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I'm starting my freshman year UT-Austin in the fall, and one of the major factors in my decision was the scholarships offered to me. To keep them, I have to maintain a 3.5+ GPA. It's an intimidating task considering I'm majoring in engineering in a program nationally known for its rigor. I can't afford not to keep them really.
I've heard that getting a 3.5+ is very hard in any major, so it's a concern for me that I'll be constantly worrying about my grades rather than getting a well-rounded education. I realize this is something that varies from person to person, but I'm interested in hearing your opinions and experience with GPA and difficulty of college courses.
I graduated from UT-Austin in Engineering with a 3.5. It is an excellent program so congrats on getting in it. The fun is only just about to begin though!! =)
It is difficult to maintain a 3.5, don't let anyone tell you it isn't. Anyone who is telling you it isn't obviously hasn't been through UT's Engineering program. UT's engineering program is no cake walk. At UT, literally half the students will drop out of engineering or change majors within the first 2 years. Most of the others won't have 3.5's or above. This isn't to discourage you, but this is the reality. I would say the difficulty of engineering at UT ranks like this:
Electrical Engineering = Hardest
Chemical Engineering = Very Hard
Aerospace Engineering / Biomedical Engineering = Hard
Mechanical Engineering = Moderate
Petroleum Engineering / Geosystems Engineering = Moderate
Architectural / Civil Engineering = Easiest
It is possible though, I'd recommend the following:
1. Use "pick a prof" to choose professors that give out a high percentage of A's for the required classes you have to take (not the advanced classes-- you won't get a choice in those). Some professors only give out <5% A's or no A's at all, steer clear from those ones.
2. Go to office hours. Often. Do all the homeworks. Homework is like a "safety net" for you grade. It can pull you up from a C to a B or from a B to an A.
3. Make friends with tons of students in your major. They can be helpful on homework you may not understand. Collaboration is important in engineering.
4. Old exams. Seek them out. Often the fraternities have libraries of them. Make friends with some frat guys. The old exams are good to complete to get a handle on what the new exams are like. Sometimes professors also use questions from old exams on their new exam.
5. Have fun! Don't spend all your time studying, reserve one night a week to go out and have a good time.
To me the hardest thing about going to college is learning how to study and work - so many students don't take advantage of the resources offered to them.
My advice is as follows:
Go to class - I know this seems obvious and I'm sure you have the best intentions - but you would be surprised the temptation is great. That 8am Thursday morning class when it's cold & rainy? That Friday afternoon or Monday morning class you'd have to ditch to attend a killer weekend with your buddies. Go to them. All of them.
Homework - do it. All of it. Find additional practice when you need it. Cool thing about college is you get a lot of freedom to determine how much you want to work. The tough thing is that it's easy to take it a little easier and respond once you realize you have a problem. Be pre-emptive and build good habits. It's a lot easier to lower your GPA than raise it. Same with your individual class grade. If you bomb an assignment or test and then react to that with advanced studying the road is a lot tougher than just putting the legwork in advance to avoid that situation.
Study Groups - great to go over homework, notes, etc. Different views, different thoughts, different tips & techniques. I didn't use them often when I first started, but really leaned on them during my core coursework. It's great to get over a hurdle or something that is creating a block. Which leads me to.......
Office Hours - that's right, professors are there for you - they are just waiting for you to come & knock. This is something that gets completely under-utilized. I honestly never did enough of this, but it paid dividends when I did. Great way to iron out the details, learn what the professors are looking for and develop a relationship.
Ditch assumptions & bias - So much in college is learning to do this and open up your mind and options. Don't just assume something will or not work, don't assume that you have a grasp, don't assume certain social situations or be biased against perceptions, etc. There are many cases where you won't know until you ask or explore the options. Same thing with your casework. Unclear on an assignment, ask. Unclear on the material that will be on the exam, ask. Starting to fall behind on your grades? - speak to your professor to see if there is any extra assignments you can do to boost your grades. If you work hard and they recognize that, you explain your GPA situation, etc you may be surprised how much they are willing to help you. Granted, they won't hand you a free grade. However, if you can show through extra work that you have a complete knowledge of the material that would warrant a higher grade then you can get some mileage.
