

Well the good news here is that a problem like this is correctable. Honing your exam-taking skills will help you maximize your scores. Your university will likely have workshops available that will help you to improve your exam taking strategies. Here's a few tips from my experience - your mileage may vary.

• Read through the entire exam first. This helps to focus your thoughts, gets your brain working on each of the problems, and helps you to identify those challenging problems in the beginning so you know where they are.
• First figure out as much information you can about the marking scheme. Usually, the percentage of marks for each problem serves as a good first approximation for budgeting your time and effort on that problem.
• Once you establish a time-budget, stick to it as closely as you can.
• Be aware of your personal time-sinks. Everyone has things they do that eat up time unnecessarily during an exam.
• Answer the easy problems first. This helps to build up your confidence and sometimes can give you clues on the harder ones.
• Practice keying in on the specific points each question is looking for in the answer. Sometimes it's temping to perform an academic regurgitation of all the material you've studied, when you're triggered. But if a question is with two marks, it's probably looking for two specific points in the answer. Get those down efficiently, and move on.
• Related to above - read each question carefully and fully.
• Before even going in, ask yourself how you would examine students on the material you've covered. What's critical for students to know? What's peripheral? This exercise can help you to figure out at least the "types" of problems you're likely to encounter.
• In your time budget, try to leave yourself some time at the end to review the exam, or go back to those particularly challenging parts.

 

[atyy]

So did you get more than 40%?

 

[Haorong Wu]

My experience tells me that solving a number of problems did improve my understanding on QM. Besides, QM only has a limited number of tricks that could shows in an exam. Enough problems will show them to you.

I worked through a problem book for QM for three times, and I got 138 out of 150 in the entrance test for graduates. What's more, I begin to think quantum mechanically, which is the true benefits for me.

So I would suggest you stick to your current plan, and do not give up. It is a lot of fun in solving QM problems. Lol.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

I had a couple "miracle" finishes after very poor starts. But the classes were Mechanics and Math Methods in Physics. Ended up with As. Hard work from the first day to the final exam paid off as things came together for me by the final.

'Twas not to be in Statistical Mechanics - my first B. It was a combined difficulty of tricky fundamentals (for me, just not how I think) and all the difficult integrals.

Quantum was more intuitive for me - at least the undergrad version. 2 out of my 3 Bs in grad school were in Jeffery Goldstone's Quantum Mechanics sequence. But I wouldn't have traded those two semesters for anything. Awesome experience. Brilliant man.

Funny thing was I got As in two semesters of Stat Mech in grad school.

Quantum Mechanics was easy for me in undergrad, because I looked at it simply as a new set of rules for which I did not have existing knowledge. I'd gotten good enough at math by that point where I could handle it as long as I didn't try and squeeze it into one of my existing paradigms. The approach worked well. Somehow I got the message early in the term when the prof said to clear the slate and build on a new foundation.

 

[Mondayman]

Study smart and solve lots of problems. Its not too late to finish strong in the course. Also, understand that its okay to get a B and not be in the top of the class. Just focus on your learning and understanding of the material. Getting things wrong is part of the learning process. Missed grades are a good opportunity to find where your weak spots are.