Improve Grades: Tips for University Students

[Gogsey]

Hi,

I'll give you a quick background of my university years so far. In first year I did really poorly, 60%, and then took a year of bio/chem/biochem course and realized engineering is what I'r rather do, and seemed most interested.

So I'm in physics taking all the relevant courses I can get credit for in in engineering physics and a few other engineering disciplines If I choose another type(likely to be mechatronics If I do). last semester I took E&M, Vector Calculus, Modern Physics and a Cc-op class(really like half a course), and Pulled out not a bad avearage, about 70-75%.

This semester I have 5 courses, Diff Eq, Thermodynamics, Dynamics, E&M, and Materials Science. I was warned about jumping from 3 hard classes to 5 hard classes butI tried to do it.

So, thing is I'm finding that I have very little time to study for midterms what with assignments and labs and what not and my marks have suffered form this, roughly getting marks around 60 to 65 percent on the first set of midterms. The average grade for thermo and diff eq was 50% for each one, and which I got both 60% in each and the material was low too, I got 62.5%, and the TA said that was a pretty good mark compared to the average. So I think I am above average. I know I am below average for Mechanics however.

What do I need to do to pull these grades up? Like I said time is very limited for my schedule, I travel by bus to university. I'm also not the most disciplined person, but I'm not lazy. I also find I can understand most problems when I see the result, but a lot of the time there is usually something part way through the solution I didn't think of, and then I can finish the problem myself most times.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Is it too late to drop one class? It sounds like the warning was right: 5 hard classes is too much. Squeaking through with a weak foundation will not save you time.

"I'm also not the most disciplined person" is going to be a problem. Getting enough study time in even when you'd rather be doing something else is a key.

 

[Gogsey]

Unfortunately it is too late to drop a class.

Well I'm working on hopefully improving my discipline. Its not that I don't try to do the work, but when you have short breaks of only one hour between classes sometimes, traveling on the bus loses me about 2 hours a day, having an early class almost everyday, and having long breaks to makes you think you have more time that you do, well it just mounts up I guess. Also been having computer trouble too recently.

Taking 5 tough classes is probably a major factor, ut hopefully I'll get use to it this year, at some cost unfortunately, and be better prepared for next year.

 

[JeDaMo]

Finals are just around the corner, I suggest studying hard, that's what I plan to do.
I'm a physics student, almost certainly one of your peers since your posts look very familiar to me. As such, our exam schedule is nicely spread out, so I would take that time and really learn the material.

 

[Flat]

I suggest looking at this thread: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=303655

I was in a similar situation to you and I used a lot of the ideas in that thread to pull through.