There is no unimportant class - this is what hurt my GPA (i finished with a 3.45 cumulative and roughly a 3.8 in my major). That psychology class? - it counts. That other basic humanities class that is boring, outside your field of study and you'd rather blow off? - it counts. In fact, they can boost your GPA if you put in a good work ethic towards them. I wish I did, but it was all a part of my maturing and growth process.
Syllabus - you'll receive one for each class. Understand it. This is your road map to success in that class.
Breathe - keep your mind fresh as well. Make friends, go to parties, play video games, attend social functions of interest. Just remember that those things are there to supplement your experience. They aren't the reason why you are there. I definitely think it's important to have balance though
Choose friends wisely - this was touched on above. Avoid those who don't "need" to perform. It's fine to have an occasional friend like that, but don't make it your main group. There are a lot of people there for different reasons - I knew many who were more than happy to spend thousands of their parents dollars skipping class, playing basketball, drinking, etc. It will increase your difficulty if those are your key group of friends - no matter how much fun they're having.
Best of luck - it can be done - just work hard and be honest with yourself.
It's not that I lack confidence, I just want to have reasonable expectations about the task ahead of me. I like to get many people's opinions, and in addition to talking to others in real life, this can be a good resource for that as well. It's great to know that others are confident enough in your abilities to give you scholarships which double as built-in motivators. Still, though, I'm going to a school chock-full of kids from the top of their class. It's a concern of mine that I'll fade into the crowd.
I also don't like the idea of the having to compete against classmates for courses that professors grade on a bell curve. Have any of y'all faced problems with a bell curve before?
@ cyclone: We've discussed in previous threads that I'm doing Civil at the moment, but I'm interested in Mechanical and Chemical as well. It shouldn't be very hard to transfer should I choose to do so because most of the classes overlap the first couple of semesters. Maybe you'll know, maybe not, but do you remember the introductory chemistry class being a weed-out course?
It's not that I lack confidence, I just want to have reasonable expectations about the task ahead of me. I like to get many people's opinions, and in addition to talking to others in real life, this can be a good resource for that as well. It's great to know that others are confident enough in your abilities to give you scholarships which double as built-in motivators. Still, though, I'm going to a school chock-full of kids from the top of their class. It's a concern of mine that I'll fade into the crowd.
I also don't like the idea of the having to compete against classmates for courses that professors grade on a bell curve. Have any of y'all faced problems with a bell curve before?
@ cyclone: We've discussed in previous threads that I'm doing Civil at the moment, but I'm interested in Mechanical and Chemical as well. It shouldn't be very hard to transfer should I choose to do so because most of the classes overlap the first couple of semesters. Maybe you'll know, maybe not, but do you remember the introductory chemistry class being a weed-out course?
I transferred in actually (took my 1st year at UTSA) and last 3 years at UT Austin. So I didn't take UT Austin's chemistry classes (CH 301 or CH 302), so I can't comment on that. However, Organic Chemistry is one of the most difficult courses for Chemical Engineers I've heard...
Physics II (PHY 303L) is another introductory course that is difficult at UT. A lot of UT students take it at ACC (because it is easier) and just transfer the credit in. The ACC campus is located downtown and you can get there from the buses on campus (the dillo is free!!).
The only other course I found hard in my sophmore year there was Solids (EM 319)-- also called Mechanics of Materials.
It's not that I lack confidence, I just want to have reasonable expectations about the task ahead of me. I like to get many people's opinions, and in addition to talking to others in real life, this can be a good resource for that as well. It's great to know that others are confident enough in your abilities to give you scholarships which double as built-in motivators. Still, though, I'm going to a school chock-full of kids from the top of their class. It's a concern of mine that I'll fade into the crowd.
I also don't like the idea of the having to compete against classmates for courses that professors grade on a bell curve. Have any of y'all faced problems with a bell curve before?
