Question about physics/chemistry

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a student's concerns regarding their academic performance in AP Chemistry and AP Physics 1, and whether consistent low B grades hinder their aspirations to become an engineer, physicist, chemist, or other scientist. The scope includes personal experiences with studying, test performance, and feelings of inadequacy in the sciences.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested, Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about their ability to succeed in science fields due to low B grades despite significant studying efforts.
  • Another participant encourages striving for improvement in grades.
  • The original poster shares feelings of confusion regarding their inconsistent test results, noting a lack of correlation between study time and grades.
  • The original poster details specific test scores in Physics and Chemistry, highlighting discrepancies in performance despite similar preparation levels.
  • There is a mention of consistent high grades in other subjects, which adds to the original poster's frustration with their performance in science.
  • A later reply suggests performing post-mortems on exams to identify reasons for lower scores, questioning whether mistakes are due to careless errors or misunderstandings of the material.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the reasons for the original poster's academic struggles, and multiple perspectives on study effectiveness and test performance remain present.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the original poster's emotional state and uncertainty regarding their academic path, as well as the potential impact of study habits and test-taking strategies on performance.

Ritzycat
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Hello! I have a quick question about academics in physical sciences. If I consistently earn Low B's on My Ap chemistry and Ap physiCs 1 tests, despite consistent and meaningful studying, is it still possible for me to become an engineer, physicist, chemist, or other sort of scientist one day? Any anssers are greatlyappreciated.
 
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Yes, but you should also strive to improve your grades.
 
Yes! I am trying to improve my grades, although I fear my inability to earn decent grades is an indicator that I will not be able to become a scientist or engineer one day.

I am scared of college because I fear that despite countless hours spent studying, I will not be able to earn the test grades to earn A's in the classes; Then I will not have a sufficient GPA to find a job or go to graduate school. If I can barely earn B's on tests in very simple introductory science courses in high school, I am not sure what I will do in college to earn A's at a challenging university.

It is slightly confusing to me because many students in my classes who do not have specific interests in science still do better than me on science tests.

Even though I study many hours for my exams, I have found no correlation between studying and high grades. On my Physics 1-D kinetics test, I earned an 87%, but on 2-D kinetics, I earned a 82%. For the 1-D Kinetics test I did not study very much. I studied for the 2-D Kinetics test for many hours the nights before and I felt very prepared going into the test. However, I earned a lower grade on the 2-D Kinetics test despite feeling very prepared going into the test.

In Chemistry, I studied roughly equivalent amounts for the three tests I've taken. I earned 76%, 97%, and 82% respectively. I went into each test feeling equally prepared, as I had done many different conceptual and quantitative practice problems prior and I felt prepared for everything that was on the tests.

I just want to have consistent results. I do not feel compelled to study anymore because I feel it does nothing for me. I don't feel like I am failing to understand any of the concepts being tested on any test I take. In other subjects, like history, math, and French, I see consistent (and high) test grades even though I spend very little time studying these subjects. It's too bad I don't really find any of them all that fun!

Sorry if my post sounds like a conceited rant, but I feel a bit lost right now on what to do to cure my deficiency. For Physics I have began seeing my teacher before school, during study hall, and after school; I have began to spend many hours practicing outside of school. Hopefully I will see all of the hard work pay off. I just want an A on a physics exam!
 
Do you perform post-mortems on the exams after you get them back? Why aren't you scoring better on them? Are you just making dumb mistakes or are you finding your understanding wasn't as good as you thought it was?
 

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