@ cyclone: We've discussed in previous threads that I'm doing Civil at the moment, but I'm interested in Mechanical and Chemical as well. It shouldn't be very hard to transfer should I choose to do so because most of the classes overlap the first couple of semesters. Maybe you'll know, maybe not, but do you remember the introductory chemistry class being a weed-out course?
I was actually going to mention this in my first post but wasn't sure if you were interested. But since you ask...
The bell curve can be both a blessing and a curse. For me, it was a blessing and here's why:
For whatever reason, I am a strong finisher. It seemed to me that the opposite was true of my classmates, so the curve helped me get an A in more than one class. Most of those classes were very large (100+) and non-major classes; my major classes (especially upper division/junior & senior year classes) were much harder, smaller and never graded on a curve.
For example, in one class, I got a C on the first test. On the second test, I got a B. However, I completed and got A's on all of the homework assignments, and then aced the last two tests and the final (we're talking 96-100%). Because I had done much better than my fellow students and because the tests were graded on a curve, acing the later tests brought up my average significantly, to an A. And I know this because the prof specifically mentioned it in class--something to the effect of, "The majority of the class didn't do well on this last test, so those of you that did do well received a significant increase in your averages." Welcome to the bell curve.
The only problem is that, just as it can work for you, it can also work against you. Ah so, grasshopper
And, BTW, excellent suggestion about ACC ^^. I took some classes there that I used towards my UT degree and they were just as good, if not better b/c they were usually smaller. A lot of ACC classes are taught by UT grad students who did not receive assistantships, so the quality is still there.
As others have said, engineering is a tough major and you will certainly have to work your ass off in order to maintain a high GPA.
You will need to spend the majority of your time studying and doing homework. I honestly believe motivation is the deciding factor between doing well and only doing okay, or even not okay. Make sure you can motivate yourself. Think of the knowledge your gaining, the good grades you could earn, and the lifestyle you could have once you complete your degree. You'll have to make a ton of sacrifices the next four years, but it will be worth it. Study, study, study. Avoid the parties. I will say though, the last few semesters I've had pretty much a non-existant social life since I was so busy working. I was extremely stressed out at times. You will get stressed and may feel overwhelmed on occasion, so make sure you take a break when needed. Try not to drive yourself to near insanity like I did.
As for the liberal art courses (english, psychology, sociology, history, etc.), the material is a piece of cake. What may get annoying is the load of the course work. I honestly think some of them just get in the way when you're trying to focus on your major, however, at the same time, they do mix things up a bit. Just remember to take each course seriously.
I'm starting my freshman year UT-Austin in the fall, and one of the major factors in my decision was the scholarships offered to me. To keep them, I have to maintain a 3.5+ GPA. It's an intimidating task considering I'm majoring in engineering in a program nationally known for its rigor. I can't afford not to keep them really.
I've heard that getting a 3.5+ is very hard in any major, so it's a concern for me that I'll be constantly worrying about my grades rather than getting a well-rounded education. I realize this is something that varies from person to person, but I'm interested in hearing your opinions and experience with GPA and difficulty of college courses.
It's really not that hard. All you have to do is be responsible and actually put in some time doing some real study work - something that many students are apparently incapable of doing.
1. Don't take more than 18 hours of credits in a semester. I did 21 once, including a lab class that was design + build + test ... I must've spent 80 hours a week out of my dorm room. Thank god I had a supportive girlfriend at the time (that was hot and I could "relieve the stress" with often). And seriously DO NOT TAKE MORE! Your grades will suffer.
2. Study study study, and do the extra homework in your book. Sounds stupid at first but you shouldn't have extra time on your hands during the week. And if you get the concepts, study ahead of time.
3. Work out. Seriously. I exaggerate on #2 but if you aren't lucky like I was and have a girlfriend, then the next best thing is to take care of your body. Body and mind are inextricably linked. And it is so easy to do. 30-45 minutes every other day in the gym plus walking or running 4 miles a day. It's easier than it sounds.
Still not convinced? Well, think of it this way: the body needs the brain to survive and the brain needs blood. Higher metabolic rates mean the faster and more efficient blood is pumping through your body which carries waste back out. I've gotten more original and creative in my 30s now after I decided to get serious about working out 5 years ago. I wish wish wish I had discovered this in my college years and not been all up in athlete's faces about being stupid and meat headed. Wrong. Work out.
4. Work the TAs and RAs and the professors. They're there getting paid with YOUR MONEY. Use them. Even if you understand everything, ask what else you can do. Who knows? Maybe the prof will like your enthusiasm and offer you research grants as a grad student or an undergrad if you're lucky. Profs also know people in industry who may want his recommendation for you to get a job/internship later on.
5. Be prepared emotionally. When you get a C or less on a test, or a homework, LEARN FROM IT.
The way I see it is, I don't take things emotionally anymore when it comes to technical matters. I think thinks logically. You have received the input, now act on it. The feedback loop is endless and you're just getting started.
6. Check your ego at the door. Don't take things emotionally and don't see marks against you as an affront to your intelligence. Remember they're providing honest and critical feedback to you to help you improve. Use it!
7. Never give up. The only way giving up makes any sense is if you start bombing out of basic classes. My little bro wanted to become a mechanical engineer but simply couldn't understand the basics of fluid mechanics or physics. It was so frustrating to see him suffer like that and get D's and F's! But he didn't give up, rather, he changed his major and used college for what it is: a crucible of intellect and learning and understanding your own abilities. It isn't about pure knowledge except for the professors and the RAs who study under them. It's about You.
I have definitely seen people who took things personal and weren't able to be honest about their performance and grow from a tough mark .... a lot comes with responsibility
Your professors aren't jerks (well, they may be but are usually equally jerkish) - no one is out to get you, there is no conspiracy against you and just because you were able to get an A in HS with a certain quality of work doesn't mean it will translate
Also, sometimes you just have to be wrong for a semester ...... in one of my higher level Econ classes we had to complete a pretty comprehensive study - the style and format he wanted it in was straight out of 1920 .... no one writes like that today and most of the things he was requiring from me would of gotten me thrown out of different class rooms ........ it was a class where you would draft, review, revise, review, etc ..... it wouldn't do me any good to argue with him about how the information looked and the best way to present it .... he was very clear in how he wanted it and shredded my paper at first for not having it like that ..... it was on me to modify it if I wanted to get a good mark and get beyond the presentation to the actual material of the paper ..... it drove me nuts, but that is life sometimes
Also agree about never giving up ... I can relate to that as well - my university has a pretty solid engineering program, but it's definitely one that weeds out pretenders during the freshman year ... they've backed off the pedal a little bit as of late in order to get better rankings tied to freshman retention .... but the first year courseload was pretty intense
One of my good buddies freshman year really wanted to be an engineer, but struggled with the math .... he worked his butt off, but just couldn't get it .... tutoring, extra hours, study groups, etc .... couldn't get over the hump .... he ended up dropping and transfering to a different university to pursue music (another passion of his) ..... although he didn't get there, he'll know that it wasn't a lack of effort ... he gave his all and just fell short ... nothing wrong with that
unlike another one of my buddies who dropped out during our 2nd year .... i think he had a .74 one term ....... was one of those guys happy to waste his parents money
Well, first off, is the scholarship institutional? Or is it from an outside source? Is it semester based? Yearly based? Or cumulative? I got a scholarship for biology. If I fell below the minimal GPA, I was put on a warning, in which I had to meet or exceed the minimum GPA the next semester (based on that semester's grades, not cumulative). If I fell below the following semester, once again I would have been put on warning. Repeat. I only fell below once, by the way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Finger Laker
Also, sometimes you just have to be wrong for a semester ...... in one of my higher level Econ classes we had to complete a pretty comprehensive study - the style and format he wanted it in was straight out of 1920 .... no one writes like that today and most of the things he was requiring from me would of gotten me thrown out of different class rooms ........ it was a class where you would draft, review, revise, review, etc ..... it wouldn't do me any good to argue with him about how the information looked and the best way to present it .... he was very clear in how he wanted it and shredded my paper at first for not having it like that ..... it was on me to modify it if I wanted to get a good mark and get beyond the presentation to the actual material of the paper ..... it drove me nuts, but that is life sometimes
Kudos to him for teaching you how to write a proper paper (draft, review, revise, and so on)! It absolutely amazes me how many college students cannot (couldn't) write their way through a basic college paper, even though they claim[ed] up and down their work was gold.
Your opinion on whether or not anyone writes like that is moot. If that is how the prof wants you to write and present information, then that is how you are going to write. And three things I have learned are that: 1) different profs are going to demand different writing styles. 2) different journals and other publications demand different styles for submissions, regardless of what is considered standard or "modern". 3) if you want to be a trail-blazer and get creative with your papers, you'll have to do that on your own time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Westerner92
Thanks for all the responses and advice!
It's not that I lack confidence, I just want to have reasonable expectations about the task ahead of me. I like to get many people's opinions, and in addition to talking to others in real life, this can be a good resource for that as well. It's great to know that others are confident enough in your abilities to give you scholarships which double as built-in motivators. Still, though, I'm going to a school chock-full of kids from the top of their class. It's a concern of mine that I'll fade into the crowd.
Don't know what to tell you, you will fade into the crowd. You can be the top student at your school and while you may get recognition on the Dean's List, no one is going to hand you stars and brownies for your effort. In fact, outside of graduation rank, no one is going to care let alone notice. You are not in high school anymore. No one care about cliques or social standing. Well, not to the effect they do in high school, and generally the concept of being "cool" or the best or "in" fades away. No one is going to hold your hand. If you are failing a course, your professor more-than-likely will not say anything; even if you are the type to stay after class to shoot the breeze. So the sooner you get used to the idea that you are just another student, the better off you will be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Westerner92
I also don't like the idea of the having to compete against classmates for courses that professors grade on a bell curve. Have any of y'all faced problems with a bell curve before?
As StarlaJane pointed out, grading on a curve can be a blessing and a curse. Don't assume it will always boost your grade, and to be perfectly frank, it pissed me off to no end knowing that my good grade helped bring up some slackers grade. Yup, students tend to put studying on the back-burning if they know the prof is going to curve the grades. I mean, why not? Your C could turn into a high B. So why bother?
I hate profs who grade on a curve. To me it shows they are bad teachers at the most. Or good teachers who are just afraid of losing their jobs (adjuncts, for example). Call it pride or what ever, but I always believed the grade I got was the grade I earned. If I got a low grade, I accepted it and did my best to improve the next time. Failing is how we learn.
But....I actually enjoyed the competition in class. It pushed me to do the best I could, but honestly, what ever my grades were, I always knew that I gave it my best and in the end that was all that ultimately mattered to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Westerner92
Maybe you'll know, maybe not, but do you remember the introductory chemistry class being a weed-out course?
Since biology majors are required to take a year of gen chem and a year of organic chem, the gen chem courses are generally not weed out courses. A quick look at UTs website shows that there are two orgo II courses, one of which is indicated as Chem Majors only. That one is the weed out course.
Gen Chem is fairly easy on one hand. The math is basic arithmetic with the hardest part being conversion of units. On the other hand, I found it more difficult than orgo because at least in orgo you focus on narrow range of topics as opposed to the broad-view of topics covered in gen chem.
@esker regarding study, study, study...and do extra homework ...I disagree. One thing you will realize (hopefully) is that profs generally tell you the material they want you to learn. Which is generally the material they will test you on. I say generally because on occasion there is that one prof who will test on material not covered in lecture, the reading, homework assignments, etc. But they are rare since most profs don't want to spend any more time grading your tests/papers/homework than you do doing them.
It's simply a waste of time to study stuff you are not asked, or otherwise required, to study. It might make you a smarty pants, but it will take time away from the material you should be studying, and in reality, it creates an awkward situation where even though you begin the answer correctly, you "talk" your way into a wrong answer by including too much irrelevant information.
Simply put: only study what they profs ask you to study, and only answer the questions by answering only what is being asked.
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